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Minister in charge of Mandya district N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Saturday said that the eight Jnanpith awards bestowed on Kannada literature stand as a testimony to the richness of the language. “The Vachanas of Basavanna, Dasa Keerthanegalu, and the poems of great Kannada poets reflect our cultural heritage. Kannada is not just a language, it is our identity,” Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said, after inaugurating the 70th Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations organised by the district administration at the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Stadium in Mandya. On the occasion, the Minister paid homage to stalwarts who contributed to the unification of the State, including Huilgol Narayan Rao, N.S. Hardikar, Gangadhar Rao Deshpande, R. Diwakar, Sakkari Balacharya, Kuvempu, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, K. Shivaram Karanth, A.N. Krishna Rao, and B.M. Srikantaiah. Speaking about Mandya’s literary heritage, he said numerous poets, writers, and artists have enriched Kannada language, art, and culture from the time of Adikavi Pampa to the present day. “We must remember luminaries such as B.M. Srikantaiah, Puthina, K.S. Narasimhaswamy, G. Venkatasubbaiah, K.S. Nissar Ahmed, Besagarahalli Ramanna, and H.L. Nage Gowda, whose contributions to Kannada are invaluable,” he added. The Minister highlighted the success of the State government’s five guarantee schemes — Shakti, Anna Bhagya, Gruha Jyothi, Gruha Lakshmi, and Yuva Nidhi — under which various welfare benefits worth ₹3,072 crore have been distributed in the district. Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said that the Krishnaraja Sagar dam had filled up three times this year, describing it as an unprecedented event. The recently held Cauvery Aarti, modelled after the Ganga Aarti, had won people’s hearts, he added. Under the Chief Minister’s Infrastructure Development Programme, projects worth ₹50 crore are being implemented in every Assembly constituency in the district. A Kannada Bhavana is also proposed near the stadium at a cost of ₹5 crore to commemorate the 87th All India Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held in Mandya. The Minister said that Mandya district had successfully completed the Social and Educational Survey, securing the first position in the State. Data from 5,04,016 families and 18,66,350 individuals were collected to assess their social, educational, and economic status. He stated that 16 Karnataka Public Schools have been sanctioned for the district, each to be developed at a cost of ₹4 crore with modern infrastructure. On irrigation projects, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said that ₹286 crore had been sanctioned for Hebbakavadi canal remodelling, ₹150 crore for the development and conservation of Sulekere and other canals, ₹50 crore for the CDS canal, and ₹120 crore for Visvesvaraya canal development works. He added that Mandya has been officially recognised as the district with the highest number of tourist destinations in the State, with 106 locations identified for tourism development. As many as 33 achievers from various fields such as literature, sports, social service, education, theatre, and public service were honoured with the District Kannada Rajyotsava award.
