Alliance University achieved a significant academic milestone with the hosting of Convocation 2023, that unfolded at their campus in Anekal, Bengaluru on Sunday. The ceremony, presided over by the Hon’ble Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Governor of Karnataka, and featuring Dr. Tessy Thomas, ‘The Missile Woman of India,’ as the Guest of Honor, marked a memorable day in the university’s history.
Prof. Premanand Shetty, Chancellor of Alliance University, officially declared the convocation open, setting the stage for a series of noteworthy addresses and recognitions. In his welcome speech, Mr. Abhay G. Chebbi, Pro-Chancellor of Alliance University, highlighted the day’s significance and reiterated the institution’s commitment to diversity and intellectual growth.

The highlight of the ceremony was the conferral of degrees upon a total of 1061 graduates, representing a diverse array of academic achievements. Among the graduates were 10 recipients of doctoral degrees, 378 recipients of postgraduate degrees spanning programs such as Master of Business Administration, Master of Technology, and Master of Law. Additionally, 299 graduates were awarded postgraduate diplomas, along with 374 undergraduate degrees.

Exceptional students were recognized as gold medalists, receiving a total of 14 gold medals, 15 silver medals, and 13 bronze medals across various disciplines, including B.A., LL. B. (Hons.), B.B.A LL. B. (Hons.), LLM, B.Tech, M.Tech, PG Diploma in GLA, MBA, and EPGDM. A notable highlight was the acknowledgment of 39 students as Specialization Toppers, showcasing the diverse achievements and exceptional capabilities within the graduating class.
The Convocation Address was delivered by Hon’ble Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, who offered wisdom and encouragement to the graduating class. He spoke passionately about the importance of Indian heritage, culture, and history, urging students to promote these values globally. Emphasizing the idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ meaning ‘The World is One Family,’ the Governor motivated students to work ethically for the betterment of the world and its people.

Dr. Tessy Thomas, known as ‘The Missile Woman of India,’ provided valuable insights on the significance of higher education in shaping the future of the graduating class. She discussed the pivotal role of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in India, shedding light on various projects and initiatives undertaken by the premier defense agency.

Bengaluru Rural: Veteran Kannada actress Leelavati was cremated as per Hindu traditions at her farm house, here at Soladevanahalli on Saturday.

The revered actress died due to age-related illness at a private hospital in Nelamangala on Friday.

Several prominent political figures and artists from the film industry arrived at the Dr. BR Ambedkar Grounds in Nelamangala to bid farewell to the actress.

Kalaburagi: A 45-year-old engineer with the Gautam Adani-owned cement company ACC in Wadi town of Chittapur taluk allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself on Thursday morning in a state of tension due to alleged mental harassment by the company management officials.

The deceased engineer has been identified as Ramesh Pawar, a resident of ACC Colony in Wadi and the son-in-law of former BJP legislator from Chittapur constituency Late Valmiki Nayak.

Pawar, who committed suicide in a guest house, reportedly recorded a video during his last minutes, accusing the officials of his company for having led him to take his life by hanging himself. He has also, in the video, urged the concerned authorities to ensure justice for his family, requesting Chittapur legislator and State Government Minister Priyank Kharge to do so.

A case has been filed at the Wadi Police Station and the officers paid a visit to the guest house for inspection.

Bengaluru: A case was registered against a 32-year-old woman by the city police on Thursday after she sent a hoax threat message to a police officer from her husband’s mobile number to take revenge on him for allegedly breaking her cell phone.

According to police, the woman’s husband broke her mobile phone after he stumbled upon her conversations with men she had befriended online.

This angered the woman. When she told this to her male friend, a Bihar native, he hatched a plan with another common friend to trap the woman’s husband. Meanwhile after the woman got another phone, her friend allegedly forwarded a hoax message about a bomb threat to her and suggested that she send it to a senior police officer from her husband’s phone.

The woman acted on his suggestion and allegedly forwarded the hoax bomb threat from her husband’s phone to the police officer on December 3, claiming that there would be a series of RDX bomb blasts. Once the message was sent successfully, she allegedly deleted it from his mobile phone, they said.

Later, when the woman’s husband was detained for questioning, the police turned suspicious and questioned his wife. She then confessed to having sent the message from her husband’s phone to seek revenge on him for breaking her phone, they added.

The woman and her accomplices who gave her the idea of sending the threat message have been booked under different sections of Indian Penal Code as well as the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is underway, police said.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday challenged senior BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal to prove his charge that Muslim religious leader Syed Tanveer Hashmi — with whom he shared the stage earlier this week — is a sympathiser of terror group ISIS.

