Page 23 - Karnataka

Karnataka industry leaders back Union Budget, praise tax relief measures

Karnataka industry stalwarts welcomed the union budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman on Saturday saying the focus on infra, consumption, and investment will help the economy. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon Limited said the Union Budget 2025 is reassuring, as it instils confidence that India is investing in the right areas to drive stable and inclusive economic growth. The significant income tax relief, with no tax payable up to Rs 12 lakh income, will put more money in the hands of the people and thus boost domestic consumption, she said on social media 'X'. "Consumption, investment, innovation and employment are the four pillars of our economic growth model and FM Nirmala Sitharaman has focused on all aspects of those segments," she added. N Venu, Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Karnataka State Council in a statement said the budget strengthens the foundation for 'Viksit Bharat' with its sharp focus on infrastructure, rura

Karnataka seeks Rs 11,495 crore special grants among others in Union Budget

Special matching grants for the development of the backward region of Kalyana Karnataka, approval for the Mekedatu project and release of Rs 11,495 crore of special grants recommended by the 15th Finance Commission were among the suggestions and requests made by the Karnataka government during a pre-budget consultation with the Centre. Last month, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met finance ministers of states and union territories (UTs) to take their demands and suggestions for the Union Budget 2025-26, to be presented on February 1. In his presentation at the meeting, Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on behalf of the state government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sought release of Rs 5,300 crore promised in the Union Budget to Upper Bhadra project to provide water to drought prone central Karnataka and special matching grants for the development of backward region of Kalyana Karnataka and the global eco sensitive Western Ghats. The state urged the Centr

K'taka health dept orders implementation of SC directive on dignified death

Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday announced that the state health department has passed a historic order to implement the Supreme Court's directive for a patient's right to die with dignity. Taking to the social media post 'X', he stated that the department has also come out with an Advance Medical Directive (AMD), or a living will, in which a patient can record their wishes about their medical treatment in the future. "My Karnataka Health Department, @DHFWKA, passes a historic order to implement the Supreme Court's directive for a patients Right to Die with dignity," he said. The minister said this will immensely benefit those who are terminally ill with no hope of recovery, or are in a persistent vegetative state, and where the patient no longer benefits from life-sustaining treatment. "We have also come out with an Advance Medical Directive (AMD), or a living will, in which a patient can record their wishes about their medical treatment in the future," he ...

Siddaramaiah, family, Muda officials under ED probe in Rs 56 cr land scam

An ED report reveals serious lapses, including tampering with official records, misuse of political influence, and document forgery in land allotment by the Mysore Urban Development Authority

Karnataka HC says ED's search, seizure at ex-Muda chief's home unlawful

The Karnataka High Court ruled on Wednesday that the Enforcement Directorate's search and seizure at the residence of former Commissioner of MUDA was unlawful and an abuse of legal procedures. The court also granted the official the right to initiate legal action against those involved in the search. The case is linked to allegations of illegal site allotment to Parvathy B M, the wife of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Justice Hemant Chandangoudar, delivering the verdict, stated that the ED must uphold fairness in its investigations, as it is a key agency responsible for tackling money laundering. He emphasised that searches conducted arbitrarily infringe upon the fundamental right to liberty and privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court found that the ED had no prima facie evidence to invoke Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), making the search baseless and a violation of legal procedures. "The ED cannot disregard procedural fairness .

All cases against pro-Kannada activists will be withdrawn: CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that all cases registered against pro-Kannada activists who held protests against alleged violation of language norms by business establishments in the state, will be withdrawn. The CM was addressing a gathering at the unveiling of the 25-feet-tall bronze statue of Bhuvaneshwari, the goddess who represents the Karnataka state identity, on the Vidhana Soudha premises on Monday. The statue sculpted at an approximate cost of Rs 21.24 crore is 41-feet-tall including the pedestal, and weighs around 31.5 tonne. While speaking at the event, although he acknowledged that one must love and embrace all languages, the CM said, in Karnataka, Kannadigas should follow the culture of speaking and interacting with their brothers and other speakers in Kannada. "Instead of speaking incorrectly in other languages, we should speak our own language. In all our neighbouring states, the language spoken by the people of the respective state is sovereign. Thi

'Bengaluru closed for North India' post fuels Kannada language debate

A social media post stating that "Bengaluru is closed for North India" has gone viral, generating debate about the Kannada language row online. In a post on 'X', a social media user stated: "Bengaluru is closed for North India and neighbouring states who don't want to learn Kannada. They don't need Bengaluru if they can't respect the language and culture." The recent post by Babruvahana (@Paarmatma) has garnered significant attention, with over 115,000 views, 198 reposts, and 1,839 likes. (at the time this was written) Reacting to the post, a social media user who claimed to be a "migrant to Bengaluru" said the post might sound a bit harsh. "But whenever I see people in Bengaluru completely disregard Kannada as some sort of tribal language and even look down on those who speak Kannada as illiterates, even in corporate offices, I feel very pained. Kannada is a phenomenally rich language that has received the most literary awards, including Sahitya Akademi and Jnanpith awards (sic),"

