CM begins State tour from Basava Kalyana of Bidar

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar embarked on his tour of districts on Monday from Basava Kalyana, Bidar, known for the Anubhava Mantapa (parliament) of the 12th-century social reformer Basavanna.

“I am very happy that I am beginning my tour of districts from Bidar and Kalaburagi districts — the land of Basava’s ideology and Sufi saints. I want to be a witness to the political, cultural, and administrative commitment of the people of this region,” the Chief Minister said in a social media post.

It may be noted that the Chief Minister spent most of his first 30 days in office holding meetings with officials and representatives of various institutions and bodies at the State secretariat in Bengaluru. Now, he has embarked on a two-day tour to North Karnataka, where he will be holding review meetings with officials besides assessing the impact of the drought.

Mr. Shivakumar said he had deliberately chosen Basava Kalyana, the land of Basavanna, equality, and social reform, as the starting point of his drought assessment tour after assuming office as Chief Minister.

During his visit, Mr. Shivakumar said the State government was committed to empowering women through welfare measures, leadership opportunities, and self-defence initiatives, asserting that no society could exist without women.”

Addressing the Akka Pade women’s self-defence demonstration and empowerment programme at Basava Mahamane, Mr. Shivakumar described women as the foundation of families and society.

“A woman is the eye of the family. Without women, none of us can survive as a society. A woman symbolises courage, the earth, hope, unity, and light. Nari Shakti is the greatest strength of this nation,” he said.

The Chief Minister congratulated members of the Akka Pade, a women’s self-defence initiative expanded across Karnataka under the leadership of Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar. He said the programme was aimed at enhancing women’s safety and confidence while encouraging them to participate actively in building a peaceful and united society.

Mr. Shivakumar said the Congress government had already introduced flagship schemes such as Shakti, Gruha Lakshmi, and Gruha Jyothi to improve the lives of women and their families.

“Women have given us their support and strength. It is now our responsibility to empower them further,” he said.

Announcing another initiative, the Chief Minister said the government had issued orders to establish 10,000 Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas across Karnataka. The organisations would provide platforms for young people, particularly women, to showcase their organisational abilities, culture, and artistic talents, while promoting secular values and social harmony at the grassroots.

He urged women to pursue higher education, develop leadership qualities, and assume leadership roles from the gram panchayats to the Parliament.

“Leadership should not be confined to politics alone. Women should emerge as leaders in every sphere, and this government will stand firmly with them,” he said.

He said he would later hold discussions with public representatives and senior officials in Kalaburagi to review the drought situation in the Kalyana Karnataka region.

Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, Ministers Eshwar Khandre and Sharan Prakash Patil, Sagar Khandre, Bidar MP, MLAs Rahim Khan and Vijay Singh, Bidar Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Sharma, Chief Executive Officer Girish Badole, Akka Pade State Adviser Shaini Gunti and other officials and public representatives were present.