Karnataka Allocates Rs 1010 Crore For 10000 Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas

The Karnataka government has sanctioned Rs 1,010 crore to establish 10,000 'Bharat Jodo Yuva Sanghas' across the state, including urban ward-level collectives in Bengaluru. The State Cabinet officially cleared the recommendations for the youth collectives on July 2, following initial plans laid out by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar when he assumed charge on June 3. The initiative aims to promote sports, culture, scientific temper, and social harmony among the state's youth.

Under the approved plan, 6,000 of these youth collectives will be formed at the gram panchayat level, while the remaining 4,000 will be established at the ward level in cities and towns. Each Bharat Jodo Yuva Sangha is set to receive an annual grant of Rs 10 lakh, which accounts for Rs 1,000 crore of the total sanctioned budget. The remaining Rs 10 crore has been allocated to cover administrative and other operational expenses.

For urban areas, the funding structure will rely on local civic bodies. The cost of setting up the collectives in Bengaluru and other urban centres will be borne by the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the respective city corporations. The entire initiative is being implemented under the state's Youth Empowerment and Sports Department.

The path to the official clearance involved multiple stages of government approval. Chief Minister Shivakumar initially chaired a Cabinet meeting hours after being sworn in on June 3, during which the government decided to set up these youth groups. Following this, the Cabinet formed a sub-committee under the chief minister on June 20 to discuss the proposal and suggest recommendations. These recommendations were finalized and cleared by the Cabinet on July 2.

The youth collectives are named after the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The march, which started in Tamil Nadu and ended in Jammu and Kashmir, passed through Karnataka between September and October 2022.