UDAIPUR/BENGALURU:  Coming down hard on the Union government over the state of the Indian economy, Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said the country’s financial situation was deteriorating day by day. “The government has resorted to a vicious attempt to manipulate figures so that people do not know the facts.

The Planning Commission was abolished and the NITI Aayog was constituted. The task of this NITI Aayog is to prepare the figures required by the central government or the BJP government. The Central government has stopped conducting surveys which are to be conducted fairly,” he said at the Congress’ brainstorming session in Udaipur, Rajasthan, on Sunday.

Giving examples, he said the National Sample Survey Office has stopped conducting surveys. It surveyed issues such as employment and presented the facts to governments. The surveys of this institution have been stopped altogether. In 2017- 18, the survey was suggested to be conducted.

The agency also conducted a survey, but as soon as it came to know that it was a complete contradiction to the functioning of the government, the Modi government ensured that the survey was not released. The report was to indicate that the situation in the country was heading towards extreme distress, he added.

“Unless people properly understand the country’s current economic situation and raise their voices, there is no possibility of the country recovering. The central government’s monetary policy is ruining the economy of the states and weakening the federal system.

The debt of all the states in the country stood at Rs 24.71 lakh crore as of March 2014, but by March 2022, it crossed Rs 70 lakh crore. If the loans made in 2022 are included, this amount will be around Rs 80 lakh crore,” Siddaramaiah said. He claimed that the fiscal deficit of states is also increasing and explained that from 2012- 17, till demonetisation, only four of 14 major states were facing the problem of fiscal deficit. In 2021-22, except for two states, all other states are facing the problem of fiscal deficit.

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said the state government would issue an order to distribute sites and houses for acid attack victims, who would also be provided with an assistance of up to Rs 5 lakh under the self-employment scheme. Speaking after launching a helpline ‘Hello Revenue Minister-Pension at the doorstep in 72 Hours’ started by the Revenue department, the CM said acid attack victims undergo acute mental agony and rejection by the society. 

“It is the responsibility of the government help them. In this regard their monthly pension has been raised from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000. Apart from this, they would be provided site and housing. Financial assistance up to Rs 5 lakh for self employment will also be provided so that they can start a venture of their own to lead a life with dignity,” the CM said.

New initiatives
The CM said the programme to deliver revenue documents to the doorstep of the farmers has been launched and this will help over 50 lakh families. The objective to deliver social security pensions to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries will be fulfilled, he said. A massive initiative to make the administration responsive and deliver the services at the doorsteps of the citizens has been launched. “This is a government with a conscience. Our government will not hesitate to take hard decisions to improve the life of the common man,” he said.

Panaji: The Goa Police have arrested a man from his home town in neighbouring Karnataka for allegedly raping a 12-year-old Russian girl at a resort in Arambol in North Goa, where he worked as a room attendant, an official said on Thursday.

The accused, Ravi Lamani (28), a married man, was arrested by a team of Pernem police on May 10 at Gadag in Karnataka for the incident of sexual assault that had happened on May 6. The mother of the victim had lodged a complaint on May 9, he said.

Talking to PTI, inspector of Pernem police station, Vikram Naik, said the woman complained that her minor daughter was sexually assaulted in the swimming pool of the resort and later inside the hotel room by the accused, who works as a room attendant at the resort.

“As per the complaint, the incident took place when the girl’s mother had gone out to fetch some necessary items from a nearby market in Arambol, leaving her daughter behind in the swimming pool,” he said.

Naik said the accused had fled after the incident.

“But within 24 hours of receiving the complaint, the accused was arrested after he was traced in Gadag,” he said.

Lamani was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 376 (rape), section 8 of the Goa Children’s Act and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Naik said.

Bengaluru: Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has alleged that senior IPS officer P Ravindranath’s purported resignation pointed to corruption in the state government.

Ravindranath in an official communication to the government on Tuesday reportedly said he was prematurely transferred after taking legal action against people involved in a fake caste certificate issue.

The officer was transferred as the Director General of Police (Training) on May 4.

Siddaramaiah said Ravindranath was assigned to investigate those who had availed fake certificates and take action against them.

