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New Delhi: The government has appointed Shirish Chandra Murmu as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a three-year term.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment, sources said on Monday.
Murmu is currently Executive Director at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
New Delhi: An illegal storage unit of firecrackers was busted in the Badarpur area on Wednesday, the police said, adding that an arrest was made in the case as well.
Ahead of the festive season, around 225 kilograms of firecracker material was seized, the police added.
“The accused has been identified as Dharamvir Singh, a resident of Badarpur. A team had been tasked to act against illegal stocking and sale of firecrackers,” a police officer stated.
On September 16, police received a tip-off about the illegal storage of firecrackers in the Moladband area of Badarpur. Following verification of the information, a raid was conducted on Wednesday at a rooftop room of a building. During the search, police discovered a substantial stock of firecrackers weighing around 225 kilograms. Singh, who was present at the scene, was apprehended immediately, the officer added.
During questioning, Singh allegedly disclosed that he had procured the consignment from Palwal in Haryana two days earlier. He planned to sell the firecrackers during the upcoming festive season, but failed to produce any valid license or authorisation for their storage or sale.
“Storing such a large quantity of firecrackers without safety measures or authorisation poses a serious threat to public safety. Immediate action was taken to seize the material and apprehend the accused,” he added.
A case has been registered under the relevant legal provisions, and further investigation is underway to trace the source and identify others involved in the illegal supply chain, the police stated.
Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday criticised the ruling BJP over the alleged killing of a 20-year-old NEET aspirant in Gorakhpur by suspected cattle smugglers, saying that despite seeking votes on the promise of ending cattle smuggling, the UP government has failed to curtail such activities in the last nine years.
The Gorakhpur incident shows that the government’s slogan of zero tolerance has become zero Yadav said at a press conference.
In Gorakhpur, the victim, Deepak Gupta, was allegedly killed in a confrontation between cattle smugglers and villagers on Monday night, prompting protests by locals.
The SP chief alleged that the BJP was encouraging such illegal trade. “Questions have been raised many times that people of the Bharatiya Janata Party have worked to promote such business (cattle slaughter), and as a result, India is number one in (meat) exports and many people have also invested in it,” he claimed.
They were taking votes in the name of banning cattle slaughter, but “even after 9 years, smuggling is taking place there and a young man has lost his life”, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
Yadav also extended his critique to alleged land-grabbing activities. “The Bharatiya Janata Party and its associates are constantly trying to grab valuable land, and information about this has been coming from different districts at different times,” he alleged.
He said that similar reports are coming from Varanasi and now from Gorakhpur, where a “scam is going on on a large scale regarding land”.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has promised to resolve the city’s longstanding road issues, announcing a deadline of November to fill all potholes across Bengaluru.
The assurance, which echoes similar pledges in previous years, comes amid growing frustration from residents and businesses, as Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure continues to tarnish the city’s image.
We have given an ultimatum to contractors and engineers to repair potholes by November.
Our government is committed to providing a clean Bengaluru and also ensure smooth movement of vehicles Shivakumar stated in a post on X.
He said that asphalting works covering 349 km across 182 roads are underway at an estimated cost of Rs 649 crore. “I have directed officials to complete this project quickly so that there are no potholes or instances of waterlogging
In addition, the Deputy CM highlighted that 178 roads, covering about 401 kilometers, are currently under the Defect Liability Period (DLP). Contractors responsible for these roads have been instructed to maintain them and ensure that no potholes develop.
The post, published on X, has received mixed reactions from the public. One user remarked, “Deadlines have been set countless times over the years, but the situation keeps worsening. This November will likely pass with little change.” The user further suggested that ward incharges be rewarded for filling all potholes or suspended if they fail to meet the target.
Another user proposed that the government provide a 50 percent rebate on property tax if the GBA and the corporations fail to meet the deadline.
Mangaluru: Ahead of the social and educational survey (caste census) that the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission will conduct from September 22, a meeting of Muslim jamaats and organisation leaders of Dakshina Kannada district was held under the leadership of Zeenath Baksh Jumma Masjid and the Muslim Central Committee on Wednesday evening at the Yenepoya Hospital auditorium in Mangaluru.
In the meeting, the Commission’s Secretary, Urmila B, explained how the caste census survey will be conducted and what kind of questions the teachers visiting households will ask. She later responded to the queries raised by the participants.
Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader, who spoke at the meeting, highlighted the importance of the survey and urged everyone to participate without fail and provide correct information. He also appealed to the public to share information with the surveyors at the earliest and extend full cooperation.
Following this, a discussion was held among jamaat and organisation leaders on how to respond to questions on religion, caste and sub-caste in the caste census.
After deliberations, the following decisions were taken:
Since the survey will be a new experience for villagers and those with limited education, there is a possibility of confusion. Therefore, social workers, activists and all community organisations must extend their support. Mosques, madrasas, organisations, local jamaats, committees, youth groups and community volunteers should take up awareness programmes among Muslims. With limited time available for preparations, immediate action must be taken.
All individuals and families in the community must be mentally prepared for the census. When government officials visit their homes, they must be welcomed with respect and given full cooperation.
Before September 22, every family should keep ready their ration card, Aadhaar card of all members above six years of age, voter ID card and other necessary documents.
Even if the questionnaire looks lengthy, there is no need to panic. People should answer only the questions they know. For questions they do not know, they can simply respond that they do not know.
In Column 8 of the questionnaire, where religion is asked, all Muslims should mention ‘Islam’.
In Column 9, where caste is asked, Muslims should write ‘Muslim’.
In Column 10, which seeks details of sub-caste, those belonging to the Beary community should write ‘Beary’. Others may mention their specific group, such as Khassab, Kasai, Attari, etc. Alternatively, they may also write only ‘Muslim’.
In Column 15, regarding mother tongue, Beary-speaking people should mention ‘Beary’. Those speaking Urdu, Nawayathi or other languages should write the name of their respective language.
The questionnaire contains 60 questions, but many of them will not apply to everyone. Such questions need not be answered, and respondents may simply say they do not know.
The meeting was attended by Zeenath Baksh Jumma Masjid President Yenepoya Abdullah Kunhi, Central Committee President Alhaj K S Muhammad Masood, S M Rasheed Haji, Hanif Haji, Abdussalam Puthige, former Mayor Ashraf, and leaders of other major organisations.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government may be forced to cut spending on key sectors such as education, healthcare, and urban development in order to fund the ambitious Rs 75,000-crore Upper Krishna Project (UKP), according to an internal note from the state’s finance department, cited by Deccan Herald on Thursday.
The UKP will require an additional expenditure of Rs 75,000 crore over the next four years, roughly Rs 18,000 crore annually, based on new compensation rates approved by the Cabinet for acquisition of 1.33 lakh acres.
According to the internal note which DH said it reviewed, the finance department stated that money for the project could be raised by implementing a 20% cut in the Rs 80,197 crore developmental outlay (excluding ‘guarantee’ schemes and committed expenditure), which would free up Rs 16,039 crore. These cuts would impact department-wise allocations for education, health, urban development, and other sectors.
Alternatively, if developmental allocations are not reduced, the state may have to scale down some of its flagship initiatives. This includes revisiting allocations under the government’s ‘guarantee’ schemes and subsidies for irrigation pump sets. This year alone, Rs 51,034 crore has been allocated towards guarantee schemes. To bridge the gap, around Rs 15,000 crore could be redirected from these programs, the report added.
Under the UKP, the height of the Almatti Dam will be raised to irrigate 5.94 lakh hectares in Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Koppal and Gadag districts, making it a significant project for north Karnataka.
Fund cuts are the only way forward as resource mobilisation reportedly seems unviable. The finance department mentioned that Karnataka recorded a revenue shortfall of Rs 7,413 crore in the first five months of the current fiscal year. The state is also expected to lose Rs 6,000 crore due to GST rationalisation and an additional Rs 3,000 crore in mining tax revenue, as President Draupadi Murmu has not approved the enabling law.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Wayanad (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday accused the Election Commission of colluding to destroy” the electoral process.
She urged people to watch Rahul Gandhi’s press conference in New Delhi, stressing that the people must stand together to defend democracy and the Constitution.
“I urge everybody to see his press conference. Everybody should watch his press conference, because you should understand what is happening in our country and how the ECI is colluding to destroy the electoral process to challenge democracy in our country.
“We all need to fight for democracy. We need to fight for the Constitution, we need to fight for our country,” she told reporters outside the Wayanad Muslim Orphanage at Muttil here.
