Devaraj Urs remembered as reformer, champion of backward classes 

The 110th birth anniversary of late D. Devaraj Urs was celebrated by the district administration here on Wednesday and tributes were paid to his contribution to upliftment of the backward classes.

The event was held at Kalamandira and was jointly organised by the Mysuru District Administration, Zilla Panchayat, Mysuru City Corporation and the Department of Backward Classes Welfare.

Delivering the keynote address, M. Chandrashekar, former president of the District Kannada Sahitya Parishat described Urs as an able administrator “whose contributions remain evergreen”.

Tracing the legacy of Devaraj Urs, Chandrashekar said his leadership has left an indelible mark on Karnataka’s political history.  “Many laws and schemes introduced during his tenure as Chief Minister remain relevant even in the present times,” said Mr. Chandrashekar. ‘’Urs combined farsighted governance with a deep commitment to social justice, emerging as the voice of the oppressed and the downtrodden,” he added.

Highlighting Urs’s reforms, he noted the changes introduced in the field of agriculture, dairy, education and social justice, and said that he was also responsible for the abolition of bonded labour and introduced Debt Relief Act. Listing out a few other measures introduced by Urs, Mr. Chandrashekar said that the ban on practice of manual scavenging is credited to Urs and this helped liberate generations from indignity.

He also recalled that the Mysore State was renamed as Karnataka during the period of Devaraj Urs and described him as one of the architects of modern Karnataka.

Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikant Reddy inaugurated the programme. As part of the celebrations, meritorious students who excelled in SSLC and II PUC examinations, as well as achievers in sports, were felicitated with awards.

Zilla Panchayat CEO S. Yukesh Kumar, District Backward Classes Welfare Officer Raghavendra, SC Welfare Officer Shivakumar, and Mysuru City Corporation Deputy Commissioner Somashekar were among the officials present.

Pioneer of ethical politics

The Mysuru district Congress Committee also celebrated the birth anniversary of Devaraj Urs and former Minister Rani Satish inaugurated the event. She said Devaraj Urs was a pioneer of ethical politics and noted Urs’s role in ensuring political representation for women from backward classes. Pensions for widows and the elderly was also introduced by Devaraj Urs who was strived for women’s empowerment and social security, she added.

Speaking on the legacy of Devaraj Urs, historian Rangaraju touched upon some of the reforms introduced by Devaraj Urs including redistribution of land to the landless peasants, which, Prof. Rangaraju said, transformed the lives of thousands of poor farmers.

District Congress Committee president B.J. Vijay Kumar, city Congress president R. Murthy, and others were present.