Here are key takeaways from Karnataka Budget 2024

News Network
February 16, 2024

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday presented his record 15th Budget as Finance Minister, and the second under the present Congress regime. In his address to the Karnataka Assembly, he emphasised that his government was striving to establish a new standard of development, known as the 'Karnataka Model of Development,' based on the principles of justice, equality, and fraternity enshrined in the Constitution.

Agriculture:

1) Siddaramaiah announced the implementation of ‘Karnataka Raitha Samruddhi Yojane’ to encourage integrated farming by consolidating various pro-farmer schemes.

2) He also announced the formation of Agriculture Development Authority to facilitate effective implementation of policies related to agriculture and allied activities coming under various departments.

3) Establishment of food parks at airports in Sogane of Shivamogga, Ittangihala of Vijayapura and Pujenahalli of Bengaluru Rural district.

Horticulture:

1) Setting up of Kissan Malls in select districts to provide farmers with horticulture-related technical guidance, market connectivity, farming implements and agro-products under one roof.

2) State-of-the-art international floriculture market to be established in Bengaluru city under Public-Private Partnership.

Animal Husbandry:

1) Construction of new building to 200 veterinary institutions which are in dilapidated condition at a cost of Rs 100 crore.

Fisheries:

1) Rs 7 crore for purchase of sea ambulance for protection of fishermen.
2) Financial assistance to 10,000 houseless fishermen for construction of houses under various housing schemes.

Co-operation:

1) Target of providing record crop loan of Rs 27,000 crore to more than 36 lakh famers in the state.

2) The Karnataka government will also urge the Centre to announce MSP for important crops such as arecanut, onion, grapes, mango, banana and other horticultural crops and to fix MSP based on the formula of cost of cultivation plus 50 per cent profit as per the report by Swaminathan panel.

Water resource:

1) Rs 365 crore project of flowing water from Bhima and Kagina Rivers to Bennetora reservoir to provide drinking water to Kalaburagi city.

School Education and Literacy:

1) 2000 Government Primary Schools to be converted as bi-lingual medium schools to enhance quality of education.

2) NEET/ JEE/ CET coaching to be imparted to 20,000 science students of Government PU Colleges.

Higher Education Department:

1) Rs 100 crore to develop University Visveswaraya College of Engineering on the lines of IIT.

2) Rs 30 crore to upgrade 30 women’s colleges and government women’s polytechnics.

Health:

1) Rs 187 crore to construct critical care block buildings in seven districts.

2) 50 new blood storage units to be established in North Karnataka in next two years.

Medical Education:

1) Rs 20 crore for robotic surgery facility in Institute of Nephro-Urology in Bengaluru.

2) Health repository to be created under Digital Health Society to make treatment details available from single source.

Woman and Child Development:

1) Rs 28,608 crore allocated for Gruhalakshmi gurarantee scheme.

2) Rs 90 crore to be spent on providing 75,938 smartphones to Anganwadi workers and supervisors.

3) Rs 200 crore to construct 1,000 Anganwadis.

4) Enhancement of Pension under Maithri scheme to the linguistic minorities from Rs 800 to Rs 1,200.

Social Welfare:

1) Monthly food allowance to be enhanced by Rs 100 per student for students studying in residential schools and hostels under the social welfare, tribal welfare, backward classes and minority welfare departments.

2) A corpus fund of Rs 35 crore to be set up to bear the cost for treatment of rare diseases and expensive treatments for SC and ST communities.

Scheduled Tribe Welfare:

1) The Ashram schools working under Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department to be re-named as Maharshi Valmiki Adivasi Budakattu Vasathi Shale, and Class 6 & 8 will be started in schools with Class 5 and 7 respectively. The student strength to be enhanced from 25 to 40 in each class.

2) Rs 15,000 stipend to be paid to 200 engineering graduates who got admission in IISc, IIT and NIT for short term professional training courses.

Minorities Welfare:

1) Rs 50 crore for Jain pilgrimage centres and Rs 200 crore for the development of Christian community.

2) Rs 2 crore for the welfare of Sikligar Sikh community, Rs 1 crore to gurudwara in Bidar.

3) Rs 10 crore to encourage minority women SHGs to take up self- employment activities

Housing:

1) Target of construction of three lakh houses this year.

Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs:

1) Rs 4,595 transferred to 4.02 crore beneficiaries under Annabhagya till January, 2024.

2) Anna-Suvidha programme to be launched to facilitate senior citizens above the age of 80 by door delivery of food grains.

Skill Development:

1) Café Sanjeevini, rural canteens and 2,500 coffee kiosks to be established for women.

