<p>PM Modi praised the efforts of Rahul Dravid at a recent political rally in Karnataka.</p>

<p>The prime minister said, &quot;Rahul Dravid has played an important role in the recent U-19 World Cup victory. He has taught us to be honest and to live for others.&quot;</p>

<p>Prime Minister Modi had earlier tweeted to congratulate the Indian U-19 team after they won the World Cup on Saturday.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Absolutely thrilled by the stupendous achievement of our young cricketers. Congratulations to them on winning the Under-19 World Cup. This triumph makes every Indian extremely proud.</p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/959713422077317120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The young guns of India played exceptionally well and clinched the trophy remaining unbeaten through the tournament.</p>

<p>Rahul Dravid the head coach of the U-19 team&nbsp;himself a commendable player had guided the Indian colts to victory.</p>

<p>His contribution towards India&#39;s victory was praised throughout the cricketing world, including Sachin Tendulkar who shared several partnerships with the former Karnataka batsmen.</p>

<p>&quot;I am really proud of the boys, proud of the effort that they have put in and proud of the support staff as well.</p>

<p>I think the effort we have put in over the last 14 months has been sensational. They really deserved this, couldn&#39;t be really happier and proud for this bunch of boys,&quot; the legendary batsman said after India won the cup.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Prime Minister Modi had earlier tweeted to congratulate the Indian U-19 team after they won the World Cup on Saturday

PM Modi praised the efforts of Rahul Dravid at a recent political rally in Karnataka. The prime minister said, "Rahul Dravid has played an important role in the recent U-19 World Cup victory. He has taught us to be honest and to live for others." Prime Minister Modi had earlier tweeted to congratulate the Indian U-19 team after they won the World Cup on Saturday. Absolutely thrilled by the stupendous achievement of our young cricketers. Congratulations to them on winning the Under-19 World Cup. This triumph makes every Indian extremely proud. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 3, 2018 × The young guns of India played exceptionally well and clinched the trophy remaining unbeaten through the tournament. Rahul Dravid the head coach of the U-19 team himself a commendable player had guided the Indian colts to victory. His contribution towards India's victory was praised throughout the cricketing world, including Sachin Tendulkar who shared several partnerships with the former Karnataka batsmen. "I am really proud of the boys, proud of the effort that they have put in and proud of the support staff as well. I think the effort we have put in over the last 14 months has been sensational. They really deserved this, couldn't be really happier and proud for this bunch of boys," the legendary batsman said after India won the cup.

U-19 World Cup victory: PM Modi praises Dravid in Karnataka poll rally

<p>The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce the final verdict in Cauvery water dispute this week.</p>

<p>On January 9, the Apex Court indicated that it would deliver within a month its verdict on the decades-old Cauvery water dispute between riparian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, saying enough confusion has been created on it for over two decades.</p>

<p>A three-judge bench of the apex court had reserved its verdict on the appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) on sharing of water, after marathon hearing on September 20, 2017.</p>

<p>&quot;Enough of confusion has been there for past two decades. Any forum can touch the matter after the verdict is delivered in the issue. We will give the verdict in four weeks,&quot; a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud had said on January 9.</p>

<p>The court&#39;s remark had come during the hearing of a plea filed in 2016 by a citizens&#39; group led by philanthropist Kiran Mazumdar Shaw seeking its intervention for the supply of drinking water to residents of Bengaluru and surrounding districts.</p>

<p>The group under the banner of Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) in which Shaw is the President and former Infosys director and educationist Mohandas Pai the Vice President, had told the court that citizens of Bengaluru need adequate drinking water and their right to life needed to be protected by the top court.</p>

<p>In Karnataka, the verdict is being watched very closely as the polls are round the corner. An unfavourable verdict would put the Congress in Karnataka in a spot of bother as it relies heavily on the votes in the Cauvery belt.</p>

<p>(With inputs from PTI)</p>


With the Cauvery Waters verdict round the corner, the atmosphere is tense in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce the final verdict in Cauvery water dispute this week. On January 9, the Apex Court indicated that it would deliver within a month its verdict on the decades-old Cauvery water dispute between riparian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, saying enough confusion has been created on it for over two decades. A three-judge bench of the apex court had reserved its verdict on the appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) on sharing of water, after marathon hearing on September 20, 2017. "Enough of confusion has been there for past two decades. Any forum can touch the matter after the verdict is delivered in the issue. We will give the verdict in four weeks," a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud had said on January 9. The court's remark had come during the hearing of a plea filed in 2016 by a citizens' group led by philanthropist Kiran Mazumdar Shaw seeking its intervention for the supply of drinking water to residents of Bengaluru and surrounding districts. The group under the banner of Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) in which Shaw is the President and former Infosys director and educationist Mohandas Pai the Vice President, had told the court that citizens of Bengaluru need adequate drinking water and their right to life needed to be protected by the top court. In Karnataka, the verdict is being watched very closely as the polls are round the corner. An unfavourable verdict would put the Congress in Karnataka in a spot of bother as it relies heavily on the votes in the Cauvery belt. (With inputs from PTI)

Cauvery water dispute: Supreme Court likely to deliver final verdict this week

<p>Congress is standing at the exit gate in Karnataka. It has caused destruction here and Karnataka doesn&#39;t need a Congress culture, &nbsp;said Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a major rally on Sunday in bengaluru ahead of the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;Your enthusiasm shows that the countdown of Congress to make an exit has begun,&#39;&#39; Modi added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The recent budget has solved one problem of Karnataka. with an investment of 17,000 crores, construction work of 160 km long sub-urban railway network will be started in Bengaluru, Modi said and added that 15 lakh commuters of the city will be benefited by it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The government has set a goal to build more than 9,000 kms long National Highway across the nation this year, he said and added that under Bharatmala Pariyojana, 35,000 km of roads will be constructed with an investment of Rs 5,25,000.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There will be chaos in Bengaluru if it doesn&#39;t get electricity for a day. However, there are 7 lakhs homes in Karnataka &amp; 4 crores homes in the nation which lives in dark even after so many years of independence: PM Modi in Bengaluru.</p>

<p>Modi also slammed the Karnataka government and accused the state government of not using the extra fund provided by the Centre.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;I want to ask you if you have seen the correct use and impact of extra money provided by the Center to the state government,&#39;&#39; PM said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi also praised BJP&#39;s chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa and said that if he comes to power the projects for farmers will work at its best because he has farmer&#39;s best interest at heart.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;In this budget, the government has made a significant decision so that correct price of crops is given to farmers. If Yeddyurappa, son of a farmer, becomes CM of Karnataka, the projects for farmers will work at its best because Yeddyurappa has farmer&#39;s best interest at heart,&#39;&#39; Modi said.&nbsp;</p>


Modi also praised BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa and said that if he comes to power the projects for farmers will work at its best because he has farmer's best interest at heart.

Congress is standing at the exit gate in Karnataka. It has caused destruction here and Karnataka doesn't need a Congress culture, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a major rally on Sunday in bengaluru ahead of the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. ''Your enthusiasm shows that the countdown of Congress to make an exit has begun,'' Modi added. The recent budget has solved one problem of Karnataka. with an investment of 17,000 crores, construction work of 160 km long sub-urban railway network will be started in Bengaluru, Modi said and added that 15 lakh commuters of the city will be benefited by it. The government has set a goal to build more than 9,000 kms long National Highway across the nation this year, he said and added that under Bharatmala Pariyojana, 35,000 km of roads will be constructed with an investment of Rs 5,25,000. There will be chaos in Bengaluru if it doesn't get electricity for a day. However, there are 7 lakhs homes in Karnataka & 4 crores homes in the nation which lives in dark even after so many years of independence: PM Modi in Bengaluru. Modi also slammed the Karnataka government and accused the state government of not using the extra fund provided by the Centre. ''I want to ask you if you have seen the correct use and impact of extra money provided by the Center to the state government,'' PM said. Modi also praised BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa and said that if he comes to power the projects for farmers will work at its best because he has farmer's best interest at heart. ''In this budget, the government has made a significant decision so that correct price of crops is given to farmers. If Yeddyurappa, son of a farmer, becomes CM of Karnataka, the projects for farmers will work at its best because Yeddyurappa has farmer's best interest at heart,'' Modi said.

Congress is standing at 'exit gate' in Karnataka: Modi

<p>A driver with the &nbsp;Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) kept on driving for nearly 70 kilometres without realising that a dead body was stuck to the undercarriage of the bus.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 45-year-old driver usually operates from the Shantinagar depot. He was en-route Bengaluru from Coonoor via Tamil Nadu.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the driver, he felt a thud around 70 kilometres before reaching Bengaluru but never realised that it could be a body. The bus reached Bengaluru around 2.30 am while the body was discovered around 8 in the morning when the bus reached the depot for washing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The victim was unidentified until late Saturday night. The driver has 10 years of driving experience and remains in custody.&nbsp;</p>


The 45-year-old driver usually operates from the Shantinagar depot

A driver with the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) kept on driving for nearly 70 kilometres without realising that a dead body was stuck to the undercarriage of the bus. The 45-year-old driver usually operates from the Shantinagar depot. He was en-route Bengaluru from Coonoor via Tamil Nadu. According to the driver, he felt a thud around 70 kilometres before reaching Bengaluru but never realised that it could be a body. The bus reached Bengaluru around 2.30 am while the body was discovered around 8 in the morning when the bus reached the depot for washing. The victim was unidentified until late Saturday night. The driver has 10 years of driving experience and remains in custody.

Karnataka: Bus driven 70 kilometres with body stuck in undercarriage

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally in Bengaluru, Karnataka today to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP&#39;s &#39;Parivarthana Yatra&#39;.</p>

<p>During his address, PM Modi shared what exactly he means by the term &#39;TOP&#39; priority of the NDA government.</p>

<p>&quot;Those growing vegetables and fruits are our top priority. When I say TOP, I mean whichever part of the country you go, three vegetables are very much visible -- Tomato, Onion and Potato,&quot; PM Modi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;That&#39;s why I call TOP Priority. T for Tomato, O for Onion and P for potato - that makes TOP priority, &quot; he explained.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PM Modi shared that the three food items are staples all across the nation and symbolise his government&#39;s initiative called &#39;Operation Greens&#39;. The project is aimed at improving the living condition of farmers and was announced in the budget as well.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Citing the efficacy of the government-led AMUL initiative, PM Modi noted that &#39;Operation Greens&#39; will also prove beneficial for vegetable growers.</p>

<p>PM Modi also announced that party&#39;s state president B S Yeddyurappa would earmark Rs one lakh crore to improve the state irrigation system if the party comes to power in Karnataka in the upcoming assembly elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>BJP&#39;s &#39;Parivartan Yatra&#39;&nbsp;would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.</p>


BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra' would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally in Bengaluru, Karnataka today to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP's 'Parivarthana Yatra'. During his address, PM Modi shared what exactly he means by the term 'TOP' priority of the NDA government. "Those growing vegetables and fruits are our top priority. When I say TOP, I mean whichever part of the country you go, three vegetables are very much visible -- Tomato, Onion and Potato," PM Modi. "That's why I call TOP Priority. T for Tomato, O for Onion and P for potato - that makes TOP priority, " he explained. PM Modi shared that the three food items are staples all across the nation and symbolise his government's initiative called 'Operation Greens'. The project is aimed at improving the living condition of farmers and was announced in the budget as well. Citing the efficacy of the government-led AMUL initiative, PM Modi noted that 'Operation Greens' will also prove beneficial for vegetable growers. PM Modi also announced that party's state president B S Yeddyurappa would earmark Rs one lakh crore to improve the state irrigation system if the party comes to power in Karnataka in the upcoming assembly elections. BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra' would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.

