Minister in-charge of Mandya region N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Saturday said that the eight Jnanpith awards given to Kannada literature are a testament to the richness of the language.
“Vachanas of Basavanna, Dasa Keerthanegal and poems of great Kannada poets reflect our cultural heritage. Kannada is not just a language, it is our identity,” Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said after launching the 70th Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations organized by the district administration at Sir Stadium. M. Visves.
On the occasion, the minister paid tribute to the stalwarts who contributed to the unification of the state including Huilgol Narayan Rao, NS Hardikar, Gangadhar Rao Deshpande, R. Diwakar, Sakkari Balacharya, Kuvempu, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, K. Shivaram Karanth, AN Bh.Manta Shna Rao
Talking about Mandy’s literary legacy, he said many poets, writers and artists have enriched the Kannada language, art and culture from the time of Adikavi Pampa to the present day. “We must remember eminent personalities like BM Srikantaiah, Puthina, KS Narasimhaswamy, G. Venkatasubbaiah, KS Nissar Ahmed, Besagarahalli Ramanna and HL Nage Gowda whose contributions to Kannada are invaluable,” he added.
The minister highlighted the success of five guarantee schemes of the state government – Shakti, Anna Bhagya, Gruha Jyothi, Gruha Lakshmi and Yuva Nidhi – under which various welfare benefits worth ₹3,072 crore were distributed in the district.
Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said that the Krishnaraja Sagar dam had filled three times this year and described it as an unprecedented event. The recently held Cauvery Aarti, modeled on the Ganga Aarti, won the hearts of the people, he added.
Under the Chief Minister’s Infrastructure Development Programme, projects worth ₹50 crore are being implemented in each 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 has successfully completed the social and educational survey and secured the first position in the state. Data was collected from 5,04,016 families and 18,66,350 individuals to assess their social, educational and economic status. He said 16 Karnataka Public Schools have been approved for the district, each to be built at a cost of ₹ 4 crore with modern infrastructure.
On irrigation projects, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said ₹286 crore has been sanctioned for reconstruction of Hebbakavadi canal, ₹150 crore for development and maintenance of Sulekere canal and other canals, ₹50 crore for development of CDS canal and ₹120 crore for construction work on Visrevaraya.
He added that Mandya has been officially recognized as the district with the highest number of tourist destinations in the state, with 106 places earmarked for tourism development.
Minister in-charge of Mandya area N. Cheluvarayaswamy and other officials along with achievers received district Rajyotsava awards during the Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations in Mandya on Saturday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
As many as 33 achievers from various fields like literature, sports, social services, education, theater and public service have been honored with the District Kannada Rajyotsava award.
Published – 01 Nov 2025 20:04 IST
