Page 29 - Karnataka

Bankrupt K'taka govt will stop 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme: Ex-PM Deve Gowda

JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has said that the "bankrupt Karnataka government' will stop the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme. Gowda's statement drew a sharp reaction from Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar who on Monday said the BJP and the JD(S) always wanted to stop all the guarantees given by the Congress government in the state. The 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme is one of the five guarantees of the Congress government, which offers Rs 2,000 to the women heads of the BPL families. The JD(S) patriarch at an election rally on Sunday said, "The Congress government has emptied the treasury. There are no Gruha Lakshmi funds for women's bank accounts across the state, but they (Congress) have credited money specifically to the accounts of women in the Channapatna constituency with an eye on the election." Gowda was in Channapatna seeking votes for his grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy who is contesting the assembly bypoll on a JD(S) ticket. The former prime minister

K'taka CM vows to retire if PM proves Cong raised Rs 700 cr for poll states

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that he would retire from politics if Prime Minister Narendra Modi proves that the Congress government has mobilised Rs 700 crore for poll-bound states. Siddaramaiah also challenged Modi that he should resign if he fails to prove his allegations made at Akola in Maharashtra. "I am surprised to see the prime minister of this country lies so much. While campaigning somewhere in Maharashtra, the prime minister said that the Congress in Karnataka has collected Rs 700 crore through the excise department to send to Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and to spend on the bypolls," Siddaramaiah said at an election rally in Shiggaon in Haveri district on Sunday night. "Today I challenge Narendra Modi that if he can prove these allegations, I will retire from politics. If you cannot, then you should retire," the chief minister said. He said when a prime minister makes such allegations, it should be nearer to the truth, but these claims are far from it. The

SC rejects bail plea of Ex-MP Prajwal Revanna in rape and assault case

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a bail plea of former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who faces charges of rape and sexual assault. A bench of Justices Dela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma rejected the plea and observed that Revanna is a very influential person. Appearing for Revanna, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said that a charge sheet has been filed in the case and section 376 of the IPC was not there in the initial complaint. The bench said it could not interfere with the Karnataka High Court's October 21 decision denying him bail. Rohatgi sought the liberty to approach the court after six months. The bench, however, said it could not say anything about that and dismissed his plea. In August, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka which is probing four cases of sexual assault and harassment against Revanna submitted a 2,144-page charge sheet. The charge sheet relates to a case in which the former MLA is accused of raping a woman, who worked as a domestic help fo

Report recommends Yediyurappa's prosecution in Covid scam: K'taka minister

Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday said Justice Michael D' Cunha Commission of Inquiry that investigated alleged irregularities in the purchase of equipment and medicines during the Covid-19 has recommended prosecution of then BJP Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and former minister B Sriramulu. It is clear that there was a "loot" in the purchase of equipment and medicines during Covid-19, he said. The report proves the Congress' allegation that the "then government made money over the dead bodies, misusing the situation", the minister added. "...there had been lapses. No one could question them during the pandemic. Making use of that situation, government of the day looted and took decisions convenient for them, in violation of rules. As an opposition party then, we (Congress) tried to highlight the issue. After coming to power in the state we constituted a commission of enquiry headed by a former judge to probe and submit a report," Rao said. Speaking to reporte

SC sends notice to K'taka, Shivakumar on CBI plea over consent withdrawal

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Karnataka government and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on a plea filed by CBI challenging the state government's decision to withdraw its consent to the probe agency for investigating a disproportionate assets (DA) case against the Congress leader. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to Shivakumar and the state government while seeking their replies on the plea. The current Karnataka cabinet headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on November 23, 2023, held the previous BJP government's 2019 move to give consent to the CBI to investigate the DA case against Shivakumar was not in accordance with law and decided to withdraw the sanction as a result. On August 29, the Karnataka High Court held as "non-maintainable" a petition filed by the CBI and a BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal challenging the Congress government's decision to withdraw the consent. Patil, however, challenged the high court order in

Waqf row: BJP submits fact-finding report on alleged land grab in Karnataka

The committee, led by BJP MP Govind M Karjol claims that there were several instances of land records being altered

Waqf row: JPC Chairman meets farmers in Karnataka, Congress lashes out

The farmers say that they have been here for almost 70 years, but despite that the Waqf board is claiming ownership of their land, Pal added

Karnataka BJP demands CBI probe into MUDA scam citing investigation doubts

Notably, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will appear before the Lokayukta police in Mysuru today for an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA)

Lokayukta police summon Siddaramaiah for questioning in MUDA case on Nov 6

The Lokayukta police have summoned Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for questioning in the MUDA site allotment case on November 6, official sources said on Monday. They had on October 25 questioned Chief Minister's wife Parvathi B M, who is also an accused in the case. "We asked him to appear on Wednesday morning," a senior Lokayukta official told PTI.. Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju -- from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Mysuru-located Lokayukta police establishment on September 27.

John Distilleries plans 30-acre Karnataka plant with Rs 600 cr investment

The company also targets nearly 150 cases of single malt and about 2.3 crore cases of all other brands put together by the end of the financial year 2025 (FY25)

Waqf properties' row: BJP's protest nothing but politics, says Siddaramaiah

Upping the ante following allegations by a section of farmers in certain parts of Karnataka that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, BJP on Monday held a state-wide protest, accusing the ruling Congress government of indulging in "land jihad". The opposition party also demanded the sacking of Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan from the Cabinet. The BJP has decided to go ahead with the protest despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directing officials that all notices issued to farmers be immediately revoked, and any unauthorised amendments in land records without due notice must also be nullified. There were allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, and similar charges have surfaced from few other places. While BJP state President B Y Vijayendra led the protest in Ballari, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly R Ashoka took part in it at K R Puram here. Similarly, various party leaders have ..

