Private sector plays key role in keeping vibrancy of coastal belt high

The region is known for people with entrepreneurial skills and excellence in many spheres

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The private sector continues to play a key role in keeping the vibrancy of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, sandwiched between Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, high.

Noted for their entrepreneurial skills people from the region have emerged successful not only on the domestic front but abroad also.

The twin districts take the credit of having at least nine medical colleges, 21 engineering colleges, including a National Institute of Technology at Surathkal, three homeopathy medical colleges, seven dental colleges and a number of Ayurveda medical colleges, apart from degree colleges, industrial institutes of technology, polytechnics, law colleges, pre-university colleges and well established schools. The coastal belt has emerged as the hub of education and health care prominently with the investment from the private sector.

Cultivation and marketing of arecanut, fishing are foundation for the economic activities. The “chali” variety of arecanut (also called white arecanut) cultivated in the districts has found market in North India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra. The coastal belt of the district had at least 15 fish meal (food) manufacturing units. The fishing activities and real estate sector provided employment to labourers from across the State and from outside, mainly from North India.

In addition to temples like Kukke Subrahmanya, Manjunatha in Dharmasthala, Durgaparameshwari in Kateel, Sri Krishna in Udupi and Kolluru Mookambika which had high footfall, the Attur church in Karkala and Ullal dargah too attracted a large number of visitors.

The St Aloysius Chapel in Mangaluru built in 1880 has beautiful paintings by Italian Jesuit Antonio Moscheni who painted them in 1899.