Page 53 - Karnataka

Devanahalli land acquisition row: K'taka ministers meet farmer groups

Two Karnataka ministers held meetings with farmers groups in favour of and against the land acquisition for development of Palya 2nd Phase Industrial Area of Channarayapatna Hobli in Devanahalli

Karnataka Bank Q3 net profit up 10% at Rs 331 cr, gross NPA falls to 3.64%

Private sector lender Karnataka Bank on Tuesday reported a 10 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 331 crore for the third quarter ended December 2023. The bank had earned a net profit of Rs 301 crore in the October-December quarter of 2022. The total income increased to Rs 2,439 crore in the third quarter of the current fiscal compared to Rs 2,055 crore in the year-ago period, Karnataka Bank said in a regulatory filing. In the latest quarter, the bank's interest income rose to Rs 2,113 crore from Rs 1,851 crore in the same period last fiscal. However, the net interest income declined to Rs 828 crore from Rs 835 crore at the end of the third quarter of last year. The gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio declined to 3.64 per cent as of December 31, 2023. In the year-ago period, it stood at 3.28 per cent. However, the net NPA declined to 1.55 per cent compared to 1.66 per cent at the end of December 2022. The provision coverage ratio stood at 80.75 per cent at the end of December .

EC publishes final electoral rolls 2024 for Karnataka with 53.7 mn voters

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday published the 2024 final electoral rolls for 224 constituencies of Karnataka with a total electorate of 5,37,85,815, the data shared by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer showed. According to the Draft Electoral Rolls-2024, the total number of general electors was 5,33,77,162, comprising 2,68,02,838 male electors, 2,65,69,428 female electors, and 4,896 other electors. In the Final Electoral Rolls-2024, the total general electors increased to 5,37,85,815. This includes 2,69,33,750 male electors, 2,68,47,145 female electors, and 4,920 other electors. "The net increase in total electors compared to the draft roll is 4,08,653, with a significant rise in female electors by 2,77,717, male electors by 1,30,912, and other electors by 24," the EC said. According to the EC, among the 224 Legislative Assembly constituencies, Bengaluru South in Bengaluru Urban district has the highest number of electors at 7,17,201. Conversely, Sringeri in ...

Amend Constitution for internal reservation for SCs: Siddaramaiah to Centre

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday termed the high-level committee to review internal reservation for Scheduled Castes as a ploy to mislead the Dalit community. He charged that the BJP has no genuine concern behind the move. "The Central Government has formed a high-level committee under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary to review the internal reservation for Scheduled Castes," Siddaramaiah said in a statement and alleged that this seemed to be nothing more than a ploy to mislead the Dalit community as it is clear that the BJP has no genuine concern behind it. "If the Central Government truly intends to fulfill the demands for internal reservation for Scheduled Castes, it should present a bill to amend Section 341 of the Constitution in Parliament, get it approved and implement the reservation quickly," the Chief Minister said. Siddaramaiah underlined that the Justice Usha Mehra Commission, also constituted by the Central Government for the same purpose, had

SC collegium recommends K'taka HC CJ Varale's elevation as top court judge

The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Friday recommended the elevation of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale as a top court judge. In a meeting held on Friday, the collegium, also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose, took into consideration the fact that he is among the senior-most High Court judges and is the only HC chief justice from the Scheduled Caste. "We are also conscious of the fact that at present, there are three Judges from the High Court of Bombay on the Bench of the Supreme Court. The Collegium, therefore, unanimously resolves to recommend that Mr Justice Prasanna B Varale be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India," the collegium said. The collegium took note of the vacancy that arose on the retirement of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul on December 25, 2023. "Bearing in mind that the workload of judges has increased considerably, it has become necessary to ensure that the

36 legislators, 39 Cong workers to be appointed to key positions in boards

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said 36 legislators and 39 Congress workers will be appointed to key positions in state-run boards and corporations. He said the list would be released "any moment". 36 legislators and 39 party workers have been accommodated in the appointments to boards and corporations. The party leaders and workers have brought the party to power in the state and they have been rewarded suitably, Shivakumar, who is also Karnataka Congress unit president, told reporters here. Meanwhile, he said a meeting of the party's Lok Sabha election committee would be held here on Friday. We will have the first round of meeting tomorrow. Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi (who joined the Congress from the BJP before the Assembly elections in May last year) have also been invited to the meeting. District in-charge ministers have collected opinions from all the constituencies and it will be discussed in tomorrow's meeting, Shivakumar said. On some ...

