Page 51 - Karnataka

Karnataka CM reaches out to people with mass grievance redressal programme

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday held grievance redressal programme "Janaspandana", reaching out directly to people to address their concerns and issues with promise of speedy solutions, in front of the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat here. The Chief Minister had held a similar exercise on November 27 last year at his home office 'Krishna'. In what is billed to be the first such mass grievance redressal programme held on the premises of Vidhana Soudha, department-wise stalls were set up at the venue to help the aggrieved citizens, who came to seek redressal of their issues. Earlier Chief Ministers have held such events elsewhere like the home office and official residence. Siddaramaiah instructed the officials to dispose of the applications received from the people, who came from different parts of the State, within three months, official sources said. The Chief Minister was seen personally meeting the people with grievances, especia

North-South divide: Decoding unfair tax money devolution to southern states

The row over depriving southern states of their share picks up steam with Karnataka Congress leaders' protest

Highlights of the day: Bengal transferring money to 2.1 mn MGNREGA workers

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

K'taka CM protests Centre's 'injustice'; 'false narrative', says Sitharaman

Communist Party of India (M) leader and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, along with his Cabinet colleagues, will protest at Jantar Mantar against the Centre's alleged negligence towards southern states

BBT aims for Rs 600 cr topline, with one-third revenue coming from K'taka

Pre-owned luxury car seller Big Boy Toyz on Wednesday said it aims a topline of Rs 600 crore in the coming financial year, with one-third of this revenue coming from Karnataka. The company also announced the opening of its first dealership in Bengaluru and the fifth overall in India on Wednesday, which would offer an extensive range of high-end luxury brands including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benzes, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Porsche. Till now, the company was retailing the pre-owned cars online in the state. Besides, Bengaluru, Big Boy Toyz (BBT) has outlets in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad as well. The opening of an outlet in Bengaluru is not just an expansion but a significant step towards a revenue target of Rs 600 crore in FY25, Big Boy Toyz said in a statement. The company is expecting to close the current fiscal at a revenue of Rs 400 crore, as per the statement, adding that its digital business in Bengaluru has already surpassed the Rs 100-crore mark. The new showroom

K'taka BJP stages protest in Bengaluru to counter Cong dharna in Delhi

The BJP in Karnataka on Wednesday staged a protest here against the alleged failures of the Congress government, apparently to counter the dharna held in Delhi by the ruling party under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to "fight for financial justice". BJP legislators and leaders led by the party state president B Y Vijayendra staged a sit-in demonstration in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue near Vidhana Soudha, which houses the State Legislature and Secretariat of Karnataka. Holding placards, the protestors raised slogans condemning the Congress government for allegedly failing to offer relief to drought-hit farmers and incentives to milk producers. Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojary and many former ministers were among those who took part in the agitation. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, BJP MP B Y Raghavendra alleged that

Karnataka CM, Congress leaders protest against Centre at Jantar Mantar

Led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, top Congress leaders from Karnataka on Wednesday staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here against the Centre over "injustice" meted out to the state in devolution of taxes. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, several MPs, ministers and MLAs from the state took part in the protest. The Congress alleges that "injustice" has been meted out to Karnataka in tax devolution and grants-in-aid over the past few years. The protesters demanded that the Centre set right the losses to the tune of Rs 1.87 lakh crore allegedly incurred by Karnataka under the 15th Finance Commission. Siddaramaiah said this protest is not against the BJP but the discrimination against Karnataka. Dismissing the BJP's allegation that the protest was aimed at raking up the North-South divide, the chief minister said the Congress wants the country to be united but there should be no discrimination against the southern states. The chief minister said the formula used to devolve taxe

Chalo Delhi protest: Over Rs 1 trn due to state, says K'taka Min Jarkiholi

Siddaramaiah has accused the Central Government of economic disparities, saying that his government stands against the unfair treatment in tax devolution and grants for 'Kannadigas'

It's unfortunate that Karnataka has to come here to protest: MP K Suresh

"They (BJP) have to rethink and reconsider, and to open their eyes , we are doing this protest," he added

K'taka CM's accusations 'unfounded': Pralhad Joshi ahead of Delhi protest

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of indulging in economic oppression of Karnataka and appealed to the people to join the protests in large numbers

Former CM Yediyurappa criticises Karnataka Congress-led protest in Delhi

The state government of Karnataka, led by Siddaramaiah, will hold a demonstration in the national capital on Wednesday, accusing the Centre of unfair treatment in the allocation of taxes and funds

Uttarakhand saw sharpest dip in workforce during Covid, says survey

This was followed by the decline in workforce in the states such as Jharkhand (-8.9 per cent), West Bengal (-8.3 per cent), Kerala (- 8 per cent) and Karnataka (-7.8 per cent)

K'taka govt to agitate in Delhi against Centre, to protest at Jantar Mantar

Stepping up the attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre, the ruling Congress in Karnataka led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will stage a protest in New Delhi on Wednesday, alleging "injustice" to the State in tax devolution and grants-in-aid over the past few years. The protest by all Congress legislators and MPs from the state, including Ministers that comes ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls will begin at 11 am tomorrow at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. The protesters would demand Centre set right the losses allegedly incurred by the Karnataka to the tune of Rs 1.87 lakh crore, during five years under the 15th finance commission. Incidentally, CPI (M) veteran and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with his Cabinet colleagues will stage a protest in the national capital against the Centre's alleged negligence towards the southern state. Elsewhere, in Kolkata TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will stage a protest on Friday agains

HC imposes fine on Karnataka CM, directs him to appear before special court

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's plea to quash an FIR registered against him in 2022 and directed him to appear before a special court for MP/MLA on March six. The HC also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him, as well as Congress general secretary and Karnataka in charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, ministers M B Patil and Ramalinga Reddy. The case was registered against them after they took out a march to lay siege to the then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's residence here demanding the resignation of K S Eshwarappa who was the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister at the time. The agitation was staged after a contractor Santosh Patil died by suicide accusing Eshwarappa of demanding 40 per cent commission on a public work in his village. According to police, the case pertained to blocking roads and causing trouble to commuters. The court maintained that public representatives should follow rules.

