Budget 2026: Highlights for North Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah promised financial assistance to take up all basic infrastructure for the government agriculture college at Athani in Belagavi district, while presenting the State Budget 2026, on March 6.

It will be the fourth agriculture college in Kittur Karnataka region. The other colleges are in Dharwad, Vijayapura and Ranebennur in Haveri district.

The college in Athani, that lies 140 km to the east of district headquarters Belagavi, is expected to benefit students from Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts too.

The college will be set up in the campus of the Bahurao Deshpande Veterinary College in Kokatnur village in Athani. The campus is spread across 211 acres of land.

The land acquisition was carried out by keeping in mind the need for an agriculture college and a veterinary college.

In a departure from its long-standing policy, the State Government had allowed education societies to start private agriculture colleges. In the first round, Belagavi-based KLE society and Vijayapura-based BLDE obtained permission to set up private agriculture colleges, which are expected to admit students from this year.