Archives for 2017

New Delhi/Bengaluru: Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Friday said that he has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka Government to take strong action in Arunachal Pradesh student’s case where the lad from the north-eastern state was allegedly assaulted by his landlord and later forced to lick his shoes for using excessive water.

Rijiju said that the Bengaluru Police is taking steps to reach out the people from north-east and added that the Home Ministry has been issuing advisories to the state governments for ensuring safety of the north-eastern people.

“Bengaluru Police is taking steps to reach out to North-East people. I’ve urged the Karnataka Government for strong action in Arunachal student’s case,” said Rijiju.

“The Home Ministry has been issuing advisories to the state governments for safety and stringent actions if there’s any attack on North-East people,” he added.

Higio Gungtey, 22, was allegedly assaulted by his landlord Hemanth Kumar on March 6 after an argument over the usage of water.

According to reports, the other tenants in Kumar’s building complained of water shortage due to excessive use of water by the victim.

Reportedly, the owner was drunk when the incident occurred.

(Agencies)

(Photo: PTI/File)

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday reprimanded a man, who claimed to be the “secret son” of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, questioning the genuineness of documents submitted by him.

“I can send this man straightaway to jail. I will ask police officers to take him to jail now itself,” Justice R Mahadevan said.

The judge directed him to appear before the Commissioner of Police tomorrow itself and handover original documents for verification.

The man, J Krishnamoorthy, had moved the court, saying he was born to Jayalalithaa and late Telugu actor Shoban Babu.

He submitted some documents, including a deed of adoption. He also sought the court’s help to declare him as her son and hence entitled to her properties, including the Poes Garden residence.

The petitioner also sought a direction to the Director General of Police to provide him security, as he feared threats from the family of Jayalalithaa’s aide and AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala.

The petition had been filed in the High Court Registry a week ago and it came up today for maintainability.

The judge said the petitioner had “fabricated” the documents.

“… Even if the documents are placed before an LKG student, he will say that they are fabricated documents. You attached a photo available in public domain. Do you think anyone can just walk in and initiate PIL proceedings?,” the judge said.

“Don’t play with the court,” the judge said before directing additional public prosecutor Emilias to ascertain the genuineness of the documents.

The documents should be placed before the commissioner of police. “Let the commissioner verify the genuineness of the documents.”

The petitioner had claimed that he was born in 1985 and that a year later he was given in adoption to the family of

Erode-based Vasanthamani, who allegedly worked in former chief minister M G Ramachandran’s household in the late 1980s.

According to the petitioner, the ‘adoption deed’ which had photographs and signatures of Jayalalithaa, Shoban Babu and Vasanthamani on the rear, had the signature of M G Ramachandran as ‘witnesses’ to adoption.

Referring to this, the judge said the late chief minister M G Ramachandran was not able to move even his hand around the time the document was allegedly prepared.

“But the document shows that he has signed,” the judge said.

“This man (petitioner) has fabricated the document…,” the judge said.

The judge asked Social Activist ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy who accompanied the petitioner if he had seen the documents.

“What is your role here. You have done marvellous service to the society through this court. I can send this man straightaway to jail…. Are you satisfied with the document?,” the judge asked.

(PTI)

Panaji: Facing flak for his handling of the Goa polls, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh today said his proposal for a pre-poll alliance with Goa Forward was “sabotaged” by his own party leaders.

He said had the alliance with Goa Forward gone through, the Congress would have got majority in the state and that it was unfair to now make him a “villain”. “As a strategy I had proposed a secular alliance with regional party headed by Babush Monserratte and Goa Forward headed by Vijai Sardesai,” Singh said in a series of tweets.

“Our alliance with Babush went through and we won 3 out of 5 but our alliance with Goa Forward was sabotaged by our own leaders. Sad!” he said. The Congress had supported Atanasio (Babush) Monserratte’s United Goan party in Panaji constituency and given tickets to four of his supporters.

“Goa Forward won 3 out of 4 (seats) they contested. Had our alliance with Goa Forward gone through we would have been 22,” he said in another tweet. “Still Digvijaya guilty? I leave it to you to judge,” the senior Congress leader said. He said that while the Congress is being blamed for deciding late on its legislative party leader in Goa, the BJP is yet to decide its leader in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“Congress was blamed for being late in deciding its Leader. BJP yet to decide leader in UP and Uttarakhand. Results came on 11th evening,” Digvijaya said. He said the Congress Legislative Party leader for Punjab was decided on March 13 and for Manipur and Goa on March 12.

“In Manipur there was a sitting Chief Minister in Goa 4 Ex CM got elected as MLAs but we chose the leader on 12th,” Singh said defending himself. “Letter to Governor goes after the leader is chosen, which we did but the Governor took the decision before that,” he said. Singh said that when took over as incharge of the party in Goa, the organisation was in a “disarray.”

“When I and Chella Kumar (AICC Secretary) took charge of Goa in 2013 out of 9 Congress MLAs only six were active (and) the whole organisation was in a disarray,” he said. “Even Congress Leaders were predicting 2-4 seats (in Goa polls) for Congress,” he said in another tweet.

