Mysore/Mysuru: Gandhi’s idea of ‘Rama Rajya’ can be realised only through the overall development of girl child, said MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD)  here on Friday.

He was speaking after distributing laptops to the 39 wards of registered construction workers of Chamundeshwari Constituency at an event jointly organised by the Department of Labour and Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board at Jaladarshini Guest House.

“Girls, who have been excelling in education must also excel in various other fields to realise the dream of Rama Rajya. Women, who contribute to 50 percent of the working class, have been actively working in various fields including agriculture, animal husbandry, cottage industry, textiles and other fields,” he said.

Citing the example of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who has presented the Union Budget for the record sixth time, GTD mentioned that women should take inspiration from the Union Minister and other women achievers to grow in their respective careers.

Adding that education was the only medium through which equality could be established in society, the former Minister said that about 1.09 lakh degree students were distributed with laptops during his tenure as the Higher Education Minister. “Though it was criticised, the move came in handy to the students at a time when the entire world was suffering owing to Covid,” and urged the students to make use of the laptops provided by the State Government to pursue their education.

Devegowda also advised the students to plan their future lives and careers parallel to their education. “Students should conduct thorough research in their subject of interest before to excel in their career,” he said and added that students should also play an active role in preserving the environment and maintaining cleanliness, both inside and outside their house. “Each student should plant at least two saplings in front of their houses,” he said.

District Labour Officer Rajesh Jadhav, Senior Labour Inspector Shashidhar, leaders Channegowda, Satish, Raju, Kumaraswamy and others were present.

Free laptops for 450 students

District Labour Officer Rajesh Jadhav said that Mysuru had a total of 1,79,404 registered construction workers which included 1,42,260 male and 37,144 female workers.

“The Department had invited applications for the distribution of free laptops during which 6,461 applications were received. Based on the total number of laptops allocated to the district, the District-level Committee selected the best 450 students as beneficiaries. Of the total selected, 39 students of Chamundeshwari Constituency, majority of whom have scored more than 90 percent, were distributed laptops on Friday. Measures have been taken to distribute laptops to the beneficiaries in other Constituencies also,” the District Labour Officer added.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda directed the officials concerned to shift the Waste Management Plant from Old Kesare in the city to a suitable place.

He came out with the above instruction during a meeting of officials from Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), Hootagalli City Municipal Council (CMC), Town Panchayats of Rammanahalli, Srirampura, Bogadi and Kadakola, convened at his office in the premises of Jaladarshini Guest House on Hunsur Road here yesterday.

The meeting was convened mainly to discuss the issues concerning Chamundeshwari Assembly Constituency and the residents of Old Kesare, Kamanakere Hundi and surrounding villages that fall under the Constituency, had staged a protest recently demanding the shifting of Waste Management Plant from Old Kesare. Hence, steps must be taken to shift the Plant elsewhere before the issue blows out of proportion.

Besides, precautionary measures should be taken to ensure drinking water-related issues won’t recur in any parts of the Constituency during forthcoming summer. More quantity of water should be pumped from Kabini Dam to water storage unit near Talur. The officers should conduct inspection before any issues crop up, he instructed.

There are complaints about commercial establishments like shops and hotels mushrooming at Vijayanagar 3rd Stage, but without any trade license. The license should be issued if they meet the set criterion,  he suggested.

With sewage water flowing through storm water drain at several localities in the city, the residents are put into trouble.

Action should be initiated against those who linked UGD to storm water drain. The Officers should ensure that all the basic infrastructural facilities are provided at private layouts, before they are handed over to local bodies and get clarity about the pending works.

e-Swathu should be given to Government Schools functioning at CMC and Town Panchayat limits and required funds should be set aside for the conservation of lakes in MCC, CMC and TP limits, giving due priority for conservation of water.

