DH News Service

BANGALORE, Oct 11: Karnataka Joint Action Commit-tee of Backward Classes, Dalits and Minorities will organise a seminar on “Devaraj Urs and Backward Classes” in Bangalore on October 28 to discuss various problems being faced by the OBCs, Dalits and minorities in the State.

Committee President Krishna Naik and office-bearers Vasant Salian and Chandraprabha Urs said the seminar would be an “apolitical meet” in which leaders from all the political parties would participate.

Mr Salian, who is a legislator from Kaup Assembly constituency, said the seminar would mainly focus on the steps to be initiated for creating awareness among these communities about various developmental schemes available for them. He expressed concern that people belonging to these sections will be deprived of opportunities in various fields if steps were not taken to ensure that the benefits of the developmental schemes reached them.

Besides demanding effective implementation of the schemes, they would also suggest setting up of a watchdog committee to monitor the implementation of the schemes, he said.

Meanwhile, the joint action committee, which met here yesterday, resolved to urge the government to re-open the Devaraj Urs Research Institute, which has been closed by the government. The Institute would go a long way in creating awareness on the Urs ideology, Mr Salian said.

STATUE ROW: The committee also alleged that the statue of Devaraj Urs in Vidhana Soudha premises did not resemble Mr Urs and urged the government to replace the statue immediately.