'TOP' priority for NDA government means Tomato, onion, potato: PM Modi 

<p>The police in Bidar resorted to lathicharge&nbsp;after&nbsp;protestors agitating against rape and murder of a college student went out of control on Tuesday.</p>

<p>The protest turned&nbsp;violent as agitators started pelting stones at police in the village of Balki Taluk of Bidar, Karnataka.</p>

<p>Earlier, a strike&nbsp;was called by Hitharakshana Vedike in Bidar following the rape incident.</p>

<p>According to media reports, police vehicles were damaged and several people were also injured during the agitation.</p>

<p>However, the situation is under control now.</p>

<p>All shops of Bidar remained closed on Tuesday following the strike, which received support from groups like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Sri Rama Sena and ABVP.</p>

<p>A 19-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered after her throat was allegedly slit by her boyfriend&nbsp;</p>

<p>The police have arrested the accused and the body has been recovered from the place where her boyfriend allegedly buried it.</p>


The protest went violent agitators started pelting stones at police in the village of Balki Taluk of Bidar, Karnataka

The police in Bidar resorted to lathicharge after protestors agitating against rape and murder of a college student went out of control on Tuesday. The protest turned violent as agitators started pelting stones at police in the village of Balki Taluk of Bidar, Karnataka. Earlier, a strike was called by Hitharakshana Vedike in Bidar following the rape incident. According to media reports, police vehicles were damaged and several people were also injured during the agitation. However, the situation is under control now. All shops of Bidar remained closed on Tuesday following the strike, which received support from groups like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Sri Rama Sena and ABVP. A 19-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered after her throat was allegedly slit by her boyfriend The police have arrested the accused and the body has been recovered from the place where her boyfriend allegedly buried it.

Karnataka: Police lathicharge agitators protesting against Bidar rape case

<p>Taking motivation from Gujarat Elections results, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be on tour for three days in Karnataka, ahead of assembly elections in the state.</p>

<p>During the visit, the newly elected party president of All India Congress Committee Rahul Gandhi will be continuing his temple run in the state after Gujarat.</p>

<p>The Gandhi scion will tour the state between February 10 and 12.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He will be visiting Sringeri Sharada Math on February 11 and Sri Krishna Math of Udupi February 12.&nbsp;Gandhi will also be conducting road shows and interact with farmers and coffee growers in Chikmagalur district in the evening.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, former chief minister of Karnataka and Congress leader&nbsp;Gundu Rao said that Rahul Gandhi is going to be a &quot;very key&quot; campaigner for the Congress in the state, news agency PTI reported.</p>

<p>Congress leader Anil Shastri said that Gandhi&#39;s visit to temples is just a matter of faith and not intended to create a vote bank.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sensing religious wave in the country Congres has also adopted campaign with a touch of religion, as Rahul Gandhi has seen visiting Temples during the Gujarat elections as well.</p>

<p>Another Congress leader Digvijay Singh is also on &quot;Narmada Parikrama,&quot; visiting all temples along the banks of the river.</p>


The tour starts from February 10 to February 12 of this year

Taking motivation from Gujarat Elections results, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be on tour for three days in Karnataka, ahead of assembly elections in the state. During the visit, the newly elected party president of All India Congress Committee Rahul Gandhi will be continuing his temple run in the state after Gujarat. The Gandhi scion will tour the state between February 10 and 12. He will be visiting Sringeri Sharada Math on February 11 and Sri Krishna Math of Udupi February 12. Gandhi will also be conducting road shows and interact with farmers and coffee growers in Chikmagalur district in the evening. Meanwhile, former chief minister of Karnataka and Congress leader Gundu Rao said that Rahul Gandhi is going to be a "very key" campaigner for the Congress in the state, news agency PTI reported. Congress leader Anil Shastri said that Gandhi's visit to temples is just a matter of faith and not intended to create a vote bank. Sensing religious wave in the country Congres has also adopted campaign with a touch of religion, as Rahul Gandhi has seen visiting Temples during the Gujarat elections as well. Another Congress leader Digvijay Singh is also on "Narmada Parikrama," visiting all temples along the banks of the river.

Rahul Gandhi to continue 'temple run' in Karnataka ahead of polls

<p>The BJP Yuva Morcha workers &quot;cleansed&quot;&nbsp;the stage with cow urine hours after actor Prakash Raj spoke at an event in Karnataka.</p>

<p>The workers took up cleaning of the stage after they were provoked by Raj&#39;s&nbsp;comment on&nbsp;Uttara Kannada MP and Union Minister Anant Hegde.</p>

<p>Prakash Raj was invited to speak at an event &quot;Our Constitution, Our Pride&quot; in Sirsi town, Karnataka.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After the incident, the actor tweeted saying &quot; BJP workers cleaning and purifying the stage ... from where I spoke in Sirsi town..by sprinkling cow urine (divine gomoothra)&quot;</p>

<p>The actor reverted to the workers asking them is they will continue to carry the &quot; cleaning and purification process&quot; at every place where he goes.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BJP workers cleaning and purifying the stage ..from where I spoke in Sirsi town ...by sprinkling cow urine (divine gomoothra)...????????????...will you continue this cleaning and purification service where ever I go..... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/justasking?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#justasking</a> <a href="https://t.co/zG1hKF8P4r">pic.twitter.com/zG1hKF8P4r</a></p>
&mdash; Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) <a href="https://twitter.com/prakashraaj/status/953139520450396160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The workers took up cleaning of the stage after they were provoked by the Raj's comment on Uttara Kannada MP and Union Minister Anant Hegde

The BJP Yuva Morcha workers "cleansed" the stage with cow urine hours after actor Prakash Raj spoke at an event in Karnataka. The workers took up cleaning of the stage after they were provoked by Raj's comment on Uttara Kannada MP and Union Minister Anant Hegde. Prakash Raj was invited to speak at an event "Our Constitution, Our Pride" in Sirsi town, Karnataka. After the incident, the actor tweeted saying " BJP workers cleaning and purifying the stage ... from where I spoke in Sirsi town..by sprinkling cow urine (divine gomoothra)" The actor reverted to the workers asking them is they will continue to carry the " cleaning and purification process" at every place where he goes. BJP workers cleaning and purifying the stage ..from where I spoke in Sirsi town ...by sprinkling cow urine (divine gomoothra)...????????????...will you continue this cleaning and purification service where ever I go..... #justasking pic.twitter.com/zG1hKF8P4r — Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) January 16, 2018 ×

After Prakash Raj's address, BJP Yuva Morcha cleanses stage with cow urine

<p>The verbal war between the Congress and BJP before the Karnataka assembly elections continued Thursday with chief minister Siddaramaiah saying the &quot;BJP and RSS people are Hindutva terrorists&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Siddaramaiah had been trying to clarify his statements from yesterday when he had said the BJP and RSS have terrorists within their ranks.&nbsp;&nbsp;Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah said, &quot;What I had said was that BJP and RSS people are Hindutva terrorists.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>An earlier salvo had been fired by BJP President Amit Shah who had said on Wednesday that the Karnataka government was anti-Hindu and that it was guilty of vote-bank politics.</p>

<p>Also&nbsp;read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-government-is-anti-hindu-government-amit-shah-29117" target="_blank">Karnataka government is anti-Hindu: Amit Shah</a></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">What I had said was that BJP and RSS people are Hindutva terrorists: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah <a href="https://t.co/JMqxjWsldj">pic.twitter.com/JMqxjWsldj</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/951368390915932161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BJP RSS needs to stop its divisive politics, Congress Karnataka Govt will not tolerate communal elements be it any organization: KC Venugopal,Congress <a href="https://t.co/tCu9KiJZTy">pic.twitter.com/tCu9KiJZTy</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/951354570625622016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Congress leader KC Venugopal also targeted the BJP and the RSS, calling their politics &quot;divisive&quot;. He added that the state Congress government would not tolerate &quot;communal elements&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;BJP, RSS needs to stop its divisive politics, Congress Karnataka government will not tolerate communal&nbsp;elements be it any organisation,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Joining the trail, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Karnataka Congress chief, also hit out at the BJP and RSS. Calling the BJP-RSS Hindutva ideology &quot;fascist&quot;, he said they (the Congress) were more Hindu&nbsp;than the BJP and RSS.</p>

<p>He said, &quot;If we don&#39;t believe in a fascist ideology like Hindutva which produces terrorists and hate doesn&#39;t mean we are not Hindus, in fact&nbsp;we are more&nbsp;Hindu than BJP, RSS who use religion for politics.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If we don&#39;t believe in a fascist ideology like Hindutva which produces terrorists and hate doesn&#39;t mean we are not Hindus, infact we are more Hindu than BJP RSS who use religion for politics: Dinesh Gundu Rao,Karnataka Congress chief <a href="https://t.co/CaBWhLoTMY">pic.twitter.com/CaBWhLoTMY</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/951358289295564800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>He also said, &quot;Banning PFI or SDPI or Bajrang Dal is the central government&#39;s job, if they have proof then they can ban any organisation.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shah had yesterday pointed to the Karnataka government&#39;s lifting of the ban on the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) as proof that it was anti-Hindu.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Banning PFI or SDPI or Bajrang Dal is the Central Government&#39;s job, if they have proof then they can ban any organization: Dinesh Gundu Rao,Karnataka Congress chief <a href="https://t.co/mEupdr4fZE">pic.twitter.com/mEupdr4fZE</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/951358291648569344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Responding to Siddaramaiah, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Thursday that Siddaramaiah&#39;s statement has reiterated Congress&#39;s policy of appeasement and its hatred towards Hindus.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The statement of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has reiterated Congress&#39;s policy of appeasement and its hatred towards Hindus: Sambit Patra,BJP <a href="https://t.co/h2h08J6ALc">pic.twitter.com/h2h08J6ALc</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/951372248408928257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Siddharamiah had on Wednesday said the BJP and RSS had terrorists within their ranks

The verbal war between the Congress and BJP before the Karnataka assembly elections continued Thursday with chief minister Siddaramaiah saying the "BJP and RSS people are Hindutva terrorists". Siddaramaiah had been trying to clarify his statements from yesterday when he had said the BJP and RSS have terrorists within their ranks. Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah said, "What I had said was that BJP and RSS people are Hindutva terrorists." An earlier salvo had been fired by BJP President Amit Shah who had said on Wednesday that the Karnataka government was anti-Hindu and that it was guilty of vote-bank politics. Also read: Karnataka government is anti-Hindu: Amit Shah What I had said was that BJP and RSS people are Hindutva terrorists: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah pic.twitter.com/JMqxjWsldj — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2018 × BJP RSS needs to stop its divisive politics, Congress Karnataka Govt will not tolerate communal elements be it any organization: KC Venugopal,Congress pic.twitter.com/tCu9KiJZTy — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2018 × Congress leader KC Venugopal also targeted the BJP and the RSS, calling their politics "divisive". He added that the state Congress government would not tolerate "communal elements". "BJP, RSS needs to stop its divisive politics, Congress Karnataka government will not tolerate communal elements be it any organisation," he said. Joining the trail, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Karnataka Congress chief, also hit out at the BJP and RSS. Calling the BJP-RSS Hindutva ideology "fascist", he said they (the Congress) were more Hindu than the BJP and RSS. He said, "If we don't believe in a fascist ideology like Hindutva which produces terrorists and hate doesn't mean we are not Hindus, in fact we are more Hindu than BJP, RSS who use religion for politics." If we don't believe in a fascist ideology like Hindutva which produces terrorists and hate doesn't mean we are not Hindus, infact we are more Hindu than BJP RSS who use religion for politics: Dinesh Gundu Rao,Karnataka Congress chief pic.twitter.com/CaBWhLoTMY — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2018 × He also said, "Banning PFI or SDPI or Bajrang Dal is the central government's job, if they have proof then they can ban any organisation." Shah had yesterday pointed to the Karnataka government's lifting of the ban on the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) as proof that it was anti-Hindu. Banning PFI or SDPI or Bajrang Dal is the Central Government's job, if they have proof then they can ban any organization: Dinesh Gundu Rao,Karnataka Congress chief pic.twitter.com/mEupdr4fZE — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2018 × Responding to Siddaramaiah, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Thursday that Siddaramaiah's statement has reiterated Congress's policy of appeasement and its hatred towards Hindus. The statement of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has reiterated Congress's policy of appeasement and its hatred towards Hindus: Sambit Patra,BJP pic.twitter.com/h2h08J6ALc — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2018 ×

Karnataka CM says BJP, RSS are Hindutva terrorists after Amit Shah calls his government anti-Hindu

<p>The Supreme Court on Tuesday indicated that it would deliver within a month its verdict on the decades old Cauvery water dispute between riparian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, saying enough confusion has been created on it for over two decades.</p>

