The CM sent an open invitation to BJP leaders to join the state government’s protest in Delhi. “If you do not support the state’s cause, it amounts to betraying its people,” the CM added.

BENGALURU : Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday that the Karnataka government’s protest in New Delhi on Wednesday over the state losing its central tax share of Rs 1.87 lakh crore under the Modi regime is apolitical and not against the BJP.

Addressing reporters along with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah took a dig at state BJP leaders, including MPs and union ministers, for not taking up Karnataka’s cause with the Centre. He sent an open invitation to BJP leaders to join the state government’s protest in Delhi. “If you do not support the state’s cause, it amounts to betraying its people,” the CM added.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar categorically rejected the BJP’s allegation that the state’s resources are being spent on the implementation of the five guarantee schemes. They said this could not be related to the state losing its tax share from the Centre. “Karnataka government has the capability to manage its five guarantees. Let the Centre give us our tax share and we will manage the finances of our state,” Shivakumar said.

“Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman has every right to address the disparities. If she can announce the GIFT city project for Gujarat, why can’t she announce the same for Karnataka? We are all Indians, why this disparity?” Shivakumar said.

Asked if Kerala and Telangana will stage protests in Delhi, he said, “I am not going to comment on other states. It is natural for a baby to cry when it is hungry,” he said.

The CM sidestepped queries on whether he took other southern states into confidence over the issue and stated that he is only concerned about Karnataka losing its tax share. 

“Our government’s protest is not a fight between Congress and BJP. It is to draw the attention of the Centre and the people of the country to the state’s predicament,” Siddaramaiah said.

He criticised Sitaraman for the rejection of 15th Finance Commission’s recommendation to allocate a special grant of Rs 5,495 crore to the state, in her interim budget. The commission had made this recommendation realising the fact that the state’s tax share was reduced to 3.74% from 4.71% (in the 14th Finance Commission), a reduction by 1.07% for four years (2020-2024) that caused a loss of Rs 45,000 crore in tax devolution.

“Nirmala Sitharaman rejected it. She also rejected the recommendation for Rs 3,000 crore each to the Peripheral Ring Road project and development of lakes in the final report of the commision,” the CM alleged.

Replying to BJP’s allegation that his claims are false, Siddaramaiah said the Centre’s documents itself prove the state losing its tax share

BENGALURU : The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved many projects and works for Bengaluru, including Rs 263 crore for an elevated flyover near Sir M Vivesvaraya Terminus. The government’s push for projects in Bengaluru comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

After the cabinet meeting, Law Minister HK Patil told reporters that the cabinet had given administrative approval of Rs 263 crore to construct an elevated flyover near Byappanahalli railway level crossing to the new Sir MV Terminal. There was a demand for road connectivity from the newly constructed Sir M Vivesvaraya Terminus of South Western Railway to Byappanahalli Metro station.

According to Patil, the road connectivity would help lakhs of people who travel, and also reduce traffic congestion. “In order to resolve this issue, a 1.5-km long flyover was proposed at IOC junction and construction of an additional two-lane Railway Over Bridge at Byappanahalli railway level crossing,” he explained. This flyover is also expected to allow people from Kammanahalli, Banasawadi and Old Madras Road access the terminus with ease.

The cabinet also approved the preparation of a Rs 1,200-crore action plan to provide basic amenities and also for white-topping roads. On the length of roads, Patil said BBMP will decide. They also approved a Rs 208-crore project to provide drinking water to villages that were newly added to City Corporation limits. Apart from this, a sum of Rs 150 crore was allocated for upgrading the Mother and Child Hospital in KC General Hospital premises.

In 2019, BJP had won all three Lok Sabha seats in the state capital, and this time around, the Congress is making all attempts to improve its performance.

MYSURU: BJP is planning to organise people in Keragodu village of Mandya district against the ruling Congress for bringing down the Hanuman flag that led to a controversy. The saffron party also exhorted the villagers at Keragodu and a dozen villages around it to hoist Hanuman flags on all their houses.

Though many houses are already flying the flag, BJP wants all of them to do it “to send out a message to the government”.

On Wednesday, a delegation of saffron party leaders visited the village and interacted with those injured in the lathicharge. They held a meeting with village headmen and panchayat members to plan the next course of the agitation.

The BJP delegation comprising district party president Indresh, leaders Ashok Jayaram and others criticised the police for picking up a ninth standard student, a minor, for interrogation for damaging the publicity material of Congress leaders during the protest.

When the team reached the boy’s house, his father Papanna closed the door and requested the leaders to leave, saying the family is not interested in politics. Indresh consoled him and assured the family that they would stand by them.

He alleged that the police have created a fear among innocent villagers.

