Bengaluru, Jan 26: Thousands gathered at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground on Saturday morning to take part in the 70th Republic Day celebrations and watch the annual parade.
An Army helicopter overhead showered rose petals to welcome the Governor, dignitaries, invitees and the public near the podium and at the venue before the flag hoisting ceremony.
The national flag was unfurled by the Governor after which he inspected the parade and greeted battalions of the Armed forces, the Karnataka State Reserve Police, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the Bharat Scouts and Guides.
The Governor then gave the Republic Day address in which he highlighted several achievements of the state government in 2018-19. “The goal of the state is to get all children of school-going age to the classroom. Among 14,192 children who were out of school, 10,181 of them have been brought to mainstream education this year,” he said.
“The state was confronted with floods and landslides in Kodagu and parts of Malnadu and coastal districts during August 2018, causing severe damage and losses to public and private infrastructure. The state and the Central government has taken up several relief measures on war footing. The state government has provided relief of Rs 7 lakh to every family who has lost their loved ones. The state has also taken up measures to construct 840 houses for the affected families in the district,” said Vala.
Speaking about education and youth programmes, Vala said, “To provide quality education under one roof, the state government will begin 176 schools and standard 1 to 12 (primary, high school and pre-university colleges) will be integrated.” Not only this, 25 days special remedial classes will be held for students to learn English, Mathematics and Science across 549 centers in the state, said Vala.
“Under the Chief Minister Kaushalya Karnataka Yojana (CMKKY), training will be provided for youth for skill development. A mobile app called ‘Koushalkar’ has been launched for the benefit of unemployed youth to provide training,” he said.
He also said that the state has stood first in the country in attracting investments. “We have approved 1,958 projects with an investment of Rs 3.49 lakh crore has been accorded under the Industrial Policy 2014-19. This will help in providing employment opportunities to 10.28 people,” he further said.
Vala also said that close to 73,000 people have benefited from the Ayushman Bharat and Arogya Karnataka schemes so far. “The state government is spending Rs 29,000 crore for various programmes for the socio-economic benefits of people belonging to backward classes such as Scheduled caste and scheduled tribes,” he said.
“The aim of the government is to increase the green cover and we have undertaken ‘Hasiru Karnataka’, a programme to plant saplings along the roadways, open spaces, embankments and agriculture lands. A tree to each house, a grove to each village, a small forest to each taluka and a forest to each district is the motto,” he said.
He also said that the Nirbhaya centres are being established across police commissionerates to ensure safety of women.
Following his Republic Day address, the contingents took part in a march-past, which was followed by a colourful cultural programme that included dance-drama performances by school children.
Bengaluru city Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun, Deputy Mayor B Bhadregowda, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad, Bangalore District Urban District Commissioner BM Vijay Shankar were among the other important dignitaries who took part in the programme.
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