India logs 1,226 cases of JN.1 sub-variant, highest from K'taka, Andhra

A total of 1,226 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been reported in the country so far with Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh recording the highest number of cases till now, according to INSACOG on Thursday. Data compiled by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) showed that 17 states and UTs have detected the presence of the variant. Karnataka has detected 234 cases of JN.1 sub-variant followed by Andhra Pradesh (189), Maharashtra (170), Kerala (156), West Bengal (96), Goa (90), Tamil Nadu (88) and Gujarat (76). Rajasthan recorded 37 JN.1 cases, Telangana 32, Chhattisgarh 25, Delhi 16, Uttar Pradesh 7, Haryana five, Odisha three, and Uttarakhand and Nagaland one each, according to the data accessed by PTI. The Centre has asked the states and Union Territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country. The states have been urged to ensure effective compliance with the detailed ...

Web Werks to set up Rs 20,000 crore data centre park in Bengaluru

Web Werks India proposes to invest Rs 20,000 crore to set up a data centre park here, according to an MoU the company signed with the Karnataka government at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting at Davos. "Great news from Davos! This is a giant leap in our infrastructure journey. Welcome aboard, Web Werks!", the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on 'X' "Karnataka has inked an MoU with Web Werks India Pvt. Ltd at the World Economic Forum. We're set to welcome a massive Rs 20,000 crore investment from Web Werks for a new Data Centre Park in Bengaluru," he said. The government signed MoUs with investment proposals to the tune of Rs 22,000 crore with seven companies, including the one with Web Werks, on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development M B Patil. A delegation from the state, headed by Patil, engaged in a series of deliberations with industry leaders during the WEF Meet 2024 in Switzerlan

Davos 2024: Karnataka signs MoUs worth Rs 22,000 cr with 7 cos at WEF meet

The Karnataka government said on Wednesday it has signed MoUs with investment proposals to the tune of Rs 22,000 crore with seven companies at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. As part of the MoUs signed on Tuesday, Web Werks proposes to set up a Rs 20,000 crore data centre park in the State, while four other companies plan to invest a total of Rs 2,000 crore, according to a statement issued by the Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development M B Patil. A delegation from the state, headed by Patil, engaged in a series of deliberations with industry leaders during the WEF Meet 2024 in Switzerland, it said. The Lulu Group is set to venture into food processing in Vijayapura district, with plans to invest Rs 300 crore in a plant dedicated to exports, the statement said. Takeda Pharmaceuticals intends to establish a global innovation centre in Bengaluru and is actively scouting for suitable campus locations, it was stated.

Gujarat, Kerala, K'taka best states in nurturing startup ecosystem: DPIIT

Gujarat and Karnataka are ranked as the 'best performers' in developing startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, according to the ranking of states and Union territories by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh are also categorised as the best performers. The ranking is a yearly exercise under DPIIT that evaluates all states and Union Territories on their efforts to build an ecosystem conducive to startup growth. A total of 33 states and Union territories (UTs) participated in the exercise. They are ranked under five categories -- best performers, top performers, leaders, aspiring leaders and emerging startup ecosystems. The states and Union Territories were broadly divided into two sections based on their population size --those having more than 1 crore and the ones with less than 1 crore. Gujarat has been ranked as the best performer for the fourth time in a row. Karnataka has been ranked in this segment

Karnataka's Prakhar Chaturvedi breaks Yuvraj Singh's 25-year-old record

Chaturvedi broke the record for Yuvraj Singh for the most runs scored in the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy, India's premier U-19 First-Class tournament

K'taka's clearance committee approves 73 projects worth over Rs 3,900 crore

The State-Level Single Window Clearance Committee headed by Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Friday approved 73 projects worth Rs 3,935.52 crore. The projects are expected to generate employment for nearly 15,000 people, according to a statement. Proposals submitted by Bengaluru-based companies -- ETL Secure Space Limited, and DhaSH PV Technologies Private Limited -- which are going to invest Rs 490.5 crore and Rs 346.35 crore respectively were among the marquis projects greenlighted by the panel. Patil, the minister for Large and Medium Industries, and Infrastructure Development said the projects that received a nod would ensure equitable investment across the diverse regions of the state. Many of the projects approved by the SLSWCC would be implemented in the districts of North Karnataka, he added.