<p>The top court said that any forum could touch the matter relating to the Cauvery basin, only after it gave its verdict in four weeks.</p>

<p>A three-judge bench of the apex court had reserved its verdict on the appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) on sharing of water, after marathon hearing on September 20, 2017.</p>

<p>&quot;Enough of confusion has been there for past two decades. Any forum can touch the matter after the verdict is delivered in the issue. We will give the verdict in four weeks,&quot; a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said.</p>

<p>The court&#39;s remark came during the hearing of a plea filed in 2016 by a citizens&#39; group led by philanthropist Kiran Mazumdar Shaw seeking its intervention for the supply of drinking water to residents of Bengaluru and surrounding districts.</p>

<p>The group under the banner of Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) in which Shaw is the president and former Infosys director and educationist Mohandas Pai the vice-president, had told the court that citizens of Bengaluru need adequate drinking water and their right to life needed to be protected by the top court.</p>

<p>&quot;That the present application is being filed by the applicant in the aftermath of the violence that took place in the city of Bengaluru, since the applicant is of the belief that there are extraordinary circumstances in the city and its adjoining areas which need to be addressed through the intervention of this Court,&quot; the BPAC plea said.</p>

<p>&quot;There is an acute drinking water problem in the city of Bengaluru and certain other districts of South Karnataka. The annual requirement of Bengaluru city alone is more than 19 TMC of water to be supplied to the citizens by the authorities of the State of Karnataka. The annual drinking water requirements of the Cauvery basin districts including the Bengaluru is roughly about 26 TMC (approximately),&quot; it said.</p>

<p>BPAC, in its plea filed through lawyer Aparna Bhat, said &quot;the southwest monsoon for the year 2016-17 has miserably failed over most parts of Karnataka and especially in the catchment areas of the Cauvery River. The lack of rainfall is also evident by the reservoir levels in the major reservoirs of the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, which have a huge shortfall of inflows, and thereby the drastic decrease in the storage capacities of the respective reservoirs.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;The approximate live storage of Karnataka&#39;s reservoirs (Harangi, Hemavathi, K.R.S and Kabini) as on 16 September 2016 is only 28.77 TMC as against the total drinking water requirements of Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and other Cauvery basin districts which is 26 TMC (approximately),&quot; it had said.</p>

<p>If further releases are made to Tamil Nadu, there would not be enough water available in these reservoirs for supply to the citizens of Bengaluru and other towns, it had said.</p>

<p>&quot;This is indeed an alarming situation which requires urgent attention of the relevant authorities, and it is also the need of the hour that the present scenario is brought to the notice of this court,&quot; the plea said.</p>


'Enough of confusion has been there for past two decades. We will give the verdict in four weeks,' a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said

The Supreme Court on Tuesday indicated that it would deliver within a month its verdict on the decades old Cauvery water dispute between riparian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, saying enough confusion has been created on it for over two decades. The top court said that any forum could touch the matter relating to the Cauvery basin, only after it gave its verdict in four weeks. A three-judge bench of the apex court had reserved its verdict on the appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) on sharing of water, after marathon hearing on September 20, 2017. "Enough of confusion has been there for past two decades. Any forum can touch the matter after the verdict is delivered in the issue. We will give the verdict in four weeks," a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said. The court's remark came during the hearing of a plea filed in 2016 by a citizens' group led by philanthropist Kiran Mazumdar Shaw seeking its intervention for the supply of drinking water to residents of Bengaluru and surrounding districts. The group under the banner of Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) in which Shaw is the president and former Infosys director and educationist Mohandas Pai the vice-president, had told the court that citizens of Bengaluru need adequate drinking water and their right to life needed to be protected by the top court. "That the present application is being filed by the applicant in the aftermath of the violence that took place in the city of Bengaluru, since the applicant is of the belief that there are extraordinary circumstances in the city and its adjoining areas which need to be addressed through the intervention of this Court," the BPAC plea said. "There is an acute drinking water problem in the city of Bengaluru and certain other districts of South Karnataka. The annual requirement of Bengaluru city alone is more than 19 TMC of water to be supplied to the citizens by the authorities of the State of Karnataka. The annual drinking water requirements of the Cauvery basin districts including the Bengaluru is roughly about 26 TMC (approximately)," it said. BPAC, in its plea filed through lawyer Aparna Bhat, said "the southwest monsoon for the year 2016-17 has miserably failed over most parts of Karnataka and especially in the catchment areas of the Cauvery River. The lack of rainfall is also evident by the reservoir levels in the major reservoirs of the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, which have a huge shortfall of inflows, and thereby the drastic decrease in the storage capacities of the respective reservoirs." "The approximate live storage of Karnataka's reservoirs (Harangi, Hemavathi, K.R.S and Kabini) as on 16 September 2016 is only 28.77 TMC as against the total drinking water requirements of Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and other Cauvery basin districts which is 26 TMC (approximately)," it had said. If further releases are made to Tamil Nadu, there would not be enough water available in these reservoirs for supply to the citizens of Bengaluru and other towns, it had said. "This is indeed an alarming situation which requires urgent attention of the relevant authorities, and it is also the need of the hour that the present scenario is brought to the notice of this court," the plea said.

Enough confusion for over two decades, Cauvery verdict in 4 weeks: Supreme Court

<p>Union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde has kicked up another controversy, mocking secularists with his remark that they are unaware of their parentage.</p>

<p>The remark by the five-time Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka comes months ahead of the Assembly elections in the southern state and sparked condemnation from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who said the BJP leader does not know the parliamentary or political language.</p>

<p>Hegde, 49, said a new tradition was in vogue, where people project themselves as secular, but asserted he would feel &quot;happy&quot; if someone claims with pride that he is a Muslim, Christian, or a Lingayat, or a Brahmin, or a Hindu.</p>

<p>&quot;I feel happy because he (the person) knows about his blood, but I don&#39;t know what to call those who claim themselves secular,&quot; said the minister for skill development and entrepreneurship. &quot;Those who, without knowing about their parental blood, call themselves secular, they don&#39;t have their own identity. They don&#39;t know about their parentage, but they are intellectuals,&quot; he said at an event organised by the Brahman Yuva Parishad in Kukanur town of Koppal district on Monday.</p>

<p>He launched the Parishad&#39;s website and women&#39;s wing. Urging people to identify with their religion or caste, Hegde said, &quot;I will bow to you, you are aware of your blood. But if you claim to be secular, there arises a doubt about who you are.&quot;</p>

<p>He said he respects the Constitution but it &quot;will be changed&quot; in the days to come. &quot;We are here for that and that is why we have come,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Hitting out at Hegde, Siddaramaiah said the minister has not studied the Constitution, does not know the parliamentary or political language. He said Hegde has not learnt the social system and added that people belonging to various religions live in India.</p>

<p>&quot;Each and every individual in this country is an Indian, and every religion has equal right and opportunity. He does not have this basic knowledge,&quot; Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hubballi.</p>

<p>Hegde is no stranger to controversies. A case was recently registered against him for allegedly using derogatory language against Siddaramaiah at Kittur in Belagavi district. He had been slapped with cases for his &quot;hate speeches&quot;, including one where he allegedly equated Islam with terrorism.</p>

<p>Commenting on the Tipu Sultan Jayanti controversy in Karnataka, Hegde was also quoted as having said at a public meeting that it is a matter of time before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah starts making people celebrate &quot;Kasab Jayanti&quot;, referring to Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai&nbsp;terrorist attacks.</p>

<p>Hegde was criticising Siddaramaiah for state-wide celebrations to mark Tipu Sultan&#39;s birth anniversary on 10 November. The union minister was known to be vehemently opposed to the state celebrations of Tipu Jayanti since it was started in 2015 and had called the festival a &quot;shameful event glorifying a brutal killer.&quot;</p>


Ananth Kumar Hegde added that he respects the Constitution but that it 'will be changed' in the days to come

Union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde has kicked up another controversy, mocking secularists with his remark that they are unaware of their parentage. The remark by the five-time Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka comes months ahead of the Assembly elections in the southern state and sparked condemnation from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who said the BJP leader does not know the parliamentary or political language. Hegde, 49, said a new tradition was in vogue, where people project themselves as secular, but asserted he would feel "happy" if someone claims with pride that he is a Muslim, Christian, or a Lingayat, or a Brahmin, or a Hindu. "I feel happy because he (the person) knows about his blood, but I don't know what to call those who claim themselves secular," said the minister for skill development and entrepreneurship. "Those who, without knowing about their parental blood, call themselves secular, they don't have their own identity. They don't know about their parentage, but they are intellectuals," he said at an event organised by the Brahman Yuva Parishad in Kukanur town of Koppal district on Monday. He launched the Parishad's website and women's wing. Urging people to identify with their religion or caste, Hegde said, "I will bow to you, you are aware of your blood. But if you claim to be secular, there arises a doubt about who you are." He said he respects the Constitution but it "will be changed" in the days to come. "We are here for that and that is why we have come," he said. Hitting out at Hegde, Siddaramaiah said the minister has not studied the Constitution, does not know the parliamentary or political language. He said Hegde has not learnt the social system and added that people belonging to various religions live in India. "Each and every individual in this country is an Indian, and every religion has equal right and opportunity. He does not have this basic knowledge," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hubballi. Hegde is no stranger to controversies. A case was recently registered against him for allegedly using derogatory language against Siddaramaiah at Kittur in Belagavi district. He had been slapped with cases for his "hate speeches", including one where he allegedly equated Islam with terrorism. Commenting on the Tipu Sultan Jayanti controversy in Karnataka, Hegde was also quoted as having said at a public meeting that it is a matter of time before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah starts making people celebrate "Kasab Jayanti", referring to Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Hegde was criticising Siddaramaiah for state-wide celebrations to mark Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary on 10 November. The union minister was known to be vehemently opposed to the state celebrations of Tipu Jayanti since it was started in 2015 and had called the festival a "shameful event glorifying a brutal killer."

'Those who call themselves secular don't know about their parentage,' says Karnataka MP

<p>Bengaluru has become one of the first cities to introduce its own identity badge.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a move to build its image on an international platform, the city has launched its own identity badge &#39;Brand Bengaluru&#39; with a logo</p>

<p>The logo was unwrapped in the presence of Bengaluru development minister KJ George, Gandhinagar MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao, Shantinagar MLA NA Haris and Bengaluru mayor Sampath Raj on Sunday at Vidhana Soudha.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The tagline of the brand is &#39;Bengaluru- Be U&#39; (be you).</p>

<p>The logo signifies Bengaluru&#39;s cosmopolitan culture, a sense of belonging, 480-year-old history and futuristic outlook.</p>

<p>The logo has been selected from 1,350 entries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>IT-BT and Tourism minister Priyank Kharge said that the &quot;identity&quot; will &quot;tell the Bengaluru stories across the globe&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NammaBengaluru?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NammaBengaluru</a> gets its own identity. A city steeped in history, culture, art, cuisines. A identity that will tell the Bengaluru stories across the globe. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NammaBengaluruHabba?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NammaBengaluruHabba</a> <a href="https://t.co/fwUUrr2Kdp">pic.twitter.com/fwUUrr2Kdp</a></p>
&mdash; Priyank Kharge (@PriyankKharge) <a href="https://twitter.com/PriyankKharge/status/944858776204537856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah&nbsp;had also tweeted about the launch of Brand Bengaluru. He wrote &quot; Launching Brand Bengaluru -- the most enterprising, dynamic, progressive and global city, a city that allows you to be yourself.&quot;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Launching Brand Bengaluru - the most enterprising, dynamic, progressive &amp; glocal city; a city that allows U to be yourself. Participate in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NammaBengaluruHabba?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NammaBengaluruHabba</a> near Vidhan Soudha today, and celebrate Namma Ooru Bengaluru! <a href="https://twitter.com/PriyankKharge?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PriyankKharge</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KarnatakaWorld?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KarnatakaWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/zFGi1sLLfc">pic.twitter.com/zFGi1sLLfc</a></p>
&mdash; CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMofKarnataka/status/944823239489884160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The font was devised by bankers-turned-designers Rushi Patel and M Venkateswara Rao, founders of Nammur, a design firm.</p>


In a move to build?its image on an international platform, the city has launched its own identity badge 'Brand Bengaluru' with a logo

Bengaluru has become one of the first cities to introduce its own identity badge. In a move to build its image on an international platform, the city has launched its own identity badge 'Brand Bengaluru' with a logo The logo was unwrapped in the presence of Bengaluru development minister KJ George, Gandhinagar MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao, Shantinagar MLA NA Haris and Bengaluru mayor Sampath Raj on Sunday at Vidhana Soudha. The tagline of the brand is 'Bengaluru- Be U' (be you). The logo signifies Bengaluru's cosmopolitan culture, a sense of belonging, 480-year-old history and futuristic outlook. The logo has been selected from 1,350 entries. IT-BT and Tourism minister Priyank Kharge said that the "identity" will "tell the Bengaluru stories across the globe". #NammaBengaluru gets its own identity. A city steeped in history, culture, art, cuisines. A identity that will tell the Bengaluru stories across the globe. #NammaBengaluruHabba pic.twitter.com/fwUUrr2Kdp — Priyank Kharge (@PriyankKharge) December 24, 2017 × Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also tweeted about the launch of Brand Bengaluru. He wrote " Launching Brand Bengaluru -- the most enterprising, dynamic, progressive and global city, a city that allows you to be yourself." Launching Brand Bengaluru - the most enterprising, dynamic, progressive & glocal city; a city that allows U to be yourself. Participate in the #NammaBengaluruHabba near Vidhan Soudha today, and celebrate Namma Ooru Bengaluru! @PriyankKharge @KarnatakaWorld pic.twitter.com/zFGi1sLLfc — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) December 24, 2017 × The font was devised by bankers-turned-designers Rushi Patel and M Venkateswara Rao, founders of Nammur, a design firm.