Her remarks came as Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused the Chief Election Commissioner of protecting “vote chors” and people who have destroyed democracy, and cited data from a Karnataka Assembly constituency to claim that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted ahead of elections.
The Election Commission has dubbed as incorrect and baseless the allegations made by Gandhi that CEC Gyanesh Kumar is protecting “vote chors”
Chief Justice of India B R Gavai
New Delhi : Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Thursday affirmed his respect for “all religions” in the wake of the online criticism his comments garnered in a matter over the reconstruction of a Lord Vishnu idol.
Someone told me the other day that the comments I made have been portrayed in social media…I respect all religions,” he said.
A bench comprising the CJI and Justice K Vinod Chandran, on May 16, dismissed the plea seeking directions to reconstruct and reinstall a seven-foot idol of Lord Vishnu at the Javari Temple, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh.
Terming the plea as a “publicity interest litigation the CJI said This is purely publicity interest litigation… Go and ask the deity himself to do something. If you are saying that you are a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu, then you pray and do some meditation.”
The CJI had added, “In the meantime, if you are not averse to Shaivism, you can go and worship there… there is a very big linga of Shiva, one of the biggest in Khajuraho.”
The bench had refused to entertain the plea filed by one Rakesh Dalal, who sought the replacement and consecration of the damaged idol at the Javari Temple in Chhatarpur district.
The CJI’s remarks led to various critical social media posts.
I have known the CJI for the last 10 years,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, “this is serious also, we used to know Newton’s law that every action has an equal reaction… now every action has a disproportionate social media reaction.”
The law officer said the CJI has visited all religious places. “We suffer everyday, it’s an unruly horse no way to tame it,” senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was present in the courtroom, said.
The CJI also referred to recent violent protests in Nepal.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Thursday dubbed as incorrect and baseless the allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that CEC Gyanesh Kumar is protecting “vote chors”.
No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person, the EC asserted.
“Allegations made by Rahul Gandhi are incorrect and baseless. No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Gandhi,” it said.
Gandhi accused Chief Election Commissioner Kumar of protecting “vote chors” and people who have destroyed democracy, and cited data from a Karnataka Assembly constituency to claim that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted ahead of elections.
The EC pointed out that in 2023, “certain unsuccessful attempts” were made for deletion of electors in Aland Assembly constituency and an FIR was filed by the authority of EC itself to investigate the matter.
“As per records, Aland Assembly Constituency was won by Subhadh Guttedar (BJP) in 2018 and BR Patil (INC) in 2023 it noted.
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Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday alleged that Form 7 was misused under the previous BJP government to delete voters “en masse”, ahead of May 2023 Assembly polls.
His remarks followed claims by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who cited Karnataka’s example, that votes of party supporters were being systematically deleted ahead of elections.
Form 7 is an application for objecting inclusion of the name of the other person, or seeking deletion of one’s own name, or seeking deletion of any other person’s name in the electoral roll due to death or shifting.
Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting “vote chors” and people who have destroyed democracy, and cited data from Karnataka’s Aland Assembly constituency to support his claim that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted ahead of elections.
In Aland segment, someone tried to delete 6,018 votes and got caught by coincidence, he said, alleging that the names of voters of the Congress were being deleted systematically.
Kharge said, “The Vote Chori trail in Aland (in Kalaburagi district) is a shocking case of large-scale voter deletion. Ahead of the May 2023 Assembly election, Form 7 was misused under the BJP government to delete voters en masse.
He said, “Verification showed 5,994 were forged, only 24 genuine. 2,494 voters were actually deleted before the fraud was caught. Strong Congress booths, especially with Dalit and minority voters, were targeted.”
In one instance, 12 voters were deleted in just 14 minutes, pointing to a “sophisticated vote chori factory”, Kharge said.
In another case, the identity of a 63-year-old woman was misused to delete 12 voters.
Noting that the Karnataka CID, which is investigating the case has sent 18 letters to the Election Commission of India seeking IP logs, OTP trails, device IDs, and login details, he alleged that the EC has refused to share the critical data.
The Minister said this raises serious questions. “Who approved these deletion records? Where is the OTP audit trail? When will deleted voters be restored? Why is ECI refusing to cooperate with CID? Who is the ECI trying to protect?”
“When the fraud is this clear, what more evidence is the ECI waiting for? Whom are they shielding?” he asked.