Archives for 2018

Taiwanese industrial major Wistron Technologies would invest Rs 3,000 crore in the Narasupra industrial sector in Karnataka’s Kolar, an official statement said on Tuesday.

“Welcoming the huge investment, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy told an expert team from Wistron to submit its proposal for granting land for the company,” said the statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.

He advised the company to set up a mobile repair and technology facility in the Narsapura industrial sector, about 100 km from Bengaluru, it said.

“Wistron India head Gururaj said the company said would set up an i-phone-making unit in the 43 acres of land allotted to it, with employment potential to 10,500 people,” said the statement.

State Revenue Minister R. V Deshpande said an agreement would be signed in a week with the company to provide employment to locals.

Sources have claimed that the Congress high command has decided to face the next year’s crucial Lok Sabha election under the leadership of former chief minister of the state, Siddaramaiah.

As per information gathered, All India Congress Committee president, Rahul Gandhi, asked Siddaramaiah to take over leadership even for Lok Sabha election, when the latter met him during his visit to New Delhi in the role of leader of Congress legislature party in Karnataka.

It is said that Rahul wanted the understanding currently reached with the JD(S) to be continued for Lok Sabha election. He wants the party to set a target of 20 Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka. Sources say that the high command has conveyed information about facing Lok Sabha election under Siddaramaiah’s leadership to all the state level party leaders including Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Rahul Gandhi had reposed complete confidence in the leadership skills of Siddaramaiah during the assembly election too and entrusted the responsibility of assembly election to him. He is convinced that Siddaramaiah happens to be the most capable leader for the party to face election among the ones currently available in Karnataka. Reportedly, in-charge of state Congress affairs, KC Venugopal, too put his weight behind Siddaramaiah’s leadership.

The national leadership of Congress was willing to field Siddaramaiah either from Mysuru or Koppal Lok Sabha constituency next year, and Rahul had taken up this matter with the former chief minister. But Siddaramaiah told the leaders that he has decided not to fight any election henceforth. However, he promised to undertake leadership, tour the entire state extensively, and make all-out efforts to win maximum seats for the party during the Lok Sabha election.

The Congress high command does not seem to have been perturbed by the feedback given by certain leaders here that the party could not perform to its potential here because of Siddaramaiah, holding him entirely responsible for the party’s poor showing. The party high command has shown scant regard to this assessment and has already rewarded him with the post of the chairman of the coordination committee of the coalition government.

Minister for Woman and Child Welfare, Physically Challenged and Senior Citizens Empowerment, and Kannada and Culture departments, Dr Jayamala asked the authorities to take care about ensuring cleanliness and nutritious food at Anganwadis.

Speaking at a progress review meeting of the Woman and Child Welfare department at the ZP Hall here on Tuesday, she directed the officers to take action to fill the vacant posts in Anganwadis. When the problem of online applications for Anganwadi assistants was brought to her notice, she said that she would take steps to solve the problem.

Matru Poorna scheme was the ambitious programme of the government and beneficiary women should be educated about the importance of this programme. Newborn babies should not be abandoned by their mothers. There was a programme called ‘Madilu’ to take care of such babies. The authorities should take care about such babies, she said.

Sexual minorities should be allowed to live with others in the society. They should be given employment and housing facilities. A well-equipped building was being constructed for physically challenged and it was planned to develop such centers in each district to help the physically challenged people, she said.

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a contempt plea against the Rajasthan government for violating court directives in a mob lynching case in Alwar district last week.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the plea would be heard on August 20, along with the main case by petitioner Tehsheen Poonawala.

Advocate Deepali Dwivedi, appearing for Poonawala, mentioned the Alwar lynching case before the bench seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the Rajasthan government.

The central and state governments have come under a sharp criticism from the Supreme Court over frequent lynching incidents across the country.

The court had condemned the mob lynching incidents and suggested enactment of a law in Parliament to deal with the crime that threatens rule of law and the country’s social fabric.

“Horrendous acts of mobocracy” cannot be permitted to become “a new normal”, it had said, while issuing a slew of guidelines, including preventive, remedial and punitive steps to deal with offences such as mob violence and cow vigilantism.

A 28-year-old man was beaten to death by suspected cow vigilantes in Alwar district late on Friday. Two persons have been arrested so far.

Some villagers caught and beat up Akbar Khan, suspecting him to be a cow smuggler.

Khan, a resident of Mewat in Rajasthan, was transporting the animals to his village along with another man when they were stopped by a group of villagers near Lalawandi village.

Alwar has earlier witnessed similar attacks in the name of cow protectionism. The latest killing comes more than a year after Pehlu Khan was murdered allegedly by some cow vigilantes in April 2017.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Rajya Sabha leader Vijaya Sai Reddy on Wednesday regretted his remark against the Chair during a short duration discussion on non-implementation of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act.

“I am sorry for the incident that happened yesterday (on Tuesday),” Sai said in the Upper House.

He said that he argued with the Chair as he was not given sufficient opportunity to explain the issue which was emotive for him.

“I met the MoS Parliamentary Affairs and explained the circumstances. My intention was not to disrespect the Chair,” he said.

Reddy expressed regret after Minister of State Vijay Goel raised the issue.

He, without taking the name, said that some member went into the well on Tuesday during the discussion on special status issue for Andhra Pradesh and used words which were against the dignity of the House.

“The House should condemn it and the member concerned should regret,” Goel said.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said that whatever happened was “unfortunate” and should not be repeated.

Asking the members to move on, Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said, “It is over now” and told them to adhere to the allotted time during debates.

“Everyone has to cooperate. The issue of Andhra Pradesh was emotive for me too. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also spoke yesterday but he conveyed the message in such a manner that the purpose was served,” he said.

“It is painful for me too to stop and ask to sit down. This is not a thing which I enjoy,” Naidu added.

Reddy on Tuesday wanted more time to speak during the discussion but the Chairman stopped him as his allotted time was over.

He, then, went near the Chairman’s podium and opposed it, saying something which was not audible.

Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government must listen to people speaking truth to power, referring to observations made by economists Arvind Panagariya, Raghuram Rajan, and Arvind Subramanian.

“Government must listen to people speaking truth to power. Three eminent economists have done that today,” said Chidambaram on Twitter.

“Firstly, Dr. Arvind Panagariya has written eloquently about the folly of the government’s trade policy and its rush towards ‘import substitution’,” he said.

“Secondly, Dr. Raghuram Rajan has spoken passionately about the ‘need to tolerate dissent’ in order to become a knowledge society. Thirdly, Dr Arvind Subramanian has spoken from experience why the CEA must always provide honest and disinterested advice. He must be pained that he was not consulted on demonetization!” Chidambaram added.

Chidambaram was referring to Arvind Panagariya’s article in ‘The Times of India’ which said import substitution would take the economy down from turnpike to dirt road.

The former Finance Minister was also referring to Rajan’s remarks made at an event organized by “The Hindu BusinessLine” where he said: “… In an atmosphere, that tolerates dissent, you can exchange ideas and have new ideas created… This strength will carry us going forward when we build top universities because scholars will be able to debate without fear of voicing their views.”