Bengaluru launches logo for identity badge 'Brand Bengaluru'

<p>The Karnataka government is contemplating the framing of a law enabling capital punishment to rapists of minor girls, reports said on Sunday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said in Bengaluru that the government would look for further details of the law passed by the Madhya Pradesh government - which states that the accused would be given death penalty if found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below.</p>

<p>&quot;We will get details of the law and plan to enact the same here in Karnataka,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;You have seen the recent incident of rape and murder of a Dalit minor girl, which caused so much of tension in coastal Karnataka and its neighbouring districts. So such laws will curb such heinous crimes,&quot; Reddy further added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The home minister said that he would be taking up the matter with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.</p>

<p>On December 4, the Madhya Pradesh government passed the bill, becoming the first state in India to award capital punishment to those convicted of raping minors.&nbsp;</p>


The home minister said that he would be taking up the matter with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

The Karnataka government is contemplating the framing of a law enabling capital punishment to rapists of minor girls, reports said on Sunday. Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said in Bengaluru that the government would look for further details of the law passed by the Madhya Pradesh government - which states that the accused would be given death penalty if found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below. "We will get details of the law and plan to enact the same here in Karnataka," he said. "You have seen the recent incident of rape and murder of a Dalit minor girl, which caused so much of tension in coastal Karnataka and its neighbouring districts. So such laws will curb such heinous crimes," Reddy further added. The home minister said that he would be taking up the matter with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. On December 4, the Madhya Pradesh government passed the bill, becoming the first state in India to award capital punishment to those convicted of raping minors.

Karnataka contemplates capital punishment law for rapists of minor girls

<p>Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today lashed out at the Siddaramaiah government, alleging that the way Hindu and BJP workers are being &quot;brutally&quot; killed signified &quot;a state of anarchy.&quot;</p>

<p>Adityanath also asserted at a party rally here that &quot;no one can stop&quot; BJP from forming the government in Karnataka in the Assembly polls, due early next year.</p>

<p>He accused the Congress of &quot;insulting&quot; India&#39;s rich tradition by showing respect to the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, whose birth anniversary celebrations by the government had triggered a huge controversy and sharp division of public opinion on the issue across the state.</p>

<p>Calling Karnataka &quot;the land of Hanuman&quot; and home of valour and courage which was ruled by the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire, Adityanath said it was unfortunate that the Congress &quot;instead of worshipping Hanuman and Vijayanagar was worshipping Tipu Sultan.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;This is the difference in mindset because Congress wants to implement across the country the mafia raj that Rahul Gandhi has inherited. Karnataka has to dismiss this, like Gujarat and Himachal have dismissed,&quot; he said, referring to the recent assembly polls in the two states where the BJP won.</p>

<p>&quot;If Karnataka dismisses Congress in one go, no one else will come to worship Tipu Sultan,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Adityanath was speaking at the &quot;Parivarthana Yatra&quot; rally organised by the state BJP as part of its programme to &quot;expose the misdeeds&quot; of the Congress government in the state.</p>

<p>Alleging that there is a law and order problem in the state, he spoke about &quot;brutal killings&quot; of Hindu and BJP workers.</p>

<p>He said, &quot;the way in which Hindu and BJP workers are brutally killed and there is always a threat to their lives signifies the state of anarchy that exists in Karnataka under Congress rule.&quot;</p>

<p>Speaking about farmers&#39; issues, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said his government had waived loan worth Rs 36,000 crore benefiting about 86 lakh farmers, and they include loans borrowed from nationalised or cooperative banks.</p>

<p>He claimed that the Congress government wants to use farmer&#39;s money during elections and that is the reason it is not taking a firm decision on waiving the loan completely.</p>

<p>Pointing out that there is a protection to everyone and developmental works were happening in all the 19 BJP ruled states, he said: &quot;Congress policy is divisive, aimed at dividing the society.&quot;</p>

<p>The people of Gujarat have chosen BJP for the sixth time keeping faith in Narendra Modi&#39;s development agenda and disapproving the Congress&#39; &quot;divisive&quot; thinking, Adityanath said.</p>

<p>&quot;We want the same thing to be repeated in Karnataka,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Congress does not believe in development, their belief is in dividing the society in the name of caste or religion,&quot; the chief minister said.</p>

<p>Appealing to the people to support BJP for the sake of Karnataka and its development, he said the Congress has always neglected the state by making lesser financial allocations.</p>

<p>&quot;World over leaders want to replicate India&#39;s developmental agenda ushered in by Narendra Modi, but Congress which doesn&#39;t know what is development is laughing at it and is raising questions about it,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>With Congress at the helm, development cannot reach the ground level in Karnataka, Adityanath said.</p>

<p>&quot;BJP alone can do it...Look at your excitement, I&#39;m assured that no one can stop BJP from forming a government in Karnataka.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;m sure that by bringing BJP back to power in Karnataka you will make it clear that in India Hanuman, saints and great spiritual leaders will get worshipped, and not Tipu Sultan,&quot; he added.</p>


Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today lashed out at the Siddaramaiah government, alleging that the way Hindu and BJP workers are being 'brutally' killed signified "a state of anarchy'

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today lashed out at the Siddaramaiah government, alleging that the way Hindu and BJP workers are being "brutally" killed signified "a state of anarchy." Adityanath also asserted at a party rally here that "no one can stop" BJP from forming the government in Karnataka in the Assembly polls, due early next year. He accused the Congress of "insulting" India's rich tradition by showing respect to the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, whose birth anniversary celebrations by the government had triggered a huge controversy and sharp division of public opinion on the issue across the state. Calling Karnataka "the land of Hanuman" and home of valour and courage which was ruled by the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire, Adityanath said it was unfortunate that the Congress "instead of worshipping Hanuman and Vijayanagar was worshipping Tipu Sultan." "This is the difference in mindset because Congress wants to implement across the country the mafia raj that Rahul Gandhi has inherited. Karnataka has to dismiss this, like Gujarat and Himachal have dismissed," he said, referring to the recent assembly polls in the two states where the BJP won. "If Karnataka dismisses Congress in one go, no one else will come to worship Tipu Sultan," he said. Adityanath was speaking at the "Parivarthana Yatra" rally organised by the state BJP as part of its programme to "expose the misdeeds" of the Congress government in the state. Alleging that there is a law and order problem in the state, he spoke about "brutal killings" of Hindu and BJP workers. He said, "the way in which Hindu and BJP workers are brutally killed and there is always a threat to their lives signifies the state of anarchy that exists in Karnataka under Congress rule." Speaking about farmers' issues, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said his government had waived loan worth Rs 36,000 crore benefiting about 86 lakh farmers, and they include loans borrowed from nationalised or cooperative banks. He claimed that the Congress government wants to use farmer's money during elections and that is the reason it is not taking a firm decision on waiving the loan completely. Pointing out that there is a protection to everyone and developmental works were happening in all the 19 BJP ruled states, he said: "Congress policy is divisive, aimed at dividing the society." The people of Gujarat have chosen BJP for the sixth time keeping faith in Narendra Modi's development agenda and disapproving the Congress' "divisive" thinking, Adityanath said. "We want the same thing to be repeated in Karnataka," he said. "Congress does not believe in development, their belief is in dividing the society in the name of caste or religion," the chief minister said. Appealing to the people to support BJP for the sake of Karnataka and its development, he said the Congress has always neglected the state by making lesser financial allocations. "World over leaders want to replicate India's developmental agenda ushered in by Narendra Modi, but Congress which doesn't know what is development is laughing at it and is raising questions about it," he said. With Congress at the helm, development cannot reach the ground level in Karnataka, Adityanath said. "BJP alone can do it...Look at your excitement, I'm assured that no one can stop BJP from forming a government in Karnataka." "I'm sure that by bringing BJP back to power in Karnataka you will make it clear that in India Hanuman, saints and great spiritual leaders will get worshipped, and not Tipu Sultan," he added.

State of anarchy in Karnataka, says Yogi Adityanath

<p>Karnataka government has denied permission to Time Creation&#39;s new year&#39;s eve event in which actress Sunny Leone was to perform.</p>

<p>&quot;No permission has been granted for Time Creation&#39;s New Year&#39;s Eve event in which Sunny Leone was to take part,&quot; said Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy.</p>

<p>Members of a pro-Kannada group, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene (KARAVE), were previously seen staging protests against Sunny Leone demanding her not to take part in the event.&nbsp;</p>

<p>KARAVE party members have threatened to commit suicide if Sunny performs at the event wearing &#39;inappropriate&#39; garments.</p>

<p>&quot;We don&#39;t have any objections if she (Sunny) attends the programme with a saree as per Indian culture. If she attends the event in a half dress or in any other ways we will commit suicide at the event,&quot; noted Jayadev Prasad, Secretary, KARAVE.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Prasad mentioned his group to have already purchased 70 tickets and claimed to stage stronger protests if Sunny Leone &quot;dances half-naked&quot;.&nbsp;</p>


Karnataka government has denied permission to Time Creation`s New Year`s Eve event in which actress Sunny Leone was to participate

Karnataka government has denied permission to Time Creation's new year's eve event in which actress Sunny Leone was to perform. "No permission has been granted for Time Creation's New Year's Eve event in which Sunny Leone was to take part," said Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy. Members of a pro-Kannada group, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene (KARAVE), were previously seen staging protests against Sunny Leone demanding her not to take part in the event. KARAVE party members have threatened to commit suicide if Sunny performs at the event wearing 'inappropriate' garments. "We don't have any objections if she (Sunny) attends the programme with a saree as per Indian culture. If she attends the event in a half dress or in any other ways we will commit suicide at the event," noted Jayadev Prasad, Secretary, KARAVE. Prasad mentioned his group to have already purchased 70 tickets and claimed to stage stronger protests if Sunny Leone "dances half-naked".

