Karnataka Upper House Holds Special Debate On North Karnataka’s Long-Pending Issues; Demand For ₹25,000 Cr Annual Allocation Raised | The Bengaluru Live

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Belagavi/Bengaluru: On the third day of the winter session at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the Karnataka Legislative Council held an extensive special discussion on long-pending issues of North Karnataka, including irrigation delays, land encroachments, farmer distress, employment challenges, infrastructure gaps and revival of key projects such as Krishna Upper Bank, Mahadayi, and Kalasa-Banduri.

Council Chairman facilitated a wide-ranging debate after the post-lunch session resumed at 3:15 PM, allowing members to raise concerns connected to regional imbalance, agriculture, industrial growth, tourism development, and revival of Kannada-medium schools.

“North Karnataka Must Get ₹25,000 Cr Every Budget” – Nirani Hanumanthappa

Raising the issue forcefully, MLC Nirani Hanumanthappa Rudrappa said the creation of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha itself symbolised the need to prioritise the region.
He recalled that the Dr. Nanjundappa Committee had warned of severe regional imbalance more than 20 years ago.

“Dr. Nanjundappa recommended ₹18,000 crore for the region in 2002–03. Till today, only ₹12,000 crore has been spent. If the same cost is projected to 2025, the required allocation will be far higher. Every budget must earmark at least ₹25,000 crore exclusively for North Karnataka,” he demanded.

He also urged the government to:

Restart all incomplete irrigation projects.
Relocate nine government departments to North Karnataka.
Prioritise agriculture-linked industries and irrigation of all arable land.
Support 173 rehabilitation centres under the Krishna Upper Bank project.
Establish more medical colleges in the region.
Lift water from Kali River similar to Etthinahole model.
Create an industrial corridor along the Belagavi–Hubballi–Dharwad NH stretch.
Increase funding for Vijayapura Women’s University.

“No State Can Progress Without Education, Health, Water” – H. Vishwanath

Senior member H. Vishwanath stressed that education, healthcare and drinking water are foundational to development.
“If these three do not reach the common people, we cannot call it a functioning society,” he said, urging the government to frame policies with foresight while ensuring job creation for the youth.

Call to Support Regional Media

Newly elected member Shivakumar proposed that the government should increase state advertising allocations to local and regional newspapers, especially in North Karnataka, to strengthen journalism in the region.

Priority Must Be Public Sector Hiring & Health Infrastructure: Namoshi

MLC Shashil G. Namoshi highlighted the large number of vacant government posts, urging immediate recruitment.
He also demanded urgent measures to upgrade healthcare infrastructure across the region.

Council Leadership Joins the Debate

Council Leader N.S. Boseraju, Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, and several other members participated, reflecting a rare multi-party consensus on the need for accelerated development in North Karnataka.