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Karnataka Government
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that ultimately, Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi and the party high command have to take a decision on the CM change issue, and everyone will abide by their decision. He said that he has spoken to the high command, and the leadership have told him that they will decide. The CM's statement came a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the confusion over the leadership issue in the party's Karnataka unit exists only at the local level and not within the party high command. He had also said that the local leaders should take ownership of the internal disputes rather than blaming the high command. "I don't know about it. Rahul Gandhi and the high command have to decide. Whatever they decide, I'm committed to it," Siddaramaiah told reporters here in response to a question on Kharge's statement. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I have spoken to the high command. They have said that they will decide. I will abi
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with a group of Ministers and legislators, attended a dinner hosted by senior Minister Satish Jarkiholi here on December 18, official sources said. The dinner meeting held at the residence of Jarkiholi, who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, has sparked speculations amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress over the CM post. According to sources, the attendees included Ministers G Parameshwara, H C Mahadevappa, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, M C Sudhakar, and MLA A S Ponnanna. All of them are considered close to Siddaramaiah. The gathering followed a dinner the previous night, where Jarkiholi hosted over thirty like-minded legislators at a hotel here. While Siddaramaiah skipped it, his son and MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, confidant and MLA K N Rajanna, were among those who were present. The dinner meetings come a week after over 30 Congress legislators, including some Ministers, met for dinner along with Deputy Chief Minister D
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Thursday reiterated that there is no leadership change in Karnataka. The Congress MLC further said that there was no power tussle in the state. Speculation about a leadership change had intensified after the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, fuelled by talk of an alleged power-sharing arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar dating back to 2023. Recently, the chief minister and deputy CM held breakfast meetings at each other's residences on instructions from the party high commanda move seen as an attempt to pause the leadership tussle and signal Siddaramaiah's continuation as chief minister for now, especially ahead of the Belagavi legislature session. They also clarified that they will abide by the party high command's decision. "There is no tussle over CM post. This I have told you already. Now everything is clear. The high command has clearly said as of now there
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said that a bill to curb hate speech was to safeguard constitutional values and curb provocative political discourse. He also hit out the opposition BJP for criticising the bill. The state government on Wednesday tabled in the Assembly the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crime (Prevention) Bill that proposed a jail term of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 1 lakh. Speaking to reporters at the Belagavi Circuit House, Shivakumar said the opposition had no reason to object it. "If the BJP refrains from indulging in hate speech, everything will be fine. They have been the pioneers of creating hostility, be it through caste-based, religious, or personal attacks," he said. He argued that the bill aims to reinforce constitutional principles, countering the BJP's allegation that it is being introduced to target political opponents. "Let the BJP conduct itself as per constitutional values. This legislation is meant to safegua
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said that he had gone to Delhi to attend a wedding and to discuss with Congress office bearers, arrangements regarding an upcoming party event. He also rejected reports that he met Congress high command leaders amid ongoing power tussle in the state. "I had to go (to Delhi) for a private wedding programme. Also, for the December 14 rally. We are taking about 300 karyakartas and leaders from every district. To arrange accommodation and other things, the responsibility has been given to the working president and AICC secretary, for those coming by train. I have held meetings in this regard and have come back," Shivakumar said. The Congress is scheduled to hold a rally on December 14 at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi against the alleged 'vote chori'. The Deputy CM had gone to Delhi on Wednesday. Accusing the media of "creating news" that has "no strength", Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state unit chief said, "Every day is goo
Karnataka government has extended one day of paid menstrual leave per month to employees in the government sector as well. The government had last month issued an order mandating one day of paid menstrual leave per month to women aged 18-52, working in permanent, contractual and outsourced jobs. It is applicable to women working in all industries and establishments registered under the Factories Act, 1948; Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961; Plantation Workers Act, 1951; Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966; and Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, it had said. Now, on December 2, the government has ordered the granting of one day of menstrual leave every month to female government employees of the state with immediate effect. Women government employees between the age group 18 and 52, who undergo menstruation, are eligible to avail this leave. The authority competent to grant casual leave may grant menstrual leave, and no medical certifi