Karnataka government says no to Sunny Leone's new year event

<p>The island-nation of Mauritius has started buying fuel from Saudi Arabia&#39;s state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco after a court ordered a ban on Indian fuel supplies because of a dispute between the country and a shipping firm.</p>

<p>For years, Indian oil refiner Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has been the sole supplier to Mauritius of fuels such as gasoline and diesel. However, an Indian court has ordered a ship loaded with fuel from MRPL for the island to stay in port until the Mauritian government settles an outstanding $120 million payment to shipper Betamax over a contract dispute.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mauritian Trade Minister Ashit Gungah told reporters on Thursday in the country&#39;s capital of Port St. Louis that Aramco will supply fuel.&nbsp;&quot;I can reassure the population and economic operators that we have sufficient stock of fuel&quot;, he said. &quot;A first tanker is expected in the country during the weekend and two more tankers will arrive next week. A fourth tanker is due by mid-December&quot;.&nbsp;He further said the supplies would be sufficient to meet demand until January 2018.</p>

<p>&quot;Other friendly countries have also accepted to help Mauritius&quot;, Gungah said.&nbsp;The fuel issues stem from a dispute between the State Trading Corporation of Mauritius (STCM), which buys fuel from MRPL, and Mauritian-based shipper Betamax.</p>

<p>STCM in 2009 signed a 15-year contract with Betamax to transport fuels from MRPL in the southern the Indian state of Karnataka to Port Louis. The contract was worth 8 billion Mauritius rupees ($238 million), according to local media reports.&nbsp;But in 2015 it terminated the contract with Betamax.</p>

<p>The company won a case in June against STCM for premature termination at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre that awarded Betamax more than $120 million.&nbsp;Betamax pressed the case at the Karnataka High Court after STCM did not make payment.</p>

<p>A Karnataka court order reviewed by Reuters directed port authorities at Mangalore &quot;to refrain from providing any clearance&quot; to the tanker Pacific Diamond from leaving India with 40,000 tonnes of unspecified petroleum product for delivery to STCM.&nbsp;The ship is to be held until the next hearing on the matter on Monday, the order said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Betamax can enforce the arbitration award against STCM&#39;s assets in any country where the award is enforceable.&nbsp;MRPL exports about 1.2 million tonnes of refined fuels to Mauritius a year.&nbsp;MRPL will look at exporting the surplus fuel if the ban continues on supplies to Port Louis, a company official said on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An MRPL spokesman declined to comment on the matter while Saudi Aramco did not immediately reply to an e-mail.&nbsp;</p>


After Indian court ordered an oil tanker loaded with fuel for Mauritius to stay in port until all outstanding has been settled, Mauritius buys fuel from Saudi Arabia

The island-nation of Mauritius has started buying fuel from Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco after a court ordered a ban on Indian fuel supplies because of a dispute between the country and a shipping firm. For years, Indian oil refiner Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has been the sole supplier to Mauritius of fuels such as gasoline and diesel. However, an Indian court has ordered a ship loaded with fuel from MRPL for the island to stay in port until the Mauritian government settles an outstanding $120 million payment to shipper Betamax over a contract dispute. Mauritian Trade Minister Ashit Gungah told reporters on Thursday in the country's capital of Port St. Louis that Aramco will supply fuel. "I can reassure the population and economic operators that we have sufficient stock of fuel", he said. "A first tanker is expected in the country during the weekend and two more tankers will arrive next week. A fourth tanker is due by mid-December". He further said the supplies would be sufficient to meet demand until January 2018. "Other friendly countries have also accepted to help Mauritius", Gungah said. The fuel issues stem from a dispute between the State Trading Corporation of Mauritius (STCM), which buys fuel from MRPL, and Mauritian-based shipper Betamax. STCM in 2009 signed a 15-year contract with Betamax to transport fuels from MRPL in the southern the Indian state of Karnataka to Port Louis. The contract was worth 8 billion Mauritius rupees ($238 million), according to local media reports. But in 2015 it terminated the contract with Betamax. The company won a case in June against STCM for premature termination at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre that awarded Betamax more than $120 million. Betamax pressed the case at the Karnataka High Court after STCM did not make payment. A Karnataka court order reviewed by Reuters directed port authorities at Mangalore "to refrain from providing any clearance" to the tanker Pacific Diamond from leaving India with 40,000 tonnes of unspecified petroleum product for delivery to STCM. The ship is to be held until the next hearing on the matter on Monday, the order said. Betamax can enforce the arbitration award against STCM's assets in any country where the award is enforceable. MRPL exports about 1.2 million tonnes of refined fuels to Mauritius a year. MRPL will look at exporting the surplus fuel if the ban continues on supplies to Port Louis, a company official said on condition of anonymity. An MRPL spokesman declined to comment on the matter while Saudi Aramco did not immediately reply to an e-mail.

Mauritius turns to Saudi fuel cargoes after court bans Indian supplies

<p>An Ola cab driver allegedly harassed woman&nbsp;passenger in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Wednesday.</p>

<p>The driver allegedly even tried to hold the woman hostage inside the car by activating the child lock.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bengaluru: Ola cab driver allegedly harassed a woman and tried holding her hostage inside cab by activating child lock. More details awaited.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938299647021539329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>This is not the first time an app-based cab service driver has been accused of sexual harassment, further shining a light on how unsafe they can be.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(This is a developing story. More details awaited.)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


This is a developing story. More details are awaited

An Ola cab driver allegedly harassed woman passenger in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Wednesday. The driver allegedly even tried to hold the woman hostage inside the car by activating the child lock. Bengaluru: Ola cab driver allegedly harassed a woman and tried holding her hostage inside cab by activating child lock. More details awaited. — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × This is not the first time an app-based cab service driver has been accused of sexual harassment, further shining a light on how unsafe they can be. (This is a developing story. More details awaited.)

Ola driver harasses Bengaluru woman passenger, activates child lock to stop her escaping

<p>Gujarat&rsquo;s development model rests primarily on its industrial performance. Industrial output accounts for nearly 40 per cent of state domestic product as compared to an all-India average of around 30 per cent. Correspondingly 16 per cent of the Gujarat workforce is in manufacturing (which is the largest subset of the industrial sector) as compared to an all-India average of 10.5 per cent. This much of the story is well-known.</p>

<p>But can Gujarat&rsquo;s industrial performance be a desirable model for the rest of the country? One way to address this question is to take a closer look at the way this sector has performed in Gujarat compared to the national average over the last few years.</p>

<p>The most commonly used nationally comparable dataset on the organised manufacturing is the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) conducted by the Central Statistics Office, which provides data on employment, value added, and other key variables for the &ldquo;factory sector.&rdquo; Note that, this does not include the vast number of micro and small enterprises that are not required to register under the Factories Act.</p>

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<h5>Indian manufacturing has become more and more capital intensive over the years.</h5>
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<p>Here, I take a brief look at what these data reveal for Gujarat. I am looking at the period from 1983 to 2013, but I also examine if the trends in the past fifteen years are any different from the preceding fifteen. At the national level, ASI data show that Indian manufacturing has become more and more capital intensive over the years.</p>

<p>That is, the number of people employed per rupee of fixed capital used has been falling steadily. This trend has been commented on widely in the economics literature as well as the popular press, in the context of &ldquo;jobless growth&quot;. Together with this rise in capital intensity, and partly as a consequence of it, has come increasing labour productivity and a falling share of value-added going to labour in the form of wages and salaries.</p>

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<h5>Gujarat does not stand out as far as employment generation is concerned and if anything does a bit worse than the national average.</h5>
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<p>The trends for Gujarat are similar to the rest of India. However, some interesting and instructive differences also emerge. First, the general trend towards increasing capital intensity is much sharper for Gujarat compared to the all India average or comparable states like Karnataka. So, while in 1983, 63 jobs were created per rupee of fixed capital, by 2014 this was down to less than 5 jobs.</p>

<p>The comparable numbers for India are 59 and 8, and for Karnataka are 70 and 8. Most of the increase in capital intensity has happened in the 1980s and 1990s, with the trend being relatively flat in the 2000s. This has happened nationally. So, Gujarat does not stand out as far as employment generation is concerned and if anything does a bit worse than the national average.</p>

<p>Second, likely as a result of the increasing capital intensity there has been an increasing divergence of labour productivity on the one hand, and wages and salaries on the other hand. Labour productivity refers to value added per employee. The relationship between productivity and employee wages and salaries tells us how much ordinary people have benefited from increases in productivity.</p>

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<h5>While in 1983, 63 jobs were created per rupee of fixed capital, by 2014 this was down to less than 5 jobs.</h5>
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<p>In the case of Gujarat, adjusting for inflation, annual emoluments (wages and salaries) per person went from ~ INR 47,000 in 1983 to ~ INR 96,000 in 2014 while productivity went from ~ INR 91,000 to ~ INR 750,000 in the same thirty-year period (amounts are in 2004-05 rupee values). That is productivity increased eight-fold while earnings of labour only doubled. This divergence has accelerated over time, particularly during the BJP&rsquo;s tenure.</p>

<p>This divergence between productivity and earnings is observed all over India but is much higher for Gujarat than the national average. Another measure of how much industrial growth and development have benefited ordinary people is the labour share of value-added, i.e. the proportion of value-added accruing to workers in the form of wages and salaries. The nature of changes occurring in the manufacturing sector in India, particularly the increasing capital intensity of production, has meant a steadily falling labour share.</p>

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<h5>In Gujarat while productivity increased eight-fold, earnings of labour only doubled.</h5>
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<p>In Gujarat, the labour share has fallen from 36 per cent in 1982-83 to 18 per cent in 2015. The national average trend is from 40 per cent to 25&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(245, 246, 245);">per cent</span>. For Karnataka, the numbers are 38&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(245, 246, 245);">per cent</span>&nbsp;to 30&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(245, 246, 245);">per cent</span>. This again shows that Gujarat&rsquo;s industrial development has been much more anti-labour than the all-India average.</p>

<p>One possible counter-point is to say that even if the labour share is lower in Gujarat, the level of wages may be higher due to higher productivity. But here too the story is not as clean. In 2014- 2015, the latest year for which data are available, annual emoluments per person employed in Gujarat were INR 229,868 per year (in current rupees) while the national average was INR 221,000 and the Karnataka figure is INR 246,222. So while Gujarat does a little better than the national average, it is by no means a star performer.</p>

<p>Thus, both in terms of job creation, as well as earnings of industrial workers and employees Gujarat, performs either worse than or only slightly better than the national average. At least as far the organised manufacturing sector is concerned, development in Gujarat has benefited capitalists far more than ordinary people.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


Development in Gujarat has benefited capitalists more than common people.

Gujarat’s development model rests primarily on its industrial performance. Industrial output accounts for nearly 40 per cent of state domestic product as compared to an all-India average of around 30 per cent. Correspondingly 16 per cent of the Gujarat workforce is in manufacturing (which is the largest subset of the industrial sector) as compared to an all-India average of 10.5 per cent. This much of the story is well-known. But can Gujarat’s industrial performance be a desirable model for the rest of the country? One way to address this question is to take a closer look at the way this sector has performed in Gujarat compared to the national average over the last few years. The most commonly used nationally comparable dataset on the organised manufacturing is the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) conducted by the Central Statistics Office, which provides data on employment, value added, and other key variables for the “factory sector.” Note that, this does not include the vast number of micro and small enterprises that are not required to register under the Factories Act. Indian manufacturing has become more and more capital intensive over the years. × Here, I take a brief look at what these data reveal for Gujarat. I am looking at the period from 1983 to 2013, but I also examine if the trends in the past fifteen years are any different from the preceding fifteen. At the national level, ASI data show that Indian manufacturing has become more and more capital intensive over the years. That is, the number of people employed per rupee of fixed capital used has been falling steadily. This trend has been commented on widely in the economics literature as well as the popular press, in the context of “jobless growth". Together with this rise in capital intensity, and partly as a consequence of it, has come increasing labour productivity and a falling share of value-added going to labour in the form of wages and salaries. Gujarat does not stand out as far as employment generation is concerned and if anything does a bit worse than the national average. × The trends for Gujarat are similar to the rest of India. However, some interesting and instructive differences also emerge. First, the general trend towards increasing capital intensity is much sharper for Gujarat compared to the all India average or comparable states like Karnataka. So, while in 1983, 63 jobs were created per rupee of fixed capital, by 2014 this was down to less than 5 jobs. The comparable numbers for India are 59 and 8, and for Karnataka are 70 and 8. Most of the increase in capital intensity has happened in the 1980s and 1990s, with the trend being relatively flat in the 2000s. This has happened nationally. So, Gujarat does not stand out as far as employment generation is concerned and if anything does a bit worse than the national average. Second, likely as a result of the increasing capital intensity there has been an increasing divergence of labour productivity on the one hand, and wages and salaries on the other hand. Labour productivity refers to value added per employee. The relationship between productivity and employee wages and salaries tells us how much ordinary people have benefited from increases in productivity. While in 1983, 63 jobs were created per rupee of fixed capital, by 2014 this was down to less than 5 jobs. × In the case of Gujarat, adjusting for inflation, annual emoluments (wages and salaries) per person went from ~ INR 47,000 in 1983 to ~ INR 96,000 in 2014 while productivity went from ~ INR 91,000 to ~ INR 750,000 in the same thirty-year period (amounts are in 2004-05 rupee values). That is productivity increased eight-fold while earnings of labour only doubled. This divergence has accelerated over time, particularly during the BJP’s tenure. This divergence between productivity and earnings is observed all over India but is much higher for Gujarat than the national average. Another measure of how much industrial growth and development have benefited ordinary people is the labour share of value-added, i.e. the proportion of value-added accruing to workers in the form of wages and salaries. The nature of changes occurring in the manufacturing sector in India, particularly the increasing capital intensity of production, has meant a steadily falling labour share. In Gujarat while productivity increased eight-fold, earnings of labour only doubled. × In Gujarat, the labour share has fallen from 36 per cent in 1982-83 to 18 per cent in 2015. The national average trend is from 40 per cent to 25 per cent. For Karnataka, the numbers are 38 per cent to 30 per cent. This again shows that Gujarat’s industrial development has been much more anti-labour than the all-India average. One possible counter-point is to say that even if the labour share is lower in Gujarat, the level of wages may be higher due to higher productivity. But here too the story is not as clean. In 2014- 2015, the latest year for which data are available, annual emoluments per person employed in Gujarat were INR 229,868 per year (in current rupees) while the national average was INR 221,000 and the Karnataka figure is INR 246,222. So while Gujarat does a little better than the national average, it is by no means a star performer. Thus, both in terms of job creation, as well as earnings of industrial workers and employees Gujarat, performs either worse than or only slightly better than the national average. At least as far the organised manufacturing sector is concerned, development in Gujarat has benefited capitalists far more than ordinary people. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Is Gujarat's industrial performance spectacular?

