Kalaburagi, 01 Nov (H.S.):

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday said a master plan had been prepared to transform Kalaburagi into a sustainable, inclusive city, with priority given to attracting foreign investment, generating employment and strengthening infrastructure.

Speaking after hoisting the national flag at the 71st Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations, the Kalaburagi district in-charge minister said the blueprint envisaged development along smart city lines. He expressed confidence that the results would become visible within two years.

Kharge said quality education, skill development and employment opportunities for young people would remain central to the city’s transformation.

“Young people are the country’s real wealth,” he said, stressing that Karnataka had the capacity to frame policies that would create opportunities and prepare them for the future.

The Prabuddha Academy had already been established to help youngsters prepare for competitive examinations, he said. The Kalaburagi Next Foundation would explore new approaches to development through private participation and could become a model for implementing such initiatives effectively.

Alongside the development agenda, Kharge called for Karnataka’s literary and cultural heritage to be protected and passed on to future generations.

Kannada, he said, represented a confluence of emotions, history, ideas and traditions, extending far beyond its identity as a language.

Recalling interactions with more than 40 foreign ambassadors invited to the Dasara celebrations, he said the delegates had appreciated Karnataka’s art, literature, cuisine and culture. Many were surprised to learn about Kannada’s roughly 2,000-year history, he added.

Kharge highlighted the language’s diverse literary traditions, including folk, Dasa, Jain, Navodaya, Navya and Bandaya literature.

He also celebrated Karnataka’s regional diversity, describing Kalyana Karnataka as a land of pulses and Sufi saints, the coastal belt as a meeting ground of cultures, and the state as a centre of knowledge and opportunity.

This diversity, he said, underpinned Karnataka’s significant contribution to India’s economic progress.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman