Kedarnath, Oct 18: Six people, including two pilots, were killed after a helicopter carrying the Kedarnath pilgrims crashed in Uttarakhand today.
According to sources, the helicopter crashed near Garu Chatti.
Six bodies have been retrieved so far. Four of the victims are pilgrims.
Rescue operation is underway. more details to follow
Mangaluru: Meet Deepashree S, the state topper in the Commerce stream of the PU 2 exams, scoring an astonishing 599 out of 600. A student of Canara PU College, Deepashree had an inkling of success but admits the first rank was beyond her wildest dreams.
“All our doubts were cleared in the classroom itself,” she said, praising her lecturers. “Their concept-based teaching helped me understand everything thoroughly. I also made it a habit to revise daily.”
Planning her future early, Deepashree is already taking CA coaching and is all set to appear for the CA Foundation exam in May. Her next step? An integrated BCom with CA.
Daughter of Ashok S and Suma P, Deepashree is also a Carnatic classical singer, and attributes her sharp concentration to her love for music.
“Hard work matters, but yes, luck plays a part too,” she added with a wise smile — proving that success is a fine mix of talent, effort, and grace.
Israel has prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank from entering the holy land of Jerusalem to celebrate a Christian festivity at the city’s churches.
The Palestinian WAFA news agency reported that only a limited number of Palestinian Christians were able to attend celebrations in al-Quds for the Palm Sunday feast day.
Israeli forces issued only 6,000 permits for West Bank Christians, although the population exceeds 50,000, the report added.
The occupation’s soldiers imposed strict measures at checkpoints surrounding al-Quds and its Old City, home to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
“This is the second consecutive year that only a small number of pilgrims are able to participate in Holy Week and Easter celebrations in al-Quds, due to the ongoing conflict,” said Father Ibrahim Faltas, deputy head of the Custody of the Holy Land.
Christians in the Gaza Strip commemorated Palm Sunday at Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, just hours after an Israeli aerial assault on the nearby al-Ahli Arab hospital.
In a statement, the Gaza-based Hamas resistance group censured Israel for restricting West Bank Palestinians’ access to al-Quds.
The Israeli move is a part of a broader racist and fascist policy aimed at isolating Palestinians from their homeland and holy sites, it added.
Hamas also called on all churches across the world to condemn the occupation and its ongoing attacks on freedom of worship and access to holy sites.
It further urged the international community to take serious steps towards ending Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, which is aimed at annihilating Palestinians and liquidating their cause.
Israel launched its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
After one and a half years of war, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its declared objectives in the besieged territory, despite killing at least 50,944 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 116,156 others.
Bengaluru, Apr 11: In a significant development, the Karnataka Cabinet on Friday formally accepted the controversial Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, popularly known as the caste census, nearly a decade after it was conducted. The report will be taken up for detailed discussion in a special Cabinet meeting on April 17.
The survey was originally carried out in 2015 by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes under the chairmanship of H. Kantharaj, and finalised in February 2024 by his successor, K. Jayaprakash Hegde. The long-awaited report—comprising 50 volumes of detailed caste- and community-related data—was placed before the Cabinet in a sealed cover, which was opened during Friday’s meeting.
Backward Classes Welfare Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, while briefing the media, said the report would now be distributed to all Cabinet ministers so they could examine its findings ahead of the April 17 meeting. Though the government did not disclose the contents of the report, it sought to validate the survey’s legitimacy by presenting statistical data.
“As per the 2011 Census, Karnataka’s population was 6.11 crore. By 2015, when the survey was conducted, it had grown to an estimated 6.35 crore. The survey covered 5.98 crore people—a coverage of 94.17 percent,” Tangadagi said.
He added that only 37 lakh people, or 5.83 percent, were left out of the enumeration process.
Highlighting the scale of the operation, the minister said 1.6 lakh government officials participated in the survey. An expert committee was constituted, which developed 54 criteria to guide the data collection. The state government also engaged Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to manage the survey data under a ₹43 crore agreement, with the total expenditure reaching ₹165 crore.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H. K. Patil announced that a special Cabinet session will be held on April 17 to deliberate on the report's contents. When asked about concerns over the completeness of the data, Patil responded, “Even in the national Census, some people are left out. A 94 percent coverage is a very significant achievement.”
The caste census remains a politically sensitive issue in Karnataka. Dominant communities such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas have questioned the methodology of the 2015 survey, alleging undercounting. In contrast, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and SC/ST groups have welcomed the report, arguing that it sheds light on social realities long ignored.
The Congress party had pledged to act on the caste census in its manifestos for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. National party leader Rahul Gandhi has also been advocating for a nationwide caste census.
The Cabinet’s acceptance of the report comes just days after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, and the Congress Working Committee’s session in Ahmedabad.
Six Ministers Skip Cabinet Meeting
At least six ministers were notably absent from Friday’s Cabinet meeting. These included:
S. S. Mallikarjun and Laxmi Hebbalkar (both Lingayats)
M. C. Sudhakar and K. Venkatesh (both Vokkaligas)
R. B. Timmapur (SC)
Madhu Bangarappa (Idiga community)
However, Minister Patil clarified that despite their absence, all ministers have endorsed the Cabinet’s collective decision, regardless of caste or community affiliations.
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