Mangalore University

Mangaluru: Mangalore University has landed in controversy over alleged misuse of Rs 7 crore sanctioned under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA-1) for constructing boys’ and girls’ hostels.

An expert committee from the Karnataka State Higher Education Council, tasked with verifying the fund utilisation, found no hostel buildings on campus. When questioned, university officials reportedly attempted to mislead the committee by claiming the funds were used for an “international hostel.” However, the utilisation certificate submitted to the Higher Education Department claimed the construction of two separate hostels.

The issue was raised at a State Project Director’s meeting, following which a show-cause notice was issued. Department sources told Deccan Herald that the explanation submitted by the university was unsatisfactory. A senior official confirmed that the council had recommended recovery of misused funds and imposition of penalties.

RUSA funds, 60% of which are contributed by the Centre and 40% by the state, are meant to be used strictly for the specified purpose. In this case, Rs 3.5 crore each was allocated for the boys’ and girls’ hostels.

Vice Chancellor P L Dharma said an internal inquiry was ordered after a recent syndicate meeting. “A notice has been issued to the then finance officer. The inquiry will conclude in 15 days, and the report will be submitted to the government,” he said.

Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar stated that the department is awaiting the university’s internal inquiry report before initiating further action.

Mangaluru [Karnataka]: Forty-five inmates of Mangaluru jail were admitted to the government Wenlock Hospital on Wednesday after complaining of diarrhoea and related issues, officials said.

One of them is in critical condition and is receiving treatment in the hospital’s ICU, they added.

According to jail officials, the inmates were served rice and sambar for lunch and ‘avalakki’ (flattened rice) for breakfast. They reported discomfort only at around 3 pm after which all 45 inmates were taken to the hospital in police vehicles under security and admitted for treatment.

Commissioner of Police Anupam Agarwal visited the hospital and spoke to the doctors attending to the inmates.

Speaking to the media later, Agarwal said food samples had been sent for testing and that the cause of the suspected food poisoning would be determined once the report was available.

He noted that the jail houses 350 inmates, of whom only 45 were affected.

He also confirmed that one inmate is in serious condition and has been admitted to the ICU.

Vijayapura (Karnataka): Four children drowned while their mother, who allegedly threw them into a canal and jumped in with them, was rescued in this district on Monday, police said

A local fisherman who saw Bhagyashree Bhajantri (26) struggling for life in a canal in Benal village of Nidagundi Taluk rescued her. Her four girl children including a twins were found dead, they added.

Bhajantri hailed from Telagi village in Kolar Taluk. It is alleged that she took the extreme step due to frequent quarrel in the family, police said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Sharing the story of a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law who dug a borewell and made a living using the money received through the ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Sunday expressed happiness as the scheme was successfully fulfilling its objective.

Gruha Lakshmi is one among the five guarantee schemes implemented by Siddaramaiah’s government after coming to power. It provides Rs 2,000 per month to women head of families.

“I was happy to hear the words of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who dug a borewell and made a living using the money received through our government’s Gruha Lakshmi scheme,” Siddaramaiah posted on ‘X’.

Mother-in-law Mabubee and daughter-in-law Roshan Begum of Maldar lane in the Gajendragad town of Gadag district, have saved the money they receive every month from the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, and dug a borewell on their agricultural land, thereby obtaining abundant water, he said.

“The fact that this scheme, which aims to empower the state’s poor families financially and make them self-reliant, is successfully fulfilling its objective. It has made me feel satisfied as the person who implemented the scheme,” the chief minister said.

This is a rebuke to those who criticised the scheme, stating that it will cause fights between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and break up families, he further said, adding that, “there are thousands of such success stories that have not come to light, and there is no doubt that Gruha Lakshmi has literally brought happiness to the lives of mothers in the state.”

Highlighting that Pranati Prakash is the first gender minority person to receive funds from the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, the CM in another post said, the government decided to extend the scheme, which was only meant for women, to gender minorities with the aim of empowering them, as they are deprived of opportunities and facilities, and to bring them into the mainstream of society, so that they can lead a dignified life like everyone else.

Dandeli: In an incident reported on Sunday, a bus carrying school students who had come to Dandeli for a trip reportedly overturned in the middle of the road.

The accident occurred as the group was returning to Dandeli after engaging in water sports at Ganeshgudi.

Reports suggest that the bus, carrying students from St. Anthony’s High School in Hosadurga, Chitradurga district, overturned into a roadside gutter after the driver lost control of the vehicle.

Locals and resort staff nearby promptly came to the rescue, pulling the children from the wreckage and arranging for their transport to Dandeli Government Hospital using ambulances. Among the rescuers were locals Rafiq Kutty, Irshad Khan, Ashfaq Naika, Mehboob Mujawar, and Ramesh Nadara, whose swift actions were instrumental in ensuring the injured received immediate medical attention.

The injured students are currently undergoing treatment at Dandeli Government Hospital. Police from the Ramanagara Station have visited the site and are conducting an investigation into the cause of the accident.

Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N Shashikumar

Hubballi (Karnataka): Two suspected robbers were shot at on Sunday when they tried to escape from police as they were taken for a spot inspection, Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N Shashikumar said.