<p>A few weeks back the prime minister <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/politics/narendra-modi-says-people-in-karnataka-do-not-want-to-wait-for-poll-says-they-are-anxious-to-join-race-for-development-4182893.html" rel="nofollow" target="blank">stirred up controversy</a> in Karnataka by observing that the people of the state were &ldquo;anxious to join the race for development.&rdquo; With elections imminent in Gujarat and round the corner in Karnataka, the implication is of course obvious. The prime minister&rsquo;s economic appeal rest to a large extent on his claim to have achieved above average outcomes in his native state.</p>

<p>Much has been written both in favour of and against the &ldquo;Gujarat model.&rdquo; Many observers have criticised it, focusing on the state&rsquo;s less than convincing record on social protection, welfare outcomes, and of course, ensuring rights of Muslims and other minorities.</p>

<p>In a <a href="https://scroll.in/article/855027/gujarat-model-the-gleam-of-states-high-growth-numbers-hides-dark-reality-of-poverty-inequality" rel="nofollow" target="blank">recent article</a> well-known economist, Maitreesh Ghatak evaluated Gujarat&rsquo;s performance on various economic indicators and found it to be middling to the&nbsp;poor performer on many. Others have pointed out that the state has historically been advanced both industrially and commercially with cities such as Surat and Ahmedabad topping the list. So it is not clear what Modi&rsquo;s contribution has been to its relative success vis-a-vis other states.</p>

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<h5>Gujarat should be taken to be a role model, particularly for southern states that have managed to post high rates of growth while being more socially inclusive than many northern states.</h5>
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<p>In any case, development is a multifaceted process and it is always possible to pick indicators that make the point we wish to make. In the new &ldquo;competitive federal&rdquo; framework, wherein development is a &ldquo;race&rdquo; and states are encouraged to market themselves to foreign and domestic investors, this practice has become even more prevalent.</p>

<p>Modi and his supporters are very good at this game. And as befits a race, this year&rsquo;s Economic Survey documented that in the post-reform period there have been <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/in-india-diverging-incomes-despite-equalising-forces/article17336738.ece" rel="nofollow" target="blank">strong divergences across Indian states</a>. There is a clear sense in which globalisation has been pulling us apart rather than bringing us together. It has been the opposite in China.</p>

<p>So while Gujarat does perform better than many other states as well as better than the national average on some indicators, it is not clear that it should be taken to be a role model, particularly for southern states that have managed to post high rates of growth while being more socially inclusive than many northern states. In some ways, the incidental pre-poll comparison with Karnataka is instructive to evaluate further since both states are comparable in terms of population and basic health and education outcomes, as well as State Gross Domestic Product (SDP).</p>

<p>As per the latest available data from the Economic Survey, Gujarat has a state domestic product just about 6 per cent higher than Karnataka. The states are tied in terms of life expectancy (69 years) but Karnataka fares much better on infant mortality statistics (28 versus 33). While recent data are not available on poverty, as of 2011 Gujarat substantially outperformed Karnataka on this score (16.6 per cent versus 20.9 per cent).</p>

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<h5>Poverty in Gujarat is also substantially less than the national average of 21.9 per cent. In contrast, Gujarat fares much worse in terms of the sex ratio</h5>
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<p>Poverty in Gujarat is also substantially less than the national average of 21.9 per cent. In contrast, Gujarat fares much worse in terms of the sex ratio (919:1000 as opposed to Karnataka&rsquo;s 973) and worse even than India as a whole (943:1000). Another indicator of the low status of women in the state is the female labour force participation rate (LFPR), or the percentage of women, 15 years and older, who participate in paid work.</p>

<p>To Karnataka&rsquo;s 32.7 per cent and the national average of 23.7 per cent, Gujarat has a female LFPR of a mere 19.2 per cent, one of the lowest in the country. If a high level of women&rsquo;s participation in paid market work is taken to be a sign of a mature economy, then Gujarat has much scope for improvement and is in no position to lecture Karnataka.</p>

<p>All in all the Gujarat experience is very much a mixed bag. But the most important way in which it is not that different from Karnataka or indeed the rest of the country is in the extent of what economists call &ldquo;structural transformation&rdquo;, or a shift in value-added as well as the workforce from agriculture to manufacturing and services.</p>

<p>Here, conforming to their respective images as industry- and service-led economies respectively, a substantially higher proportion of Gujarat&rsquo;s state domestic product is account for by industry (40 per cent) compared to Karnataka (25 per cent) and reverse is true for services (Karnataka - 56 per cent, Gujarat - 34 per cent).</p>

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<h5>The Labour Bureau data reveal that the high level of industrialisation in the state has not really benefited the majority of the workforce.</h5>
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<p>However, and this is the key, these numbers do not match up with what is happening to the workers in either state. In both states, nearly half of the workforce is still in agriculture, indicating that development has not delivered the desired outcome in either place and indeed in India as a whole. One might say that it is unfair to expect Gujarat to buck what is clearly a national trend. But then again the Gujarat model rhetoric is one of Gujarati exceptionalism.</p>

<p>The Labour Bureau data reveal that the high level of industrialisation in the state has not really benefited the majority of the workforce. 55 per cent of the workforce is still self-employed and a mere 16 per cent earns a regular wage or salary. Nearly, 78 per cent of households reported not a single regular wage or salary earner (compared to 75 per cent for Karnataka and 77 per cent for India).</p>

<p>Even in urban areas of Gujarat 64 per cent of households do not have a regular wage or salary earner (compared to 59&nbsp; for Karnataka and 62.1 per cent for India). One response to this might be that Gujarat is known for its entrepreneurial culture and so an absence of salary earners is not a big concern. Unfortunately, 57 per cent of households still earn&nbsp;INR 10,000 or less per month either through self-employment or wage income. This is similar to Karnataka (59 per cent).</p>

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<h5>One indicator of development on which Gujarat does outperform both Karnataka and India as whole is the percentage of jobs that come with a written contract.</h5>
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<p>Even in terms of jobs that provide benefits like pension, healthcare etc., Gujarat is not very different from the national average and if anything a little below it (47 per cent as opposed to 50 per cent). Though on this score it vastly outperforms Karnataka (28 per cent). One indicator of development on which Gujarat does outperform both Karnataka and India as a whole is the percentage of jobs that come with a written contract, 30 per cent as opposed to 20 per cent.</p>

<p>In summary, Gujarat enjoys a status as a relatively well-off, industrial state and has been so for decades. But so are many other states, including Karnataka. And where it really matters, pulling workers out of low productivity occupations into higher productivity ones and raising their incomes substantially, Gujarat fails as do most other states.</p>

<p>Disclaimer:&nbsp;<i>The author writes here in a personal capacity.&nbsp;</i></p>


Gujarat is a relatively well-off, industrial state but suffers from poor sex ratio and a low participation of women in the paid workforce.

A few weeks back the prime minister stirred up controversy in Karnataka by observing that the people of the state were “anxious to join the race for development.” With elections imminent in Gujarat and round the corner in Karnataka, the implication is of course obvious. The prime minister’s economic appeal rest to a large extent on his claim to have achieved above average outcomes in his native state. Much has been written both in favour of and against the “Gujarat model.” Many observers have criticised it, focusing on the state’s less than convincing record on social protection, welfare outcomes, and of course, ensuring rights of Muslims and other minorities. In a recent article well-known economist, Maitreesh Ghatak evaluated Gujarat’s performance on various economic indicators and found it to be middling to the poor performer on many. Others have pointed out that the state has historically been advanced both industrially and commercially with cities such as Surat and Ahmedabad topping the list. So it is not clear what Modi’s contribution has been to its relative success vis-a-vis other states. Gujarat should be taken to be a role model, particularly for southern states that have managed to post high rates of growth while being more socially inclusive than many northern states. × In any case, development is a multifaceted process and it is always possible to pick indicators that make the point we wish to make. In the new “competitive federal” framework, wherein development is a “race” and states are encouraged to market themselves to foreign and domestic investors, this practice has become even more prevalent. Modi and his supporters are very good at this game. And as befits a race, this year’s Economic Survey documented that in the post-reform period there have been strong divergences across Indian states. There is a clear sense in which globalisation has been pulling us apart rather than bringing us together. It has been the opposite in China. So while Gujarat does perform better than many other states as well as better than the national average on some indicators, it is not clear that it should be taken to be a role model, particularly for southern states that have managed to post high rates of growth while being more socially inclusive than many northern states. In some ways, the incidental pre-poll comparison with Karnataka is instructive to evaluate further since both states are comparable in terms of population and basic health and education outcomes, as well as State Gross Domestic Product (SDP). As per the latest available data from the Economic Survey, Gujarat has a state domestic product just about 6 per cent higher than Karnataka. The states are tied in terms of life expectancy (69 years) but Karnataka fares much better on infant mortality statistics (28 versus 33). While recent data are not available on poverty, as of 2011 Gujarat substantially outperformed Karnataka on this score (16.6 per cent versus 20.9 per cent). Poverty in Gujarat is also substantially less than the national average of 21.9 per cent. In contrast, Gujarat fares much worse in terms of the sex ratio × Poverty in Gujarat is also substantially less than the national average of 21.9 per cent. In contrast, Gujarat fares much worse in terms of the sex ratio (919:1000 as opposed to Karnataka’s 973) and worse even than India as a whole (943:1000). Another indicator of the low status of women in the state is the female labour force participation rate (LFPR), or the percentage of women, 15 years and older, who participate in paid work. To Karnataka’s 32.7 per cent and the national average of 23.7 per cent, Gujarat has a female LFPR of a mere 19.2 per cent, one of the lowest in the country. If a high level of women’s participation in paid market work is taken to be a sign of a mature economy, then Gujarat has much scope for improvement and is in no position to lecture Karnataka. All in all the Gujarat experience is very much a mixed bag. But the most important way in which it is not that different from Karnataka or indeed the rest of the country is in the extent of what economists call “structural transformation”, or a shift in value-added as well as the workforce from agriculture to manufacturing and services. Here, conforming to their respective images as industry- and service-led economies respectively, a substantially higher proportion of Gujarat’s state domestic product is account for by industry (40 per cent) compared to Karnataka (25 per cent) and reverse is true for services (Karnataka - 56 per cent, Gujarat - 34 per cent). The Labour Bureau data reveal that the high level of industrialisation in the state has not really benefited the majority of the workforce. × However, and this is the key, these numbers do not match up with what is happening to the workers in either state. In both states, nearly half of the workforce is still in agriculture, indicating that development has not delivered the desired outcome in either place and indeed in India as a whole. One might say that it is unfair to expect Gujarat to buck what is clearly a national trend. But then again the Gujarat model rhetoric is one of Gujarati exceptionalism. The Labour Bureau data reveal that the high level of industrialisation in the state has not really benefited the majority of the workforce. 55 per cent of the workforce is still self-employed and a mere 16 per cent earns a regular wage or salary. Nearly, 78 per cent of households reported not a single regular wage or salary earner (compared to 75 per cent for Karnataka and 77 per cent for India). Even in urban areas of Gujarat 64 per cent of households do not have a regular wage or salary earner (compared to 59 for Karnataka and 62.1 per cent for India). One response to this might be that Gujarat is known for its entrepreneurial culture and so an absence of salary earners is not a big concern. Unfortunately, 57 per cent of households still earn INR 10,000 or less per month either through self-employment or wage income. This is similar to Karnataka (59 per cent). One indicator of development on which Gujarat does outperform both Karnataka and India as whole is the percentage of jobs that come with a written contract. × Even in terms of jobs that provide benefits like pension, healthcare etc., Gujarat is not very different from the national average and if anything a little below it (47 per cent as opposed to 50 per cent). Though on this score it vastly outperforms Karnataka (28 per cent). One indicator of development on which Gujarat does outperform both Karnataka and India as a whole is the percentage of jobs that come with a written contract, 30 per cent as opposed to 20 per cent. In summary, Gujarat enjoys a status as a relatively well-off, industrial state and has been so for decades. But so are many other states, including Karnataka. And where it really matters, pulling workers out of low productivity occupations into higher productivity ones and raising their incomes substantially, Gujarat fails as do most other states. Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity.

