First Time At Amba Jatra, A Blessed Day: Siddaramaiah Announces Crores For Irrigation, Temple Development | The Bengaluru Live

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Raichur: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that attending the Amba Jatra Mahotsav for the first time and having the Mother’s (Amba Tai‘s) darshan was a blessing for him, as he launched and inaugurated a series of irrigation and development projects in the Sindhanur Assembly constituency.

Speaking at the Sri Amba Mahotsav–2026 Jatra held at the Sri Ambamatha premises, Siddaramaiah said major works including the Salagunda lift irrigation, Mullur lift irrigation, and Valaballari weir projects had been taken up to strengthen water security in the region.

The Chief Minister said irrigation continues to be a top priority for the government, with ₹176 crore mobilised through various corporations. Of this, ₹71 crore has been allocated to the Salagunda project, ₹21 crore to Mullur, and over ₹43 crore to the Inballari lift irrigation scheme. He added that efforts were underway to provide irrigation across 42 lakh hectares, with water already reaching over 30 lakh hectares, while works for the remaining areas are in progress.

He announced that ₹431 crore is being spent on the Papayya tunnel and canal development, along with the installation of 33 new gates at the Tungabhadra reservoir. “We will complete this work by June and ensure water for the coming monsoon crop. No matter the cost, we will install new gates and supply water,” he assured.

ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಅಂಬಾ ಜಾತ್ರಾ ಮಹೋತ್ಸವದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, ತಾಯಿಯ ದರ್ಶನವಾಗಿದ್ದು ನನ್ನ ಪುಣ್ಯ. ಇಂದು ಈ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಲಗುಂದಾ ಏತನೀರಾವರಿ, ಮುಳ್ಳೂರು ಏತ ನೀರಾವರಿ ಮತ್ತು ವಳಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ ವಿಯರ್ ಕಾಮಗಾರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಚಾಲನೆ ನೀಡಲಾಗಿದೆ.

ನಾವು ಅಧಿಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದ ಮೇಲೆ ನೀರಾವರಿಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಒತ್ತು ನೀಡಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಎಲ್ಲಾ ನಿಗಮಗಳಡಿ ₹176… pic.twitter.com/qdaxgFRo0g
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) January 3, 2026

Rejecting claims that development has slowed due to welfare schemes, Siddaramaiah said, “It is an outright lie that there is no money for development. Guarantee schemes have not hindered development works.” He said ₹1.12 lakh crore has been spent on guarantees, including the Shakti scheme, under which 643 crore women passengers have travelled free on state buses at a cost of about ₹16,000 crore. “This year alone, ₹52,000 crore has been spent,” he added.

Noting that Karnataka is the country’s second-largest dryland state, the Chief Minister said expanding irrigation and green cover is central to the government’s strategy. He reiterated the demand for the Centre to issue the gazette notification for Phase-III of the Upper Krishna Project, stating that Karnataka is yet to utilise 173 TMC of water despite the dispute being settled in 2003.

Siddaramaiah said irrigation projects would be fast-tracked to ensure water reaches tail-end farmers at the earliest. He also announced that ₹6.30 crore has been sanctioned for temple development, of which ₹2 crore has already been spent, with the remaining funds to be released soon.

On the Centre’s replacement of MGNREGA with the VB G RAM G law, the Chief Minister said the state government strongly opposes the move. “The new law hurts the poor, women, Dalits and small farmers. We demand that VB G RAM G be withdrawn and MGNREGA restored in its original form,” he said, criticising the change in funding pattern that shifts a larger burden onto states.

Calling on people to oppose the Centre’s decision, Siddaramaiah said the UPA-era law introduced by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was people-centric and rights-based. “Changing even Mahatma Gandhi’s name after 20 years and altering the law’s very nature is unacceptable,” he said.