He also asked the BJP leader to get the matter investigated by the central agencies since his own party is governing at the Centre.

Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said he has known Hashmi for many years, and wondered why the BJP was “silent” during this time.

“Yatnal does the politics of hatred. He does anti-minorities politics. He should not do this to win elections. Further, he is a big liar. Now Hashmi has asked him to prove his charge. Let him do it. After all, his government is there at the Centre,” Siddaramaiah said.

“His (party’s) government is there for the past 10 years at the Centre. What have they been doing all these years?” he asked.

The chief minister claimed that Yatnal had tried to become the state unit president of the BIP and leader of opposition in the assembly but failed, “so he is making a baseless allegation”.

Yatnal on Wednesday alleged that Siddaramaiah shared the dais with Hashmi, “a known sympathiser of ISIS”.

“Tanveer Peera (Hashmi) is a terror sympathiser who has links with terror outfits across the Middle East. Attached Images are his recent visits to the Middle East meeting the terror sympathizer and radical Islamic operatives,” Yatnal, a former Union Minister, posted on social media platform X.

He also wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “It has come to my knowledge that Peera (Hashmi) has previously met with radical Islamic outfit leaders in Middle Eastern countries. What is even more alarming is that this is not the first time Peera has met with the CM; they have had multiple encounters in the past,” he said in the letter.

Further, the MLA claimed he has received credible information suggesting that Peera is bringing funds from Muslim countries with the intention of creating unrest in India.

“It is truly unfortunate that the CM either disregarded the advice of his personal security and intelligence or deliberately chose to meet Peera in order to further his own political agenda,” Yatnal further claimed.

“I firmly believe that it is in the best interest of our country to have Peera thoroughly investigated by central agencies, as I suspect that the local police are colluding with the state administration to avoid taking any action against him,” he added.

Claiming that this is a matter of grave national concern, Yatnal said it is imperative that NIA investigate it and take it to a logical conclusion.

Hashmi has denied Yatnal’s charges and challenged him to prove his allegation.

Belagavi: Aimed at curbing rampant irregularities and use of corrupt and unfair means in public examinations in the state, the Karnataka government on Wednesday tabled a bill in the Assembly proposing strict provisions of imprisonment up to 10 years and fine up to Rs 10 crore.

Provisions in the bill, titled Karnataka Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Corruption and Unfair Means in Recruitment) Bill, 2023, also include confiscation of property.

The bill in its statement of objects and reasons states that it has been proposed to provide for effective measures to prevent and curb the offences of leakage of question papers and use of unfair means at public examinations for the purpose of recruitment to any posts under the state government including autonomous bodies, authorities, boards, or corporations.

The new law will work as a deterrent against the rise and trend of unfair means in public examinations and also works as a deterrent for the examinees and criminal masterminds who resort to such tactics, it said.

A designated court for the trial of such offences is provided in this law.

There is no extra expenditure involved in the proposed legislative measure, the bill added.

The government also tabled the Karnataka Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, replacing an ordinance notifying 28 per cent GST on online games, horse racing and casinos.

The 10-day winter session of the Karnataka legislature will start on Monday in Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi.

The entire state machinery will descend on the border city known for its mouth-watering sweet delicacy ‘Kunda’, and pleasant weather, raising expectations from people in North Karnataka.

Several important issues, including drought relief measures, warrant urgent and productive discussions. It is the collective responsibility of the ruling and the opposition parties to ensure that they keep people’s issues and interests as the focus of discussions, although it is impossible to keep aside politics completely.

For the opposition, the session provides a forum to put the government on the mat over what it perceives as the administration’s shortcomings, while the government presents its standpoint even as it attempts to take members into confidence in the process of formulating laws.

This time around, the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) will be working together to take on the Siddaramaiah government on a plethora of issues. Newly appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka and BJP state president BY Vijayendra, also a member of the assembly, will be keen to prove their legislative prowess and ability to coordinate with the regional party leaders to take on the government.

The state cabinet’s decision to withdraw the consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe a disproportionate assets case against Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Minister for Minority Welfare and Wakf BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan’s remarks that all senior BJP MLAs in the state have to bow before a Muslim Speaker is likely to rock the session. They may even derail the proceedings if the government fails to handle the situation deftly.

The new BJP state president has stated that they will not allow Zameer Ahmed Khan to take part in the session. The BJP will also question the government over drought relief measures, power crisis, failure to make much headway in irrigation projects, development works coming to a standstill, and shortcomings in the implementation of guarantee schemes.