Ashok Jairam said they heard the villagers, panchayat members and Gowrishankar Seva Trust members. He alleged that the police misbehaved inhumanly with the villagers, while officers have not had time to hold a peace meeting in the village. The Congress government has turned into a British Raj, picking a minor boy for interrogation in the early hours, worrying women and children, he added.

Gowrishankara Seva Trust member Anand said all the residents of the village had supported hoisting Hanuman flag on the 108 ft flagpost, but a few vested interests are dividing people. The district administration violated the flag code by hoisting a national flag disproportionate to the size of the flagpole, he added. “We had taken Siddaramaiah in a procession of 101 bullocks to inaugurate the Kannada Rajyotsava celebration in Keragodu. But he has forgotten Keragodu. The district administration should hold peace meetings and set right the lapses. We want the case to be handed over to the CBI. We want Justice and peace,” he added.

Incident must not cast shadow on Shivarathri: Panchayat member

Keragodu Panchayat member Shivanand, supported by Congress, on Wednesday urged the district administration to hold a peace meeting to bring back harmony as the village is planning a grand Shivarathri. He said they always celebrate Shivarthri in a grand manner and this incident should not cast a shadow over it. The request to put up a flagpost came before the panchayat and it was approved unanimously at the meeting. The panchayat chief executive officer came to the village after the flag was hoisted, and the members told her that the panchayat had cleared the villagers’ request, he narrated. Though members sought a week to hold a peace meeting, she did not give time and asked them about the need to bring down the flag on a holiday, he said.

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said Karnataka aims to become a global innovation leader in AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) technologies by generating 30,000 new high-quality jobs in the sector by 2028. He added that the State is looking forward to creating a robust talent pool and becoming a pioneering centre of excellence for the industry.

“Karnataka has long been the torch-bearer state in India across technology, innovation and growth. We are proud to be the pioneers of leading IT and IT-enabled services industries. The media and entertainment industry in the state accounts for 20% of the Indian media and entertainment industry, employing more than 15,000 professionals,” Siddaramaiah added while inaugurating the Bengaluru GAFX-2024 conference along with Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. The CM also stated that the state has more than 300 specialized AVGC-XR studios.

GAFX stands for Gaming, Animation and Visual Effects– an annual event supported by the government with multiple stakeholders from the sector to deliberate on challenges and future roadmap.

The policy also focuses on ensuring that exports constitute at least 80 per cent of the sector’s total revenue, and foster sustainability and inclusivity within the AVGC industry. “The Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru is the country’s first state-of-the-art facility houses a highly equipped AVGC post-production lab, providing the industry with resources for hands-on education and generating high-quality content. There is no other such facility in the country for the animation and visual effects industry,” the CM said while addressing the attendees.

Meanwhile, Shivakumar highlighted that GFAX technologies should be effectively put to use in the education and health sectors. He added that there are 400 institutions in Bengaluru and education is unimaginable without technology. “The adoption of GAFX in cinemas has also seen an unprecedented growth and Karnataka needs to compete globally in the coming years,” Deputy CM said.

He emphasised that the government is committed to providing full cooperation for the industry and its growth. “Bengaluru is a magnet for new technologies,” Shivakumar quipped. The government also plans to introduce a new policy for the use of technology in the entertainment industry promoting innovation and making Karnataka a skill hub.

Trends in emerging gaming market, projections

● The global gaming market is projected to grow at 4% CAGR with 212 Billion dollars by 2026 (200 Billion dollar mark by 2025)

● India contributes Rs 25,000 crore to AVGC-XR sector, projected to grow 14-16% in the next decade

● AVGC-XR sector CAGR growth of 20% year on year

● Number of mobile players continues to grow in India and other countries (2.9 billion individuals in 2023)

● Number of VR devices sold to double in the next 3 years globally (2026)

HAVERI: Accusing the state government of indulging in appeasement politics by removing the ‘Hanuma Dhwaja’ in Mandya, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the law and order situation has deteriorated in the state, and those involved in illegal activities were getting protection.

He said the government got the sacred flag removed through the police. “While CM Siddaramaiah chants the mantra of ‘Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota’, the law and order situation had deteriorated. Many incidents have been reported during the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram last week. Some persons were also arrested. This has been happening everywhere. The government is playing appeasement politics and protecting those involved in nefarious activities,” Bommai said.

The former CM alleged that no action has been taken, despite attacks on Dalits and women from the minority community, with atrocities against women having increased by 30 per cent.

BENGALURU: The Congress government is facing a conundrum in the nomination of party workers and MLAs to boards and corporations, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, DCM DK Shivakumar and the party high command failing to arrive at a consensus on the choice of candidates. Despite several meetings, talks appeared to have reached a deadlock.

