Rahul Gandhi launches 'Indira Canteen' in Bengaluru

Agencies
August 16, 2017

Bengaluru, Aug 16: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today launched the Karnataka government's subsidised food canteens 'Indira Canteen' here that would provide breakfast at Rs five and lunch and dinner at a cost of Rs 10.

Apparently taking the cue from the popular 'Amma canteens' in Tamil Nadu, introduced by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the Siddaramaiah government had announced setting up of the canteens in the state budget for 2017-2018.

Initially referred to as 'Namma Canteen', the name was later changed to'Indira Canteen' as Congress legislators sought to give apolitical touch to the populist announcement ahead ofthe Assembly polls early next year by naming it after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

An amount of Rs 100 crore was provided in the budget to set upthe canteens in 198 wards of Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike(BBMP).

Congratulating the state government for the canteen programme, Gandhi said it is designed to make sure that not a single person in Bengaluru goes hungry.

Calling the world an "unfair place", the Congress vice president, who also had a lunch at the canteen, said it is targeted at the working class like construction workers and auto rickshaw drivers.

"There are many people in this city who live in huge houses and have plenty of food, who drive in big cars and for them food is not a big issue..but there are millions of people in Bengaluru like construction workers, those who own small shops, autorickshaw or taxi drivers, barbers and peoplewho don't get that much money, and it is those people at whomthis Indira Canteen is targeted," he said.

"We want the people from poorest and weakest sections inBengaluru to feel that they will no have to stay hungry in this city. There cannot be a single minute where a poor person inBengaluru is hungry. We want every single person to know andunderstand that," he added.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress GeneralSecretary in-charge of the state K C Venugopal, the party's state unit chief G Parameshwara and Bengaluru in-charge Minister K J George, among others were present at the event.

Taking pride over the Congress government conceptualising such a canteen, Gandhi said the intention was that the quality of food and cleanliness in it be the same as the most expensive restaurants in Bengaluru.

"I would like the government to pay special attention to this fact that the canteen should have excellent quality food, excellent hygiene and people walking out of this canteenmust feel that they not only had safe food, but tasty food.I think we owe this to every single citizen," he said.

He said that the chief minister had informed him about extending the programme to other cities of the state.

In the first phase, 101 canteens were launched today and the remaining 97 will start functioning from October 2, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials said.

Though it was initially proposed to have 198 canteens launched by the Independence Day, the number was later brought down to 125 owing to constrains related in getting land for construction of canteens in all the wards.

A total of 27 kitchens will be set up across the city to cater to these canteens, of which 14 are ready and six are currently in working condition.

According to officials, the canteens as of now will serve 500 plates of food, keeping in mind the budgetary allocation, and this is likely to be increased in the future.

Claiming that BBMP had ensured that project take shape to this level within 60 days after getting the order on June 12, officials said construction of canteens is being undertaken by KEF Infra Ltd, while Rewards, and Cheftalk Food and Hospitality Services have given the catering contract for the canteens.

Comments

Mohammed
 - 
Thursday, 17 Aug 2017

Superb project...Rapid Constrution work...Hope govt. maintains well..

Hari
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Great.. quality food for cheaper price..

Kumar
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Who will give funds for that.. Our Modiji.. Modiji ki Jai

Sangeeth
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Cong people will loot much more in that..

Ganesh
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Another way to loot money. 

Rajeev
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Great... should have one here in Mangaluru

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News Network
January 4,2025

Mangaluru: In a shocking case of fraud, six individuals posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) swindled a beedi businessman of Rs 25 to 30 lakh in cash and five mobile phones at Kolnad in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada on Friday night.

The incident came to light after Mohammed Iqbal, 27, lodged a complaint with the police, stating that his father, a beedi trader, was targeted by the imposters.

According to the complaint, the six accused arrived at the businessman’s residence around 8:10 pm in a car with Tamil Nadu registration plates. Claiming to be ED officials, they announced that they had orders to search the house and began confiscating mobile phones from the family members.

The fraudsters reportedly discovered Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh in cash, which the businessman had kept aside for business purposes. They claimed that keeping such a large amount was illegal and threatened to arrest him unless he complied. By 10:30 pm, the group left the house, instructing the businessman to submit documents at the ED office in Bengaluru to reclaim the money.

Later, upon discussing the incident with his family, Iqbal realized that the individuals were not ED officials but fraudsters who had impersonated authorities to rob them.

A case has been registered at Vittal Police Station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. An investigation is underway, and the police have promised swift action to apprehend the culprits.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Yathish N, along with senior officers, visited the crime scene and assured the family that the perpetrators would be brought to justice at the earliest.

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News Network
January 17,2025

jaishankar.jpg

Bengaluru: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted on Friday that the opening of "long-in-waiting" US consulate in Bengaluru was the "very important milestone" in the bilateral ties and urged the American authorities to ensure that the mission starts visa operations at the earliest.

"This will be my number one talking point with Secretary (of State Nominee Marco) Rubio when I go and see him. The sooner we get it done, the better it is," said Jaishankar.

The External Minister was in Bengaluru today to attend the "site dedication ceremony" of the fifth United States consulate in India, which will start operating in Bengaluru soon.

