Page 25 - Siddaramaiah

Karnataka govt to reopen Bitcoin scam, to get it probed thoroughly

The Congress government in Karnataka on Tuesday said it will get the Bitcoin scam taken place during the previous BJP government thoroughly investigated. The case is likely to be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Home Minister Dr Parameshwara has hinted. Speaking to reporters in Hassan today, CM Siddaramaiah said all irregularities and scams of the BJP government including the Bitcoin scam will be probed. Parameshwara charged that the BJP tried to close the matter but the Congress government will get it investigated. "Regarding Bitcoin, I have said that whatever incident has happened will be thoroughly investigated. For whatever reason, the previous government had closed it. When we were in the opposition, we had said that we will get it investigated if we come to power. We will take all steps to reinvestigate it, Parameshwara told reporters here. He also said the Bengaluru Police Commissioner has written to the Director General of Police recommending tha

Will probe all scams, irregularities during BJP regime, says Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said his government will get all the alleged scams and irregularities that have taken place during the previous BJP regime probed and punish the guilty. Noting that the government will fulfill all the poll promises, he said, implementation of Congress' five guarantees will cost Rs 59,000 crore a year to the exchequer, and there is a slightly higher burden on the administration this year. "We will get scams inquired into. Four medical colleges were constructed and there are allegations about irregularities in it, we will get it investigated. Also we will get allegations of 40 per cent commission probed. There were irregularities in health related procurements during COVID-19 period, irrigation projects related irregularities and Bitcoin scam, all of them will be probed," Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters here, he said investigation is on into the Police Sub Inspector (PSI) recruitment scam by the CID; it will be further ...

Yediyurappa's protest on poll guarantee implementation a gimmick: K'taka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa has "no moral rights" to call for protests demanding that the Congress government implement its poll guarantees and termed it as a "political gimmick". Noting that the Congress has fulfilled the poll promises while in power in the past, he said, this time too it has already taken a decision to implement five "guarantees" announced in the election manifesto. "What moral right he (Yediyurappa) has? He was the President of the party, then he became the Chief Minister, did he implement the promises made in the (BJP) manifesto? No, when such being the case, what moral right does he have? He has no moral rights," Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "as far as the Congress party is concerned, we have implemented all the promises we had made in the 2013 manifesto (while in power from 2013-18), now we have made a promise to implement five guarantees, we have already taken a decision to

Never seen PM who speaks lies: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah targets Modi

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday hit out at the Narendra Modi-led central government and claimed that in his 40 years of political career he has never seen a prime minister who speaks "lies". Addressing a rally in Kannada in Sangli district of Maharashtra, where the state Congress felicitated him for the party's win the recent Karnataka Assembly polls, the CM accused the BJP of indulging in corruption in his state. He said it was the responsibility of every Congress worker to defeat the Narendra Modi government and save the Constitution and democracy. "Never in my 40-year political life have I seen a prime minister who speaks lies. In 2014, he (Modi) spoke of depositing Rs 15 lakh into the bank accounts of people, two crore jobs and bringing acche din (good days). Did anything of this sort happen?' the Congress leader asked targeting Modi. Siddaramaiah said he and his deputy D K Shivakumar, who is the Karnataka Congress president, visited every nook and corner of the

Siddaramaiah uses 'inauspicious' south door of his office in Vidhana Soudha

For years, the 'inauspicious' south door of the Chief Minister's office in Vidhana Soudha remained shut but on Saturday Chief Minister Siddaramaiah got the door opened as he decided to make an entry and exit from there. The 'rational' Chief Minister, who arrived at the Vidhana Soudha to hold a meeting with senior officials regarding Anna Bhagya scheme, noticed the south door closed. When he inquired with the officials about it never being opened, they told him that south door was considered inauspicious and hence it was never ever opened. Siddaramaiah stood right in front of the door for a while and then directed the officials open it. After entering his office, he explained his interpretation of 'Vaastu.' "A good Vaastu is the one where you get a healthy mind, clean heart and concern for people. It should have natural light and fresh air coming in," the Chief Minister said. According to an official, no other Chief Minister in the past had ever dared opening the south door. "To m