Leaders H.C. Raju, Hootagalli Suresh, Mahesh, MCC Commissioner Ashaad-Ur-Rahman Shariff, Additional Commissioner of MCC K.J. Sindhu, Hootagalli CMC Commissioner M. Sandeep, Chief Officers of Town Panchayats Basavaraju, Sridhar, Narasimha Murthy, Deepa and others were present.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Observing that Government interference has been hurting the growth of the co-operative sector, Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD), who is also the Chairman of Karnataka State Co-operative Federation, said that the co-operative sector should be free of any interventions and should have autonomy.

He was speaking at the prize distribution ceremony of State-level debate contest for Post-Graduate, Graduate and PU  students and essay competition for High School students, organised jointly by Karnataka State Co-operative Federation, University of Mysore (UoM) Economics and Co-operation Department and Mysuru District Co-operative Union at EMRC auditorium in Manasagangothri campus here on Wednesday.

Maintaining that the growth of the co-operative sector will help in the  economic empowerment of families, State and the country, GTD said that independent India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said that the co-operative sector is the gateway to the country’s economy.

“The co-operative sector has grown rapidly over the years. The sector has also groomed several leaders and elected representatives,” he said and called upon the youths to engage themselves in the sector. The co-operative sector has helped in the economic empowerment of the poor, the working class and shaping a self-reliant life for many families in the country, he added.

GTD also highlighted and chronicled the growth of the co-operative sector in the State over the years.

Karnatak University, Dharwad, bagged the overall trophy  in the State-level debate for PG students, while Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK), Bengaluru, bagged the overall trophy  in the Degree students category.

In the PG category, Mruthyunjaya Kabbur of Karnatak University, Dharwad, won the gold medal while B.V. Udayakumar of Bengaluru’s GKVK bagged silver medal and Akash Hamsanur of Economics Department of Karnatak University won the bronze medal. In the graduate category, GKVK’s N. Keertana Nayak won the gold medal while M.N. Sowmya, also of GKVK bagged the silver medal and Pooja Chauhan of Karnatak University secured bronze medal.

In the PUC section, Kharja Fatima of Rotary Educational Institutions, Mandya, Divya of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College, Udupi and Nidhi Desai of Shakti PU College, Mangaluru, bagged the first three prizes.

In the essay competition for High School students, G. Chandana of Government High School, Bharatinagar, Mandya, bagged the first prize, while Lakshmi Prasanna of Government High School, Chikkakalbal, Kanakapura, came second and Safiullah of Renuka High School, Chikkakabbara, Rattihalli Taluk, Haveri district, bagged the third prize.

UoM Vice-Chancellor Prof. N.K. Lokanath, Federation office-bearers Jagadish Kavatagimath, Ganganna, Jayakar Shetty, Bapugouda D. Patil, M. Mahesh, Sharanabasappa, B.S. Chandrashekar, Pavitra and others were present.

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Mysore/Mysuru: As the world is celebrating the ‘Pran Pratishta’ (consecration) of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Mysuru too etched its name in the history books as Bhoomi Puja was held for the construction of the Sri Ram Temple at Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura in Mysuru taluk from where the Krishna Shile or black schist rock was extracted for sculpting the Ram Lalla idol installed at Ayodhya.

The rituals at Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura were conducted this morning by Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD).  The ceremony took place at 9.10 am, aligning with the auspicious Kumbha Lagna, accompanied by the melodious chanting of Vedic hymns by the priests.

Following his recent visit to the sacred site at Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura falling under his Constituency, GTD, accompanied by his wife Lalitha Devegowda, had announced that a Sri Ram Temple would be built at this place following which the puja rituals were held today. 

The rituals, meticulously performed, included punyaha (cleansing the place), Ganapathi puja, Kalasa puja, Navagraha puja, Shilanyasa puja and Ganga puja. Women carrying kalashas with sacred water participated in the rituals, while holy elements like water from the Sarayu River in Ayodhya, mrittika (holy mud), navarathna (nine gems) and panchagavya (milk, gau mutra, dung, ghee and curd derived from cows) were offered to the land earmarked for the temple’s construction.

Villagers from Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura and nearby areas enhanced the spiritual atmosphere with Ram bhajans during the ceremony.

Speaking to the media after the rituals, GTD highlighted Mysuru’s new found significance, having played a role in providing the Krishna Shile, which eventually became the idol of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. 

