Bengaluru, Oct 4 : Education makes us independent and frees us from exploitation, said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He was speaking after inaugurating the Banjara Bhawan built as a part of the association's Golden Jubilee celebrations, organised by Karnataka Pradesh Banjara (Lambani) Seva Sangh in collaboration with Karnataka Tanda Development Corporation. "For thousands of years, we were all deprived of literacy culture. After the arrival of the British, educational opportunities opened up. Because of Dr. B.R Ambedkar, education became a basic right for all the deprived. This is why we all need to be educated. Education makes us self-respecting. If you have self-respect, you can escape from exploitation," he said. Giving a list of the contributions made by the Congress government for the development of the Banjara community, the ChiefMinister said, "It was our government which provided assistance to Sevalal Mutt, our government celebrated Sevalal Jayanti, it was our government that convertedTandas into revenue villages." He promised that 5000 more Tandas would be converted into revenue villages. Rs 275 crore was given in the budget for the development of the Banjara community. Siddaramaiah assured that he will give money for other demands including Sevalal residential school in a phased manner in the coming days. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar inaugurated the programme.Deputy Speaker of the Legislative AssemblyRudrappa Manappa Lamani unveiled the statue of Sewalal. Banjara Handicraft Exhibition was inaugurated by Social Welfare Minister Dr. H.C Mahadevappa. /IANS