Primary and Secondary Education Minister Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri on Tuesday said the Chief Minister has promised to grant Rs. 2 crore for the proposed Scouts & Guides training school at Udupi being named after former minister Late V.S. Acharya.
Also, the education department has passed orders to commence either Scouts & Guides or Bharat Seva Dal units in each and every 25,000-odd higher primary schools (HPS) across the state, Mr. Kageri said. Already, over 12,000 HPS have Scouts & Guides units.
Speaking at a certificate presentation ceremony to Scouts & Guides here at the Raj Bhavan, Mr. Kageri said the Late Acharya was instrumental in introducing the movement in degree colleges. He had ordered that Rovers (boys) and Rangers (girls) should be introduced in colleges to continue the scouting and guiding movement, Mr. Kageri recalled. The training school is coming up on a 20-acre land near Udupi.
Thanking the then Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda for acceding to his request to bring Scouts & Guides under education department from Youth Services Department, Mr. Kageri said there was no meaning in continuing the movement under Youth Services department.
Terming the movement as the one imbibing patriotism, developing individual and fostering personality, Mr. Kageri promised the gathering that there would be no dearth for funds as the education sector gets handsome grants (15 per cent) in the budget.
Mr. Sadananda Gowda said the Souts & Guides movement is growing stronger every day in the state and it has over 3.46 lakh members. Higher Education Minister C.T. Ravi said he would ensure that all the 2,506 degree colleges in the state would open Rovers and Rangers units.
Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, who is also the Chief Patron of Karnataka Scouts & Guides, said the movement was one among three good institutions inherited from the international community; St. John’s Ambulance and Red Cross being the two others. Robust presence of National Service Scheme, National Cadet Corps, Scouts & Guides and Bharat Seva Dal in educational institutions in the State indicate a very healthy education atmosphere in Karnataka, he said.
On the occasion, the Governor presented Chaturtha Charan certificates to 659 Cubs, Heerak Pankh certificates to 806 Bulbuls, Rajya Puraskar certificates to 799 Scouts and 630 Guides and Nipun certificates to 38 Rovers and 7 Rangers.
Scouts & Guides State Chief Commissioner Kondajji B. Shanmukhappa, Commissioner T.S. Lucas and Secretary M.A. Khalid were present.