Singh said it was unfair to make him a “villain” in the present situation. Without taking any name, he said, “A senior Hindi TV Journalist who has a flat in Goa and who was very active for Congress in 2012 election predicted a clean sweep for AAP.” “And that too as late as January 2017. AAP reduced to zero, BJP came down from 22 to 13 and yet Digvijaya is a villain! Unfair!” he said.

(Agencies)

Her passion for painting and her desire to be unique in her craft enabled celebrity artist Krupa Shah to develop an artistic hand at abstract painting.

A BA Graduate from Mumbai, Krupa, out of sheer talent, has won prestigious awards and participated in significant group exhibitions at different venues in India and abroad over the last decade.

A self-taught artist, Krupa’s vast knowledge and understanding of the art comes from the real world and the experiences she has lived and learned from. Her paintings are based on the transformation and evolution of the nature and universe. With abstract paintings, Krupa portrays her feelings to her audience and lets them interpret them in the way they feel.

Krupa showcased her latest creations through her art exhibition to be held in Bengaluru on 10th March, 2017 in association with Fairfield Marriott and Limelite. The inauguration of the show will mark the presence of Smt. Rani Satish, Ex-Cultural Minister, Govt. of Karnataka, Vice President KPCC.

Krupa’s beautiful art work goes with the theme “Abhiscka” The Chank symbolizing the conch in the form of abstraction.

As Krupa puts it, “The art is different to every eye. An abstract art is a form to go deep into your imaginations and find the true meaning of life. Art itself is an interesting piece made by an artist. Paintings displayed at the show are unique as it describes the beautiful formation and importance of the conch in Abstraction symbolizing Abhiscka the Chank.”

“It’s good to have a solo show in a metro city and art has a good market in Bengaluru. My inspiration is the surrounding I live in and experience it with nature and the universe. Though I even admire the paintings of Razaji (S H Raza),” she adds.

Krupa’s artwork so far has found several admirers including megastar Amitabh Bachan, Shekhar Suman, Kunal Kohli, and Chief Minister Mr Devendra Fadnavis and several other corporate company directors, art collectors, politicians, etc.

Krupa has been planning for future shows in Mumbai, Dubai and London soon.

New Delhi: In a blow to internationally acclaimed orator Dr Zakir Naik, the Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed the petition of his NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) against the immediate ban and freezing of bank accounts.

Bengaluru: Ahead of the state assembly elections in early 2018, the Congress government in Karnataka in its Budget for fiscal 2017-18 on Wednesday doled out goodies, freebies and sops to students, urban and rural poor and farmers.

Presenting a populist and tax-free Budget in the state legislative assembly here, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the lawmakers that free laptops would be given to 1.5 lakh students joining engineering, medical, polytechnic and degree colleges across the state in the new academic year.

“We propose to open ‘Our (Namma) Canteens’ in 198 civic wards across Bengaluru to serve breakfast at Rs 5 and lunch and dinner at Rs 10 each to the common man,” said Siddaramaiah in his two-hour-long Budget speech in Kannada.

With the state reeling under drought over the last two years, the government has waived interest amounting to Rs 125 crore on agricultural loans of 74,525 farmers.

“We have waived Rs 2,359 crore towards crop loans availed by 10.7 lakh farmers from cooperative societies since 2013-14 as against Rs 940 crore waiver given to four lakh farmers from July 1, 2011, to July 25, 2012, by the previous (the BJP) government,” recalled the Chief Minister.

“The state government has also paid Rs 45 crore interest subsidy on behalf of two-lakh farmers during fiscal 2015-16. Instalment payments for short-term and long-term loans have been extended till March 31 from September 30, 2015,” said the Chief Minister.

To mitigate the woes of 25 lakh drought-hit farmers, the Budget has proposed to disburse Rs 13,500 crore for crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh at zero per cent and Rs 10 lakh at 3 per cent interest rate per annum.

“Similarly, loans to women self-help groups will be disbursed at zero per cent rate of interest as against 4 per cent per annum through cooperative societies,” said Siddaramaiah, presenting his 12th Budget as the state’s Finance Minster and fourth as the Chief Minister since May 2013.

The Budget has earmarked Rs 600 crore in FY 2018 to provide protective irrigation to crops during the critical stages to combat drought and obtain higher income.

“The Karnataka Raitha Suraksha Pradhana Manthri Fasal Bima Yojana will spend Rs 845 crore in 2017-18 to minimise the drought impact in 31.5 lakh hectares across the state,” said Siddaramiah.

To encourage rural youths to take to farming and use farm machinery, 174 rural farm machinery repair/service centres will be opened in each local body.

“Drip irrigation facility will be provided to 35,000 farmers with 90 per cent subsidy at a cost of Rs 233 crore. To mitigate water scarcity to crops due to drought, 50 per cent subsidy (Rs 50,000) will be provided to 10 farmers per taluk to buy water tankers,” added Siddaramaiah.

(IANS)