BENGALURU: Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister of Karnataka, defended the government's decision to use saffron paint to decorate the thousands of classrooms that will be built as part of the recently launched "Viveka" programme on Monday. The Karnataka government has proposed building 7,601 classrooms throughout the state under the "Viveka" project named after Swami Vivekananda.
On Children's Day, the Chief Minister officially began the programme by laying the cornerstone for the Government Higher Primary School at Madiyal in the Kalaburagi district. When questioned about the controversial decision to paint such schools saffron, the Chief Minister responded, "What's wrong with having saffron colour? The (national) tricolour contains the colour saffron.
The original Swami Vivekananda wore a saffron robe. Mr. Bommai alleged that "They (the Congress) are not interested in the holistic growth of education." He claimed that any progressive improvements have a propensity to spark controversy. The Chief Minister stated that renaming schools in honour of Swami Vivekananda would encourage students to draw inspiration from him and foster a positive learning environment.
B C Nagesh, the minister of school education, stated that saffron-colored classrooms will be used if architects propose it to the government. "The choice is up to the architects. The type of paint, window, door, and steps are not determined by the government (are to be done). Depending on what they (architects) say, we will make a decision "said Mr. Nagesh.
Some folks are allergic to the colour (saffron)," he remarked. The minister made a jab at the Congress by saying: "I want to know why their (party's) flag is saffron in colour. How come you kept it? Delete it, "said Mr. Nagesh.
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