Belagavi witnessed a landmark occasion when Forest Minister and All-India Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha General Secretary Eshwar Khandre inaugurated the Free Hostel for Veerashaiva Lingayat Girl Students at Subhash Nagar. The Mahasabha constructed the hostel to provide free and secure accommodation for young women pursuing higher education. The institution named the hostel after the late donor Sharane Annapoorna Basalingappa Bellad (Kabbur) in recognition of her contribution.
Basavaraj Horatti, Chairman of the Legislative Council, presided over the ceremony. Several prominent leaders attended the event, including State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, Ministers MB Patil, Dr. Sharanprakash Patil, and Laxmi Hebbalkar, Mahasabha State President Shankar Bidari, philanthropist Mahesh B. Bellad, and unit president Ratnaprabha Bellad. Speakers at the event stressed the need for unity within the Veerashaiva Lingayat community to strengthen its social and political presence.
The hostel fulfills a long-cherished vision of Dr. Prabhakar Kore, Vice-President of the Mahasabha. He has consistently advocated creating a safe, nurturing environment for economically disadvantaged Veerashaiva Lingayat girls in Belagavi. Dr. Kore actively mobilized institutional and community support to realize this project. He acknowledged former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for allotting 24 guntas of land at a concessional rate, which enabled timely construction.
Ministers MB Patil and Dr. Sharanprakash Patil praised Dr. Kore’s leadership . They described the hostel as a transformative step toward educational empowerment. With generous support from the Bellad family and collective efforts of the Mahasabha, the Free Hostel for Veerashaiva Lingayat Girl Students now stands as a symbol of opportunity, ensuring that financial hardship does not obstruct the academic aspirations of young women in Belagavi.
