Madikeri: Scores of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members, including its state president B.S Yeddyurappa, were arrested on Thursday who were protesting against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for celebrating the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan and also for the killings of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and party activists in the state.

Places like Gulbarga and Madikeri saw heavy deployments of state reserve police force to quell violent protests.

“Arrested while protesting against the Cong government for celebrating Tippu Jayanti. Will scrap this Jayanti within 24hrs of forming BJP govt in 2018,” Yeddyurappa Tweeted.

Talking to media, former chief minister Yeddyurappa said that he met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to refer the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the killings of the BJP and RSS workers

“We met Rajnath Singh and requested him to constitute a proper inquiry and refer it to the NIA for which he has agreed. We know very well that more than 18 deaths took place recently, so I don’t know why Siddaramaiah is bent upon celebrating Tipu sultan programme. We are holding state-wide protests against the government,” Yeddyurappa said.

The Congress government views Tipu Sultan as a patriot who fought against the British.

However, the BJP and the RSS views are completely different from those of the state government, who regard Tipu Sultan as a tyrant monarch and for his biasness against Hindus.

(ANI)

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that people can withdraw the new series of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes from the ATMs from Thursday midnight.

“ATMs will start functioning from today (Thursday) midnight. People can withdraw the new currency notes,” Jaitley told TV channel CNN-News 18 in an interview.

The government demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from November 8 midnight. New notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denomination are being issued starting Thursday in banks and post offices.

Lakhs of anxious people made a beeline to banks and post offices on Thursday to exchange their old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Most private and public sector bank branches were seen jampacked with customers.

With the ATMs giving out new currency from midnight, it is expected to ease the queues before the banks and post offices that were witnessed entire day on Thursday.

All banks have been directed to work for 12 hours on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to clear the rush of desperate customers for exchange transactions and, if required, remain open even next Sunday (November 20).

Jaitley said that a total amount of Rs 14 lakh crore is in circulation in the economy in high denomination notes. “But how much will be replaced by people, I cannot predict,” he said.

(IANS)

In an embarrassing incident, Karnataka education minister Tanveer Sait was caught watching porn on his phone during Tipu Jayathi celebrations in Raichur.

In a footage shown by local channels, Sait is seen shamelessly browsing through the photographs of skimpily-clad women as other speakers were praising the brave acts of Tipu Sultan.

The opposition BJP has called for his resignation, saying Sait had “no moral authority to continue as a Minister”. Incidentally, in 2012, two BJP MLAs had been caught watching porn on their cell phones in parliament.

Mumbai: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Thursday announced that Ishaat Hussain will be the new Chairman of the board of directors of the company in place of Cyrus Mistry with immediate effect.

Tata Sons has also issued a special notice under Section 169 (read with Section 115) of the Companies Act, 2013, and made a requisition for an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders to consider the removal of Mistry as a director of TCS.

“Hussain shall hold office as Chairman of the company until a new chairman is appointed in his place,” the company said in a regulatory filing.

Tata Sons had removed Mistry, 48, as chairman of Tata Sons last month saying he had lost the confidence of the board due to several factors and that the trustees were increasingly concerned with the growing trust deficit.

Ratan Tata, who had made room for Mistry four years ago, was reinstated as the chair in an interim capacity.

Hussain, 69, took over as director finance of Tata Sons in July 2000. Earlier, he joined the board as an executive director in July 1999. He is also a director of several Tata firms — Tata Industries, Tata Steel and Voltas. Besides, he is the chairman of Voltas and Tata Sky.

Prior to joining Tata Sons, Hussain was senior vice president and executive director of finance at Tata Steel for almost 10 years. He joined the board of the Indian Tube Company (a Tata Steel associate) in 1981 and moved to Tata Steel in 1983 after the company was merged with Tata Steel.

A chartered accountant by training from Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, he graduated in economics from St. Stephens College in New Delhi.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: Long queues were seen outside banks across the country and also at RBI counters for replacement of old Rs 500 and 1,000 notes as banks opened today after demonatisation of such bills by the government on Tuesday.

Following the decision, banks were shut yesterday to stock lower denomination cash and new security-featured Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes. Banks have made additional arrangements for exchanging cash and deposit of old high denomination notes in order to handle heavy rush.

