KLES chairman Prabhakar Kore feted on his 78th birthday | Hubballi News
Pic: KLES Chairman Prabhakar Kore was honoured by villagers at his native village Ankali in Chikodi taluk of Belagavi district on Friday, along with his wife Asha KoreBelagavi (Ankali): “When I became the chairman of KLE Society in 1984, I didn’t know how to run educational institutions. But with God’s grace and perseverance, I overcame many struggles and went on to establish numerous institutions,” said KLES chairman Dr Prabhakar Kore.Dr Kore now oversees 310 educational institutions across Karnataka, other parts of India, and abroad — including schools, colleges, technical institutes, medical and dental colleges, research centres, and business schools. He was speaking after receiving the honour in his native village, Ankali, on Friday as part of his 78th birthday celebrations.Addressing the gathering, Dr Kore said, “I took up the challenge of leading KLE and expanded its presence across all districts of North Karnataka and parts of South Maharashtra. After the passing of my brother, I started a 1,000-bed hospital in 1996 in Belagavi, which included a heart surgery wing. Today, the KLES Hospital in Belagavi has 1,200 free beds. We are also launching 1,200-bed hospitals in Hubballi and Pune soon,” he said.MLC Prakash Hukkeri, who inaugurated the event, praised Dr Kore’s service and said, “For the last 40 years, he has been a transformative force, elevating KLE to national prominence. We studied together and have shared a common goal: to serve society.”Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar lauded Dr Kore’s vision and compared his work ethic to Basavanna’s philosophy—work is worship. “Dr Kore has revolutionised education in this region. He has made notable contributions to medical research, agriculture, and public welfare.”Earlier, a free check-up camp was organised in Ankali, where 8,800 people were checked and surgery was recommended to 800. A blood donation camp was also organised, where more than 320 people donated blood.The event was organised by the Chidanaand Basaprabhu Kore Co-operative Sugar Factory, Shivshakti Sugars Limited, Herm Distillery Private Limited, Dr Prabhakar Kore Co-operative Credit Society of Ankali, KLE Institutions, Janshakti Foundation, and the KLE Dr Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre in Belagavi.
