Ministers lead I-Day celebration in Hosapete, Koppal with flag hoistings and assurances of development

Karnataka Ministers on Friday led the 79th Independence Day celebrations in Vijayanagara and Koppal districts, highlighting the State government’s welfare schemes and reaffirming their commitment to development in the Kalyana Karnataka region.

In Hosapete, Housing Minister and Vijayanagara District In-charge Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan hoisted the national flag at the Puneeth Rajkumar District Stadium and announced that the Congress government was implementing the Vasati Bhagya housing scheme as an undeclared sixth guarantee for the poor. He said 7,900 houses in Bengaluru and 42,345 in other parts of the State will be distributed in the coming months.

Criticising the previous BJP government for neglecting the housing sector, he said the Congress administration aimed to build 2.3 lakh houses by the end of 2026. He detailed the revival of the Bengaluru housing project initiated in 2016, with beneficiary contributions reduced to ₹8 lakh and the State covering additional loan interest.

Mr. Khan also said that the planned distribution of 42,345 houses in Hubballi was postponed to next month, as the government’s second-year Sadhana Samavesha will be held in Hosapete.

The Minister hoisted the flag on a smaller pole as the city’s famed high-mast, said to be the second tallest in the country, remains unrepaired since Republic Day. Several officers were felicitated, students staged cultural shows, and 12 contingents took part in a march-past.

In Koppal, District In-charge Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi unfurled the tricolour at the District Stadium and said the government’s guarantee schemes have improved people’s economic conditions. He announced that in the current fiscal year, funds from the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board were being used to build new classrooms and upgrade facilities in 265 schools.