Karnataka implemented first-of-its-kind experiment with Panchayat Raj: Min

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said on Saturday the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat implemented the "Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Raj Fellowship" programme. In a post on 'X,' Kharge said that the Panchayat Raj experiment is the first of its kind in the country and was announced in the previous budget. "With the aim of strengthening local governance in the backward region of Kalyana Karnataka, an enthusiastic and talented youth community was given the opportunity to work in the Panchayat Raj system," wrote the State Panchayat Raj Minister. He added that this is a great opportunity for graduates interested in the social sector. "Fellows will need to understand the social, geographical, economic, and administrative context of the Kalyana Karnataka region and become active with the district administration," Kharge said. He stated that he attended the progress report presentation meeting with 44 trained fellows. Kharge added that it was rewarding to learn that these enthusi

Will amend law to help borrowers, control microfinance firms: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the state government would amend the existing laws related to money lending business and introduce new legislation to protect the interest of the genuine borrowers. In the wake public outrage against the alleged harassment by micro-finance companies to recover money from borrowers, Siddaramaiah chaired an emergency meeting with his deputy D K Shivakumar, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Home Minister G Parameshwara, Law Minister H K Patil, senior government and top police officials. Representatives of the microfinance companies association, regional officers of the Reserve Bank of India and NABARD officials were also present. Later, briefing reporters, the CM said he took the opinion of the microfinance companies as well as the RBI officials. "After taking their view, we told them that we won't say not to give loan or do not recover money from borrowers but while recovering money you should not torture and harass people," .

Karnataka court accepts closure report in bribery case against Siddaramaiah

A special court to try criminal cases against against elected representatives has accepted the closure report filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta police in a bribery case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The case was based on allegations made by a BJP leader, who accused Siddaramaiah of receiving Rs 1.3 crore during his previous tenure as CM in exchange for appointing a steward at the Bengaluru Turf Club (BTC). In its ruling on January 18, the court stated, The closure report filed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Karnataka Lokayukta, Bengaluru, dated 12.9.2024, is hereby accepted. The court further observed that while records indicated that Accused No.1 Mr. Siddaramaiah had received a sum of Rs 1,30,00,000 from Accused No.2 L Vivekananda, the same cannot be held to be an act of quid pro quo towards his nomination as Steward of BTC. Previously, the special court had instructed the Lokayukta police to reopen and investigate the case. However, following the inquiry, the ..

Kharge expresses concerns about 'eroding institutional integrity' of ECI

Even as we celebrate National Voter's Day, ceaseless erosion of the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India, in last ten years, is a matter of grave national concern, Kharge said

Govt to bring strict laws to regulate microfinance firms: K'taka Home Min

The Karnataka government is contemplating bringing in stringent laws to rein in microfinance companies, state Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Friday. With reports emerging from various parts of the state about people dying by suicide due to the "atrocities" of loan recovery agents, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened a meeting to address the issue, he said. "Across the state, many people have been complaining that they are in trouble due to these microfinance companies. It has come to our notice that there are shortcomings in the existing laws," Parameshwara told reporters. He noted that while there are provisions in the law to recover money, there are also laws to protect borrowers. "There are several reports from our department highlighting the inadequacies in the existing laws. If stricter regulations are required, the government will introduce them," Parameshwara said. He added that the government has instructed microfinance companies to stop harassing ...

SC maintains actor Darshan's bail in murder case, to examine state plea

In an interim order, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to cancel the bail granted to Kannada actors Darshan Thoogudeepa, Pavithra Gowda, and others in a murder case but agreed to examine the Karnataka government's challenge against it and issued notice. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan issued notice to Darshan and others on the state's plea against the Karnataka High Court's bail order. The state government, said the apex court, apprehended other co-accused would take advantage of the high court order. "Since state is praying for cancellation of bail, it would not be proper to stay the operation of the order as it would amount to cancellation of bail. Yet, to protect the interest of prosecution, if any co-accused prays on bail, the court concerned shall not place reliance on the order challenged before us. Any bail application filed shall be decided on its own merit," clarified the bench. Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra along with advocate Anil Nishani, appearing

