Mangaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar interacted with social media influencers and digital content creators over breakfast at a popular restaurant in Mangaluru on Thursday, ahead of the State Cabinet’s special meeting in the city.
The informal interaction was part of Shivakumar’s visit to Mangaluru, where the Karnataka Cabinet is scheduled to hold a special meeting on September 18 at Praja Soudha in Padil. The meeting is the first special Cabinet meeting to be held outside Bengaluru and is expected to focus on development issues concerning the coastal region.
Shivakumar interacts with digital creators
During the breakfast interaction, Shivakumar met social media influencers who have a presence across platforms and engage with audiences on local issues, lifestyle, culture and developments in Karnataka.
The interaction provided an informal setting for the Chief Minister to engage with a section of the younger and digitally active population.
Social media influencers and content creators have increasingly become an important channel for public communication, particularly among younger audiences. Such interactions can also provide an opportunity for public figures to hear directly from people who communicate local issues and developments to large online audiences.
Details of the individual influencers who attended the breakfast meeting were not immediately available.
Interaction comes ahead of Cabinet meeting
Shivakumar’s breakfast interaction came a day before the Cabinet meeting scheduled at Praja Soudha in Padil.
The Chief Minister arrived in Mangaluru on Thursday from Kalaburagi along with Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Cabinet ministers Priyank Kharge and Sharanprakash Patil. The ministerial delegation subsequently reviewed preparations for the Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet meeting is expected to consider a range of proposals concerning the coastal districts, including infrastructure, ports, fisheries, industrial development, tourism and other regional requirements.
Coastal development in focus
The State government has indicated that region-specific issues will receive attention during the Mangaluru Cabinet meeting.
Representatives from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada have submitted various demands to the government. Discussions have included infrastructure upgrades, port-related development, fisheries, industrial expansion and other local requirements.
Chief Minister Shivakumar had also met elected representatives from the three coastal districts ahead of the Cabinet meeting. A dinner interaction with MLAs, MLCs and MPs from the region was held on Thursday evening to discuss development proposals ahead of the Cabinet’s formal deliberations.
Cabinet meeting marks first such session outside Bengaluru
The special Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru is significant as it marks the first such meeting of the Karnataka Cabinet outside Bengaluru.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at the District Administration Office complex in Padil, with Chief Minister Shivakumar chairing the proceedings.
Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister U T Khader has previously said that holding a Cabinet meeting in the coastal region would allow region-specific demands to be placed before the government directly.
The government is expected to examine the proposals and decide on matters that fall within its administrative and financial powers.
Open-top bus ride planned for ministers
As part of the programme, Shivakumar and his Cabinet colleagues are also scheduled to travel to Praja Soudha in an open-top Ambaari double-decker bus operated by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation.
According to reports, the ministers are expected to assemble at Kadri Manjunatha Temple before travelling from Bhagwan Mahaveer Circle at Pumpwell to Praja Soudha in Padil.
The route has been prepared for the ministers’ movement, with Mangaluru residents expected to have an opportunity to greet the delegation along the way.
The Mangaluru Police Commissionerate has also announced traffic diversions and alternative routes in view of the Cabinet meeting and the movement of dignitaries.
Focus on regional engagement
Shivakumar’s interaction with social media influencers comes amid a wider programme of engagements during his Mangaluru visit.
Apart from official meetings, the Chief Minister has been meeting elected representatives and other stakeholders ahead of the Cabinet’s discussions.
The State government has said the Mangaluru meeting will provide a platform to examine demands specific to the coastal region, while the final decisions on individual proposals will depend on the Cabinet’s deliberations.
The breakfast interaction with digital creators adds an informal public-engagement component to the Chief Minister’s visit, ahead of a Cabinet meeting expected to draw attention to the development priorities of coastal Karnataka.