He announced plans to commission the sculpting of Sri Rama’s idol by Arun Yogiraj, the artisan behind the idol of Ram Lalla. The temple’s architecture at Harohalli-Gujjegowdanapura is intended to mirror that of the one in Ayodhya.

GTD mentioned that this particular temple will be the Ayodhya of the South with the same reverence of the Ayodhya Ram Temple. He announced the formation of a committee to chalk out next steps, including discussions with sculptor Arun Yogiraj upon his return from Ayodhya.

He said the temple will be constructed using donations from the public. The village is in Jayapura hobli of Mysuru district, about 25 km from Mysuru city. Ramdas, the landowner, expressed his joy at the Krishna Shile being excavated from his land.

In an unexpected turn of event at the venue, some villagers created disturbance by preventing the entry of Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simmha into the puja venue.

Following this protest, Pratap Simmha left the venue saying he did not want to be the cause for ruining the religious atmosphere of the significant event.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, he said that he was invited by Ramdas, the land owner’s son but some ‘Mahisha devotees’ present there created the trouble. He saw the hand of Congress Party in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD) has declared the construction of a Sri Ram Temple at Gujjegowdanapura near Jayapura in Mysuru taluk. This location holds significance as it is where the black schist stone (Krishna Shile) was excavated for carving the Ram Lalla idol, scheduled for consecration in Ayodhya on January 22.

Speaking to media persons at his office in Jaladarshini Guest House premises on Hunsur Road here yesterday, the MLA said, “The temple will be built at the same place in agricultural land at Gujjegowdanapura, falling under Chamundeshwari constituency, from where the black stone used for sculpting the idol of Ram Lalla set for consecration, was found and excavated. Foundation will be laid for building the temple, on Jan. 22, by raising donations from the people.”

Many Mysureans have contributed in their way for Ram Lalla idol to take shape, as the agricultural land belongs to Ramdas a farmer from Harohalli and Srinivas Nataraj who zeroed in on the stone for carving the idol is also Mysurean. Sculptor Arun Yogiraj who carved the idol is also from the city, added GTD. 

 When Prime Narendra Modi had come to Mysuru, he had worshipped at the abode of Goddess Chamundeshwari at Chamundi Hill. Now, the stone for Ram Lalla idol was also found in the constituency by the same name — Chamundeshwari.  

During the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya, special puja will be conducted at Gujjegowdanapura to mark the occasion, said Gowda. Land owner Ramdas and Srinivas Nataraj were also present at the press meet.

Kannadiga connection

Gopal, the Trustee of Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Ayodhya is also a Kannadiga and whenever he comes to Mysuru, prefers to stay at the house of hotelier Narayan Hegde at Gokulam here.

 A native of Sirsi in Siddapura, Uttara Kannada, Gopal who has served as the Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the past, is entrusted with the task of construction of Sri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, when the works began two years ago.

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Mysore/Mysuru: At a progress review meeting of the Revenue Department at the Regional Commissioner’s Office yesterday, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda directed officers to enhance their efforts to uphold the Government’s reputation.

He bombarded officers with inquiries, emphasising the importance of efficiently distributing drought relief to farmers. He questioned the status of the updated Farmers Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System (FRUITS ID), expressed concern about delays in handling cases at the High Court and inquired about the reasons behind delays in survey works.

The Minister also raised questions about the officers’ commitment of collecting loans and reminded them of the number of revenue villages, urging them to be vigilant and aware of their responsibilities.

Expressing his disappointment with the officers, Krishna Byre Gowda took them to task for not meeting the target set under the FRUITS ID software. He highlighted that in Mysuru district, less than 75 percent of the target has been achieved, despite the State Government seeking drought relief from the Centre for affected farmers.

Despite a Central team visiting the State to assess the drought situation, assistance from the Centre is still pending. As a result, the State Government has decided to bear the first instalment, but the Minister emphasised that addressing the farmers’ woes is contingent on completing the updates under the FRUITS ID process.