SC refuses to cancel bail of actor Darshan, others in murder case

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to cancel the bail granted to Kannada actors Darshan Thoogudeepa, Pavithra Gowda, and five others in the Renukaswamy murder case but agreed to examine the Karnataka government's challenge. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan issued notice to Darshan and others on the state's plea against the Karnataka High Court's bail order. The state government, the apex court said, apprehended other co-accused would be allowed to take advantage of order passed by the high court in the impugned order. "Since state is praying for cancellation of bail, it would not be proper to stay the operation of the order as it would amount to cancellation of bail. Yet, to protect the interest of prosecution, if any co-accused prays on bail, the court concerned shall not place reliance on the order challenged before us. Any bail application filed shall be decided on its own merit," the bench said. The Karnataka High Court on December 13, 2024, granted bail to th

Machine tools to generate $3.8 bn revenue by 2030: Karnataka minister Patil

Karnataka's Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil on Thursday said that the Indian machine tool industry is projected to generate revenue of USD 3.8 billion by 2030, driven largely by the dominance of the metal-cutting segment. Speaking at the inaugural event of IMTEX 2025, organised by the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA), he noted that India ranks 9th globally in machine tool production and 7th in consumption. Highlighting that the sector generated over USD 2.2 billion in revenue in 2022, the minister emphasised Karnataka's crucial role in the industry, accounting for 52 per cent of India's total machine tool production and ranking as the third-largest contributor to heavy engineering in the country. He also drew attention to Tumakuru's Integrated Machine Tool Park (TMTP), a state-of-the-art 530-acre facility that has emerged as a hub for domestic and international investments in the sector. "Karnataka is home to leading players such as ABB, Siemens

Congress believes in Gandhi's Hindutva, says CM Siddaramaiah in Belagavi

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said Mahatma Gandhi was a diehard Hindu and the Congress believes in "Gandhi's Hindutva". BJP always projected Mahatma Gandhi as 'anti-Hindu' but one must understand that it is 100 per cent false, Siddaramaiah said at the inauguration of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in front of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, top Congress functionaries such as K C Venugopal, Randeep Singh Surjewala Congress ministers, MPs and legislators participated in the event. The event was organised to commemorate the centenary of the lone Congress session in which Mahatma Gandhi had chaired as the Congress president way back in 1924. The Chief Minister said, "Mahatma Gandhi used to utter the name of Lord Rama, always. When Nathuram Godse assassinated him, he uttered 'Hey Ram'. There cannot be a better example of it. He was a diehard Hindu." According to him,

Haven't rapes taken place during BJP regime, asks CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday wondered whether there were no rapes during the BJP regime. He was reacting to BJP's allegation about the deteriorating law and order situation in the state in the wake of a woman raped at KR Market in Bengaluru on Sunday night. The victim who was waiting for a bus to Yelahanka was allegedly raped by two men. Police have arrested two people in this connection. "The incident happened in SJ Park. The complaint pertains to extortion and sexual assault. Two people have been arrested," Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda told reporters here in Bengaluru. Reacting to BJP's charges in this regard while speaking to reporters in Belagavi, Siddaramaiah asked "Haven't rapes taken place during the BJP regime?" He said that rapes should not happen and women should be protected. "Anti-social elements in the society do such things. We will take stringent action against them," the Chief Minister added. The BJP on Tuesday demanded the resign

Rahul Gandhi unwell, unlikely to take part in Gandhi Bharat event: Congress

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to take part in the Gandhi Bharat event on Tuesday at Belagavi as he is unwell, sources in the ruling party said. While Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara told PTI Videos in Belagavi that the entire leadership of the Congress party will take part in the function, which is set to commence soon, sources here said that Rahul Gandhi was unwell and hence, he is likely to skip the function. Mallikarjun Kharge, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior Congress functionaries are expected to take part in the event at the district headquarter town of Belagavi bordering Maharashtra. According to the Congress sources, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi is set to be unveiled at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha and a public meeting has also been scheduled to be held at the CPED grounds. The Gandhi Bharat event, to commemorate the centenary of the lone Congress session presided by Mahatma Gandhi at Belagavi in 1924, was originally scheduled to be held on ...

Bengaluru Namma Metro rail fares to get costlier by 30-40%: Details here

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is increasing the ticket fare citing increasing operational costs

Dissenting voices mar BJP's campaign against Siddaramaiah after ED action

Dissenting voices in the BJP marred the party's efforts on Saturday to gear up for a decisive fight against the Congress government in Karnataka, following the ED's confirmation about the MUDA site-allotment scam, in which Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his wife, Parvathi B M, are among the accused. Two dissident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs -- Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Ramesh Jarkiholi -- launched a verbal attack on state party chief B Y Vijayendra, questioning his leadership quality and "antecedents". "People talk of squabbling in the BJP but we do not have any internal fight. Our fight is only against the party president. We are happy both ways -- whether the president is changed or not," Jarkiholi said during a party event at Ankalgavi village in Gokak taluk of Belagavi district., "You (Vijayendra) are still a child, you are not fit to be the state president," the MLA from Gokak said. He, however, clarified that Vijayendra's father and former chief minister B S ...