87 villages in Chittapur constituency to be developed at a cost of ₹150 crore, says Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge

The blueprint for rural development was prepared by reputed institutions to ensure sustainable development.

Karnataka’s Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, IT-BT, and Kalaburagi district in-charge Priyank Kharge announced a comprehensive rural development plan worth ₹150 crore covering 87 villages in his Chittapur constituency.  

“The work for developing 87 villages is set to commence within the next 15 days,” Mr. Priyank announced while addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for two major drinking water projects under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme – one at a cost of ₹45.53 crore to draw water from the Kagina river to supply Chittapur, and the other at a cost of ₹32.81 crore to supply water to Wadi from the Bhima river – in Chittapur town on May 13. The two projects are expected to be fully operational within the next 18 months providing 125 litres of water per person per day.

“The blueprint for rural development was prepared by reputed institutions to ensure sustainable development. Each village would receive an allocation ranging from ₹1 crore to ₹3.5 crore, depending on the population. Chittapur and Wadi towns would receive ₹150 crore each to develop modern urban infrastructure,” Mr. Priyank said.

Detailing statewide rural development efforts, he said that the development of 8,260 km of rural roads was taken up under the Pragati Patha and Kalyana Patha schemes, and 5,770 Arivu Kendras (knowledge centres) were set up to support rural youth. “All knowledge centres in the district will be digitised within the next three years,” he said.

Highlighting the contribution of gram panchayats in revenue collection, Mr. Priyank said gram panchayats across Karnataka collected a record ₹1,281 crore in taxes.

“We have established 3,867 crèches where babies and young children of MGNREGA labourers are cared for during the working hours. Presently, over 50,000 children are being taken care of in these centres. We are establishing a ₹25-crore solar grid at Gundagurthi village as part of an initiative to facilitate rural areas to generate their own electricity,” Mr. Priyank said.

“I have brought many development projects to Chittapur constituency. This is not a favour, but my responsibility. I am simply repaying the trust of my voters. When I first contested, some opposed my candidature. Later, even the media questioned the appointment of a Chittapur MLA as IT-BT Minister. But with your blessings, we turned this portfolio into a success story. Now, people expect the IT-BT Minister to be from Chittapur,” he said, affirming his commitment to public service and stating that development work is his foremost duty as an elected representative.