K'taka Govt to pay allowance to Devadasis

Bangalore, June 29 (UNI) The Karnataka Government proposed to pay a monthly allowance of Rs 500 to Devadasis in the state on the lines of neighbouring Maharashtra, Women and Children Welfare Minister H K Kumaraswamy informed today.

To a question raised by Congress member Mallajamma on the schemes introduced to empower women in the state, he said the state had come up with several innovative schemes for economic uplift of women.

He said the state government had so far spent Rs 105 crore for various schemes, both under central and state plans, including Sthree Shakthi, vocational training, financial assistance to women law graduates and udyogini.

He informed that the state government had identified as many as 23,000 Devadasis in the state and under its Devadasis Rehabilitation programme, it planned to pay a subsistence allowance of Rs 500 per month to each of them.

Congress members Mallajamma, Motamma and Prakash Rathod and JD(U) member M P Nada Gouda and BJP member Aravinda Limbavali also participated in the discussion.

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