Infosys chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy on Friday made out a strong case for development of villages to achieve real progress.
Inaugurating the second Vishwa Kannada Sammelan, he said that the real development of Karnataka would take place only when basic amenities were made available even in the remotest villages.
He said that development of Karnataka didn't mean just development of big cities and towns, but providing facilities to villages that lacked proper water and power supply, and ensuring better health and education facilities to the rural people.
Mr. Murthy called on the youth to work for “eliminating poverty”. “Don't go after money. First, you should learn the work, love the work. If you become entrepreneurs, then opportunities will automatically follow. By creating more opportunities we can eliminate poverty,” he said.
Referring to the strides made by Bangalore in the IT sector, he said it would not be a surprise if ‘Bangalored' was added to the English dictionary in the coming days.
In his address, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said the Government would set up a theme park, which would highlight the history of the State. He said work on the park would be completed in two years.
Though the project needed a lot of funds, the Government would not hesitate to spend for the cause of Kannada.
The Chief Minister declared that Belgaum was an integral part of Karnataka. The Government was trying to send a strong message in this regard by holding legislature sessions in Belgaum every year, and it was now holding the Vishwa Kannada Sammelan.
Releasing 100 significant and representative works in Kannada, Rashtrakavi G.S. Shivarudrappa asked the Chief Minister to stop announcing grand programmes and show genuine concern for protecting the land, language and culture of the State. He noted that rampant corruption and the fall in values in politics had ruined the lives of the people, especially the poor.
Language and nativity were facing a serious threat because of the mindless implementation of liberalisation policies by successive governments.
Repeated attempts were being made to invoke Kannada pride, but successive governments had not made attempts to safeguard the interests of Kannadigas, he said.
