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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government decided Wednesday to provide a financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to every pilgrim from the state visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine located in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The decision was taken at the Rajya Dharmika Parishat meeting chaired by Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
The Parishat also decided to construct a Dharmika Soudha near the Multistory Building in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 10 crore. The building is likely to become a one-stop shop for all things Muzrai in the government.
According to Reddy's office, the Parishat decided to take up rejuvenation of the 120-year-old Maharaja's Sanskrit College in Mysuru. It was further resolved to carry out a survey of assets belonging to state-run Hindu temples and remove any encroachments.
All major state-run temples will have signage on their premises detailing various Muzrai initiatives and a declaration that cash donations will not be used only for those shrines, the Parishat decided. DH had reported this on Tuesday.
These decisions come at a time when the Opposition BJP has launched a shrill campaign against the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, accusing it of "minority appeasement" over the Waqf land controversy and its now-rescinded plan to provide reservation in contracts to Muslims.
Karnataka already provides Rs 5,000 each to 30,000 pilgrims from the state visiting Kashi.
Under the Karnataka Bharat Gaurav scheme, the state government bears Rs 10,000 out of Rs 25,000 for a 6-day South India pilgrimage circuit covering Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Madurai and Thiruvananthapuram. For the 9-day Kashi-Gaya circuit that spans Kashi, Gaya, Ayodhya and Prayagraj, the state government pays Rs 17,500 out of Rs 32,500.