Karnataka HC: Xiaomi files appeal against ED's seizure of Rs 5,551.27 cr

A division bench of the High Court of Karnataka on Friday heard an appeal filed by smartphone maker Xiaomi challenging a single-judge order which had upheld the Enforcement Directorate's seizure of Rs 5,551.27 crore from its bank accounts. The bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice M G S Kamal heard the arguments submitted by the counsel for the company before adjourning the hearing to January 20. The Court specified that there would be no further extensions and both the company's counsel and the government advocate were expected to complete their arguments on that date. The counsel for the company argued that the seizure was unnecessary and under Section 37A of FEMA even the necessity of suspicion is not required. Even the qualification of the "authorised officer" to take action was not prescribed. The court was told that Section 37A "seems to be clearly draconian", as for 30 days after the seizure the company has to only wait for the authority to decide on it. "Why

Bengaluru CEO not cooperating in probe, 'note found': Things we know so far

Suchana Seth, the CEO of 'MindfulAI Labs' startup, allegedly killed her son at a rental apartment at Candolim in Goa and later stuffed the body in a bag and tried to carry it to Karnataka via taxi

Don't spoil K'taka's future by misplaced caste priorities: Pai tells Cong

The information technology industry veteran T V Mohandas Pai has urged the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka to not spoil the state's future by "misplaced" communal and caste priorities. Sharing a post on 'X', the former Chief Financial Officer of Infosys said: "Karnataka govt should introspect on their misplaced priorities." Pai, partner at proprietary venture fund Aarin Capital, also tagged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara among others in his post and further said, "Pl do not spoil Karnataka's future by misplaced communal/caste priorities". On Wednesday, a retired flight lieutenant, Anoop Verma took to 'X' and shared a list of issues that he claimed were current topics in Gujarat and Karnataka. He shared how topics in Gujarat right now were about how to make it one trillion economy state, making it a semiconductor manufacturing hub, India's 20% job creation from the state whereas those in Karnataka

Quality control necessary for country to compete with world: Karnataka HC

The High Court of Karnataka has rejected a petition that sought its interference in the quality checks on plastics imported to India. As per a notification issued by the Government of India, quality control has been imposed on plastic imported into the shores of the country effective from January 5, 2024. Calling it a necessary step for quality control, the HC in its judgement said, "If the quality emerges right from the word go, till the finished product, under the 'Make in India' programme, it is only then that the country would be able to compete with others. A step towards that will not be interfered with by this Court except, that if the step towards that, depicts palpable and demonstrable arbitrariness, which is neither pleaded nor present." The All India HDPE/PP Woven Fabric Manufacturers' Association had filed the petition before the HC which was heard by Justice M Nagaprasanna. In its judgement on January 8, the Court noted that "Except contending cartelisation and nexus,

Who is Suchana Seth, startup CEO held for murder of four-year-old son

Suchana Seth, 39, checked into a rental apartment in North Goa with her four-year-old son on Saturday, where she allegedly killed him and carried the body to Karnataka in a taxi

Karnataka HC bans mining around KRS dam, till safety survey completion

Expressing concern over the mining blasts affecting the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) dam in Srirangapatna, Mandya, the High Court of Karnataka on Monday imposed a ban on mining and blasting activities within a 20-km radius of the structure. The ban issued on Monday will be in force till the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, conducts a dam safety survey. However, the HC has not fixed any deadline for the study to be undertaken under the Dam Safety Act, 2022. The HC had earlier made the State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS) a party to the petition. The division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit were hearing a petition filed by one CG Kumar who had challenged the deputy commissioner's order that conversion of land for stone quarrying would be granted only after a trial blast was conducted by the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited. Kumar had challenged this condition as being illegal. The petition was however converted to a public ...

JSW Group's Sajjan Jindal suggests setting industrial parks near airports

Co-chairman of Invest Karnataka Forum (IKF) and JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal on Monday suggested setting up industrial parks in areas that are only about a two-hour drive from airports in the state. While participating online in the first reconstituted IKF meeting chaired by Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil, Jindal said setting up industrial parks in areas close to airports would attract increased investment. Responding to Sajjan's suggestion, Minister Patil said the government also intended to set up industrial parks in an area of about 5,000 acres to 10,000 acres. It was also decided at the meeting to form sub-groups within IKF to focus on sectoral investment. The meeting reviewed key developments of the past months and deliberated on charting the roadmap for going forward.

ED raids premises of Karnataka Cong MLA Nanjegowda in money laundering case

The premises of Karnataka Congress MLA K Y Nanjegowda and some of his linked entities were raided on Monday morning by the Enforcement Directorate as part of a money laundering investigation, official sources said. The 61-year-old legislator represents the Malur assembly seat in Kolar district. The officials of the central agency are covering the MLA's premises and those of his linked entities in Malur and Kolar as part of a investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The ED case of money laundering is understood to have been filed on the basis of some local police FIRs related to alleged irregularities in the appointment of staff in the Kolar-Chikkaballapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd (KOMUL), of which he is the president, and some other charges. The office and plant of the milk cooperative in Kolar are also being searched, the sources said. As per KOMUL, it is Karnataka's second highest milk producing district ...