Moily slams Government on Upalokayukta appointment

naeem@coastaldigest.com (The Hindu )
February 13, 2012

moily

Udupi, February 13: Union Corporate Affairs Minister M. Veerappa Moily said on Sunday that the way the State Government had appointed Chandrashekaraiah as Upalokayukta without consulting the High Court Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen showed that it had scant regard for law.

Mr. Moily told presspersons here that the State Government was committing mistakes after mistakes in making appointments to important posts such as the Lokayukta and the Upalokayukta. They made the first mistake while appointing the Lokayukta, now they had done the same while appointing the Upalokayukta. The Upalokayukta had to be appointed only after consulting the Governor, the presiding officers of the Assembly and the Council, the leaders of the Opposition in both the Assembly and the Council, and the Chief Justice of the High Court.

“Not consulting the Chief Justice is a heinous crime. The State Government has erred very badly here. After doing a mistake, it was incumbent upon the Government to find a solution to the problem. Instead, the Government was making arrogant statements, which will bring a bad name to the State. The State Government believes that what it says is the law,” he said.

As a solution to the problem, the Government should talk to the Chief Justice. “It is sheer obstinacy on the part of the Government to have a confrontation with the judiciary. No one else would have done this,” he said.

On the action taken against the three former Ministers caught watching porn in the Assembly, Mr. Moily said the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly had set up a committee to inquire into the incident. The act of the three former Ministers was a serious violation of ethics and morality, which called for stern punishment. The committee should take the matter seriously and uphold the dignity of the Legislative Assembly. “There is no point in adopting evasive tactics on this matter,” he said.

To a query, he said he had completed writing an epic poem (mahakavya) titled Draupadi . “I am giving finishing touches to it. It will be published in nine to 10 months in Kannada,” Mr. Moily said.


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coastaldigest.com news network
March 20,2025

Mangaluru International Airport (MIA), Karnataka’s second busiest airport, has seen 148.5kg of gold smuggled between 2019 and December 2024, with 90% arriving from the UAE. Customs officials recorded 346 cases, averaging 30kg of gold seized per year (2.5kg per month). Most smugglers are from Kerala and Bhatkal.

A senior customs officer revealed that MIA sees at least five gold smuggling cases per month. Numbers dropped during the pandemic but surged after flights resumed. Many offenders are first-time carriers, while some are habitual smugglers. With fewer flights, customs thoroughly checks passengers, making smuggling harder.

Smugglers constantly innovate concealment methods. Hiding gold in the rectum remains common, but gold is also found in trolley bags, mobile covers, chocolate boxes, milk powder, biscuit packets, and clothing layers. Electronic devices like car speaker magnets, LED bulbs, AirPods, wristwatches, and ballpoint pens have been used.

Unusual tactics include hiding gold in a woman’s hairband, a baby’s diaper, and even a kheer mix packet (347g). In one case, a passenger attempted to smuggle 100g in his mouth under a mask but was caught.

Officials note that while the UAE remains a key source, smugglers now bring gold from other Gulf countries, continuously adapting to evade detection.

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News Network
March 27,2025

nandini.jpg

The Karnataka government has announced that Nandini milk will become ₹4 costlier per litre starting April 1, 2025. This is the second price hike this year.

The decision was made during a cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna and Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh said the increase is meant to support dairy farmers by covering the rising costs of producing and processing milk.

Officials also said that:

>> The extra money from the price hike will go directly to the milk producers.

>> The earlier ₹2 price hike (announced on June 26, 2024) will be withdrawn.

>> The new price hike of ₹4 will apply to both 500 ml and 1-litre packets.

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News Network
March 21,2025

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly on Friday passed Bills doubling the salaries of the chief minister, ministers, and legislators, adding an annual burden of ₹62 crore on the exchequer.

The CM's monthly salary will increase from ₹75,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, while ministers will see a 108% hike, from ₹60,000 to ₹1.25 lakh. MLAs and MLCs will get ₹80,000 per month, up from ₹40,000, and their pension will rise from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000.

The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill and the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill were passed without debate, as the Opposition BJP protested in the well of the House.

The Bills cited the rising cost of living as justification for the hike. The Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council chairperson will now receive ₹1.25 lakh per month, up from ₹75,000.

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