Delivering his speech, Eric Garcetti, US Ambassador to India, said the consulate in Bengaluru will not be offering visa services for the time being.

In his speech, Jaishankar pointed to statistics to nudge the US to get around to issuing visas from Bengaluru as early as possible.

"I was checking figures, and was very glad to see that last year, the RPO (Regional Passport Office) Bengaluru issued 8,83,000 passports. That's just for one year. Do the math, and you will see how important it is to ensure that travel is smooth," added Jaishankar.

He also added that there are three flights every week from here to San Francisco. "Hopefully, if Boeing and Airbus deliver, there'd be more. I think that's a legitimate expectation," said Jaishankar.

Jaishankar said a US consulate in Bengaluru has been "long-in-waiting".

"One, which I believe, Bengaluru legitimately deserved and expected," he added.

"I think Bengaluru has such an important place that it was for me an imperative that there is a permanent resident presence of American diplomats here," said Jaishankar.

He also said every time he had visited the city in the last five years, there was always somebody who would ask him, 'so, when is that consulate coming?'.

"It was from, really, I would say, the cross section of the society. It was from businessmen; it was from the tech world; it was from academics. It was even from people you would meet in a restaurant," added Jaishankar.

According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2023 had brought up the issue of opening a consulate in Bengaluru when he visited the US.

He also said India had promised to open a consulate in Los Angeles if the United States "get the Bengaluru consulate done". He said now, with the opening of the consulate, collaborations in defence and education would reach new heights.

"I think the formal opening of this consulate is one more sign that we are overcoming the hesitations of history. It is now within our grasp, within the realm of possibility, that we realise more fully the potential of India-US relations. And I think it is important that Bengaluru too realises its potential in the relationship," said Jaishankar.

In his address, US Ambassador Garcetti, who would be relinquishing his responsibility in India soon, said he was glad that getting a consulate up and running in Bengaluru would be his last task in India.

"You know, our relationship in India is not new. Our second consulate in the world was here in India. After the independence of a new America in 1776, we opened a consulate in Lyon, France, and then the second was in Kolkata, showing, back then, the importance of India to a new American nation," said Garcetti.

India, said Garcetti, is now the second largest mission of America anywhere in the world.

"It produces the second most visas, the most students we're breaking records every single year '“record employees, record visas, record students, record military exercises, record engagement from the seabed to space," added Garcetti.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who was also present during the "site dedication ceremony" said the opening of the consulate in Bengaluru is a testament to the growing importance of Karnataka in the global stage.

"Nowadays, the world is looking at India through Bengaluru. We know there are a lot of hiccups there, as Bengaluru is not a well-planned city. But still the city has proved itself to be the safest city in the entire country for the global firms to have their headquarters," said Shivakumar.

Other dignitaries present for the ceremony include MP Tejasvi Surya, Karnataka's Minister for Large & Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development M B Patil, Minister for IT & BT Priyank Kharge.

Several entrepreneurs from the city, including Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, executive chairperson and founder of Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited, had also attended the 'site dedication ceremony'.

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News Network
January 4,2025

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Friday to discuss key issues affecting the security and development of the region. The meeting highlighted several urgent concerns, ranging from counter-terrorism measures to infrastructure upgrades.

During the meeting, Chowta strongly advocated for establishing a National Investigation Agency (NIA) Centre in Mangaluru. He pointed out the city’s vulnerability to threats such as Islamic radicalisation, sleeper cells, and the activities of groups like SDPI and PFI. Citing the unrest during the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, Chowta emphasized the ability of radical groups to incite large-scale disruptions. He argued that Mangaluru’s strategic coastal location necessitates an NIA Centre to bolster counter-terrorism operations and ensure regional security.

Chowta also discussed the Indian Coast Guard Academy, sanctioned for Mangaluru in 2020. He highlighted its potential to enhance India’s maritime security through advanced training in coastal defence, disaster response, and surveillance. Situated near the Arabian Sea and Mangalore Port, the academy is strategically positioned to address challenges in regions like Lakshadweep and the Maldives, aligning with India’s geostrategic interests.

The MP proposed the establishment of a Sainik School in Mangaluru to nurture leadership, discipline, and patriotism among local youth. He emphasized that such an institution would not only provide quality education but also act as a feeder for the armed forces, enhancing the region’s defence readiness. Chowta suggested pairing the school with a military installation, further strengthening coastal defence capabilities and supporting national security goals.

Addressing infrastructure, Chowta underscored the need to improve the Mangaluru-Bengaluru railway and road networks. He argued that enhanced connectivity would unlock the region’s economic potential, streamline logistics for New Mangalore Port, and support key industries such as fisheries, agriculture, and manufacturing. Additionally, upgraded infrastructure would boost trade, tourism, and employment opportunities.

On economic development, Chowta urged the revival of cooperative banks under the Ministry of Cooperatives. He proposed increased funding and loan facilities for businesses and farmers to enhance financial inclusion and regional economic stability. Strengthening fisheries cooperatives, he noted, would provide local fishermen with better access to financial services, loans, and insurance, improving productivity and security.

The MP’s discussions reflected a comprehensive vision for balancing security, infrastructure, and economic growth in Dakshina Kannada, aligning with both regional and national priorities.

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