Karnataka to sanction Rs10 crore for a grander Dasara

With the monsoon alleviating the state’s water crisis this year, chief minister Siddaramaiah has decided to celebrate the Mysore Dasara festival in a grand manner.

Addressing a high-level meeting of officials at Vidhana Soudha on Saturday, Siddaramaiah said the government would sanction Rs10 crore for this year’s celebrations.

The festival will be held between October 5 to 14. Jnanpith awardee Chandrashekar Kambar will inaugurate the festival and theatre person Enagi Balappa will inaugurate the cultural programmes.

Siddaramaiah said the money sanctioned for the festival would be used for undertaking road repair and beautification works in Mysore.

He also promised to release an additional Rs5 crore for electrification and decoration.

Owing to the drought situation last year, the festival was a low key affair and the government had released just about Rs7 crore.

“I got to know that the festival is held as a mundane affair by the officers. I want it to be a real celebration. It should be a festival of people and not a festival of bureaucrats,” said Siddaramaiah.

The chief minister added that he has instructed the officers to make the festival more attractive by involving not just local artistes, but others as well.

To mark the concluding day of Dasara on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami, Siddaramaiah said he would request the Centre to arrange for demonstrations by the armed forces, including the Air Force, on the lines of Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations.