Page 26 - Karnataka

HMPV cases: Karnataka CM directs officials to take precautionary measures

With two cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) detected in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he has directed the health and medical education departments to take all the precautionary measures. "There is information on HMPV or China virus infection in Karnataka. I have instructed the health department to take precautionary measures, I have also spoken to Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. We -- Health and Medical Education departments -- will take all the precautionary measures to control it," Siddaramaiah said. Briefing reporters here, he said the infections have been detected in two children. "Though it is not a dangerous virus, precautionary measures need to be taken." "Whatever measures the health department suggests, the government will support all those measures." The Indian Council of Medical Research has detected two cases of HMPV in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens, the Union health ministry earlier said on

Bengaluru techie suicide: Court refuses to quash complaint against wife

The Karnataka High Court has refused to stay order on abetment of suicide complaint filed against Atul Subhash's wife and family

CM Siddaramaiah challenges Kumaraswamy to prove corruption charges

With Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy accusing his government of corruption and ministers of extracting commission, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday challenged the JD(S) leader to prove his allegations with evidence. He said allegations should not be made without documents and proof. "Let him prove it. Ask him to prove that 60 per cent commission is taking place and there is corruption. Let him prove it. Not just making allegations, one has to prove it," Siddaramaiah told reporters here, responding to a question. He said the opposition's job is not only to make the allegations, they should also prove it with evidence and documents. Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Kumaraswamy targeted the Siddaramaiah-led government and accused it of corruption and extracting commission, while alleging that ministers themselves are involved in this. "Contractors supporting them (Congress party) are themselves saying that it (commission) has crossed 60 per cent and

K'taka govt likely finding excuses to halt guarantee schemes: Kumaraswamy

Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of finding ways to discontinue its flagship guarantee schemes, while "burdening" the common people with increased costs such as the recent 15 per cent hike in public transport bus fares. Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy said, "The Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) is someone who has presented the most number of budgets in the state, as he has also held a finance portfolio, with his consent the five guarantee schemes were implemented and they (Congress) claim that they have walked the talk, but to walk the talk they are playing with the lives of the common man." Expressing concern over the fare hike, he said it impacted farmers, labourers, and the working class. By increasing bus fares by 15 per cent, what has this government achieved? These hikes affect the lives of the common people, not the wealthy or ministers' families, he said, adding that the hike reflects the government's insensitivity towards

Six fraudsters posing as ED officials loot Rs 30 lakh in Karnataka

A group of six unidentified individuals, posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), allegedly raided a house in Bantwal town, Dakshina Kannada district, and fled with nearly Rs 30 lakh in cash, along with five mobile phones, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on the night of January 3. According to the complaint lodged by Mohammad Iqbal (27), a resident of Kolnadu and an agriculturist, the accused arrived at his residence at around 8.10 pm in a vehicle with a Tamil Nadu registration. Introducing themselves as ED officials, they claimed to have orders to search the house. After entering the premises, they confiscated five mobile phones from the family members before searching. "During the inspection, the accused allegedly took away Rs 25-30 lakh in cash that had been kept in a cupboard for business purposes. They reportedly told the family that keeping such a large sum of money at home was not permitted and threatened to arrest Iqbal," a senior police .

Karnataka Lokayukta unearths Rs 16.85 cr scam in SC/ST land allotment

A land allotment scam worth Rs 16.85 crore has come to light in the Vijayapura District Ambedkar Development Corporation, where bogus documents were created for land that was meant to be distributed to landless women from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In the wake of the recent revelation of financial irregularities in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation to the tune of Rs 88 crore, the scam in the Ambedkar Development Corporation was uncovered after Lokayukta sleuths raided several officers' offices based on a complaint. According to a statement issued by the Lokayukta on Saturday, a person had lodged a complaint alleging that the Vijayapura District Ambedkar Development Corporation did not distribute land to landless women agricultural workers from the Scheduled Castes under the Land Ownership Scheme from 2014 to 2018. Instead, they created fake purchase documents in the names of the beneficiaries and purchased the land without paying the .

Karnataka cabinet hikes govt bus fares by 15%, effective from Jan 5

The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to increase the bus fares in the state-owned transport corporations by 15 per cent. The decision was taken in view of the substantial hike in operational costs such as increase in spending on fuel prices and staff, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said. The cabinet has decided to revise the bus fare of the four state transport corporations of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) by 15 per cent, Patil said while briefing reporters here. The Minister said the decision will come into effect from January 5. According to him, the BMTC bus fares were increased on January 10, 2015 when the diesel prices were Rs 60.90 per litre. The daily diesel consumption was Rs 9.16 crore 10 years ago by the four corporations, which has now increased to Rs

Siddaramiah refuses BJP's demand for minister's resignation in suicide case

In response to the BJP's call for a CBI investigation, Siddaramaiah questioned the party's faith in the state police

Centre to address high mining taxes in upcoming consultations with states

The SC last year permitted states to impose additional taxes on mining activities, indicating that royalty collected by states under Sec 9 of the Mines and Minerals (Dev & Reg) Act, 1957 is not a tax

Contractor death case: Police book Priyank Kharge's aide, five others

A case has been registered against the close aide of Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge, Raju Kapanur and five others in connection with hatching a conspiracy to kill BJP MLA Basavaraj Mattimadu and other leaders, police said on Sunday. The case was registered based on a suicide note by a civil contractor, Sachin Panchal, who had mentioned that the Congress leaders had connived to kill Mattimadu, Siddalinga Swami of Andola Math, BJP leaders Manikanth Rathod and Chandu Patil. Panchal, a contractor from Bidar, allegedly ended his life by lying down in front of an approaching train on Thursday. In his suicide note, he had accused Kapanur and his aides of making death threats. Meanwhile, the Bidar District-In Charge Minister, Eshwar Khandre, who holds the forest portfolio, visited Panchal's residence in Bhalki Taluk. As soon as the officials visited the house, the angry family members shouted at them to go away as they held them responsible for Sachin's death. Khandre consoled and ass

Karnataka varsity makes history by appointing 1st transwoman guest lecturer

With her appointment to Vijayanagara Sri Krishnadevaraya University, 27-year-old K N Renuka Pujar has likely become the first transgender person to be appointed as a guest lecturer at a university in Karnataka. Pujar, who completed her post-graduation in Kannada at the University, joined its Kannada department at the Nandihalli campus (PG centre) earlier this month as a guest lecturer, varsity officials said. "I'm very happy. After a lot of struggle, I have reached this stage. The university has helped me a lot. I completed my degree in 2018 and became transgender in 2017 when I was in my second year. I completed my MA in 2022 and am working as a guest lecturer," the resident of Kurugodu in Ballari district, told PTI. Noting that she received support from her parents, which helped her reach this stage, Pujar said her family comes from an agricultural background, and her parents educated her to achieve in life. "The faculty at the university also supported me when I was admitted and

Elaborate security in place for New Year celebrations: Bengaluru Police

With just days left for 2025, the Bengaluru Police has made elaborate arrangements for the upcoming New Year celebrations in the city with tight security deployment on heavy footfall areas of the city to ensure safety of public and smooth flow of traffic. Addressing a press conference here, City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said that like every year, Bengaluru Police has made elaborate security arrangements for the New Year Celebrations in the city to ensure no untoward incidents take place. "Based on the previous year's incidents and experience, we are improving the security. We have identified the areas where people are going to gather in large numbers. MG road, Brigade Road junction, Koramangala, Indiranagar and so on, accordingly arrangements have been done," he said. According to him, meetings and discussions have been held with civic body BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), Metro, and other organisations. They were appealed to make arrangements for lighting, ...

