Page 20 - Karnataka Government

Surjewala in Karnataka to finalise list of appointments to boards & corps

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said discussions are on regarding appointing ruling Congress legislators and workers to key positions in various state-run boards and corporations and the list, once finalised ,will be sent to the party's high command for approval. Congress General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala is in the city to discuss the exercise with the party's state leadership. Last week too, he had held discussions on the issue here. "It is our routine work, it's party work...he (Surjewala) was busy. We have held two to three rounds of meetings, today also we will be meeting, the list has to go to Delhi, after that we will inform," Shivakumar, who is also state Congress chief, told reporters here in response to a question on his meeting with Surjewala. There has been some disgruntlement and growing impatience within a section of the Congress party, with legislators, who could not make it to the Ministry and were keenly aspiri

Karnataka govt gets EC's notice over newspaper ads in poll-bound Telangana

The Election Commission on Monday sought an explanation from the Congress government in Karnataka over advertisements publicising its achievements in newspapers in poll-bound Telangana. In a letter to the Karnataka chief secretary, the commission said the state government did not obtain prior approval from it for publishing the advertisements, an action violative of the poll code. It also said the publication of any such advertisement by the government of Karnataka in Telangana should stop with immediate effect till necessary approvals are taken by the state government from the commission. It has sought an explanation by 5 pm on Tuesday on the circumstances which led to the violation of the commission's Model Code of Conduct (MCC) instructions. In its letter, the commission also asked why disciplinary action should not be taken against the secretary-in-charge of the Department of Information and Public Relations for violations of procedure as required under MCC instructions. Earli

K'taka BJP to open control rooms offering aid to workers harassed by cops

The opposition BJP will open control rooms at the state district level for its workers and leaders to receive complains about police harassment, Karnataka BJP chief B Y Vijayendra said on Sunday. In a message on 'X', the Shikaripur MLA said the party will provide legal aid to them (workers) if they are harassed for speaking up against the anti-people attitude of the Congress government in the state. "We have been hearing complaints about police harassment targeting our BJP workers who are active on social media. Activists do not need to shy away from anything to raise their voice against the anti-people attitude of the Congress government and against the government's failures on any platform including social media," Vijayendra, son of BJP strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, said. "The law has not empowered the police to suppress the freedom of expression given to people by the constitution," the BJP leader said. In this regard, the party will immediately come to th

DKS vs Siddaramaiah: Caste census splits Karnataka Congress wide open

The All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha has also demanded that the government order a fresh caste census

Karnataka govt in tight spot as dominant communities oppose caste census

Karnataka's Socio-Economic and Education Survey, popularly known as the "caste census", is mired in controversies even before the report is submitted to the government, amid deep divisions within the ruling Congress, stiff opposition by dominant communities against its acceptance and the survey's original "work-sheet" copy missing. There are also indications about a delay in the submission of the survey report by Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, with the government extending the tenure of its current Chairman, K Jayaprakash Hegde by a couple of months, until the submission of the report, originally due this month. What has put the state government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who on Tuesday had asserted that his decision to accept the report is unwavering, in a tight spot is Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar being a signatory to a memorandum submitted to him, requesting to reject it along with the data. Along with Shivakumar, who hails from the dominant ...

Siddaramaiah govt completes 6 months, says steps taken to reduce corruption

As his government completed six months in office on Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his administration has taken decisive steps to reduce corruption and initiated thorough investigations in various cases. He said his government is committed to building a state that not only meets the immediate needs of its people, but also lays the foundation for a prosperous future. In the elections to the 224-member Assembly held in May this year, the Congress ousted the BJP from power with a landslide victory. The Congress got 135 seats to BJP's 66. "As the Chief Minister of Karnataka, it brings me immense pride to mark the completion of six months of our government's tenure. In this short span, we have been steadfast in our commitment to empower the people of Karnataka and craft a sustainable and progressive future for our state," Siddaramaiah said in a statement. "Our governance model, the New Karnataka Model, is a testament to this commitment. It is a model that intertwines

Karnataka aims to attract Rs 40,000 cr, generate 80,000 jobs in new city

The new investment region will be spread over 2,000 acres within 60 km from Bengaluru and developed in a phased manner

Prime Minister should read Karnataka's political history: Priyank Kharge

On the performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during their term in power in Karnataka, Priyank Kharge said that it was called the "40 per cent government" by newspapers.

