BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has now offered land bhagya to various castes and sects with an eye on the forthcoming assembly election. On Monday, the state cabinet approved 78 acres of land to be granted to 36 caste-based outfits. The grants range from 1 acre to 5 acres each on lease for the caste outfits, including the dominant Veerashaiva and Vokkaliga communities, at Machohalli village in Dasanapura Hobli near Nelamangala, about 27 km from the heart of Bengaluru city. The going rate for land in this area is between Rs 1.7 crore and Rs 2 crore per acre.
The private institutions to which lands were approved include All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, Vokkaligara Sangha, Kurubara Sangha, Vishwakarma Sangha, Arya Idigara Sangha, Madiwala Sangha, Devadiga Sangha, Savitha Samaja, Banjara Sangha, Anglo Indian Association, Valmiki Sangha and Ganigara Sangha.Defending the decision, Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister TB Jayachandra said these organisations had submitted request for lands to undertake social works in the field of education, health care and community welfare.