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday asserted that he would continue in office and also present state budgets in the future. His statement comes amidst an intense power struggle in the ruling Congress, with the D K Shivakumar camp mounting pressure on the party high command for a leadership change. At least 15 MLAs and about a dozen MLCs have camped in New Delhi to push the party leadership to make Shivakumar the next Chief Minister, Congress sources said. According to reports, the demand is based on a power-sharing agreement reached in 2023, under which Siddaramaiah was to serve as the CM for two and a half years (till November 20) before making way for Shivakumar. Responding to a query on some MLAs and MLCs camping in Delhi, he said the Congress High Command has to decide on the leadership change, cabinet reshuffle or government restructuring. Has High Command spoken on it? We can't help it. Earlier also some people were discussing it, and now they might have gone (to
Signalling that he will continue as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah has asserted that he would present his record 17th Budget next year. Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented his 16th budget in March. He was speaking at the golden jubilee of LG Havanur on Wednesday, marking submission of the first backward classes commission report. "When I first became finance minister, a newspaper wrote -- this Siddaramaiah (a Kuruba) can't count a hundred sheep, how will he function as Karnataka's finance minister -- I accepted this as a challenge..... I have presented 16 budgets. Next, I will present the 17th budget," Siddaramaiah said, drawing loud applause. The 2026-27 budget is likely to be presented in March next year, and preparatory work has already begun. Siddaramaiah's comments come amid speculations about a possible leadership change in the state, when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November. There was s
Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday said the state government is investing Rs 600 crore in Deep Tech and AI and along with leading venture capital firms, it aims to create a joint fund of over Rs 1,000 crore to support start-ups in these sectors in the state. According to him, Karnataka is set to make a major push in emerging technologies during the first Future Makers Conclave on November 20 at the 28th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit here. "We are concentrating heavily on DeepTech and AI. For the first time, we are having the Future Makers Conclave where we have tied up with private venture capitalists, and together we are disbursing close to around Rs 1,100 crore on a single platform on November 20 to DeepTech startups," he told reporters here. According to officials, the Future Makers Conclave will be the flagship event of the summit and the launchpad where Karnataka shifts from "leapfrogging" to "pole-vaulting" into its DeepTech Decade. The conclave will have .
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and insisted on demands pertaining to the state, including on Fair Recovery Price of sugarcane, AIIMS for Raichur, the release of flood relief among others. His demand on sugarcane price came in the wake of farmers' protest in the north Karnataka demanding an increase in the cane procurement price. The chief minister highlighted several long-standing demands of the state, including the release of over Rs 2,100 crore in flood relief, and the clearance of crucial irrigation projects in his memorandum to Modi. "The meeting, which comes amid ongoing state concerns over central fiscal devolution and disaster funding, covered five critical areas outlined in the document submitted to the PM," a statement issued by the chief minister's office said on Monday. In his memorandum to the prime minister, Siddaramaiah sought a sustainable solution to the sugarcane pricing crisis. "Following recent farmer agitations, the state
The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes on Tuesday extended the deadline for those who couldn't participate in the Social and Educational Survey -- widely referred to as the "caste census" -- in the state for different reasons. They can enumerate online till November 30. The actual survey, with enumerators gathering data door-to-door, had concluded on October 31, with an 89.48 per cent enumeration. About 4.22 lakh households had refused to participate in the survey. However, in order to provide an opportunity to those who could not participate in the survey due to various reasons, the period for participating online was extended till November 10. "In order to provide an opportunity to everyone to participate in the survey, the period for self-participation through the online link https://kscbcselfdeclaration.karnataka.gov.in, has finally been extended till November 30," the commission said in a release on Tuesday. About 6.13 crore of the 6.85 crore projected population
Sugarcane farmers, who have been protesting in Belagavi for the last ten days demanding a higher price for their produce, on Saturday withdrew their protest, following the Karnataka government fixing procurement price of sugarcane, yielding 11.25 per cent recovery, at Rs 3,300 per ton. With Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil handing over the government's order copy on the price fixation to farmers' leaders at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk of Belagavi, farmers celebrated and withdrew the protest, officials said. However, sugarcane farmers in Bagalkote, Mudhol, and a few other places have decided to continue with the protest, dissatisfied with the government's decision, calling it "confusing". Sugarcane farmers' had staged a protest at Gurlapur Cross demanding a procurement price of Rs 3,500 per ton of sugarcane, excluding harvesting and transport charges (H&T) for the last ten days. It had also spread across various parts of north Karnataka districts like Belagavi, Bagalkote, ...