BENGALURU/BELAGAVI: Taking a cue from the previous BS Yediyurappa-led government, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s Cabinet on Monday approved the renaming of the Mumbai-Karnataka region, consisting of seven districts, as Kittur Karnataka. The Yediyurappa government had, in 2019, renamed the Hyderabad-Karnataka region as Kalyana Karnataka.
The Kittur Karnataka region will include Belagavi, Bagalakot, Vijayapura, Gadag, Haveri and Hubballi-Dharwad, said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy. With this, a long-pending demand of the region has been fulfilled.
Within a few days after Yediyurappa took oath as CM in July 2019, his government renamed the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, comprising six of districts Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal and Ballari, as Kalyana Karnataka. Recently, Bommai had announced renaming of Mumbai-Karnataka as Kittur Karnataka and had promised to place the proposal before the cabinet for approval.
The Bommai Cabinet also approved holding the legislature session at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi in December. The session is likely from December 13 to December 24 and the dates will be finalised soon. The last session was conducted at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in 2018 when H D Kumaraswamy was Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, in a first of its kind initiative, the State Government has arranged for live webcast of the the winter session proceedings for the benefit of the general public. Speaking to the media in Belagavi on Monday after inspecting the preparations at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti instructed the officials concerned to take necessary steps to facilitate webcasting. The final dates for the 10-day session will be decided by the CM, he said.
As the e-office system is already in place in every department, Internet and other basic arrangements should be made at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha within a week, Horatti directed the officials. He said video-conferencing facilities should also be made available at the meeting hall of the Soudha. Belagavi Deputy Commissioner MG Hiremath said preparatory meetings will be held in the run-up to the winter session.