Daijiworld Media Network – Belagavi

Belagavi, Dec 12: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has assured that the long-pending demand for a separate ministry dedicated to Non-Resident Kannadigas (NRKs) will be fulfilled soon.

A 45-member NRI delegation representing Kannadigas from over 30 countries, led by renowned non-resident entrepreneur Dr Ronald Colaco, met chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi. The delegation submitted a memorandum seeking swift redressal of issues faced by NRKs and the establishment of a separate ministry and department. In response, the chief minister assured the delegation of affirmative action.

The chief minister said that initiating a new, dedicated ministry and department requires consultation with the party high command. “I will visit Delhi at the earliest and discuss this with the high command. We will take the next steps towards setting up a separate ministry and department,” he assured.

Siddaramaiah also addressed another major guarantee included in the Congress election manifesto—creation of a Rs 1,000 crore revolving fund to encourage NRKs to set up industries in Karnataka. He said discussions with the high command would be held to materialise this commitment.

MLC and vice-chairperson of the NRI Forum, Dr Arathi Krishna, who supported the delegation, made a special appeal to the chief minister to fulfil the long-standing demands of NRKs.

The memorandum submitted included a detailed list of office-bearers of Kannada organisations operating across various countries and urged the government to take swift and clear action on long-standing issues concerning NRKs.

Dr Ronald Colaco, who shares an excellent rapport with key political leaders across parties, met and explained the matter to home minister Dr G Parameshwar, the chairman of the Manifesto Committee. Joining the delegation in submitting the appeal to the chief minister were Council chairman Basavaraj Horatti, C T Ravi from the BJP, Bhoje Gowda from the JD(S), and from the Congress, Thammaiah H D, Ivan D’Souza and Dr Arathi Krishna.

Delegation members included Dr Ronald Colaco (leader), Zakariya Jokatte (Saudi Arabia), Hidayath Addoor (Dubai, BCCI president), Praveen Kumar Shetty (Dubai, KNRI president), Mohammad Ayaz Majoor (Saudi Arabia), Ravikumar Shetty Moodambail (Doha–Qatar), Sandesh Anand (Qatar), Rajkumar Bhaskar (Bahrain), Ashraf Sha Mantoor (Dubai), Manoj Deshpande (Poland), Ajith Bangera (Bahrain), Arun Kumar M K (Dubai), Sarvotham Shetty (Abu Dhabi), Sheikh Muzafar (Sharjah), Sachin Parth (Poland), Taufiq Khalandar (Saudi Arabia), Mohammad Firoz (Saudi Arabia), Mohammad Mustaq (Dubai), Shashidhar Nagarajappa (Dubai), K V Kanakaraj (Ajman), M R Katipalla Ismail (Saudi Arabia), Mohammad Mansoor (Bahrain), Abdullah Moyiddin (Qatar), Satish Kumar (Saudi Arabia), Mohammad Saleem (Sharjah), Prabhakar Basavaraju (Kuwait), Madhwaraj Arun Kumar (Kuwait), Mallesh Thotad (Italy), Manjunath Bheemareddy (Italy), Harsha Jagadish (Sweden), Praveen Kalasad (Australia), Gagan Manjunath Gowda (Germany), Dr Subrahmanya Bhat (USA), Dr Annapoorna Bhat (USA), Dr Shakeel (Saudi Arabia), Arun Kumar (Australia), Abhinav Deshpande (Hungary), Madhu (USA), Ramesh Ramakrishnayya (Australia) and Praveen (Melbourne–Australia).

Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar assured the visiting delegation that the state government will establish a dedicated ministry for NRKs by the end of March 2026.

Speaking during the meeting, he said, “We are always with our non-resident Kannadigas. Our government is ready to address their difficulties and concerns. We assure you that by the end of March 2026, the separate ministry will be 100% established.”

The delegation also submitted memorandums to home minister Dr G Parameshwara, Speaker U T Khader and Council chairman Basavaraj Horatti, urging them to respond positively to the aspirations of NRKs.

Dr Ronald Colaco expressed satisfaction over the response from both the chief minister and deputy chief minister. “They have responded positively and assured us that the establishment of a separate ministry will be fulfilled soon,” he said.

After the meeting, he stated that the delegation had explained their demands in detail. “The chief minister listened attentively and assured us that he would discuss the matter with concerned authorities and take steps to implement it at the earliest,” he added.

He further said the deputy chief minister reaffirmed his commitment. “He reminded us that the government has successfully implemented the five guarantees. Likewise, they will work to fulfil the demands of Non-Resident Kannadigas at the earliest and share happy news soon,” said Dr Colaco.

Major demands listed in the memorandum

• Immediate creation of a dedicated ministry and department for matters concerning Non-Resident Indians.
• Establishment of a Rs 1,000 crore revolving fund to encourage NRKs to set up industries or permanently settle in Karnataka.
• Creation of an NRI grievance redressal cell to handle property fraud, land disputes and bureaucratic delays commonly faced by NRKs.
• Setting up a single-window mechanism at the state level to strengthen cultural, educational and technological exchange programmes, enabling smoother engagement between NRKs and state administration.
• Organising an annual global Kannada convention, facilitating NRK participation in CSR and development projects, introducing an NRI identity card for easier access to government services during visits to Karnataka and stronger engagement with Kannada associations abroad.
• Encouraging NRK investments in Karnataka’s industrial and service sectors, promoting reverse migration by creating opportunities for Kannadigas abroad to return with dignity, and supporting NRKs to start enterprises, start-ups and skill-based initiatives.