Former CM and JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy has also made it clear that he will join forces with BJP to corner the government. JDS and Congress leaders were engaged in a bitter battle over alleged corruption in transfers, allegations against the CM’s son, and power theft charge against Kumaraswamy. The animosity between the ruling and opposition leaders is likely to cast its shadow over the session.

From the Opposition perspective, there are many potent issues to take on the government, and BJP and JD(S) will not let go of those issues. However, those issues should not lead to a deadlock, disrupting the proceedings endlessly as that is not the only strategy to convey the point to the people. Most of all, the Opposition must use all the provisions available within the legislative set-up to corner the government, and the ruling party should accommodate and take the opposition into confidence instead of taking a confrontational path.

Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shetttar, a veteran Congress leader from North Karnataka, who attended all the sessions held in Belagavi, is of the view that conducting the legislative session in Belagavi gives people a sense that the government has come to the region, and it is important to have constructive discussions.

Shettar was the Revenue Minister in the BJP-JDS coalition government when the session was held for the first time in Belagavi in 2006 on the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC) campus. He was also the Assembly Speaker when the foundation stone for the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha was laid. It was inaugurated by then-President Pranab Mukherjee when Shettar was the CM in 2012.

So far, the session has been conducted at Suvarna Soudha for only 90 days. The government annually spends nearly Rs 5 crore for its maintenance and not many state-level offices were shifted to either Suvarna Vidhana Soudha or the North Karnataka region as announced by governments earlier.

Shettar suggests cabinet meetings should be held in Suvarna Soudha once in three months and ministers should hold department meetings once a month.

Ironically, the magnificent structure comes to life just once a year when it is cleaned up and illuminated for the session. For most of the year, it goes almost unnoticed. That should not be the case with the governance and discussions held during the winter session. Members cutting across the party lines should strive to make it count.

Nasheman news

Bengaluru: SVKM’s NMIMS Bengaluru hosted an insightful Y20
Talk on the topic ‘Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance’ featuring Ms.
Surabhi Hodigere. The transformative session was hosted in association with
INDGenius and Y20 India.

The guest speaker at the enriching session, Ms. Surabhi Hodigere, is a prominent public
policy specialist on technology policy and is currently a top research fellow at the
prestigious Aapti Institute in Bangalore. The eminent speaker has a Bachelor’s degree in
Economics (Honors) from the acclaimed Christ University and a Master’s in Public
Policy from the globally renowned Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
She is a well-known advocate of responsible use of technology in improving public
service delivery and public administration. Ms. Surabhi has vast experience working as
a civic-technology entrepreneur and is also a recipient of the noteworthy LAMP
fellowship.

Established by students, alumni and professors from premier educational institutions
across India, INDGenius is a platform for youth, scholars, and young academicians
across premiere private universities, eminent institutes and top boarding schools in
India and aims to act as a network for students offering holistic growth of an individual
with a development-oriented outlook.

Meanwhile, Y20 is the official engagement platform of the G20 and comprises
prominent young leaders and changemakers from the G20 countries. The platform is
aimed at encouraging dialogue and knowledge exchange among top youth leaders of
India and across the world over the challenges facing our generation and for them to
collectively strive to make a positive impact on the world. Together, the top youth
forums hosted the session as part of their ‘Project I-Leads’, an effort to envision India’s
leadership at G20 with a global perspective.

At the enthralling Y20 session, Ms. Surabhi touched upon a range of important topics,
from her experiences in politics to her return from the United States with a desire to
serve the country. She spoke about India’s leadership at the G20 and the massive
success of the G20 Summit held in New Delhi earlier this year. The guest spoke
extensively about the importance of social entrepreneurship and appealed to the young
audience to take the lead in bringing social change. During her interaction with the
young attendees at the session, she stressed the need for reading.
The Y20 Talk at NMIMS Bengaluru was an enriching experience for keen students, who
were provided with an exclusive opportunity to network with professionals and explore
new ideas and perspectives, helping them broaden their horizons.

Expressing her thoughts at the insightful session, Ms. Surabhi Hodigere said, “In order
to bring about social change, the youth of today will have to play a transformative role
and take important responsibilities in governance and drive public policy.”
Appreciating the initiative taken up by INDGenius and Y20 India and thanking Ms.
Surabhi for her gracing the occasion, Dr. Narayani Ramachandran, Deputy Director,
NMIMS Bengaluru, said, “We welcome the initiative taken up by INDGenius and Y20
India to empower the youth and students of India with interactive and insightful
programmes like the Y20 Talk. Additionally, we would like to thank Ms. Surabhi for
gracing our campus and providing her rich insights to our students.”