“As per Ravindranath’s statement, he has investigated a few influential leaders and hence he was transferred by the government,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that this was not correct.

“M P Renukacharya (former minister and BJP leader) has taken fake ‘Beda Jangama’ caste certificate for his daughter. This was discussed even in the state assembly. He is not eligible to take Beda Jangama. There should be action against him,” the Congress leader alleged in his media statement.

“Where there is corruption, we cannot expect stability and good governance. There is huge corruption in BJP government. How can we expect justice? the Leader of Opposition said.

Renukacharya, who is also Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s political secretary, has not responded to the allegations made by Siddaramaiah.

Hiriyadka: In a major boost to the morale of local police, the team investigating the double murder case of a young mother and 10-year-old daughter have arrested the accused within 48 hours of the murder. The young woman identified as Cheluvi and her daughter were found murdered on May 8 at their residence at Mullagujje, Atradi here.

The arrested accused has been identified as Harish R aka Ganesha (29), a distant relative of late Cheluvi, police sources said.

The case was being investigated by a team of police officials led by Brahmavar Circle Police Inspector Anantha Padmanabha and comprised of Hiriyadka SI Anil B Madara, Kota SI Madhu BE, Probationary SI Manjunath, and Ravi B Karagi and staffs Raghavendra and Nitin.

According to the police investigation, Harish was taking advantage of Cheluvi’s widowhood while pestering her to marry him. He was also visiting her house frequently. However, it is learned that Harish was already married and had two children.

According to reports, Harish envied Cheluvi’s connection with other men over the phone and had an argument with Cheluvi while her daughter was asleep. In the heat of the argument, Harish fiercely murdered her by strangling her with a shawl, reports said.

Fearing testimony of the 10-year-old daughter, he murdered the child similarly, before escaping from the scene and going underground with jewelry worth Rs 50 thousand and the deceased’s mobile phone, police said.

District superintendent of Police Vishnuvardhan lauded the investigating team for their efforts and congratulated them on cracking the case and arresting the accused within 48-hours of the crime.

Parmesh S Jain

The Hennur police on Monday arrested three habitual offenders and recovered a country made pistol,10 petrol bombs and other lethal weapons from them.

The accused has been identified as,Syed Asghar, Fayazulla and Munawwar Pasha.

Senior officer told reporters,the Hennur police inspector received a tip off that it is alleged that a group of miscreants is trying to create violence type situation in the area and are in possession with country made pistols and other lethal weapons and are trying to attack someone.

Based on information Hennur police inspector Vasanth and his team swung into action the team kept a close watch from three days they were combing the area in their area upon receiving credible information the team raided a house in Saraipalya and recovered country made pistol,10 Petrol bombs and other lethal weapons.

During investigation the accused confessed the crime and revealed that they stored the lethal weapons to attack their rival Mohammed Azeemuddin,a rowdy sheeter from Saraipalya.

The accused confessed that they had old rivalry with Azeemuddin and wanted to take revenge against him.

Further investigations revealed that Azeemuddin had forced one of the accused Fayazulla to vacate the house and he incurred loss to the tune of several lakhs .

In order to avenge the humiliation,Fayazulla ganged up with his associated Asghar and Munawwar to attack Azeemuddin and implicate his rivals .

However their plan was foiled when the police based on a tip off raided the houses of the accused and recovered the arms .

Senior officer said the development has nothing to do with the ongoing loudspeaker issue.He also clarified that the petrol bombs were stored not to attack the Hindu leaders or devotees and that here was no role of any organisation behind the accused.

A raid was conducted as per the revelation by accused Syed Asgar,an arms dealer,who was arrested by the Hennur police recently.

He further said that the Hennur police had arrested a rowdy-sheeter Mohammad Ajeemuddin on suspicion that he was conspiring to carry out an attack on his rival gang and was amassing weapons along with his associates.

The police had formed three teams and nabbed Syed Asgar, Fayaz Ulla and Munawar Pasha.The investigations revealed that Fayaz nursed a grudge against Mohammad Ajeemuddin. Therefore, he wanted to fix him in a case and stored the petrol bombs.

The accused had purchased 19 beer bottles and filled 10 bottles with petrol, he said.