Trouble broke out after a list of 39 party workers, allegedly signed by AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, was leaked. It included persons who had already occupied powerful posts during the 2013-18 Congress regime.

There was strong opposition to former BBMP mayors R Sampath Raj and G Padmavathi, supporters of D K Shivakumar, and for Narendra, who allegedly worked against Siddaramaiah in the 2018 assembly polls, a highly placed source said.

Former chairman of Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation Sudheendra S E, who had played the role of ‘facilitator’ for the high command during the assembly polls, made it to the list. His wife had worked at Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Bhagwanth Khuba’s office until she shifted to the CM’s office after the Congress came to power, the source added.

Former KR Nagar JDS MLA Manchanahalli Mahadev’s daughter Aishwarya also featured in the list, to which certain Kuruba leaders raised objections. As per the leaked list, Mazhar Khan was proposed for the Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority chairman’s post, while Jagadeva Guttedar was to be given the state-level board chairman’s post.

Former minister S R Patil, KPCC women’s wing president Pushpa Amarnath, spokesperson Ramesh Babu, leaders Somanna Bevinamarad, Shakir Sanadi, S Manohar and others came under the party workers’ list.

After making certain changes, AICC General Secretary Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala is likely to hold one more round of talks with Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. On January 26, AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge will also be in town, and is likely to give his consent for the list which would be released on January 29, sources said.

“Even if a revised list is announced, it is likely to kick off a row, with loyal party workers feeling let down, and could have an adverse impact on the party’s prospects in the Lok Sabha polls,” a leader observed.

On the nomination of 36 MLAs, there were objections from certain ministers as their opinions were not taken with regard to boards and corporations under their departments. Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara also made a similar charge.

“Names of some aspirants were included in the list in Bengaluru (by the CM and DCM) and in New Delhi (high command). It would have been good if district ministers were consulted,” observed PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi.

BENGALURU: Air India on Monday commercially launched of India’s first Airbus A350 flight from Bengaluru to Mumbai carrying 297 passengers on board. Flight AI 589 departed from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at 7.05 am and reached Mumbai at 8.50 am.

The Airbus A350 aircraft is part of Air India’s record setting order of 470 aircraft signed with Airbus and Boeing in June 2023. The first Airbus A350-900, registered as VT-JRA arrived at IGI Airport, New Delhi on December 23, 2023, said an official release. One aircraft will arrive every six days in 2024.

The configuration of the aircraft is 316 seats – 28 private business suites with full-flat beds, 24 premium economy seats with extra legroom and 264 spacious economy seats. The latest generation Panasonic (eX3) in-flight entertainment system and HD screens in them will offer a superior flying experience to flyers, it said. “Fitted with the Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines, this aircraft is 20 percent more fuel efficient tan other similar aircraft,” it added.

Bengalurean Naveen, who flew on this spacious aircraft during one of its subsequent trips later on Monday from Bengaluru to Chennai told TNIE, “I have been waiting for long to travel by this magnificient aircraft. This model has been operated by international airlines to India and I have flown by them. But this is the first time that an Indian airline is operating one and that too on a domestic route.”

Asked what impressed him about this make, he said, “The entertainment systems available were impressive. Overall, it has more space than regular aircraft.”

AI 589 will operate from KIA on six days of the week barring Tuesdays to the same launch timings.

The release added, “Initially the aircraft will be deployed on domestic routes for crew familiarisation and regulatory compliance purposes. Passengers from Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai will have the opportunity to experience the unparalleled comfort and state-of-the-art technology of the A350 – part of the 470 new aircraft order that Air India placed less than a year ago. The aircraft will be later deployed for long-haul flights to destinations across continents, strengthening AI’s growing fleet of wide-body fleets, comprising its own and recently leased aircraft.”

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who did not declare a holiday for the consecration of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya on Monday, made a point that he is not an atheist. He inaugurated the Rama Sita Lakshmana Temple and the 33-ft monolithic Anjaneya Swamy statue at Hirandahalli village of Bidarahalli hobli in Mahadevapura in Bengaluru East.

Chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram!’ along with the public, he said the slogan is not someone’s private property, but belonged to every devotee of Lord Ram. He also participated in the Maha Kumbhabhisheka organised by the Sri Rama Temple Trust, which built the temple.

“God does not accept worship if you are unrighteous (adharma) and inhuman, and worship in a dramatic manner. The ideal of Sri Rama is that all people should live with equality and love,” he remarked.

“Rashtrakavi Kuvempu’s aspiration of Karnataka as a garden of peace for all races lies in the ideal and personality of Sri Rama. The message of Ramayana and Mahabharata is that man should not hate man. Valmiki, who belonged to a scheduled caste, wrote the Ramayana and gave it to the world. Basavanna said God is present in our soul and body,” the CM said, and cited ‘vachanas’.