Siddaramaiah asks ministers to study drought situation; to submit report

The direction came as the state faces one of the worst droughts, where out of 236 taluks, 216 have been declared drought-hit due to inadequate rainfall

Telangana CM, Shivakumar in war of words over purported letter to Foxconn

The allegations arose after KCR held a press conference where he presented a fake letter purportedly written by DK Shivakumar to Foxconn regarding the relocation of an Apple Airpod manufacturing plant

Siddaramaiah requests Vaishnaw to extend Vande Bharat Express till Belagavi

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday urged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to extend the Vande Bharat Express running on the Bengaluru-Hubballi-Dharwad route upto Belagavi city, in order to boost the connectivity between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. In a letter to Vaishnaw, Siddaramaiah said the second Vande Bharat Express in Karnataka "brought a paradigm shift in the connectivity of the region, between Dharwad, Hubballi, and Davangere with Bengaluru". He noted that Belagavi was a significant vantage point for industrialists, students and tourists. Calling Belagavi as an 'economically vibrant' district, he said it houses sugar, aluminum and major industries and also a support base for automobile and aerospace industries apart from several small and medium industries. The CM pointed out that Belagavi was also a tourist destination with a rich cultural and historical background. "I request you to extend the Bengaluru to Hubballi-Dharwad Vande Bharat train service upto Belagav

Shekhawat slams K'taka CM for spreading falsehood over water projects

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday hit out at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accusing him of spreading falsehood and misinformation with regard to the various water projects including the Mekedatu balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river. Shekhawat reacted to Siddaramaiah's statement on Saturday alleging that the Narendra Modi-led government did not address Karnataka's water issues despite scanty rainfall. Alleging that projects like Mekedatu and the Mahadayi River are pending Centre's approval, Siddaramaiah charged, "Do you want to inflict more thirst on Kannadigas, dear Prime Minister?" Lashing out at Siddaramaiah, Shekhawat said in a statement on 'X': "We know it is tradition for Congress to spread false rumour & misinformation. But it isn't becoming of a CM to wreak havoc in people's lives by doing so." Regarding the Mekedatu project, the Minister said the discussion on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was included as an agenda item during

As Diwali nears, what's taking the sheen off Sivakasi's firecracker sales?

Firecracker ban in Delhi and Karnataka government not granting license for the sale are among several reasons

BJP trying to destabilise our govt, but will not succeed: Karnataka CM

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the Karnataka Chief Minister said not a single MLA from the ruling Congress will switch sides

K'taka CM takes a dig at PM Modi over his call against caste politics

Taking a leaf out of the Bihar government, which recently came out with the inaugural caste census report, the Congress promised to conduct a similar exercise in Rajasthan and across the country

HD Kumaraswamy attacks Siddaramaiah and DKS, dubs Congress as 'Scamgress'

The state of Karnataka is facing electricity issued and the CM and Deputy CM were busy watching cricket match, he said

My party has to decide: Shivakumar on workers' question about becoming CM

After the Congress achieved a grand victory in Karnataka assembly polls earlier this year, the top leadership of the grand old party brainstormed for days on the face of the Chief Ministerial face

Devanahalli farmers oppose land acquisition for industry: K'taka Minister

Farmers in Devanahalli are opposed to the land acquisition for industrial purposes and a meeting will be held on October 25 to discuss the issue, Karnataka Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil has said. A meeting took place between representatives of the farmers and the government at Khanija Bhavan on Wednesday that failed to produce any result, the Minister said in a statement. Another meeting would be called on October 25 to discuss acquiring 1,777 acres of land for Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board in Channarayapatna hobli of Devanahalli taluk. Patil said people of 13 villages have been opposing the land acquisition. Farmer leaders Baiyareddy, Chukki Nanjundaswamy and others who attended the meeting opposed the land acquisition. The preliminary notification which has been issued in this regard should be cancelled. The lives of hundreds of farmers' families depend on this land, the farmers were quoted as saying. The minister told the farmer representatives t

It is necessary to create Kannada speaking environment in Karnataka: CM

The CM further said that we should love other languages and religions but we should not forget our own language and held Negligence responsible for non-implementation of Kannada in administration

Reeling under drought, Karnataka asks govt to release pending MGNREGA wages

The Karnataka government has requested the Centre to release pending Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme wage component at the earliest, for its effective implementation, in the wake of a drought in a majority of taluks across the state. Karnataka Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma has written to Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India in this regard. Sharma noted that wage release to Karnataka is due from MoRD since August 29, 2023, which amounts to Rs 478.46 crore and said the last wage grant released to the State government is on September 24 for Rs 1.55 crore for August and September. Karnataka's Rural Development Commissionerate has already submitted Utilisation Certificates and Annual Audited accounts to the Ministry of Rural Development for the current and previous year, the Chief Secretary said in her letter. According to her, 195 of the total 236 taluks in the state have been declared as drought-hit, and out of