Cong govt's protest in Delhi against 'njustice', not BJP: CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the protest by the Congress government in New Delhi on February seven is against the 'injustice' by the Union government in tax devolution and grants-in-aid to the State, and not against BJP. Listing out "injustice" caused to the state, he urged the opposition BJP to join the agitation in the interest of the state, as the struggle was not against it. "On February 7, all the Ministers and all MLAs of both the Houses of the legislature, also MPs, are going to agitate against the Government of India for injustice caused to Karnataka state by the 15th Finance Commission and several other issues concerning the state including grants from the Centre," Siddaramaiah told a press conference here. He said the agitation would be held at Jantar Mantar in the national capital as he urged BJP MPs from the state to also participate in it. "The struggle is not between Congress and the BJP or against the BJP, it is against injustice caused to ...

Injustice to Karnataka in tax devolution, loss of over Rs 45,000 cr: CM

Alleging injustice to Karnataka by the Central government with reduction in tax devolution, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said this has resulted in a loss of over Rs 45,000 crore to the state in the last four years. He also claimed that the taxes paid by Kannadigas were not useful for the state's difficult times, and the money was going to northern states. "Karnataka has faced significant challenges with a reduced tax devolution share post the 15th Finance Commission, resulting in a loss of over Rs 45,000 crore in the last 4 years. This injustice cannot stand," Siddaramaiah said on Sunday. "We stand united in demanding fair treatment and justice for Kannadigas to secure our state's welfare," he said in a post on 'X' with the hashtag "#SouthTaxMovement". The chief minister's comments come ahead of as all Congress lawmakers (also MPs) from the state, including Siddaramaiah, will be staging a protest in New Delhi on February 7, against the 'injustice' to Karnataka by the Union governmen

Injustice to Karnataka in tax devolution, loss of Rs 45K cr in 4 years: CM

Alleging injustice to Karnataka by the Central government with reduction in tax devolution, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said this has resulted in a loss of over Rs 45,000 crore to the state in the last 4 years. He also claimed that the taxes paid by Kannadigas is not useful for the state's difficult times, and the money was going to northern states. "Karnataka has faced significant challenges with a reduced tax devolution share post the 15th Finance Commission, resulting in a loss of over Rs 45,000 crore in the last 4 years. This injustice cannot stand," Siddaramaiah said. "We stand united in demanding fair treatment and justice for Kannadigas to secure our state's welfare," he said in a post on 'X' with the hashtag "#SouthTaxMovement" The Chief Minister's comments have come ahead of all Congress lawmakers (also MPs) from the state, including Siddaramaiah, staging a protest in New Delhi on February 7, against the 'injustice' to Karnataka by the Union government when it .

Uber, Ola will have to fall in line as Karnataka govt fixes fare for taxis

City taxis and those operating through app-based aggregators like Uber and Ola will now have to follow the new fare structure announced by the Karnataka Transport Department. With this new order released by the department on Saturday, fares for app-based cab aggregators as well as city taxis would be uniform and the revised fares would be applicable across the state with immediate effect. Prior to this, the fares were different for the two categories of taxis. According to the new fare structure, cabs have been categorised into three classes based on the cost of the vehicle. For vehicles whose purchase cost is Rs 10 lakh or below, the minimum fare has been fixed at Rs 100 for up to four km with a charge of Rs 24 for every additional km. For those costing between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 15 lakh, the minimum fare is Rs 115, and per km cost Rs 28. For those costing above 15 lakh, minimum fare is set at Rs 130 with Rs 32 charged for each additional kilometre. The order clearly states that no

'Separate nation' remark: BJP members protest outside Cong MP's residence

Several members of the BJP gathered outside the residence of Congress MP DK Suresh here on Sunday to protest his recent statement that southern states would be forced to demand for a separate nation if the 'injustice' in distribution of funds is not rectified by the Centre. Protesters were heard shouting slogans 'Vande Mataram', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'down down D K Suresh' outside his residence in Sadashivanagar here. However, the protesters were soon removed from the spot by the police and shifted into a bus, police said. Suresh is the brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar. "A group of members from the BJP had gathered outside the residence of the Congress MP. They tried to stage a protest there against his statement over demand for a separate nation for southern states. But, our officials immediately removed them from the spot and took them into custody. The situation is under control," a senior police officer said. Suresh, who .

Balu Forge Industries Q3 result: Net profit grows over two-fold to Rs 25 cr

Balu Forge Industries Ltd (BFIL) on Saturday reported over two-fold rise in its consolidated net profit to Rs 25.4 crore for the December quarter, boosted by higher income. It had posted a net profit of Rs 11.4 crore during the October-December quarter of 2022-23, the company said in an exchange filing. The company's total income rose to Rs 148.9 crore, up 55 per cent over Rs 92 crore in the year-ago quarter. Trimaan Chandock, Executive Director of BFIL said, "The growth was led by our constant focus on client addition and continued demand for our products in the existing and new industries like railways, defence and heavy commercial vehicles." The company's EBITDA grew by 72.1 per cent and margins improved to 22.24 per cent in the third quarter of FY24 from 19.58 per cent a year ago owing to an increase in scale of operations and increased demand for heavier products which tend to yield better margins, he said. BFIL facility is located in Belgaum, Karnataka and has an existing ..