Sonia assures North Karnataka of special financial package

Gulbarga, Feb 1: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Saturday assured people in North Karnataka of a special financial package from the central government for the integrated development of the region.

"I will follow up with the central government the demand of the people in the region to grant a special financial package for their socio-economic development," Gandhi said at a massive public meeting here, about 650km from Bangalore.

Gandhi was responding to the demand voiced by Railways Minister and Gulbarga MP Mallikarjun Kharge for the financial package from the central finance panel on the lines of similar packages granted to Telangana in Andhra Pradesh and Vidharbha in Maharashtra.

The central government has recently granted a special status to the six districts of this backward region - Bidar, Bellary, Gulbarga, Koppal, Raichur and Yadgir - by a constitutional amendment to provide the residents reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

Lauding the people of the region for voting for her party in the May 2013 assembly election, Gandhi said by giving a comfortable majority to the Congress, the people have voted for development, which, she said, suffered during the "corruption-riddled" Bharatiya Janata Party rule.

"By reposing faith in our party, the people have given us an opportunity to fulfill the promises made in the election manifesto through various welfare programmes and schemes aimed at removing the regional imbalance across the state," Gandhi said.

In this context, she referred to the medical education complex of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), which she inaugurated earlier in the day here.

The huge complex, housing a super-specialty hospital and colleges for medical, dental and nursing courses, was built at a cost of Rs.1,200 crore to provide healthcare needs of the region.

President Pranab Mukherjee laid the complex foundation in May 2010 when he was the finance minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA-2) government.

Terming the special status to the Hyderabad-Karnataka region a historic milestone, Gandhi said it was only the Congress-led UPA government which amended the law after the previous BJP-led NDA government rejected the demand for constitutional intervention.

"In addition to several progressive welfare schemes of the UPA government being implemented in the state, the Congress government has launched the subsidised foodgains scheme (Anna Bhagya) for the poor and free supply of milk thrice in a week to children reading in state-run and aided schools across the state," Gandhi told about 50,000 people who gathered from all the six districts across the region.

Besides Kharge, union ministers from the state - Veerappa Moily, Oscar Fernandes, Rehman Khan and K.H. Muniyappa, party's general secretary Digvijay Singh, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah were present at the occasion.

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A Tragic End—Mortal Remains of Entrepreneur Mumtaz Ali Found In River

News Network

October 7,2024

Mangaluru, Oct 7: In a heartbreaking turn of events, the search for Mumtaz Ali, chairman of Misbah Group of Educational Institutions, ended with the discovery of his mortal remains in the Phalguni river near Kulur. The somber discovery came after an exhaustive search, leaving a community in shock and sorrow.

He is the younger brother of former MLA Mohuiddin Bawa and former MLC B M Farookh.

The incident has taken a deeply distressing turn with the filing of an FIR against six individuals, including a woman, who are accused of pushing Ali to a tragic end.

The accused allegedly blackmailed Ali, fabricating a story about his involvement in an illicit relationship with the woman. Reports suggest that they extorted Rs 50 lakh from Ali and were unrelenting, demanding an additional Rs 50 lakh from him, casting a shadow over his final days.

The complaint, lodged by Ali’s grieving brother, accuses these individuals of driving him to despair through relentless blackmail and false accusations, ultimately leading him to take the tragic step.

In the early hours of Sunday, Ali left his home at 3 am, heading towards Suratkal, perhaps seeking some solace. A minor accident occurred when his car collided with a private bus near MCF. Despite the mishap, he offered a heartfelt apology to the bus driver and conductor—a gesture that now echoes with the pain of his unspoken struggles. After the collision, Ali made a U-turn near Panambur circle, driving back towards Kulur bridge, where his journey came to a sorrowful end.

Ali’s last moments hold an even deeper sadness, as he left behind a voice message in Byari, naming an individual who had been tormenting him mentally. Sent to his daughter and a close friend, the message revealed the unbearable burden he was carrying, hinting at his final decision to end his suffering.

This tragic loss has left the community and his loved ones grappling with unanswered questions and a profound sense of grief. As the investigation unfolds, the memory of Mumtaz Ali lingers, a reminder of the silent battles that too often go unseen.

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