From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Raichuru, Aug 27: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the Millets Convention at the Raichuru Agricultural University on Saturday.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Thomar, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje attended the function along with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

State Agriculture Minister B C Patil, Handlooms and Textiles Minister Shankar Patil Munenakoppa and other dignitaries attended the conference.

Addressing the function, the Chief Minister said the State Government will be giving special thrust on the development of Raichuru district and is planning to focus on millet production, branding and marketing in the district as part of the International Millets Year.

Several developmental schemes are planned in the Raichuru district and the foundation stone for the construction of an airport in Raichuru will be held next month, Bommai said.

The State Government was giving priority for irrigation and employment generation in Raichuru district to prevent the poorer sections of people migrating to other places in search of job, he said.

Raichuru district’s main requirement is irrigation facilities and employment to the people. The government is expanding the Industrial Centre in the district to enable creation of more jobs. The garment sector is being strengthened by devoting special focus on Ballari, Kalburagi and Raichuru districts, he said announcing that a textile park is being set up in Kalburagi and another textile park is proposed in Raichuru district.

AIIMS for Raichuru:

Bommai later participated in a function to inaugurate 100-bed Aradhana Multi Speciality Hospital being established near the Rajendra Gunj Circle and said a super-speciality medical hospital on the model of All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi will be set up in Raichuru as he has discussed with the Union Health Minister recently. A backward district like Raichuru, which comes under Article 371J, the Chief Minister said promising to take up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a backward district with higher malnutrition among the people needs a super speciality hospital to provide medical services to the people.

Out of the 100 primary health centres being established in the State and 71 PHCs in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region will be upgraded as Community Health Centres, Bommai said.

Speaking to media persons later, the Chief Minister said the State Government was committed to expedite the Upper Krishna Projects by according higher priority. The height of the Almatti dam needs to be raised to 524 ft and people in 22 villages, facing submersion, have to be displaced and the process has already commenced. An allocation of Rs 5,000 crore is being provided, he said.