Ministers Byrati Suresh and Eshwar Khandre, BJP MLA Manjula and her husband, former ministers Aravind Limbavali and HM Revanna, and CM’s political secretary Govindaraju were present.

CM Siddaramaiah said he condemns the propaganda that the Congress is against Sri Rama, and said the Ram Mandir should not be politicised as Sri Ramachandra is the god of all Hindus and not just the BJP. “We (Congress) are also devotees of Sri Ramachandra. BJP is trying to project that we are against Sri Rama and it is not right to slander us,” he told reporters here. “Mahatma Gandhi used to recite Raghupati Raghava Rajaram and even breathed his last, saying ‘Hey Ram’.

Replying to a query on a holiday for the Ram Lalla consecration, Siddaramaiah maintained that many states, including Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala had not declared a holiday on Monday. “Building a Ram Rajya was our dream. Five guarantees implemented with the objective of realising it are successful today. Life will be meaningful if we follow Rama’s ideal, Hanuman’s loyalty. Best wishes for the inauguration of Sri Rama Mandir in Ayodhya,” DCM D K Shivakumar posted on ‘X’.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday accused the BJP of using the Ram temple as an election issue and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain to the people the status of the implementation of BJP’s election promises, including doubling farmers’ income. The CM mentioned “I Modi is a true devotee of Ram, he should tell people how many of the promises made to the people of this country through the BJP election manifesto were implemented and how many are yet to be implemented”. “In your election manifesto, you promised to double farmers’ income. But what did you do for this?” he questioned Modi. “You have not doubled the income of farmers, nor have you given drought relief to drought-stricken farmers. Similarly, you promised to build a cooperative union for the empowerment of all the states. But, today the states have also been robbed of their fair share. Along with this, you have increased cess and surcharges.”

BENGALURU: Defining that Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) cannot demolish a building straightaway for not having obtained a sanctioned plan, the Karnataka High Court said the civic agency has to ascertain if there is any violation of building bylaws in case construction is carried out without a sanctioned plan, or has deviated from the plan, before passing orders under Sections 248(3) and 356 of the BBMP Act, 2020.

The order was passed to explore chances of saving a building from demolition by permitting the owner to obtain plan sanction from the BBMP if it was constructed without a plan or asking the owner to remove the portion of the building or deviations from the plan if it violated the sanctioned plan, instead of demolishing the entire building.

The court said that essentially, if one were to contend that the construction is illegal or unauthorised when there is a violation of the sanctioned plan or against building bylaws. To put it differently, if construction were to comply with building bylaws, but construction was to be carried out without obtaining a sanction, it cannot be said that the construction violates building bylaws. However, it could be said that the construction is illegal since no sanction plan has been obtained, the court added.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the order while allowing a batch of petitions filed by M Chandrakumar and others, questioning the demolition notice issued by the authorities of the BBMP.

BBMP’s allegations against the petitioners were that without applying for and obtaining a plan sanction, construction has been put up. Therefore, it is illegal and requires demolition. In a counter, the petitioners contended that there is no finding given as to what manner their construction violates the building bylaws. Merely because there is no plan sanction issued by the BBMP, the construction does not become illegal so long as it is in accordance with, and complies with the requirements of Building Bye-laws, they argued.

BENGALURU : The State government will release the first instalment of compensation money to 30 lakh farmers in the next one week, Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda said here on Friday.

The minister told reporters on Friday that though the State government has announced 223 taluks as drought-hit and crop loss on 48.19 lakh hectares, and appealed to the Union government for compensation in September 2023, even today, compensation funds have not been received.

Byregowda, in a video conference with DCs, told them to ensure the compensation money is released to farmers on time. He said that under the Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System (FRUITS), land details of 75 per cent of farmers are uploaded. In the next one week, the first instalment of compensation money will be released to bank accounts of farmers.

He said there have been cases of compensation being misused earlier, which will now be prevented as money will be released based on FRUITS data. Lakhs of farmers’ data was not uploaded and officials had been working on it for the past 15 days. Expressing displeasure over the Union government, Byregowda said that in spite of meeting Central government authorities, money was not released. “But farmers are in distress, so we are releasing the first instalment of Rs 2,000 to farmers from our treasury,” he added.

AC cases reduced: Byregowda

Speaking on Assistant Commissioner courts, the minister said close to 60,000 cases were pending before these courts which were more than five years old. Of these, 33,000 cases were sorted out in the past three months. There were 2,215 cases in Tahsildar courts earlier, which are now reduced to 170.