Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a new dedicated ministry to focus on the development of the Kalyana Karnataka region comprising seven backward districts – Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), Bidar, Koppal, Yadgir, Raichur, Ballari and Vijayanagara.
On September 17, the Karnataka government celebrated the Liberation Day, to commemorate the liberation of Bidar, Kalaburagi, and Raichur that were under the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad after the princely state merged with the Union of India in 1948. The day was also significant as it marked the completion of 10 years after the region was accorded the special status by an amendment (371-J) to the Constitution, in 2012.
Siddaramaiah, who held a cabinet meeting in Kalaburagi, approved projects worth Rs 11,770 crore and gave the nod to upgrade the municipal bodies in Raichur and Bidar to city corporations. However, the region flagged as ‘backward’ by a High-Powered Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances headed by Professor DM Nanjundappa (2002), continues to battle serious lack of basic amenities, be it roads or drinking water. The Nanjundappa Committee set up by then chief minister SM Krishna had hoped to tackle the regional disparities by giving special focus to certain sectors and making special allocations too. Siddaramaiah, in budget 2024-25, has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the development of the region and is now hoping to set up a ministry to exclusively focus on governance and faster implementation of projects.
Interestingly, the Kalyana Karnataka region represented by veterans like AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former chief minister late Dharam Singh has failed to transform into a developed region for want of better coordination and implementation of both central and state projects. The Siddaramaiah government has constituted a new committee headed by Dr Govind Rao to assess the backward taluks in Kalyana Karnataka to address the issue of regional imbalance and to prioritise development.
“Kalyana Karnataka has fought four important battles - the Indian freedom struggle, the liberation from Nizam’s rule, the unification of Kannada-speaking regions, and the fight for Article 371(J) to grant special status. Kharge and Singh’s efforts paid off and the UPA government under Manmohan Singh gave a special status tag to the region. But the Modi government has not given a single rupee for the region’s development,” lamented Siddaramaiah, who demanded a matching fund from the Centre.
Politically, the Kalyana Karnataka region has given a new lease of life to Siddaramaiah, who saved his face by winning the Koppal seat in the 2018 Assembly polls, as he had lost the second seat, Chamundeshwari in Mysuru, which is his home turf. Once again, the region saw an overwhelming support for the Congress last year after the grand old party won as many as 26 seats out of 41 seats in the region, against its total tally of 135 seats (in the 224-member Assembly). This year, all five Lok Sabha seats in the region were won by Congress, which won nine seats in all, out of 28 seats.
As per the status report, in the last 10 years (2013-14 to 2024-25), the state government has allocated Rs 19,778 crores to the Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB), of which Rs 13,229 crore has been released, and Rs 11,174 crore spent. Of the 35,885 projects taken up during the period, 27,264 have been completed, while 8,621 are in progress. Though the special status was given in 2012, the law was enacted in 2013 and 1.09 lakh jobs were identified for direct recruitment across the various departments in the region. Around 79,985 have been filled. Of the 38,705 promotional posts, 29,793 have been promoted and remaining vacancies will also be filled in phases.
“The previous BJP government led the state into decline with mismanagement and corruption. They took up projects worth crores without allocating funds in the budget. Moreover, the central government has denied us our rightful share of the taxes. Despite all the challenges, my government has implemented five guarantee schemes effectively and is providing Rs 5,000 crores annually to Kalyana Karnataka. Our priority is road, irrigation, health, education and development,” said Siddaramaiah.