Fayaz has eight cases,including murder charges, idol theft and case under the Arms Act against him.Further investigation is on.

Meanwhile in the FIR it states that if their plan gets foiled of killing their rival they may create tense situation in the area by damaging public property and harming people with lethal weapons and country made pistol and to create tense situation they have prepared Petrol bombs in beer bottles says FIR.

Finally Bengaluru police commissioner,Kamal Pant has appreciated Addl CP East,A subramanyeshwara Rao,DCP,EastDr Bheemashankar S Guled,and his whole team for the Excellent work and investigation done by them and foiled their all plans to create disharmony in the society a special reward will be given to whole team as,ACPs,as,Ningappa B Sakkari,Rangappa T,Jagadish KS,PIS,as,M Vasanth Kumar,Melwin Francis,Santhosh,Prakash and Rohith,PSIs,as,Ningaraj,Anand,Shahjahan, Mounesh,Rajesh,Pratap and whole crime staff has been appreciated for the exemplary work done by them in foiling their plans he added.

Parmesh S Jain

Highlights of the meeting:

• Administration should be for the people and by the people.Government’s programmes should be taken to the doors of the people through decentralisation of power.People should not be made to run around to seek the services.
• Work for the welfare of the poor.Take bold decisions if it helps the cause of the poor.CEOs should work independently and have proper control over the lower rund officials.
• Impart discipline among the PDOs and inspect the work spot frequently.
• Prepare a road map to implement budget programmes.
• Selection of beneficiaries for housing and other welfare programmes in the districts should be completed without any delay.
• All the programmes and projects should be implemented in a time bound manner.
• Formulate programs for eradication of malnutrition.
• Organise Covid vaccination drives in districts for children.
• Work culture should change from today itself. Work in such a way that people’s faith in the system is restored.
• Construction of 7000 classrooms is a major project. It should be implemented on a priority basis.Similarly upgradation of 100 Primary Health Centres,construction of 100 students hostels, opening of Namma Clinics in cities, Mukhyamantri Arogya Vahini and other programmes should be implemented without any delay.

Jal Jeevan Mission project:

• Jal Jeevan Mission is a dream project of Prime Minister Modi and it should be completed before the end of 2023. All the files pending before the Chief Engineers should be cleared within a week.
• The Batch 1 works of Jal Jeevan Mission should be completed within a month.
• The work progress should be reviewed every month and progress reports should be submitted. CM set the deadline of March end to provide tapped drinking water to 80 lakh households.

Mahatma Gandhi NAREGA

• There should be no delay in paying wages for the workers under the programme.
• Action should be taken immediately for geo-tagging of assets created under the programme.
• Works under the Amrit Gram Panchayat scheme should be completed before June 30.

Development of Irrigation Lakes.

• Prime Minister’s Amrit Sarovar project seeks to rejuvenate 75 irrigation lakes in each district. The work should be taken up as top priority.
• The pending amount under the 14th Finance Commission should be utilised for works on drinking water, school buildings and construction of anganwadi centres.

Health and Family Welfare

• Referring to high rate of cesarean section surgeries in some districts, the Chief Minister asked the officials to examine the reasons for that in districts which have reported a high number of such cases.
• Infant Mortality rate in the State is at 23 per 1000 births and measures should be taken to find the reasons and reduce this rate.

Housing

• Deadline should be fixed for construction of houses in rural areas and selection of beneficiaries.
• Once the beneficiary list is finalised it should be forwarded to Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation.

Warning the officials against any delay in implementing the budget programmes,Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said,”you are under my radar.

My government will not tolerate any delay in implementing the budget programmes.You are under my radar.I am watching all of you.

The Chief Minister was addressing a meeting of Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayats.

You are all young.God has given you an opportunity to do good work.Make best use of the opportunity.

Serve the poor and the weaker sections.Make your contribution in building a new India by building a new Karnataka.

But delay and corruption in implementing budget programmes will not be tolerated.This is very clear and you better mind it and work honestly,” Bommai said.

CM Bommai wants the faith restored on the system

The Chief Minister asked the officers to restore the public faith in the system by implementing the welfare programmes announced by the government.

