More criticism than praise for Union budget in Mangalore

[email protected] (CD Network)
March 16, 2012

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Mangalore, March 16: The Union budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee earlier today has attracted more criticism than praise from people of the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada.

Following are some responses of people who spoke to Coastaldigest.com:

Latha Kini, President, Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry:

Increase of service tax and central excise tax will hurt the common man. It will result in price rise of all goods and affect all sections of the society. Subsidies for the agriculture sector have been retained so the burden has now fallen on the common man and the traders. The real tax collectors will be in dire straits now as the profit margin is reduced. The trade dealer will get nothing.

There are some positives too. Reducing interest rates for women of self-help groups is a good move. The infrastructure outlay is good and it was needed, or else, a revival is difficult. The Finance Minister has stressed on power needs and exemption to coal etc is a positive move. It is needed, keeping the future in mind.

G Hanumanth Kamath, President, Nagarika Hitarakshana Samithi, DK:

It is a capitalistic budget. The middle class has not benefited from this budget. Reducing rates for grocery items should have been considered. The increase of service tax will affect the common man. Although they have reduced rates of petroleum products, they will soon bring about a rise in prices quoting increase in rates of crude oil etc.

B Ramanath Rai, MLA:

It is a balanced budget. Importance has been given to child welfare which is a good move.

Padmanabha Kottari, DK Dist President, BJP:

This budget has been severe on the poor and the middle class. Rates of Beedi and Gutka have been increased. It is the poor who buy these products. Also, gold prices have also been increased. There is no improvement at all.


Adv. Raghavendra Rao, President, DK BJP Yuva Morcha:

No importance has been given to small investors. The Union government has increased the level for Income Tax to Rs 2 lakh which was Rs. 1,50,000 before. This is again unfair on the middle class. They have reduced prices for salt and matchbox which was not necessary. Overall, it's a pro-rich budget.

M G Hegde, JDS leader:

Although it boasts of possessing economic experts such as Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee, the Congress government has failed to fulfill people's expectations in this year's budget. It is just a technical and statistical balancing act and nothing has been done for the middle class. Besides, by merely giving subsidies to farmers, their problems won't be solved. Measures have to be taken for overall village development and agriculture development. Prices for TV, refrigerator etc have also been increased, conveniently forgetting thatsuch electronic goods are widely used by middle class and lower middle class people.

Muneer Katipalla, State Vice President, and DK Dist President, DYFI:

This budget has given scope for the growth of PPP (Public Private Partnership) which will only take privatization forward. It will have its impact on health, educational and other sectors where common people and students will have to suffer. The subsidies retained for farmers are mere gimmiks and no serious measures have been taken to stop farmer suicides. Reducing interest for Provident Funds, will also work in the favour of MNCs which shows that this budget is pro-corporates.


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News Network
November 4,2024

In a tragic turn of events, a young spectator lost his life during a bull-taming event, Kobbari Hori, at Chigalli in Mundgod taluk, Uttara Kannada, on Saturday. 

Parameshwar Siddappa Harijan, aged 22, was fatally gored by a marauding bull during the event, which had drawn large crowds as part of the Deepavali festival celebrations.

With thousands of spectators lining the path to witness the action, the event took a horrific turn when the bull charged directly at Parameshwar, inflicting severe injuries. 

Despite efforts to rush him to the hospital, Parameshwar tragically succumbed to his wounds on the way.

In response to the fatal accident, another bull-taming event scheduled for the evening in Mundgod town was promptly cancelled, as shock and grief swept through the community following the heartbreaking incident.

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News Network
November 14,2024

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday backed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his claim that the BJP had offered Rs 50 crore each to 50 Congress MLAs in an attempt to "topple" the state government.

Addressing reporters here, Shivakumar, also the Congress state president, said, “The BJP indeed lured 50 Congress MLAs with Rs 50 crore each.”

He defended Siddaramaiah’s statement and said the Congress MLAs were briefed about the BJP’s alleged 'Operation Lotus', a term used to describe the BJP's attempts to destabilise ruling governments through horse-trading.

“Some of our MLAs informed the Chief Minister about this matter, and he, in turn, shared it with the media,” Shivakumar said.

At an event in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah reiterated the claim that "none of the Congress MLAs had accepted the offer".

He also accused the BJP of filing false cases against him in a bid to "remove him and overthrow his government".

The BJP has yet to respond to the allegations.

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News Network
November 13,2024

voting.jpg

Bengaluru: An estimated overall 10.14 per cent voter turnout was recorded during the first two hours, since the voting began for bypolls to three Assembly segments in Karnataka on Wednesday, election officials said.

The voting began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm.

More than seven lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in about 770 polling stations in Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna, where a total of 45 candidates are in the fray.

While Channapatna recorded 10.34 per cent voter turnout till 9 am, it was 10.08 per cent in Shiggaon, and 9.99 per cent in Sandur, election officials said.

Voters, including women and elderly were seen queuing up in front of polling booths in these segments.

By-polls for Sandur, Shiggaon, and Channapatna are necessitated, as the seats fell vacant following the election of their respective representatives -- E Tukaram of Congress, former CM Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) -- to Lok Sabha in May elections.

As many as 31 candidates are in the fray from Channapatna, while Sandur and Shiggaon have six and eight contenders, respectively.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the three segments for the smooth conduct of the polls.

The by-polls will witness a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Sandur and Shiggaon segments, while in Channapatna, JD(S) which is part of the NDA alliance is in contest against the grand old party.

Among the three segments, Channapatna is considered to be a "high profile", where the contest is between C P Yogeeshwara, a five time MLA from the segment and former Minister, who joined the Congress quitting BJP ahead of nomination, and actor-turned -politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is Kumaraswamy’s son and former PM H D Deve Gowda's grandson.

BJP's Bharath Bommai, son of Basavaraj Bommai, is fighting Congress Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, who had faced defeat against the former Chief Minister in the 2023 Assembly polls, in Shiggaon.

Bharath Bommai and his father cast their vote at a polling booth in Shiggaon segment.

In Sandur, Bellary MP Tukaram's wife E Annapurna of Congress is contesting from the seat vacated by her husband, against, BJP ST Morcha president Bangaru Hanumanthu, who is considered close to party leader and former mining barron G Janardhan Reddy.

Annapurna, Tukaram and other family members cast their votes at a booth in the segment.

With Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Bharath Bommai contesting, the third generation of Gowda and Bommai families are in the fray in this by-poll. Both their fathers and grandfathers have served as Karnataka's Chief Ministers in the past.

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