After hoisting the national flag at the 70th Kannada Rajyotsava ceremony held at the Madikeri District Police Parade Ground, Kodagu District In-charge Minister and Minister for Small Irrigation, Science and Technology N. S. Bhosaraju said that Karnataka is not just a land but the sentiment and bond of Kannadigas.
He said it is a matter of pride that Kannada language and literature have received the highest number of Jnanpith awards in the country. The celebration of Kannada Rajyotsava today is the result of the struggles of many great individuals who worked tirelessly for the unification of Karnataka. Thousands of Kannadigas contributed to the administrative and emotional unity of the state, and all such great souls should be remembered with gratitude, he said.
The Minister stated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, several programmes have been launched for the development of Kodagu and Kannada Nadu, giving special priority to Kannada language and culture. He urged the youth to cultivate an interest in Kannada language, literature, culture, and art and to uphold the heritage of Karnataka.
Natural Disaster Grant: A grant of Rs. 10 crore has been sanctioned in the Deputy Commissioner’s PD account for natural disaster management. Three casualties have been reported in the district, and Rs. 5 lakh each has been given to the affected families. A total of 52 houses were completely damaged, 194 houses severely damaged, and 88 partially damaged. Twenty-eight cattle deaths were reported, and compensation has been paid.
Shakti Yojana: A total of 1,40,28,793 women passengers in Kodagu district have benefited from the Shakti Yojana. On average, 16,033 passengers travel daily, and the number of women passengers has increased by 10.21% compared to the previous year.
Grihalakshmi Scheme: Under this scheme, 1,17,085 beneficiaries have registered in Kodagu district, and Rs. 465.02 crore has been deposited in their bank accounts.
Grihalakshmi Jyoti Scheme: A total of 1,98,841 consumers have registered under this scheme, achieving 99.09% coverage.
Annabhagya Scheme: The government distributes 10 kg of rice monthly to 1,08,602 BPL cardholder families in the district.
Yuvanidhi Scheme: A total of 1,912 candidates have registered, and Rs. 2.35 crore has been disbursed to 1,445 beneficiaries through direct cash transfer as of October 2025. He added that, apart from guarantee schemes, various developmental works are progressing in the district.
Public Works Department: A grant of Rs. 2 crore has been provided for bridge construction in Madikeri and Virajpet. Rs. 744.17 lakh and Rs. 1,415.38 lakh have been released for road development. Rs. 20 crore has been sanctioned for roads and bridges in Virajpet constituency, Rs. 75 lakh for state highway bridge repairs, and Rs. 145 lakh for main road bridge repairs.
Scheduled Castes Welfare: About 71.25 acres of land has been reserved to provide sites to 2,000 Scheduled Tribe families. The district office of the Department of Scheduled Castes Welfare has also received its own building, which was inaugurated on the occasion.
Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences: Administrative approval of Rs. 78.10 crore has been given for the construction of a 450-bed hospital building under Phase II. Additional postgraduate seats have been sanctioned in several departments.
Urban Development: Under the District Urban Development Cell, five urban local bodies-Madikeri, Virajpet, Kushalnagar, Somwarpet, and Ponnampet-are functioning. The Directorate of Urban Land Transport has allocated Rs. 12.02 crore for infrastructure improvements in Madikeri, Kushalnagar, and Virajpet municipalities.
Harangi Development: Development works worth Rs. 95 crore are planned in the Harangi reservoir area, including modernization of 18 distribution canals at Rs. 50 crore, construction of a bowstring bridge at Rs. 36.50 crore, and various roadworks at Rs. 10 crore. Modernization of the left bank main canal will cost Rs. 72 crore.
Groundwater Development: A grant of Rs. 50 crore has been sanctioned for check dams, canals, and bridges. Rs. 20 crore has been allocated for protective barriers in five taluks, and Rs. 9 crore under the State Disaster Management Plan for lake development.
A parade was held by the police, NCC, Home Guards, Scouts and Guides, and Seva Dal. Students from various schools presented cultural programmes. A procession was taken out from Madikeri Fort to the parade ground.
Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda presided over the event, which was attended by Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja, Additional Deputy Commissioner R. Aishwarya, Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan, Dharmaja Uthappa, and other officials.