Opinion: Deconstructing development in Gujarat

<p>Karnataka minister DK Shivkumar hit a student taking a selfie behind him at an event Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shivkumar was speaking to the media at the time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The incident was caught on video.</p>

<p>In the video, Shivkumar can be seen speaking to the media as the student comes up behind him and attempts to take the selfie.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shivkumar suddenly turns around, and hits him.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He then goes back to addressing the media.</p>

<p><em>Watch </em><em>video</em><em> below:</em>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Karnataka Min DK Shivkumar hits a man who was taking a selfie during a child rights event at a college in Belgaum (Mobile Video) <a href="https://t.co/Sc2jMyK08a">pic.twitter.com/Sc2jMyK08a</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/932587539323543552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The incident occurred at a college in Belgaum, Karnataka where the minister was attending a child rights event.</p>

<p>Shivkumar, who is the Karnataka energy minister, did not apologise.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Have basic common sense. When I&#39;m doing my responsibility &amp; addressing the press how can someone come out for a selfie? It was a normal incident: Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar on hitting a man who was trying to take a selfie <a href="https://t.co/lbPzFCe5js">pic.twitter.com/lbPzFCe5js</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/932644900218093568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Have basic common sense,&quot; ANI reported him as saying.&nbsp;&quot;When I&#39;m doing my responsibility and addressing the Press, how can someone come out for a selfie?&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;It was a normal incident,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


'Have basic common sense,' Shivkumar said

Karnataka minister DK Shivkumar hit a student taking a selfie behind him at an event Monday. Shivkumar was speaking to the media at the time. The incident was caught on video. In the video, Shivkumar can be seen speaking to the media as the student comes up behind him and attempts to take the selfie. Shivkumar suddenly turns around, and hits him. He then goes back to addressing the media. Watch video below: #WATCH Karnataka Min DK Shivkumar hits a man who was taking a selfie during a child rights event at a college in Belgaum (Mobile Video) pic.twitter.com/Sc2jMyK08a — ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2017 × The incident occurred at a college in Belgaum, Karnataka where the minister was attending a child rights event. Shivkumar, who is the Karnataka energy minister, did not apologise. Have basic common sense. When I'm doing my responsibility & addressing the press how can someone come out for a selfie? It was a normal incident: Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar on hitting a man who was trying to take a selfie pic.twitter.com/lbPzFCe5js — ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2017 × "Have basic common sense," ANI reported him as saying. "When I'm doing my responsibility and addressing the Press, how can someone come out for a selfie?" "It was a normal incident," he added.

Watch: Karnataka minister DK Shivkumar hits student taking selfie behind him, calls it 'normal incident'

<p>Union minister of state for skill development&nbsp;Anantkumar Hegde criticised Karnataka Chief Minister&nbsp;Siddaramaiah&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;for celebrating Tipu Jayanti in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He sarcastically added that the day wasn&#39;t far when people of the state will celebrate Kasab (Ajmal Kasab) Jayanti as well.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in">Siddaramaiah celebrated Tipu Jayanti, it is a matter of time before he starts making you celebrate Kasab (Ajmal Kasab) Jayanti: Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde in Belgavi (17.11.2017) <a href="https://t.co/TBY4VQUmox">pic.twitter.com/TBY4VQUmox</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/931775589861572609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Siddaramaiah did not celebrate Kittur Chennamma festival but he is busy celebrating Tipu Jayanti,&nbsp;he said while&nbsp;speaking to the public in Begavi.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in">Siddaramaiah did not celebrate Kittur Chennamma festival but he is busy celebrating Tipu Jayanti: Anantkumar Hegde</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/931777330179063808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Hegde, who is known for taking potshots a the Congress, slammed the state government for&nbsp;knowingly ignoring Kittur Chennamma festival which, he said, has&nbsp;great historical and cultural importance, and instead celebrated Tipu Sultan&#39;s birthday anniversary on November 10.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was also quoted saying &quot;Karnataka has become a safe haven for criminals. There nine&nbsp;lakh Bangladeshis in Bangalore and&nbsp;you&#39;ll find immigrants in Belgaum, Bijapur, Hubli, Dharwad and&nbsp;even in Kittur. Check under your legs, bombs could have been planted,&quot; he said while taking a dig at the Karnataka chief minister.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in">Siddaramaiah celebrated Tipu Jayanti, it is a matter of time before he starts making you celebrate Kasab (Ajmal Kasab) Jayanti: Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde in Belgavi (17.11.2017) <a href="https://t.co/TBY4VQUmox">pic.twitter.com/TBY4VQUmox</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/931775589861572609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Hegde had earlier declared that he won&#39;t be part of any events related to Tipu Sultan.&nbsp;</p>


Previously, Hegde had declared to the officials in Karnataka that he will not be a part of any events related to Tipu Sultan.?

Union minister of state for skill development Anantkumar Hegde criticised Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday for celebrating Tipu Jayanti in the state. He sarcastically added that the day wasn't far when people of the state will celebrate Kasab (Ajmal Kasab) Jayanti as well. Siddaramaiah celebrated Tipu Jayanti, it is a matter of time before he starts making you celebrate Kasab (Ajmal Kasab) Jayanti: Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde in Belgavi (17.11.2017) pic.twitter.com/TBY4VQUmox — ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2017 × Siddaramaiah did not celebrate Kittur Chennamma festival but he is busy celebrating Tipu Jayanti, he said while speaking to the public in Begavi. Siddaramaiah did not celebrate Kittur Chennamma festival but he is busy celebrating Tipu Jayanti: Anantkumar Hegde — ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2017 × Hegde, who is known for taking potshots a the Congress, slammed the state government for knowingly ignoring Kittur Chennamma festival which, he said, has great historical and cultural importance, and instead celebrated Tipu Sultan's birthday anniversary on November 10. He was also quoted saying "Karnataka has become a safe haven for criminals. There nine lakh Bangladeshis in Bangalore and you'll find immigrants in Belgaum, Bijapur, Hubli, Dharwad and even in Kittur. Check under your legs, bombs could have been planted," he said while taking a dig at the Karnataka chief minister. Siddaramaiah celebrated Tipu Jayanti, it is a matter of time before he starts making you celebrate Kasab (Ajmal Kasab) Jayanti: Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde in Belgavi (17.11.2017) pic.twitter.com/TBY4VQUmox — ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2017 × Hegde had earlier declared that he won't be part of any events related to Tipu Sultan.

'Siddaramaiah will celebrate Kasab Jayanti soon'

<p>With the GST Council meeting underway, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gst-on-over-200-daily-use-items-expected-to-fall-sushil-modi-23850">Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar that at least 227 items</a> were there in 28% GST slab, now only 50 remain, which are mostly luxury items, rest have been put in the 18% bracket.</p>

<p>Himanta Biswa Sarma, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/does-congress-want-to-make-bmws-mercedes-cheaper-jaitley-22889">Assam finance minister added that GST meeting</a> will be &quot;path-breaking with many crucial decisions in favour of traders, manufacturers and consumers.&quot;</p>

<p>The GST council meeting being held today is set to take crucial decisions including extending sops to small traders and businesses.</p>

<p>Earlier, finance minister Arun Jaitley had defended the multiple slabs under the Goods and Services Tax.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The GST -- which was meant to replace India&#39;s myriad indirect taxes with one single tax -- has come under severe criticism.</p>

<p>Jaitley said that bringing everything under 18% GST would help those buying luxury items.&nbsp;</p>


With the GST Council meeting underway, Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar that at least 227 items were there in 28% GST slab, now only 50 remain, which are mostly luxury items, rest have been put in the 18% bracket. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam finance minister added that GST meeting will be "path-breaking with many crucial decisions in favour of traders, manufacturers and consumers." The GST council meeting being held today is set to take crucial decisions including extending sops to small traders and businesses. Earlier, finance minister Arun Jaitley had defended the multiple slabs under the Goods and Services Tax. The GST -- which was meant to replace India's myriad indirect taxes with one single tax -- has come under severe criticism. Jaitley said that bringing everything under 18% GST would help those buying luxury items.

22,000 private doctors to go on strike from Thursday in Bangalore

<p>Doing business in India might have become <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/10/31/india-jumps-doing-business-rankings-with-sustained-reform-focus">easier</a>, however, the practice of medicine is set to become a whole lot more difficult in the state of Karnataka. The proposed Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Bill, 2017 (Bill) has caused much uproar in the past few months and rightly so. The <a href="http://www.kla.kar.nic.in/assembly/bills/bill14140_06_2017.pdf">Bill</a> not only fails to achieve its intended goals but also creates new problems.</p>

<p>There are a few positive aspects of the Bill like acceptance of online applications for the registration of private medical establishments and requiring that the final bills do not exceed the quoted estimates.</p>

<p><strong>Charges to be fixed by the State</strong></p>

<p>What is problematic, however, is that the medical establishment is not at liberty to set its own prices for medical treatment. Instead, the amendments proposed would allow the government to fix charges for medical services provided by private medical establishments. This is an extraordinary measure which would amount to excessive government intervention and also set a dangerous precedent.</p>

<p>Bangalore is one of the top destinations for medical tourism in India because of the quality healthcare available. Government intervention in pricing is bound to bring down the quality as private medical establishments, like any other private service providers or businesses are for-profit establishments.</p>

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<h5>It is high time that the government focuses on rooting out corruption in public healthcare establishments which is rampant all over India.&nbsp;</h5>
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<p>If the ultimate aim is to provide quality healthcare at affordable costs to citizens, then the focus of reforms should be on government medical hospitals which have the responsibility of providing healthcare to all citizens. On the contrary, the government has rejected the Justice Vikramjit Sen committee&rsquo;s recommendation that the new rules should apply to both government and private medical establishments. It is high time that the government focuses on rooting out corruption in public healthcare establishments which is rampant all over India.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Redressal forum</strong></p>

<p>If the aim is to protect citizens from malpractice, both civil and criminal remedies already exist. Instead of improving awareness regarding these existing remedies, the government, through the Bill creates a new redressal forum known as the District or Metropolitan Grievance Redressal Committee which yields both investigative and quasi-judicial powers. Creating such a forum, despite the existence of other forums including consumer forums is inefficient.</p>

<p>Besides, cases regarding medical practice require special expertise and any judicial or quasi-judicial body would require time to hone its experience in the area.&nbsp;Interestingly, the composition of this forum consists of the CEO of the Zila Panchayat, superintendent of police of the district, a representative of a private medical establishment in the district, the district surgeon, public prosecutor and &lsquo;women representatives&rsquo; nominated by the government.</p>

<p>While a member with judicial experience is conspicuously absent from the members listed, it is even more curious that for some members of the committee the only qualification required is being women.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Doctors&rsquo; strike</strong></p>

<p>Although the Indian Medical Association of Karnataka is right to oppose the Bill before it is enacted, it should caution against calling for strikes and shutdown of all private medical establishments since ultimately patients would suffer the consequences.</p>


Proposed Karnataka healthcare reforms not only fails to achieve its intended goals but also creates new problems.

