Minister MB Patil asks officers for proposal on land acquisition for Chikkamagaluru airstrip
Bengaluru: Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil has directed the concerned officials to submit to the Cabinet a proposal for the Rs 17.6 crore required to acquire land for construction of an airstrip in Chikkamagaluru.
The airstrips for Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu district were announced in the 2023–24 state budget. Patil, who held a meeting on Thursday, told the officials to present the proposal in the next Cabinet meeting, reports Deccan Herald.
The minister has said that the Chikkamagaluru district administration has already provided 137 acres of land, located between Chikkamagaluru and Hiremagaluru, for the proposed airstrip. The stretch includes 120 acres of land belonging to the government, while the remaining 17.1 acres of land are privately owned and need to be acquired. Patil added that, of the total acquisition cost of Rs 24.6 crore, Rs 7 crore has already been sanctioned and Rs 17.6 crore is pending for release.
The Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) has been directed to release the remaining funds. Also, the Finance Department will be handed the proposal before presenting it before the Cabinet, Patil has said.
A heliport is also being planned on the site, said Patil, stressing that the infrastructure provided should have the capacity to handle large aircrafts in future. A team of experts from KSIIDC will be deployed to identify adjoining sites that can be acquired for the projects, he added.
In reference to the proposed airstrip in Kodagu, Patil said that officials have been asked to resolve the land acquisition issues at the earliest and to identify suitable land for the project.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