The incident happened when they were taken to a spot, in the outskirts of Hubbali, where they allegedly waylaid a car and looted money couple of weeks ago. Police took them there to make them describe the alleged crime.

The two alleged robbers Bharath and Farooq from Mangaluru were shot in their leg when they assaulted three police officers including two women police officers, Shashikumar told PTI.

He said the police officers shot them in self defence. According to him, the gang had waylaid a car on November 8 and decamped with Rs 7 lakh. Investigation led to the arrest of Bharath and Farooq and subsequently some amount was recovered from them, he added.

The Police Commissioner said the injured are being treated at Hubballi KIMS Hospital. Farooq, he said, has more than 17 cases registered against him in various police stations. There were cases registered against him in other states as well.

Bharat too has many criminal cases against him in various police stations in the state, Shashikumar said.

Bengaluru : Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday instructed the Food Department officials not to cancel the ration cards of poor families.

The order follows controversy over reports that over 22.6 lakh Below the Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders were deemed ineligible.

The chief minister ordered that if the ration cards of any family other than government employees and income tax payers are cancelled, they should be returned immediately, the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.

“The chief minister has warned that action will be taken against the Food Department officials if the ration cards of poor families are cancelled without any reason,” it added.

Official sources said the Karnataka government has identified 22.63 lakh ineligible BPL card holders in the state as it decided to revise the list.

They said the state did a survey of BPL cardholders in August this year, which revealed that there are 22,62,482 ineligible BPL cardholders. Now the government is contemplating cancelling them.

Fear loomed large over withdrawal of many benefits given to lakhs of families including 10 kg food grains to each member of the family every month under the Anna Bhagya scheme.

There were apprehensions that the women head of the BPL families availing Rs 2,000 a month under the Congress guarantee Gruha Lakshmi scheme may be withdrawn.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister K H Muniyappa told reporters in Kolar that all the southern states do not have BPL cardholders more than 50 per cent.

“In Karnataka, which is second most tax revenue generating state after Maharashtra, there cannot be 75 to 80 per cent BPL card holders. So we have to cancel them,” Muniyappa said.

He, however, clarified that the government was not cancelling the cards but only converting them from BPL to Above Poverty Line (APL) cards.

According to the minister, those in government jobs, paying income taxes or those whose annual income is above Rs 1.2 lakh are ineligible for BPL cards.

This move gave the opposition BJP a new weapon to target the ruling Congress in the state.

The party led by the Opposition leader in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka, former Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan and K Gopalaiah, took out a march in the city visiting houses of the BPL families. Later, they staged a demonstration against the government move.

A BPL card holder told reporters in Bengaluru that she got to know that her ration card has been cancelled after she went to a government run ration shop.

She was worried that her newborn daughter would not get the Karnataka government’s welfare programme for girl child and get her educated.

Reports poured in from various parts of the state where people from the economically weaker section expressed their shock and dismay over the government’s move.

Bengaluru: A Special court for People’s Representatives in Bengaluru has found Karwar Congress MLA Sathish Sail guilty in the Belekeri port case on Thursday.

After a lengthy hearing, the judge of the special court ordered all the convicts to be immediately arrested. The court found Mahesh Biliya, Mallikarjun Shipping company and MLA Sail guilty in the case. The sentence on punishment has been reserved to Friday (October 25).

The case pertains to the illegal export of 11,312 metric tons of seized iron ore from Belekeri port in Karwar in 2010. The ore had been allegedly mined by the Obalapuram Mining Company in Ballary which was owned by Gali Janardhana Reddy and G Karunakara Reddy, who were Ministers in the BJP-led state government under the then CM B S Yediyurappa.

Kasaragod: A man died after being bitten by a snake in Miyapadavu, Manjeshwar. The deceased has been identified as Ashok (43) from Pallathadka, Miyapadavu.

On the night of September 18, Ashok was bitten by a snake while he was in the sit-out area of his house. He was immediately rushed to a hospital in Mangaluru for treatment.

Despite medical care, he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning. Manjeshwar police have registered a case of unnatural death.

Kalaburagi: To cater to the increased passenger demand during the Diwali festival, South Western Railway (SWR) has announced a special express train service between Bengaluru and Kalaburagi. This one-time special service will begin on October 31, 2024, from Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bengaluru.

According to a press release issued by SWR, the SMVT Bengaluru-Kalaburagi Special Express (Train No. 06217) will depart from Bengaluru at 9:15 PM on October 31 and is expected to reach Kalaburagi city at 7:40 AM on November 1. The train will pass through several key stations, including Yelahanka, Dharmavaram, Anantapur, Guntakal, Adoni, Mantralayam Road, Raichur, Krishna, Yadgir, and Shahabad.For the return journey, the Kalaburagi-SMVT Bengaluru Special Express (Train No. 06218) will leave Kalaburagi at 9:35 AM on November 1 and is scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru at 8:00 PM the same day. The train will stop at the same stations on its route back to Bengaluru.

Passengers seeking further details can visit the official railway inquiry website www.enquiry.indianrail.gov.in or use the NTES app. Additionally, inquiries can be made by calling the toll-free number 139, the release added.