Buddhist Monks Meet DK Shivakumar Over Buddhist Development Corporation

A delegation of Buddhist monks met Karnataka leader DK Shivakumar at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Monday, urging him to bring the newly announced Buddhist Development Corporation under the Department of Minority Welfare rather than the Social Welfare Department.

The delegation was led by Karnataka State Minorities Commission member Jigmet Wangdhos Jyoti and included monks from various states, such as Lobsang Norbu and Panichaito. During the meeting, the representatives submitted a formal memorandum outlining their request.

The monks thanked the state government for allocating provisions in the 2026-27 Budget to establish a separate development board or corporation for the Buddhist community, noting that it addressed a long-standing demand.

However, the delegation requested a change in the administrative department governing the entity. According to the memorandum, the corporation is currently set to function under the Social Welfare Department, but the delegation asked for it to be shifted to the Department of Minority Welfare, similar to the model followed for the Christian Development Authority.

The monks stated that placing the corporation under the Minority Welfare Department would offer a more suitable administrative framework to execute welfare and development initiatives for the community.