Banks have been asked to be open on weekends including Sunday to deal with the situation. It may be noted that ATMs are not functional today.

In order to meet the demand of new currency notes, the government has imposed a limit on withdrawal of Rs 10,000 per day and Rs 20,000 per week. This limit, however, will be increased in the coming days.

People have been allowed to exchange old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 at any bank or head post office or sub-post office with a daily limit of Rs 4,000 while showing ID proof up to November 24.

Withdrawal from ATM will be a restricted to Rs 2,000 per day per card in the first few days, which will later be raised to Rs 4,000 later.

People, however, can deposit the old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 in banks or post office accounts from November 10, till December 30, 2016 without any limit.

(PTI)

New Delhi: Having junked 86 per cent of total currency in circulation with the demonitisation decision, government today sought to assuage anxious public saying banks and post offices would start giving out high denomination replacement notes from tomorrow even as it expanded the list of exempt public utilities.

Besides, it expanded the list of areas where the withdrawn notes will be accepted till November 11 midnight. They include payments for metro rail tickets, highway and road toll, purchase of medicines on doctor prescription from government and private pharmacies, LPG gas cylinders, railway catering and ASI monuments entry tickets.

A 72-hour relaxation for use of such notes was given yesterday for government hospitals, railway ticketing, public transport, airline ticketing counters at airports, milk booths, crematoria/burial grounds and petrol pumps.

Banks and ATMs were shut today to remove old Rs 500/1000 notes and stock them with lower denomination and new hard-to- fake Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 currency notes. Banks will open tomorrow as RBI has sent truckloads of new notes throughout the country, while some ATMs will begin dispensing cash.

“Through RBI’s currency chest, adequate currency is (being) provided in all banks and post offices. But it would require 2-3 weeks for full adequate replacement. It would begin tomorrow morning,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here.

Withdrawal limitations – Rs 2,000 a day from ATM per card and Rs 10,000 through bank account on a day and Rs 20,000 in a week, will continue for some time, he said. “As and when more currency comes into banking system, there will be a rethink on those limitations.”

Officials said that while honest tax payers as well as housewives and farmers with genuine savings have nothing to worry if they deposit old currencies in their bank accounts and take out replacement ones, tax authorities would keep a close watch on high-value deposits made from illicit sources, black money or crime money.

Housewives, farmers and those whose annual income is within the tax exemption limit may not be hounded by tax authorities for depositing up to Rs 2.5 lakh of the now- defunct higher denomination currency notes in bank accounts.

“It should be clear that it is no immunity scheme. This (deposit) does not provide any relief from taxation. The law of land will apply (on source of fund),” he said. “If the money is legitimate which had been previously withdrawn from bank or earned legally and saved and had been disclosed, there is nothing to worry about”.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: Senior journalist and TV anchor Girish Nikam died in New Delhi Tuesday following a massive heart attack. Nikam, 59, complained of uneasiness after a programme shoot in the studios and was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he breathed his last, according to his associates.

He started his journalistic career with “Star of Mysore” in Mysuru and later shifted to Indian Express, Bengaluru. He had worked in other media organisations including India Today, Deccan Chronicle and News Today before doing programmes for Rajya Sabha TV. Nikam’s body is being taken to Bengaluru tomorrow for the last rites.

Prasar Bharati Chairman A Suryaprakash was among others who condoled the death of Nikam. Suryaprakash said Nikam was an extremely versatile mediaperson who traversed the worlds of print, television and social media. Vice President Hamid Ansari also condoled Nikam’s death saying he was a valued and respected member of Rajya Sabha Television.

Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venakaiah Naidu said he was saddened at the death of Nikam who had made great contribution to the profession of journalism. He also visited the RML hospital, where 59-year-old Nikam had breathed his last.

Rajya Sabha TV CEO Gurdeep Singh Sappal said his passing away was a huge loss for RSTV. “Girish was a voice of sobriety and compassion in the debates he conducted,” he said.

A release by RSTV said Nikam anchored ‘The Big Picture’ programme ever since its inception. His “understated style and rich content stood apart in the cacophony of prime time TV discussions”, it said.

(PTI)