Mangalore, Sep 20: Sowmya Kamath from Mangalore has secured admission to Stanford University, USA, to pursue Ph.D studies in space science. She has joined the university last week.
An alumnus of St Agnes Institutions and Canara PU College, Ms Kamath is the daughter Mrs Shantha and Mr Surathkal Srinivas Kamath of Pound Garden, Kadri, Mangalore.
Stanford University, situated in California, is one of the most prestigious institutions in the world.
Tumakuru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara announced on Sunday that the much-anticipated caste census report will be formally discussed at a special meeting of the state Cabinet scheduled for April 17. The meeting will focus on the findings and recommendations of the report, which has recently been circulated among ministers.
Speaking at Tiptur in Tumakuru district, Parameshwara noted that the caste census was conducted to ensure equitable access to essential services, education, and employment for downtrodden communities.
“The Congress government, between 2013 and 2018, spent crores of rupees to gather caste-based data from 1.37 crore families,” he said. “However, implementation was delayed by successive governments for various reasons.”
He emphasized the need for careful and informed deliberation and urged political leaders to avoid commenting on the report without studying it. “Nearly 80 per cent of the information in the report is accurate,” the Home Minister said, reinforcing the document’s credibility.
The Cabinet’s decision following the April 17 meeting could have far-reaching implications on Karnataka’s reservation policy and social equity framework.
Mangaluru: A seemingly harmless YouTube advertisement has cost a Mangaluru man his life savings, after he fell victim to an elaborate investment scam and lost a staggering ₹55 lakh.
According to the police complaint, the victim was lured in by a man named Shardul Jani, who claimed that a trading app called Abans Pro would deliver high returns. On February 11, the man made an initial investment of ₹15,000. A trading account was created for him, which soon began displaying encouraging profits.
Buoyed by these promising numbers and under constant persuasion from the accused, the man was convinced to invest more. Reassured that the money could be withdrawn at any time, he not only continued investing himself but also involved his relatives, who collectively transferred ₹39 lakh into his account for further investments.
Between February 11 and March 27, the victim transferred a total of ₹55 lakh to multiple bank accounts provided by the accused. But when he finally attempted to withdraw the funds, nothing came back. The profits were a mirage—his money had vanished.
Realising he had been conned, the man approached the Bajpe police, who have registered a case and begun an investigation into the fraudulent scheme.
Haveri: The Contractors’ Association of Haveri district has raised a grave concern over the Karnataka government's failure to release pending payments amounting to ₹738 crore for public works executed over the past few years. In a desperate appeal, the association has warned that if the dues are not settled by the end of April, contractors may be forced to seek mercy killing (euthanasia) as a form of protest.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Mallikarjun Haveri, the taluk president of the Haveri District Contractors’ Association, alleged that corruption and commission demands in various government departments have exacerbated the financial distress of contractors.
“The commission racket is rampant,” he said. “Officials and middlemen have been demanding commissions ranging from 10% to 15% for clearing bills. Many contractors have borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates to complete government projects. Despite paying commissions, our dues remain unpaid. Middlemen are bleeding us dry.”
He further claimed that at least 10 contractors have died by suicide due to mounting debt and financial stress.
According to the association, in Haveri district alone:
₹200 crore is pending with the Public Works Department (PWD),
₹138 crore with the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department,
₹400 crore for projects announced during the previous BJP government.
The association reminded that contractors had protested in Belagavi during the winter session of the state legislature. At the time, the Public Works Minister had promised to clear the dues in phases by the end of March. However, the departments—including the RDPR, Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL), and the Minor Irrigation Department—have yet to act on these assurances.
“We don’t want to take such extreme steps,” said the office-bearer. “But if the government continues to neglect us, we will be left with no option but to seek permission for euthanasia.”
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