Christians threaten protests across Karnataka demanding ‘Development Corporation’

coastaldigest.com news network

November 18, 2020

Mangaluru, Nov 18: Leaders from the Christian community in Mangaluru have expressed their displeasure over state government cancelling the setting up of Christian Development Corporation which was announced in the previous budget.

"If the government fails to set up the Corporation, a protest will be staged across the state," former MLC Ivan D’Souza warned on Wednesday.

The community members had been demanding setting up of the Corporation for the past five years. The previous coalition government, while presenting the budget in 2019-20, had announced the setting up of the Corporation and an amount of Rs 200 crore was also earmarked. The decision to scrap the Corporation, approved in the Cabinet and announced in the budget by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, is an injustice to the Christian community, D'Souza said

The chief minister should elaborate on reasons for scrapping the Corporation. The Christian community has its presence in 27 districts in the state. The poor labourers from Kalaburagi, Raichur, Ballari and other North Karnataka districts hail from the community, he said.

"Doesn't the government want any development in this community?'' he asked. He said corporations were set up for communities that have a population between 5 lakh to 10 lakh in state.

When Veerashaiva Lingayat community with a population of 1.20 crore placed a demand, the CM announced a separate body for the community within 24 hours. "Why was Christian community neglected?" he asked.

The former MLC said that scholarships for the students from the Christian community were also cancelled. The financial assistance given for Christian youth to purchase taxi was reduced to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 5 lakh.

The financial assistance for self-employment was reduced while Ganga Kalyana Yojana for the community members too was abandoned. Funds have not been released for the development of the community in the past two years, he charged.

Ivan said an action plan would be chalked out to stage a protest after discussing with community leaders against the move of the government.

Corporators Lancelot Pinto, Naveen D’Souza among others were also present.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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