Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (NP)
Bengaluru, Jan 9: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed the past work done by Jayaprakash Hegde during his tenure as the fisheries minister. He said "Jayaprakash Hegde and I worked together to implement various initiatives for the benefit of coastal people and fishing communities. We provided subsidies that directly benefited the entire fishing community. Women gained significant advantages by taking on challenging tasks. Additionally, we made it possible for people from the fishing community to purchase buses at a lower price." He stated this at Mogaveera Sammelan, held at the Bengaluru Palace Ground on January 5.
CM stated that many communities in society are backward, with the primary reason being the caste system. He highlighted that in the past, caste was defined based on profession, and only the top three classes—Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas—had access to education. As a result, the Shudras were left without education, leading to significant backwardness in terms of economic, social, and educational development.
He emphasized that providing education to children can help break the cycle of slavery. Siddaramaiah also expressed his intention to recommend the inclusion of the Mogaveera community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. While efforts to include the community in this category through caste studies had been made, the central government did not approve of it. Despite this, he reaffirmed his commitment to push for the inclusion of the Mogaveera community in the ST category and called on the community members to apply pressure on the central government.
Dr G Shankar promoter of Dr G Shankar Family Trust urged the Chief Minister to implement the sea ambulance scheme announced in the budget soon and to provide funds for purchasing dredgers to improve port dredging, among other demands related to the fishing community.
Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna requested that the upcoming budget allocate more funds for the fishing community, similar to how loans and interest for farmers are waived. When CM Siddaramaiah said that he could become the Chief Minister tomorrow, Yashpal responded by saying, "No, Sir”. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah then remarked that he did not say that Yashpal would become the CM but members of your community could potentially become the CM.
Other dignitaries present at the event included Anand C Kunder, founder of the Geethanand Foundation, entrepreneur Prasad Raj Kanchan, Jay C Kotyan, president of the Dakshina Kannada Mogaveera Mahajana Sangha, Raju Mendon Wande, president of the Mumbai Mogaveera Mahajana Seva Sangha’s Bhagwadi Hobli chapter, and Uday Kumar Hattiangady, president of the Mumbai Mogaveera Mahajana Seva Sangha's Kundapura branch.