He further instructed the officers to exercise caution in managing drinking water supply, particularly during the summer months. A priority was set to declare all 110 identified villages in Mysuru district as revenue villages, with only 52 of them having received final notifications. Special attention was urged for the prompt disposal of applications received under ‘Bagar Hukum’ lands, ensuring the eligibility of the applicants.

Highlighting a significant backlog, Gowda noted that there are 721 pending cases related to the Revenue Department in Mysuru at the High Court and expressed dissatisfaction with Tahsildars for the lack of action, pointing out that no steps have been taken in 386 cases, including filing arguments in the Court.

Additionally, Krishna Byre Gowda issued a warning, stating that notices would be served to officers failing to dispose of at least 80 percent of their files through e-office, despite it being mandatory for the past six months.

MLAs G.T. Devegowda, G.D. Harish Gowda, MLC C.N. Manjegowda, Regional Commissioner Dr. G.C. Prakash and Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra were present.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Chamundeshwari JD(S) MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD) has alleged that the Government is plotting to postpone the due elections to the MCDCC (Mysuru-Chamarajanagar District Central Co-operative) Bank in order to curtail the political fortunes of his (GTD) MLA son G.D. Harishgowda, who served as the Bank President.

Charging the Siddaramaiah Government of unnecessarily postponing the MCDCC Bank elections because of fear of defeat, GTD claimed that many electors of the Bank were his followers.

Maintaining that the Congress Government seems to be disturbed with the Diary poll results in which his followers won comfortably, GTD blamed Congress Government for the postponing the Bank polls. But now the Court has ordered to conduct elections, he said adding that his son would again wrest control of MCDCC Bank.

Administrative Officer appointed

The State Government has appointed an Administrative Officer for the MCDCC Bank following the completion of tenure of the Bank’s executive body.

Joint Registrar of Co-operative Societies (Mysuru region) C. Prasad Reddy, in an order issued on Wednesday, has appointed K.M. Asha, currently serving as the Additional Registrar of Co-operative Societies at Bengaluru, as the Administrative Officer of MCDCC Bank. Asha, who has taken charge has been directed to hold elections to the executive body of the MCDCC Bank in a specified time and hand over charge to the new body post elections, it is learnt.

In another appointment, R. Manjunath, who was serving as the Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies (Mysuru district), has been given additional charge as the Managing Director (MD) of the Mysuru-Chamarajanagar District Central Co-operative Bank.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Chamundeshwari MLA and  President of Karnataka State Co-operative Federation G.T. Devegowda (GTD) has opined that it is necessary that co-operative organisations must evolve as autonomous organisations to help the poor lead an independent life. He advised the officials of the societies to work in that direction.

He was speaking after inaugurating a two day special workshop for Deputy Registrars and Assistant Registrars about ‘Recent Trends in Administrative Procedures and Co-operative Movement,’ organised by Karnataka Co-operative Federation, District Co-operative Union and Department of Co-operation, at a private hotel in city on Thursday.

“Co-operative sector can help the poor by offering financial assistance to engage in animal husbandry, agriculture, cottage industry, sheep rearing and other activities and help their financial growth. The growth of co-operative societies is synonymous with the growth of its beneficiaries. Help the poor and ensure that co-operatives become autonomous and grow independently,” GTD said and added that learning is a continuous process and asked those who are attending the training programme to make best use of the opportunity though they have already know many things relating to their profession.

Observing that during drought situations earlier, loans were being recovered from farmers in the from taxes and were again given as loans, GTD said that after the introduction of loan waiver scheme, those who are paying their loans promptly are still repaying the loans and the loans of a few defaulters are being waived off. 

“This has caused resentment among those who are promptly repaying loans and they are wondering why they should repay loans. Such thoughts hinder the growth of co-operative societies,”he added.

Recalling his earlier days, GTD said that he was a Secretary in a co-operative society after undergoing training in Mysore District Co-operative Union in 1969-70 and is now the President of the Karnataka State Co-operative Federation  and added that honesty can help grow in any field.

