Shah to visit Siddaganga Mutt, attend State BJP core committee tomorrow

Bengaluru: Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah will have a series of engagements in Karnataka on April 1, including a visit to a prominent Lingayat Mutt and attending the ruling BJP's core committee, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday.

Shah will also lay the foundation stone for a medical college and attend a conference of cooperatives.

The union minister, who will arrive in Bengaluru late on March 31, will be visiting Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru and Muddenahalli in Chikkaballapura the next day, before heading back to the city.

"At 10:30 am on April 1, he (Shah) will be participating in the 115th birth anniversary and Guru Vandana programme of late Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt. Post lunch there he will heading to Muddenahalli to participate in ground breaking ceremony of new medical college and public function at 2 pm," Bommai told reporters here.

Later in the day, Shah will be in Bengaluru to participate in the Sahakara Sammelana (Conference of Cooperatives) at the palace grounds, where he will be releasing the logo of the state government's proposed Nandini Ksheera Abhivruddi Bank and relaunch the Yeshashwini Scheme, he said, adding that at 7 pm, Shah will be participating in the state BJP's core committee meeting at the party office here.

Interestingly, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also visiting Siddaganga Mutt on March 31, to pay his respect to late Shivakumara Swamiji, who is highly revered in the state.

Visits by Shah and Gandhi gain significance as both BJP and its rival Congress are preparing for assembly polls in the state scheduled next year, even as there are speculations about the possibility of early elections.

Noting that the Nandini Ksheera Abhivruddi Bank was announced in the budget and a government order has also been issued, Bommai said, "this has been done following the demand and realisation about the need for a financial institution to support dairy farmers."

"The share capital of Rs 100 crore will be provided by the state government for this and a total of Rs 260 crore will be provided by milk cooperative societies and federations and unions."

This is the first such a bank in the country, he said, adding, it will further give a boost to the dairy industry in the state and increase the income of the farmers.

There are about 26 lakh dairy farmers, 14,900 milk producers cooperative societies and 15 milk unions in the state.

Stating that the government has decided to reintroduce 'Yeshashwini' scheme with modifications to fulfil the demands of the farmers, Bommai said, "in two-three weeks we will work it out, aimed at providing quality medical facilities to farmers and their families with the help of farmers' cooperatives."

The state government had provided Rs 300 crore for this in the recent budget.