Negotiating with Centre for rice for Anna Bhagya scheme: K'taka CM

A day after the Centre refused to give rice to Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the state has invited quotations from three central agencies to supply rice for the Anna Bhagya scheme offering five kg extra rice to the BPL families. He said the negotiations for prices were underway with these agencies. He also slammed the Centre for refusing to provide rice to his government for the scheme which is one of the five guarantees, that was supposed to start immediately after the Congress came to power in Karnataka. "What we have done is we have sought quotations from the National Consumers' Cooperative Federation (NCCF), Kendriya Bhandar and National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED). They have given us quotation," the Chief Minister told reporters. He said, "We are negotiating with them. Today the negotiations will happen. After that we will get to know the quantity, quality and price of rice will be decided." When asked about purchasing from t

K'taka CM blames BJP for 'financial indiscipline' and 'commission racket'

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday blamed the previous BJP government for 'financial indiscipline' that has caused problems for government contractors, and said it would take some time to fix the state's economy. He assured the contractors that the 'commission racket' will be busted during his tenure. Financial indiscipline and commission menace of the previous government has created problems for contractors. It will take some time to fix the economy, which was derailed by BJP, Siddaramaiah told contractors during a meeting here. The contractors led by the Karnataka State Contractors' Association president D Kempanna requested him to release the pending bills of contractors worth Rs 20,000 crore and issue the letter of credit. A review meeting of BBMP and Finance Department Secretaries will be called after the budget session, the CM assured them. He requested that the withheld amount be released and a no objection certificate be issued. Later speaking to reporters, .

There should be no hate politics in providing rice to poor: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that he has told Union Home Minister Amit Shah that there should be no "hate politics", in supply of rice to the state, for a scheme aimed at the poor. The Chief Minister met Shah on Wednesday night and held discussions regarding the supply of rice to the state, for its 'Anna Bhagya' scheme, which provides an additional 5 kg of rice for each member of BPL families. "I met Amit Shah last night. I have brought to his notice that FCI had agreed to supply rice and had also written a letter in this regard, but all of a sudden the very next day they said they cannot supply. Prima facie it looks like politics has been played here. Let there be no hate politics in this, as this is the programme for providing rice to the poor," Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said, "Shah told me that he will speak to the union minister concerned and come back." Siddaramaiah and his ministers for the last few days, have been ...

Congress ministers fixing commission rates for department work: Bommai

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai lashed out at the Congress govt in the state and said that it did not make advance preparations to provide rice

Won't give any chance for unnatural deaths in Karnataka: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he will not give any chance for unnatural deaths in the state, adding that there is no room for communal clashes

Karnataka CM to call industrial bodies for discussion on power tariff

In the wake of outrage by certain industrial bodies over hike in electricity tariff rate, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said he would call a meeting with the industrialists for discussions regarding the concerns. The Chief Minister said the uproar was uncalled for as the electricity bills will come down from next month onwards. As the Hubballi-based Karnatak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) gave a call for bandh on June 22, the Chief Minister said the office-bearers of industrial bodies were invited to clear the doubts. "To convince them, facts and figures have been given. I hope that they are convinced. Our officials also called them and spoke to them," Siddaramaiah told reporters here. According to him, the power bills looked exorbitant to some because people had received the charges for two months. "Tariff will not come down. It is appearing heavy because two months' bill was given. Next month onwards, the bills will be given for each month. Subsequentl

Karnataka CM writes to Union Health Minister on setting up AIIMS in Raichur

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday wrote a letter to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, urging him to set up AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Raichur. He requested the Union Minister to instruct the concerned to take steps in this regard. "Being one of the aspirational districts of the country, Raichur has lower health, education level and per capita income than other regions. The area is also at a geographical disadvantage since it experiences extreme weather conditions," Siddaramaiah said in the letter. "Such disadvantages have put Raichur in dire need of robust medical institutions. Establishment of AIIMS will ensure world class facilities in the region," he said. There is a growing demand from the people and representatives for seeing this proposal to fruition, he further said, adding that Kalyan Karnataka region is one of our top priorities. Karnataka Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology Minister N S Boseraju had recently written to

