The latest news is that Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka is giving mediapersons from the Minority Communities an expensive media kit. It includes a laptop, handycam and a still camera costing Rs 61,750 per kit.

The kit will be given to journalists from the minority community, who have the accreditation from the Department of Information and Broadcasting.

A circular has been sent to the Minorities Department by the Karnataka government stating that the grants for the media kit and publishing if advertisements in the newspapers owned by the minorities have been allotted.

Circular from the government allotting fund for the media kit

Thus a list of minority journalists, who have the accreditation of the department concerned, will be prepared, and the beneficiaries will be provided with the media kit.

As elections are nearing, speculation is that Siddaramaiah government is trying to woo different sections of the society. After promising separate religion tag for Lingayats, Siddaramaiah is now giving media kit to accredited journalists from the minorities communities. Will this bring a divide between the journalists? Or is another scheme waiting for the journalists not included in the current scheme?

It can be noticed that government's stand on separate Lingayat religion had divided the Lingayats into two groups. Now, will the media kit scheme also have similar results?