Whoever has lived in Karnataka for 10 years is a Kannadiga: Ashwathnarayan

News Network

December 5, 2020

Bengaluru, Dec 5: Defending Karnataka government's decision of allocating Rs 50 crore as initial grant for the Maratha Development Board formation in the state, Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnarayan on Friday said that whoever has lived in Karnataka for 10 years is a Kannadiga.

The comment came as Pro-Kannda groups led by Vatal Nagraj have called for a state-wide bandh on December 5 against the government's decision. The formation of Maratha Development Board was announced by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on November 14.

"The Maratha Development Corporation is set up for the benefit of the Marathi people in the state, not the Marathi speakers. It is not right to associate language with corporations. There is no point in bandh. If anyone lived in Karnataka for ten years, they are all legal," Ashwathnarayan told reporters here.

He said the Maratha corporation was aimed at the prosperity and social and economic development of the Maratha community in the state.

"Marathas have been in the state for centuries. Justice has now been done. The Maratha Development Corporation will not do Kannadigas any injustice. It is better if governments in other states take similar measures to achieve social equality. We are all working to be a role model." he added.

When asked whether Karnataka government is ready to form Tamil and Telugu development authorities, he said, "It is not wrong for them to have a corporation. Whoever lived in the state for 10 years, they are all Kannadigas. They can not be called or treated as second-class citizens. The BJP government is embracing the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam."

Ashwathnarayan said the government was working on goodwill.

"Organisations like Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) should not be allowed to make such a concerted effort to prevent growth in Belagavi. Belgavi is ours. There is no question if giving away an inch of land in Belagavi. We are doing all this to ensure that the Marathas in the state are ours," he added.

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Why Mangaluru Could Become India’s Next Offshore Wind Energy Hub

News Network

February 3,2026

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

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