Rice available in Chhattisgarh but transportation cost higher: K'taka CM

Talking to reporters here, the Chief Minister said that he had talked to the Telangana Chief Minister (K. Chandrashekar Rao), but there is no availability of rice there

K'taka BJP asks Siddaramaiah for FCI's commitment letter over rice supply

BJP National General Secretary C.T. Ravi slammed the Congress govt in Karnataka for accusing the Centre of not providing rice despite having sufficient stocks

Court issues summons to Congress leaders in defamation case filed by BJP

The BJP has filed a defamation complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court here. The special court exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to elected former and sitting MPs/MLAs has taken cognisance of the offences under Sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and posted the case for recording the sworn statement on July 27. Summons were ordered to be issued on Tuesday to all the respondents in this regard. The private complaint alleging false claims in advertisements tarnishing the image of the BJP was filed by the party's state secretary S Keshavaprasad on May 9. According to the complaint, the advertisement released by the KPCC in major newspapers on May 5, 2023 in the run-up to the Assembly election claiming that the then incumbent BJP government ..

Special court dismisses compliant against Sidda over Lingayat CM comment

A private defamation complaint against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on his comment about a Lingayat chief minister during the recent Assembly election has been dismissed by an Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. The Special Court exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to elected former and sitting MPs/MLAs on Tuesday dismissed the complaint filed for the alleged offences under Sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code. The private complaint lodged by Shankar Shet and Mallaiah Hiremath alleged that Siddaramaiah had defamed the Lingayat community with his answer to a question by a journalist during the Assembly election. The Congress leader was asked if his party would make a Lingayat the Chief Minister if it came to power. Siddaramaiah allegedly replied that then incumbent CM Basavaraj Bommai was a Lingayat who had indulged in corruption and spoilt the state.

Karnataka CM orders inquiry into deaths due to drinking contaminated water

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday ordered an inquiry into deaths allegedly due to drinking contaminated water recently in Koppal and Raichur district, and warned that the Chief Executive Officers of the Zilla Panchayat will be directly held responsible and suspended if such incidents happen again. The Chief Minister held a video conference with the district administration officials in the background of the drinking water problem in parts of the state. "I have asked for an inquiry to be conducted. Two people had died in Koppal and one had died in Raichur because of drinking contaminated water. I have asked for an inquiry and to find out those responsible for it," Siddaramaiah told reporters after the meeting. Questioning officials regarding the incident during the meeting, the Chief Minister, according to his office, asked them: "what are you doing? Do not work sitting in the office. Visit the place and conduct a comprehensive study so that the disaster of polluted wate

Women participation in public sector down from 30% to 24%: Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a veiled attack on the BJP said that after 2013-14 the participation of women in the public sector has come down from 30 per cent to 24 per cent

Siddaramaiah to turn bus conductor on June 11 to inaugurate 'Shakti' scheme

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will become a bus conductor for a day on June 11 as the Congress govt will implement the 'Shakti' scheme facilitating free travel for women in state-owned buses

Will review law banning cow slaughter, amendment to APMC Act: Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he will review the anti-cow slaughter law and amendments to the Land Reforms Act and the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Act. The chief minister was speaking to farmer leaders who called on him to convey their apprehensions about corporate agriculture, a government press release said. "Farmer leaders expressed concern that the small and marginal farmers, who constitute more than 85 per cent of the total agriculturists in the state, will be affected due to the Union government's decision to introduce corporate agriculture," the statement said. The CM said he will hold a separate meeting to discuss in detail the policies and regulations required for the development of the agriculture sector, the release said. The Congress had opposed the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020 and amendments to Land Reforms (Amendment) Act as well as the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (Amendment) Act, 2020, ..