Scholarships for the school children, empowerment of women and programmes for Sthree Shakthi Groups need to be implemented effectively.

Take bold decisions in implementing the programmes.Your work is being monitored. Strengthen the Panchayat system,Bommai said.

Parmesh S jain

The Supreme Court has issued an order on the use of loudspeakers in public places, the then State government too had in 2002 issued an order in this regard.

Action would be taken to implement it in a cordial manner,Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

The Chief Minister spoke to media persons on the issue after chairing a meeting of CEOs of Zilla Panchayats and at a programme organised by Gayathri Peetha Mutt.

There is a Supreme Court order on the issue of use of loudspeakers in public places.The Union government has issued an order in accordance with the recommendations of the Central Pollution Control Board.

It clearly specifies the places and decibel levels for use of loudspeakers in public places. In 2002 the Karnataka government issued an order to implement this order.

We have decided to implement the Supreme Court order,the orders of the Union and State governments in this regard,Bommai explained.

Instructions to implement the order:

The onus of implementing the order lies with police officers of the rank of DYSP in respective areas.

The order specifies details on various aspects of the issue like as to whether the loudspeakers are used all through the year,the need to obtain clearance for this.Suitable guidelines would be issued to enforce the order,Bommai said.

Everyone should obey the order

No one should take the law into their hands while implementing the order.Everyone should obey the order. It would resolve all the issues. It is being followed in many states including Uttar Pradesh, Bommai said.

Parmesh S Jain

We are rendering justice to backward classes by infusing strength to them,Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

He was speaking at a function organised by Sri Gayathri Peetha Mahasamsthana.

A separate Commission headed by Justice Bhaktavatsala has been constituted to provide suitable political representation for backward classes.

Development of backward communities would be realised through education,employment and empowerment,Bommai said.

Various programmes have been formulated for the development of backward classes.

Financial assistance under Nekara Samman Yojana for weavers has been increased to Rs5000,the interest rate on loans obtained from cooperative and scheduled banks has been reduced from 8% to 2-3%.

New schemes are being formulated for the welfare of the community,Bommai said.

Citing the grants provided by the state government for various Mutts,Bommai said, every possible help would be provided for various Mutts,Rs.1 cr has been granted for Gayathri Peetha and an additional Rs.4 cr would be provided.

Parmesh S Jain

Karnataka is the ideal destination for investment. There are a lot of places to live, but very few places on the earth to create.

Karnataka is a place where you can create your own world,Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

The Chief Minister interacting with Ambassadors of various countries to showcase ‘Invest Karnataka-2022 Global Investors’ Meet’ in New Delhi said,growth of Karnataka is not by design, it is very scientific.There is a natural ecosystem for growth of every sector in Karnataka.”

We are the first state to produce machine tools, we are the first state to have an Aerospace unit in India,we are the first state to reach the moon through the satellites built by ISRO.We are the first people to make a mark in Biotechnology.

We have one of the finest pharma industries in Karnataka.The State is at the top in the IT sector.

If there is another Silicon Valley apart from the one in the USA,that is in Asia and India,that is in Bengaluru.

We are competing with American Silicon Valley, not with anybody here,Bommai said.

We have got the best Genomic Labs,we have Artificial Intelligence Labs.You name the technology that is there well established in karnataka.

We have 400 R & D centres in government and private sector,of which 180 are world’s finest R & D centres,Bommai said.

Efficiency and excellence is the key word

With globalization the world has become small. Efficiency and excellence is the key word.A healthy competition is going on in the international economy.

Therefore with all the strength at our command we are proposing Karnataka to the world.We have a very rich heritage.

Athithi Devo Bhava, which means guests are our Gods, is our culture.We have rich heritage,culture, values and natural resources,Bommai said.

Karnataka is blessed with rich natural resources, the State has10 agro climatic zones,copious rivers,rich vegetation and people with progressive mind.

The State has laid a strong foundation in agriculture,manufacturing and service sector. Ambassadors of the best countries of the world are here,every one of you have achieved excellence in one or the other sector.

It is a confluence of excellence.Karnataka believes in growing together. Investing in Karnataka is mutually beneficial,Bommai said in his interaction with the Ambassadors of various countries.