Belagavi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said Maharashtra government officials have been told not to enter the state amid reports that they have decided to implement the health insurance scheme in 865 Marathi- dominated villages bordering Maharashtra.

"Our Chief Secretary has spoken (to his Maharashtra counterpart) asking them (government officials) not to enter Karnataka," the chief minister told reporters here before leaving for the inauguration of Sainik School in Bailahongala Taluk in Belagavi district.

The move comes amid a border row over Belagavi between Karnataka and Maharashtra which flares up from time to time.

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The row dates back to 1957 when states were reorganised on linguistic lines.

Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizable Marathi-speaking population. It also staked claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently a part of Karnataka.

Karnataka maintains that the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report is final.

In an assertion about Belagavi being an integral part of the state, Karnataka built the 'Suvarna Vidhana Soudha' there, modelled on the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the State Legislature and Secretariat, in Bengaluru.

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Bengaluru, Sep 8: Rejecting reports that he was travelling to the United States of America to meet some top leaders there, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday clarified that it was purely a personal visit with the family.

The DCM has also released to the media a letter that he wrote to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, regarding his visit to the USA.

"I am travelling to the USA (from today) along with my family till September 15. The media reports that I am meeting former US President Barack Obama and US Vice-President Kamala Harris (who is also contesting upcoming Presidential polls there) are incorrect. It is a personal visit," he clarified in a press statement.

"As I have already informed (you), I will be proceeding to Washington on 8th September 2024 evening on a private visit and I will be back on 16th September 2024. This is for your kind information," Shivakumar said in the letter to Kharge.

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Earlier in the day, Shivakumar speaking to reporters here said he will be abroad for a week on a personal visit.

To a question about the agenda of his trip to the US and whether he will be meeting any big personalities there, he said, "it is a personal family trip....(meeting) no one, I'm going on a personal basis."

Shivakumar also met Chief Minister Siddramaiah at his residence earlier in the day, official sources said.

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