Kumaraswamy sheds tears during polls, vanishes when people cry: Shivakumar

Speaking to reporters at Mangaluru airport, he questioned, 'Tears well up in Kumaraswamy's eyes only during elections, where was he when the people of Kanakapura were in pain and tears?'

K'taka dy CM counters PM's criticism, highlights state's 10.2% GDP growth

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising Congress over poll promises, citing data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. He said that the state's GDP growth for 2023-24 is 10.2 per cent, surpassing the national average of 8.2 per cent. In a post on 'X', Modi on Friday said that in Karnataka, Congress is more focused on intra-party politics and loot than delivering on development, even planning to roll back existing schemes. Sharing Modi's post, Shivakumar responded, citing MoSPI data: "Karnataka's GSDP growth for 2023-24 is 10.2 per cent, surpassing the national average of 8.2 per cent." "These are facts, backed by figures, supported by credible sources. The question is: do these facts even reach the Union government, or do they miss those who formulate tweets for the highest offices at the Centre?" he posted on 'X'. Meanwhile, Information Technology Minister Priyank Kharge also ..

K'taka CM orders withdrawal of notices to farmers over Waqf land disputes

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday instructed officials to immediately withdraw all notices sent to farmers concerning Waqf land issues. A decision to this effect was taken during a high-level meeting, with senior officials from the Revenue department, the Minority Welfare department, and the Karnataka Board of Waqfs. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has issued a strict directive for the immediate retraction of all notices sent to farmers about Waqf land, emphasising that no disruption should be caused to them," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) read. The statement noted Siddaramaiah's dissatisfaction with recent actions by certain officials and highlighted concerns that the JD(S) and BJP were allegedly using the Waqf issue for political gains, potentially disrupting peace in the state. Siddaramaiah has urged the public to ignore any misinformation and directed officials to handle the matter with sensitivity, it added. The statement also emphasised that

Look at Karnataka BJP's 'disastrous legacy': Siddaramaiah tells PM Modi

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'guarantees' comment, saying he should look at the 'disastrous' legacy of BJP Karnataka unit before pointing fingers at the Congress. He joined the war of words between the Congress and the BJP over AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge's remark on poll guarantees at a party event. "Mr. @narendramodi, before pointing fingers at Congress, take a hard look at @BJP4Karnataka's disastrous legacy in Karnataka! We are fulfilling every promise we made to our people all 5 guarantees implemented with a budget over Rs 52,000 crore, and an additional Rs 52,903 crore in capital outlay to build Karnataka's future," Siddaramaiah said in a post on 'X'. He alleged that the BJP left Karnataka plagued with 40 per cent commission corruption, draining resources that could have transformed lives. "We're using that same 40 per cent redirecting it to benefit the people. What was your 'achievement' here? Empowering ...

BJP continues to fail Indians: Siddaramaiah slams PM for targeting Cong

This comes after PM Modi criticised the Congress Party for failing to deliver on their promises in Karnataka and urged the people to be vigilant and not fall prey to the Party's false promises

My statement on 'Shakti scheme' was distorted: Karnataka dy CM Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said his statement on 'Shakti scheme' was distorted and presented as if the Congress government in the state wanted to withdraw it. Shivakumar's reaction came after Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge subtly pulled him in public for his statement that some women wished to pay for travelling in the buses. "Whatever statement I had made was distorted as if we would stop it (Shakti scheme). I only said some section of people is saying so. There is no question of winding up any guarantee," the Deputy CM told reporters here. According to him, some people voluntarily wish to pay for their travel. "Even though these women are willing to pay, the conductors are afraid of collecting money from them. I said we will discuss it," Shivakumar said. Shakti is one of the five guarantees offering free rides for Karnataka women in non-luxury government buses anywhere in the state. The Deputy CM slammed the opposition parties for making a fu

Karnataka govt approves tourism policy 2024-29 with Rs 1,349 cr funding

The Karnataka government has approved the Tourism Policy 2024-29, allocating Rs 1,349 crore to develop essential infrastructure and attract international tourists, state Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar announced on Friday. Speaking at the 'Karnataka Rajyothsava' celebrations here, the Women and Child Welfare Minister, who is also Udupi district in-charge, emphasised the government's commitment to transforming Karnataka into a global tourism hub through enhanced services and facilities. Highlighting Karnataka's investment appeal, Hebbalkar stated that Bengaluru continues to lead the nation in investment inflow, a feat credited to the government's strategic efforts. She noted that youth skill development programmes have equipped local talent to contribute effectively to various industries, further driving economic growth and investor confidence. Reaffirming the government's dedication to promoting the Kannada language, Hebbalkar urged the public to engage more deeply with Kannada literatur

'Injustice in tax devolution': CM Siddaramaiah on Karnataka formation day

Karnataka Rajyotsava is celebrated every year on November 1. After Independence, the state was originally formed as Mysore formed in 1956, through the States Reorganisation Act.

PM Modi, Amit Shah extend greetings to five states on their foundation day

Wishing each state individually in various posts on X, he highlighted the contributions of each state to the country