Mysuru: As a Varamahalakshmi festival gift to women, State-owned Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation Ltd. (KSIC) will sell Mysore Silk sarees worth Rs. 6,500 at a discount price of Rs. 4,500 per saree. This move is to make sarees affordable to the poor and middle class families, announced Tourism and Sericulture Minister S.R. Mahesh.

He also said that the KSIC outlets across the State will get a makeover in the coming months in order to prop up the brand. The Minister was speaking at a ‘Meet the Press’ organised by Mysuru District Journalists Association (MDJA) at Pathrakarthara Bhavana in city this morning.

Highlighting the department’s plans to boost its branded silk products at international-level, Mahesh said that the patented Mysore Silk brand cannot be used and duplicated by others. Warning against any misuse of the brand by private silk marts and other textile sellers, the Minister said that a drive would soon be launched to detect any misuse and faking of the brand.

Declaring that exclusive KSIC outlets will soon be set up at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS), Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, Badami and Aihole, Mahesh said that the government will not let down weavers.

Replying to a question on his plans to boost tourism, Mahesh said there were over 600 registered tourist guides in the State. “The senior most and polyglot tourist guides will be sent abroad to get advanced training in tourist guidance,” he said. Action will be taken against those guides who misbehave with tourists, both foreign and national he warned.

Referring to the reported conflict between home stays and hotels in Kodagu district, the Minister said that while there were 350 registered home stays in Kodagu, the number of illegal home stays was nearly a thousand. He said appropriate action will be taken against unauthorised home stays.

On the shifting of Mysore Race Course (MRC) to city outskirts, Mahesh said that the illegal stables and horse shelters inside the Mysore Race Course had to be demolished by June 30 (tomorrow). Maintaining that 600 stables and 1,800 people, most of them from outside the State, were sheltered in the MRC, when the MRC is actually allowed to have only 70-80 horses, the Minister said that MRC has been granted licence only for conducting horse races and not for any other  commercial activities.

He revealed that the MRC President and Secretary had come to meet him in Bengaluru yesterday to discuss the MRC shifting issue, Mahesh said that he had asked them to meet him again after the evacuation of stables is complete. “I can extend the deadline by one or two days failing which I myself, along with district administration will demolish the unauthorised structures,” he said.

MDJA President C.K. Mahendra, Secretary K.J. Lokesh Babu, Vice-President Subramanya, Treasurer Dakshina Murthy and others were present.