District Co-operative Union President H.V. Rajeev, who also spoke at the function, said that co-operative sector is working towards empowering poor rural people and making them financially independent.

Later, Karnataka State Co-operative Federation advisor gave a lecture. Federation Director B.C. Lokappagowda, Secretary Lakshmipathaiah and others were present.

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Mysore/Mysuru: The New Year-2024 calendar and diary of Mysuru District Journalists Association (MDJA) was released at Patrakarthara Bhavan in the city this morning by Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD).

Speaking on the occasion, GTD, who was the chief guest, said “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should lay further emphasis on developing tourism in Mysuru district. Hailing from Mysuru, Siddaramaiah is the second CM after Devaraj Urs to complete five-year tenure in office in his first term, but when compared to the home towns of his predecessors like B.S. Yediyurappa and H.D. Deve Gowda, who enormously contributed for the development of their districts like Shivamogga and Hassan respectively, Mysuru lags behind.”

Wadiyars, the erstwhile rulers of Mysore have made several contributions and still there are many more opportunities to develop tourism. The Mysore Airport at Mandakalli which took off with several ambitions has failed to move ahead on expected lines and the Government should take a pragmatic view in this regard, the MLA said.

Siddaramaiah should restore the history of Mysuru and ensure that his name remains etched for a immemorable time like Wadiyars, said GTD.

Hotelier P.V. Giri of Siddartha Group of Hotels, who has been regularly sponsoring the diary of MDJA, who also spoke on similar lines, expecting CM Siddaramaiah to take steps to further boost tourism prospects of Mysuru said, “I have been recommending the Government towards the development of tourism in the district since 1987, but have fallen on deaf ears. It has been my persistent demand to build a parking lot opposite Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo), but still the tourists are forced to park at the parking lot attached to Dasara exhibition grounds.”

Moreover, the hospitality industry is undergoing a downfall with the poor patronage among tourists, except for nine days of Dasara. During 1988, people were vying with each other to book rooms at the hotels, but now there has been a change in the trend, rued Giri.

Amid this, new and emerging cyber frauds have been traumatising the hotel industry too. Security threat is yet another serious issue the Government should spare a thought, in the interest of tourism, he noted.

MDJA President S.T. Ravikumar, who highlighted the 75-year history of the Association, sought the co-operation of all in realising the dream of constructing Patrika Bhavan building, the foundation for which was laid by CM Siddaramaiah recently at the foot of Chamundi Hill in the city.

MDJA General Secretary M. Subramanya, Vice-Presidents Anurag Basavaraj and Dharmapura Narayan, City Secretary M. Rangaswamy, State Committee Member B. Raghavendra and others were present.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD) said that “Poet Laureate Kuvempu (Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa) opposed blind faith, blind belief and observation based on mere traditions.”

He was speaking during ‘Vishwa Manava Dinacharane’, the birth anniversary of Kuvempu, organised jointly by the District Administration and Kannada and Culture Department at Kalamandira here this morning.

Highlighting Kuvempu’s contributions to literary world, GTD said that Kuvempu was an advocate of peace, harmony and well-being of the society. Pointing out that Kuvempu’s messages helped bring peace and harmony in the society, he said that his inspired writings helped him earn the title of ‘Rashtrakavi’.

“Kuvempu adopted 12th century social reformer Basavanna’s principles and practiced them throughout his life. He also inspired crores of Kannadigas during the unification of Karnataka and was a mentor to many Kannada writers. His concept of ‘Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota’ has attracted the attention of the entire world. He strived to bring about changes in the system by giving a message against blind beliefs and faiths (Kandachara). Following his messages will be the best tribute that we can pay to the Rashtrakavi”, he said.

Earlier floral tributes were offered to the portrait of Kuvempu.

Chamaraja MLA K. Harishgowda, MLCs C.N. Manjegowda and Dr. D. Thimmaiah, Additional DC R. Lokanath, Kannada and Culture Joint Director V.N. Mallikarjunaswamy, Assistant Director Dr. M.D. Sudarshan, MCC Deputy Commissioner G.S. Somashekar and other officials were present.

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