About NMIMS Bengaluru
The School of Business Management (SBM) Bengaluru campus has been ranked first in
the “Top B-Schools under Private Universities” category in Karnataka by Open
Magazine. NMIMS Bengaluru was ranked second in the city-wise category by Fortune
India Magazine and was awarded a rating of A+++ by Business India Magazine. Business
Today Magazine ranked NMIMS Bengaluru third in the city-wise category, seventh in
the south-zone category, and 15th among the private B-schools.

KALABURAGI:  Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka on Tuesday said that the BJP will put pressure on the Congress State Government in the upcoming winter session of the legislature to provide crop loss compensation to drought-hit farmers of Karnataka.

Ashoka was in Kalaburagi as part of BJP’s state-wide drought study tour. He visited agriculture fields in Srinivasa Saradagi village of Kalaburagi taluk and Kadaganchi village of Aland taluk.

The BJP leader told Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not to blame the Centre and mislead people on crop compensation. “Let the CM inform people of the real facts,” he said.

Ashoka said that when he was the revenue minister, the government led by Basavaraj Bommai released double the amount prescribed in NDRF norms. “The Centre will release the compensation as per NDRF norms and the State Government has to add some amount to help the affected farmers,” he said. NDRF norms were framed when Manmohan Singh was the PM and the amount was enhanced after Narendra Modi became the PM, he added.

“Instead of blaming the Centre, let the State Government release money for compensation or let it tell the people that it has become bankrupt,” the BJP leader said, adding that the government announced the guarantees just to win the elections. He said the BJP would put the government on the mat in the upcoming session. “The Congress claims that the BJP has no issues to target the government. The Congress fails to understand that the party itself has given many weapons to fix it in the Assembly.

Apart from crop loss compensation, we also raise the issue of the ‘cash for transfer’ scam and removing the portrait of Veer Savarkar from the Council, among other issues, he said. Commenting on the recent attack on BJP leader Manikanta Rathod, Ashoka said, “Gunda culture has increased after the Congress came to power this May.”  He also said that if Congress touches the RSS, it is nothing but digging its own grave.

Suspended JD(S) leader C M Ibrahim

Bengaluru: Suspended JD(S) leader C M Ibrahim claimed on Monday that he is still the party’s Karnataka president and whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda will remain its national president will be known on December 9. Ibrahim said he will be moving to court seeking a stay of his suspension from the party and will also be writing to the Election Commission in this regard.

Ibrahim was on November 17 suspended from the JD(S) for alleged anti-party activities.

Gowda earlier had replaced Ibrahim as the party state president on October 19 and appointed his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in his place.

“I’m still the state president of JD(S) even now. If he (Gowda) is national president, will be known on December 9…where will he (Gowda) remain as national president, if national council members and state presidents remove him?,” Ibrahim said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, “I still appeal to Deve Gowda — you are 90, don’t do it (go with BJP) — for the sake of your son. Don’t sacrifice the principles you stood by for your entire life. Even when Ramvilas Paswan and Sharad Yadav went away, you stood by your ideology, and Janata Dal Secular came into existence (after the split of Janata Dal in 1999).” A meeting of JD(S) leaders from various states held in Thiruvananthapuram last week, decided to hold a national plenary session of the party at Bengaluru on December 9 to formally reject the decision of Gowda to join the BJPled National Democratic Alliance.

Party national vice-president C K Nanu had said unless Gowda revokes the decision to join the NDA, the party’s plenary would be held on December 9 to formally reject the decision, and go ahead with further actions against Gowda for taking a unilateral decision.

Responding to his suspension from the party by Gowda, Ibrahim said, “What madness is this? Is he himself in the party? Who is with him? A National Council meeting happened, 11 party state presidents had come for the meeting, they (Gowda and others) are in a panic. Ask them to call at least a state executive meeting. They are meeting in either resorts or a home or hotel with eight to ten people.”

The meeting was called by Nanu, he said. “He (Gowda) wrote to them not to call a meeting, but the meeting was called…where they decided to give time to Gowda and others till December 9; if they don’t change their decision (to join NDA) we will take our further step. I was also part of the meeting.”

Stating that he wasn’t served any notice or letter before suspending him from the party, Ibrahim, responding to a question, said: “Is it his (Gowda) home? Am I his servant? He can do that to Kumaraswamy or anyone else he has employed….He can’t do it to me. I’m moving to court and seeking a stay. I’m also writing to the Election Commission. I’m waiting for the December 9 meeting.” Ibrahim had raised a banner of revolt against the JD(S) leadership, following its decision to join the NDA.

A former union minister, Ibrahim, had earlier even claimed that his faction is the original JD(S) for being “secular” and that, being the state president, he could take a decision about the outfit in Karnataka.