Bengaluru: The disciplinary committee of Karnataka Congress has urged its leaders and workers to desist from making public statements about the party’s future state leadership after some of them aired divergent views on who would head the government if the party comes to power.

Expressing concern over such discussions in public, the committee felt it would be advisable to leave this matter to the time when the question of leadership would arise, a party release said here on Sunday.

Recently, a few leaders had issued statements proposing names of party’s state unit president D K Shivakumar and legislature party leader Siddaramaiah as their Chief Ministerial candidates on coming to power. The tenure of the current BJP government is till 2023.

“In a meeting held on November 5, the KPCC Disciplinary Action Committee noted with concern the differing views being expressed by leaders of the party on the question of future leadership of the legislature party,” Committee Chairman K Rahman Khan said in the release.

He said that the committee requested all the elected representatives, leaders, office-bearers and workers of the party to desist from such public statements in the interest of party unity.

“It would be better if party leaders and workers engage themselves in organising the party and work with an aim to bring the party to power in the interest of our state.

Siddaramaiah will be the Chief Minister once again while a few of his party colleagues, including Rajya Sabha Member G C Chandrashekhar, MLA Sowmya Reddy, and Hanumantharayappa had reportedly claimed that Shivakumar will occupy the top post on Congress coming to power.

Declining to comment on him being projected as the next chief minister by some party colleagues, Shivakumar had said “first, our party should come to power. Then, the high command and legislators will decide who the CM should be….”

However, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said exit polls can go wrong. “The BJP is in power and it could look like they are winning.

BENGALURU: If the exit poll is anything to go by, the ruling BJP is likely to win both Sira and RR Nagar Assembly bypolls. The Congress, however, was sceptical of the exit poll and expressed confidence that the party would win both seats.  

According to the exit poll, BJP candidate N Munirathna will win in RR Nagar, Congress candidate H Kusuma will stand second and JDS candidate Krishnamurthy third. In Sira, BJP candidate Dr Rajesh Gowda will breast the victory tape, leaving behind Congress’ TB Jayachandra and JDS candidate Ammajamma in the second and third spots, said news television channels, citing the exit poll conducted by CVoter. 

However, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said exit polls can go wrong. “The BJP is in power and it could look like they are winning. But voters know better, and they are in our favour. Our internal survey says Congress will win both seats,” he told TNSE. People are unhappy with the BJP government as there is no development, he added. 

BJP National Secretary C T Ravi, concurring with the exit poll, said the BJP’s internal report as well as chief minister’s intelligence report favour the party in both constituencies.  “We will win RR Nagar by 25,000 lead and in Sira by 15,000,’’ Ravi said.  

From the beginning, BJP was confident of winning RR Nagar. “In Sira, though initially we had a 50:50 chance, clarity emerged in later stages. When the polling was just one week away, it was clear that the BJP would win in Sira,’’ he added.  CM BS Yeddyurappa too had expressed confidence of winning both seats with a big margin.

Tata Technologies Ltd has joined hands with the Karnataka government to develop 150 government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) by investing over Rs 4,000 crore.

BENGALURU: Tata Technologies Ltd has joined hands with the Karnataka government to develop 150 government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) by investing over Rs 4,000 crore.  Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa termed the agreement, signed on Friday, as a first-of-its-kind initiative of government-industry partnership that will enable youth to get good quality skill training based on industry requirements. The initiative is part of the government’s continued efforts to ensure ease of doing business, and the agreement is mutually beneficial as the industry will have a skilled workforce. 

As per the agreement, signed by Anand Bhade, president, Tata Technologies, and S Selvakumar, Secretary, Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, ITIs will be upgraded by investing `4,636.50 crore. Tata Tech and 20 other companies are contributing `4,080 crore from their CSR funds, while `657 crore will be provided by the State government. Each of the 150 ITIs will get `30 crore for upgradation. 

New infrastructure, industry-oriented courseware, training and support for advanced equipment and software to benefit students to get better employment opportunities will be provided at ITIs. Students from other such institutes too can avail of the facilities. While 300 trainers from Tata Tech and associate industries will train students at the upgraded institutes, online training will be provided in all government and aided ITIs in the State. In the first phase, ITIs at Peenya, Hosur Road, Ballari, Mysuru, Dastikoppa and Shikaripura will be upgraded.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said the initiative is expected to help over one lakh youth get better employment opportunities every year. Based on the requirement of the industry, ten new courses are being added at ITIs, he said. Warren Harris, Managing Director and CEO, Tata Tech, said their vision of  ‘Engineering a better world’ is to create a platform for students to be part of the transforming ecosystem and get exposure to the latest machinery, hardware, software and training.  There are 1,713 ITIs in the state. Of them, 270 are government, 196 aided and 1,247 private with 1.8 lakh students.  

Industrious plan 

• Rs 30 crore each will be invested to upgrade 150 government ITIs: Total investment: `4,636.50cr
•  ITIs will be developed into skill training hubs with new machinery and technology  
•  Syllabus will be based on demands of industry
•  Electric vehicles, agricultural machinery, aerospace and defence, horticulture, smart city and other sectors would be the focus 
• Tata Tech will strengthen training, counselling and placement cells

The engineer was made to sit on a tractor and taken for a ride for 2 km on Thursday. The incident happened near Dodduru when some villagers staged a protest to fix the road.

GADAG: Angry villagers of Dodduru and nearby villages took an Engineer from the National Highway Authority on a tractor to show the pathetic condition of Lakshmeshwar and Dodduru road. 

The engineer was made to sit on a tractor and taken for a ride for 2 km on Thursday. The incident happened near Dodduru when some villagers staged a protest to fix the road.

Rajesh Patil, AEE of National Highway Authority visited the spot to convince the villagers but villagers asked him to travel on that road to know the exact situation. Lakshmeshwar to Doddur is a road which was repaired a month back but the villagers are complaining that the contractor has not done his work properly. 

The main road from Lakshemwar to Doddur is one of the busiest roads in the taluk. Farmers go to their fields on carts, villagers go to market on  auto rickshaws.

This road has also witnessed many minor accidents and last week a cart’s wheel stuck in a muddy road and one cattle’s leg was broken. After these incidents many villagers submitted memorandum to the concerned officials but it was in vain. 

Rajesh Patil, engineer who saw the road on a tractor said, “I have seen the pathetic condition of the road. This is all due to the contractor’s mistake. The road repair work will start after Deepavali”.