2) 50,000 Women SHG owned micro-enterprises to be developed in next two years.

Rural Development and Panchayath Raj:

1) Solar street lights to be installed in 50 panchayaths and systematic metering to be done in 200 panchayaths to reduce electricity charges.

2) Circular economy to be encouraged for sustainable solid waste management in rural areas.

3) The monthly incentive to freed persons from bonded labour system to be increased to Rs 2,000.

Urban Development:

1) Brand Bengaluru launched to develop Bengaluru as a world class city.

2) Efforts to ease traffic congestion will be made by completing white topping works, tunnel to be constructed in Hebbal Junction on pilot basis and installing Area Traffic Signal Control System in 28 importance junctions of the city.

3) Peripheral ring road to be developed under new concept as Bengaluru Business Corridor.

4) 250 meter tall sky-deck to be built in Bengaluru city.

5) 44-km length to be added for the Bengaluru Metro Rail network by March 2025.

6) Feasibility report to extend Metro to Tumkur from BIEC and to Devanahalli from KIAL.

7) 1,334 new electric buses and 820 BS VI diesel buses to be added to the fleet of buses in BMTC.

8) The Cauvery Stage 5 project at a cost of Rs 5,550 crore providing drinking water to 12 lakh people will be commissioned by May 2024.

9) The curbs on businesses during night time to be extended till 1 am in Bengaluru and 10 city corporations in the state.

10) The towns on the outskirts of Bengaluru such as Devanahalli, Nelamangala, Hosakote, Doddaballapura, Magadi and Bidadi will be developed as satellite towns with road and train connectivity.

Energy:

1) 1.65 crore consumers registered under Gruha Jyoti Scheme.

2) Under Phase II of solarisation of IP set feeder, 4.30 lakh IP sets to be solarised by implementing solar projects of 1,192 MW.

PWD:

1) 875-km state highway development at a cost of Rs 5,736 crore with the assistance of external financial institutes under KSHIP-4 in the current year.

2) Construction of six railway overbridges at a cost of Rs 350 crore.

3) Action to construct dedicated economic corridors from Mangaluru port to Bengaluru and Bidar to Bengaluru.

Commerce and Industries:

1) A grant of Rs 50 crore for supplemental infrastructure to the mega textile park project establishing in Kalburgi district in collaboration with state and central government.

Kannada and Culture:

1) A grant of Rs one crore to undertake literature survey, collection, publication and propagation programmes including Tatvapada, Keerthana Sahitya and Bhakti movement through Saintpoet Kanakadasa Study Centre.

2) Steps will be taken to ensure that 60 per cent of signage is in Kannada in the nameplates of all offices, shops and various commercial enterprises under Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act.

Forest, Ecology and Environment:

1) To address man-animal conflict, measures to form one new task force in Bandipur this year. Allocation of Rs 10 crore to strengthen these task forces.

Excise:

1) IML and beer slab to be revised by rationalising the declared slabs of liquor.
 

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News Network
November 17,2024

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Mangaluru: A tragic incident unfolded on Sunday, November 17, at Vazco Resort (VAZCO), situated at Battappadi Cross Road in Someshwara on the outskirts of the city, when three young women drowned in the resort’s swimming pool. 

Disturbingly, an iPhone recording and CCTV footage captured their final moments, providing insights into the heartbreaking accident.

According to City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, the tragedy occurred at approximately 10:05 AM. The victims were identified as:

Keerthana N (21) from Devaraj Mohalla, Hebbal Second Stage, Vijayanagar Post.
Nishitha M.D (21) from 4th Cross, Kuribarahalli, Mysuru.
Parvathi S (20) from Ramanuja Road, K.R. Mohalla, Mysuru.

Sequence of Events

The three women had checked into Room No. 2 of the resort on the morning of November 16 and stayed overnight. On Sunday morning, around 10 AM, they entered the swimming pool to play. Reports suggest that they placed their clothes poolside and set an iPhone to record the activity.

Initial findings indicate one woman slipped underwater and began to struggle. When the second attempted a rescue, she too drowned, followed by the third woman. Within minutes, the tragedy claimed all three lives. CCTV footage from the resort corroborates the sequence, showing the young women struggling before succumbing to the water.

Investigation Underway

The resort staff discovered the lifeless bodies and immediately raised the alarm. Ullal Police Inspector H N Balakrishna and his team are conducting an investigation. Preliminary reports suggest the women were non-swimmers, and the lack of safety measures contributed to the tragedy.

