Malingaraya Pujar
CH NEWS
Fulfilling a decades-long public aspiration in this historical town, the state government has officially taken over the renowned Municipal Graduate Arts College and declared it a full-fledged government institution.
The landmark transition has triggered widespread celebrations across Lakshmeshwar, providing fresh momentum to higher education access for underprivileged rural students across Gadag district.
Established in 1967, the college was founded to offer affordable degree education to economically disadvantaged and middle-class youth from Lakshmeshwar and surrounding rural hamlets. Over nearly six decades, the institution shaped the careers of thousands of graduates. However, in recent years, mounting financial deficits, lagging infrastructural modernization, and severe bureaucratic bottlenecks in hiring regular teaching faculty intensified public demands for a complete state takeover.
The government order marks the culmination of sustained community protests, alumni advocacy, and civil delegations. Recently, former MLA G.S. Gaddadevaramath led a high-level delegation comprising college administrators, community elders, and activist groups to Bengaluru. Carrying crucial documentation, the team met senior ministers and higher education bureaucrats, pursuing official approvals persistently until the state cabinet approved the acquisition.
Following the arrival of the formal government notification, festive joy swept across Lakshmeshwar. Leading community representatives, teaching staff, and former students gathered at the historic Sri Someshwara Temple to offer special thanksgiving prayers, reverently placing the official decree before the deity to honor the success of their sustained struggle.
The state takeover promises a structural transformation for local academia. Students can now pursue university degrees at subsidized statutory fee scales, shielding rural families from excessive private costs. Direct treasury allocations will finance modern digital libraries, upgraded computer laboratories, and well-equipped campus buildings. Furthermore, the Department of Collegiate Education will initiate the formal recruitment of permanent, qualified lecturers, dramatically elevating academic standards and cementing educational empowerment across the region.
“This college is beneficial for the poor, backward classes, and daily wage earners. Various higher courses are also available in this college. As a result of a decade of struggle, our town has become a government college” G.S. Gaddadevaramat, former MLA
