Even as the Karnataka government passed a resolution during the just-concluded winter session of the state legislature in Belagavi seeking a matching grant for the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) from the Centre, on the Vidarbha model, the demand for a similar development board for Kittur Karnataka is now louder.
There are 56 assembly constituencies in the Kittur region of Karnataka and during the winter session a petition was presented to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanding the formation of a council, signed by all the MLAs, excluding eight ministers from the region.
The petition demands the formation of the Kittur Karnataka Development Board and an annual grant of ₹5,000 crore to facilitate comprehensive development of the region.
Kitor Cartaka (Otherlier Know Kambay Carda) comprising Dharwad, Belagav, Gadag, Haver, Balakot and U host team.
Kittur Karnataka legislators like Navalgund MLA NH Konaraddi, who took the initiative to gather support for the demand, say the region requires special assistance.
Why the need?
“Compared to other areas, the Kittur region of Karnataka has low indicators of economic and human development. The average capital income in this region is lower than the state. There is a need to strengthen industrial development and infrastructure,” Mr. Konaraddi said.
According to Karnataka Economic Survey (2024–25), the per capita income of Belagavi division is ₹2,00457 and ₹1,73,226 and ₹1,73,226 respectively, while for Bengaluru region it is ₹5,01,383 and for Mysur region ₹177,759. The per capita income of Bengaluru region excluding Bengaluru city is ₹2,71,519.
The KKRDB that now exists covers 42 assembly constituencies (as per the recent restructuring of assembly constituencies) in Bidar, Ballari, Kalaburagi, Koppal, Raichur, Yadigiri and Vijayanagara districts.
The region, which is the second largest arid region in the country, has already received special status under Article 371-J of the Constitution of India and the board receives grants from the state government to initiate various development initiatives.
The state has allocated funds of ₹ 5,000 crore to KKRDB and now wants the Center to provide a matching grant to the extent of the special grants given to Vidarbha in Maharashtra.
Degree of backwardness
Committee for Regional Imbalance headed by Dr. Nanjundappou used various indicators in five different sectors to arrive at the Comprehensive Composite Development Index (CCDI) in 2002 for the 175 taluks of the state.
Based on the CCDI, it identified 114 taluks as backward, grouped into four categories of backwardness.
The Dharwad-based Center for Multidisciplinary Research, which in 2014 critically analyzed the committee report of Dr. Nanjundappa and its implementation, reduced the number of backward taluks to 109.
According to a 2014 analysis, while most of the taluks from the Kalyana region of Karnataka remain in the most backward category, some from the Kittur region of Karnataka were also in the same category. Other Kittura talukas of Karnataka are divided between backward and backward categories.
Report in January
The state-level regional imbalance redressal committee, headed by M. Govinda Rao, is likely to submit its report in January 2026 and its analysis and recommendations are likely to decide the fate of the fresh demand for a separate board.
Published – 21 Dec 2025 20:06 IST