The resort is owned by Manohar, as per police records. While the formal case is yet to be registered, the incident has raised serious questions about safety protocols at resorts offering pool facilities.

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News Network
November 16,2024

Mangaluru: The Kavoor police in Mangaluru, Karnataka, have arrested three individuals from Kerala in connection with two separate cybercrime cases, including one involving extortion under the guise of a "digital arrest."

City Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal reported that one of the arrested individuals, Nisar, a resident of Ernakulam district, posed as a CBI officer. He allegedly threatened the complainant with arrest and extorted Rs 68 lakh. A case has been filed under sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the IT Act, and sections 308 (2) and 381 (4) of BNS.

In another case, the Kavoor police arrested two men, Sahil K P of Thiruvannur, Kozhikode, and Muhammad Nashath of Mappila Koyilandy, Kerala, in connection with a share trade fraud. The accused are alleged to have deceived the complainant by promising substantial profits from an investment in the stock market. Trusting the fraudsters, the complainant invested Rs 90 lakh, which was subsequently lost. A case has been registered under sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the IT Act, and sections 318 (4) and 3 (5) of BNS.

The accused were arrested in Koyilandi and presented before the court. The operation was carried out under the guidance of City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, led by Mangaluru North Sub-Division ACP Srikanth K, Kavoor Inspector Raghavendra Byndoor, Kavoor PSI Mallikarjuna Biradara, and staff members Ramanna Shetty, Bhuvaneshwari, Rajappa Kashibai, Praveen N, and Malatesh. 

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News Network
November 21,2024

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After the US prosecutors charged Gautam Adani with bribery and fraud, Congress reiterated its call for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the transactions of the Adani group, and hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging an "internal nexus" between him and "his favourite businessman."

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the indictment of Gautam Adani and others by the US Securities and Exchange Commission validates his party’s call for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation.

The Congress has been pushing for the probe since January 2023, raising concerns over alleged irregularities involving Adani and his business dealings, said Ramesh.

Ramesh referred to the party’s “Hum Adani ke Hain” series, where 100 questions were raised about the alleged scams and the links between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani.
He noted that the questions remain unanswered, reiterating the need for accountability in the matter.

The US prosecutors have charged Adani with deceiving investors by concealing information about his firm's solar energy project in India, which allegedly involved bribery.

Adani has been charged with securities fraud and conspiracy, according to an indictment unsealed on Wednesday. The case focusses on an agreement between Adani Green Energy Ltd. and another organisation to supply 12 gigawatts of solar power to the Indian government.

'BETRAYAL OF INDIAN INVESTORS'

Congress leader Pawan Khera described the allegations against Gautam Adani and his conglomerate as a “betrayal of Indian investors.”

Taking to X, Khera outlined the US charges, including claims that Adani’s group bribed Indian government officials between 2020 and 2024 to secure contracts. Citing media reports, he also pointed out that Gautam Adani personally met a government official to advance the scheme.

Khera referred to a March 2024 incident where the Adani Group allegedly misled the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange, calling it a “grave violation of investor trust.”

He further highlighted a March 2023 FBI raid on the premises of Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani’s nephew, where electronic devices were seized as part of the investigation.

'SEBI NOT ABLE TO PROVE ANY CHARGES AGAINST ADANI'

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised central probe agencies following US charges against Gautam Adani and others in an alleged bribery case linked to solar energy contracts.

Chaturvedi raised concerns about corporate governance and regulatory oversight in the country. “They talk about corporate governance, responsibility, and accountability. The industrialists should be asked to follow the rules and regulations, but even the agencies were defending him. The SEBI has not yet been able to prove charges against him,” she said, pointing to what she viewed as failures in ensuring accountability.

'BROUGHT DISREPUTE TO INDIA'

On US charges against Gautam Adani, AAP leader Sanjay Singh called for a probe against the industrialist. He said that the probe should be conducted by an investigation agency under the Supreme Court.

"Adani Group has brought disrepute to India. This is a very serious matter. The PM of India should come forward and answer this. All the pending matters against Adani should be probed by an investigation agency under Supreme Court monitoring, and all the corruption done by him, within and outside the country, should come out before the country and action should be taken against him," he said.

BJP DFENDS

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya responded sharply to the Opposition’s criticism regarding allegations involving Adani Green Energy and US-based Azure Power. He pointed out that the charges in the indictment are only allegations and emphasised, “The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”

Malviya argued that the crux of the case concerns agreements to supply 12 GW of power to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), contingent on SECI securing power purchase agreements with state electricity distribution companies (SDCs).

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