7-day mourning for Manmohan Singh; Karnataka, Telangana announce holiday

Karnataka and Telangana have declared holiday in honour of Manmohan Singh; Central government has announced 7-day national mourning with flags at half-mast and full state honours for the former PM

CWC meet: Cong deliberates on 2025 roadmap, vows to protect Gandhi's legacy

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting named "Nav Satyagraha Baithak" began here on Thursday as the party marks the 100th anniversary of its Belgaum session that was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi and chalks out a plan for the political and electoral challenges in 2025. Top Congress leaders, including party chief Mallikarjjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, marched to the venue of the extended CWC meeting here. The meeting, steeped in historical contexts, began at the same venue where Mahatma Gandhi had assumed the presidency of the party 100 years ago. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakaumar, Congress general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, among others, are attending the "historic" meeting. A controversy has erupted over the alleged misrepresentation of India's map on the posters displayed by the party to commemorate the centenary of the 1924 Congress session, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dubbing it as

Congress putting up banners with 'distorted' map of India, alleges BJP

The BJP alleged on Thursday that the Congress, ahead of the CWC meeting in Karnataka's Belagavi, put up welcome banners with a distorted map of India, and asked the party whether it is following a "signal" from anti-India forces like US-based billionaire investor George Soros. The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) charge came after its Karnataka unit posted on X pictures of a banner and a welcome flex allegedly put up by the Congress in Karnataka ahead of its working committee meeting. "@INCKarnataka has shown utter disrespect for India's sovereignty by displaying a distorted map at their Belagavi event, portraying Kashmir as part of Pakistan. All this just to appease their vote bank. This is shameful!" the Karnataka BJP posted on X, along with pictures. There was no immediate reaction from the Congress on the BJP's charge. "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin appear to be missing from the map used by the Congress. The important thing is that it (the map) has been used with

Congress to hold two-day extended session in Belagavi; what's its history?

The first day's session will be held at Veera Soudha, the venue of the 1924 Congress meeting, while on the second day, the unveiling of a Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Karnataka state assembly

Ayyappa devotee dies, 7 under treatment from injuries in Hubbali fire

The remaining seven victims continue to receive treatment at the Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute in Hubbali

BJP seeks K'taka Guv's intervention in arrest of CT Ravi, demands inquiry

The BJP described the arrest as politically motivated, accusing the ruling Congress government of using state machinery to silence dissent and undermine democratic principles

Proposal to name Mysuru road after K'taka CM Siddaramaiah evokes objections

A proposal by the Mysuru City Corporation council to name a stretch of road in the city after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has evoked strong objections. According to official sources, the proposal calls for naming a stretch of KRS Road from the Lakshmi Venkataramanaswamy temple to the Outer Ring Road junction as 'Siddaramaiah Arogya Marga'. Based on a suggestion by Chamaraja Congress MLA Harish Gowda, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) took the decision at its meeting on November 22. The matter was first placed before the Mysuru deputy commissioner prior to being tabled in the council meeting. The MCC then issued a newspaper notice inviting views from the public on the proposal within 30 days on December 13, the sources said. Mysuru is the home district of Siddaramaiah, who is serving his second term as the chief minister. The JD(S) called the move to name the KRS Road in the historic city of Mysuru as 'Siddaramaiah Arogya Marga' condemnable. Pointing out that Siddaramaia

Bandh observed in K'taka's Kalaburagi over Shah's statement on Ambedkar

Protesters in Kalaburagi took to streets on Tuesday following a bandh call given by Dalit organisations to condemn the recent statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on B R Ambedkar in the Parliament. Adequate security arrangements have been put in place by the police to avoid any untoward incidents. According to police, the city is completely shut with no traffic movement as buses, auto rickshaws and taxis are not operating and shops are also shut following the bandh call given by various Dalit organisations. "A bandh is being observed in Kalaburagi after a call for the same was given by various Dalit organisations condemning the statement of union home minister on Ambedkar. We have deployed police forces in large numbers. Adequate security measures are in place to avoid any untoward incident," a senior police officer said. "Situation remains peaceful and everything is under control," he said. Protesters took to the streets and are burning tyres at the city bus stand, SVP Circ