Doing business in India might have become easier, however, the practice of medicine is set to become a whole lot more difficult in the state of Karnataka. The proposed Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Bill, 2017 (Bill) has caused much uproar in the past few months and rightly so. The Bill not only fails to achieve its intended goals but also creates new problems. There are a few positive aspects of the Bill like acceptance of online applications for the registration of private medical establishments and requiring that the final bills do not exceed the quoted estimates. Charges to be fixed by the State What is problematic, however, is that the medical establishment is not at liberty to set its own prices for medical treatment. Instead, the amendments proposed would allow the government to fix charges for medical services provided by private medical establishments. This is an extraordinary measure which would amount to excessive government intervention and also set a dangerous precedent. Bangalore is one of the top destinations for medical tourism in India because of the quality healthcare available. Government intervention in pricing is bound to bring down the quality as private medical establishments, like any other private service providers or businesses are for-profit establishments. It is high time that the government focuses on rooting out corruption in public healthcare establishments which is rampant all over India. × If the ultimate aim is to provide quality healthcare at affordable costs to citizens, then the focus of reforms should be on government medical hospitals which have the responsibility of providing healthcare to all citizens. On the contrary, the government has rejected the Justice Vikramjit Sen committee’s recommendation that the new rules should apply to both government and private medical establishments. It is high time that the government focuses on rooting out corruption in public healthcare establishments which is rampant all over India. Redressal forum If the aim is to protect citizens from malpractice, both civil and criminal remedies already exist. Instead of improving awareness regarding these existing remedies, the government, through the Bill creates a new redressal forum known as the District or Metropolitan Grievance Redressal Committee which yields both investigative and quasi-judicial powers. Creating such a forum, despite the existence of other forums including consumer forums is inefficient. Besides, cases regarding medical practice require special expertise and any judicial or quasi-judicial body would require time to hone its experience in the area. Interestingly, the composition of this forum consists of the CEO of the Zila Panchayat, superintendent of police of the district, a representative of a private medical establishment in the district, the district surgeon, public prosecutor and ‘women representatives’ nominated by the government. While a member with judicial experience is conspicuously absent from the members listed, it is even more curious that for some members of the committee the only qualification required is being women. Doctors’ strike Although the Indian Medical Association of Karnataka is right to oppose the Bill before it is enacted, it should caution against calling for strikes and shutdown of all private medical establishments since ultimately patients would suffer the consequences.

Should govt fix prices of medical services in private clinics?

<p>Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said there is nothing new in Chinese President Xi Jinping&#39;s call to the country&#39;s army to be ready to fight and win wars.</p>

<p>Commenting on this, General Rawat said, &quot;Every army has to prepare for a conflict. That is the task of every army. There is nothing new anybody is saying. I also have to keep preparing. In peacetime, we all train and prepare for any eventuality. So, there is nothing new in that.&quot;</p>

<p>The Army Chief&nbsp;unveiled the statues of Field Marshal KM Cariappa, and Padma Bhushan and Distinguished Service Order (DSO) awardee General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, at Cauvery College in Karnataka&#39;s Kodagu District.</p>

<p>Recently, President Xi twice instructed the Chinese armed forces to improve their combat capabilities and readiness for war.</p>

<p>On October 27, he urged the country&#39;s army to develop itself into a world-class military by the mid-21st century.</p>

<p>He was addressing military officers after being re-elected as CPC Central Committee General Secretary and Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman at the 19th National Congress of the CPC.</p>

<p>On Friday, the Xinhua news agency quoted President Xi, as saying that &quot;The CMC should lead the armed forces to be ready to fight and win wars, and to undertake the missions and tasks of the new era entrusted to them by the party and the people.&quot;</p>

<p>His repeated calls for war preparedness left defence experts speculating about its impact on India-China relations, especially after the recent Doklam standoff.</p>

<p>The Doklam standoff started on June 16, 2017, when Chinese troops with construction vehicles and road-building equipment began extending an existing road southward in Doklam, a territory which is claimed by both China as well as Bhutan. Indian troops objected to this advance and saw it as an act of Chinese aggression.</p>

<p>Finally on August 28, both India and China announced that they had disengaged their troops in Doklam.&nbsp;</p>


General Rawat said there is nothing new in Chinese president 's call to country's army to be ready to fight and win wars

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said there is nothing new in Chinese President Xi Jinping's call to the country's army to be ready to fight and win wars. Commenting on this, General Rawat said, "Every army has to prepare for a conflict. That is the task of every army. There is nothing new anybody is saying. I also have to keep preparing. In peacetime, we all train and prepare for any eventuality. So, there is nothing new in that." The Army Chief unveiled the statues of Field Marshal KM Cariappa, and Padma Bhushan and Distinguished Service Order (DSO) awardee General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, at Cauvery College in Karnataka's Kodagu District. Recently, President Xi twice instructed the Chinese armed forces to improve their combat capabilities and readiness for war. On October 27, he urged the country's army to develop itself into a world-class military by the mid-21st century. He was addressing military officers after being re-elected as CPC Central Committee General Secretary and Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman at the 19th National Congress of the CPC. On Friday, the Xinhua news agency quoted President Xi, as saying that "The CMC should lead the armed forces to be ready to fight and win wars, and to undertake the missions and tasks of the new era entrusted to them by the party and the people." His repeated calls for war preparedness left defence experts speculating about its impact on India-China relations, especially after the recent Doklam standoff. The Doklam standoff started on June 16, 2017, when Chinese troops with construction vehicles and road-building equipment began extending an existing road southward in Doklam, a territory which is claimed by both China as well as Bhutan. Indian troops objected to this advance and saw it as an act of Chinese aggression. Finally on August 28, both India and China announced that they had disengaged their troops in Doklam.

President Xi's 'win wars' cry not new: Indian Army chief

<p>The Karnataka state cabinet in a landmark move <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indias-first-transgender-college-principal-quits-over-staffs-non-cooperation-10743">has approved a policy for the transgender community aimed at amending laws</a> that restrict their sexual freedom and provide&nbsp;social security including&nbsp;reservations in educational institutions and jobs.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Karnataka state cabinet approved a transgender policy to end social,sexual exploitation and bring them into mainstream.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/923609971085991936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Congress-led <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indiatransgenders-hit-hard-by-demonetisation-move-9329">government headed by chief minister Siddaramaiah has set</a> a 36-month deadline for the implementation of the policy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The state&#39;s law and parliamentary affairs minister TB Jayachandra said that the policy was formulated to ensure constitutional rights for the transgender community and proposes to eliminate&nbsp;discrimination against them, reports said.</p>

<p>Jayachandra added said that the policy will cover areas of health, education, employment, housing, protection from harassment and abuse.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jayachandra said: &quot;They face insecurity, discrimination, insults, anxiety, suicidal tendencies. Therefore, this policy aims at bringing them into the mainstream of the society and provide them with a secured life.&quot;</p>

<p>The different categories of transgenders mentioned in the policy include &quot;jogappa, jijra, female to male, male to female, inter-sex, kothis, jogtas, shivashakti and aravanis&quot;.</p>

<p>Jayachandra, quoting from the document, said, &quot;All levels of the formal education system should have reservations for transgender students.&quot;</p>

<p>The policy aims to unveil schemes for&nbsp;self-employment grants, vocational training, free health insurance and reservation in housing schemes. It also plans to create awareness by counselling parents and children. The policy guidelines also intends to provide free healthcare for the transgender community.</p>

<p>The policy&nbsp;aims to amend section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The different categories of transgenders mentioned in the policy include "jogappa, jijra, female to male, male to female, inter-sex, kothis, jogtas, shivashakti and aravanis".

The Karnataka state cabinet in a landmark move has approved a policy for the transgender community aimed at amending laws that restrict their sexual freedom and provide social security including reservations in educational institutions and jobs. Karnataka state cabinet approved a transgender policy to end social,sexual exploitation and bring them into mainstream. — ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2017 × The Congress-led government headed by chief minister Siddaramaiah has set a 36-month deadline for the implementation of the policy. The state's law and parliamentary affairs minister TB Jayachandra said that the policy was formulated to ensure constitutional rights for the transgender community and proposes to eliminate discrimination against them, reports said. Jayachandra added said that the policy will cover areas of health, education, employment, housing, protection from harassment and abuse. Jayachandra said: "They face insecurity, discrimination, insults, anxiety, suicidal tendencies. Therefore, this policy aims at bringing them into the mainstream of the society and provide them with a secured life." The different categories of transgenders mentioned in the policy include "jogappa, jijra, female to male, male to female, inter-sex, kothis, jogtas, shivashakti and aravanis". Jayachandra, quoting from the document, said, "All levels of the formal education system should have reservations for transgender students." The policy aims to unveil schemes for self-employment grants, vocational training, free health insurance and reservation in housing schemes. It also plans to create awareness by counselling parents and children. The policy guidelines also intends to provide free healthcare for the transgender community. The policy aims to amend section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Karnataka cabinet approves transgender policy, sets 36-month deadline for execution

<p>I had been worried about the pathos I would find in the piece and so had put off reading it for a few days.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I was familiar with Chidanand Rajghatta&#39;s work, having worked with the Times of India. Chidanand is the Times&#39; Washington DC correspondent, and his work is always competent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sure enough, when I finally sat down to reading the piece one quiet evening over dinner, it left me watery-eyed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>How could it not have?&nbsp;</p>

<p>A woman had been shot at the doorstep of her home in cold blood by people who can only be described as cowardly (terrorists?), and her ex-husband was writing about her.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But it also left me appalled, and not because of anything that Chidanand had written.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gauri and Chidanand had met in school, had courted for five years, and then been married for another five before going their separate ways.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They remained friends, with each other and their in-laws.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chidanand says they reached out to hold hands before the judge hearing their divorce petition and their lawyers hissed that they should disengage should they wish to disengage.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After their divorce, they went to lunch.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In his piece, I thought Chidanand hit a high &ndash; which reminded me of Naipaul &ndash; and a low.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In his first book on India, An Area of Darkness, Naipaul describes his friendship with a Sardarji he meets in south India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Like the average north Indian, the Sardarji salivates over his &ldquo;Aryan&rdquo; heritage, looks down upon what he sees as the darker south Indians &ndash; &ldquo;monkeys&rdquo; he calls them &ndash; thinks they stare at him, and finally commits an act of violence against what he thinks is a south Indian man gawking at him.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lying on his back, the &ldquo;south Indian&rdquo; man tells the Sardarji that he is just like him &ndash; a north Indian.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I had had to double back to the passage &ndash; the incident is recounted with such a deft touch &ndash; asking myself: &ldquo;Did the Sardarji really slap that man?&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>There is a similar exchange over cigarette smoking in Chidanand&#39;s piece.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gauri is visiting him in Washington and wishes to smoke.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chidanand insists that she go outside to do so, that she not smoke inside the house.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gauri tells him it&#39;s cold outside, and that she started smoking because of him.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Tough luck, he says.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You&#39;re becoming too American, she says.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It&#39;s got nothing to do with being American, he says. It&#39;s about being healthy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Bollocks,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I&#39;ll outlive you.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Liar&rdquo;, Chidanand writes in his piece.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And leaves it at that.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He hits his low when he refers to the maid that Gauri had sent his way as her &ldquo;gift to us&rdquo;, writing that she is still with him. (It is incorrect to refer to a human being as a gift, even in India where we often treat our domestic help as if they might be.)&nbsp;</p>

<p>But all of this seemed to elude most of Chidanand&#39;s readers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After having read his piece, I looked at the comments.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The &ldquo;top comment&rdquo; said, &ldquo;Press ti tutes and award wapsi brigades are big time bstds.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>A second said, &ldquo;Gouri khan was a chain smoker and a drunkard woman.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>A third said &ldquo;The writer is a bad journalist at worst.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>A fourth educated Chidanand on how one could smoke inside a house in the US &ndash; &ldquo;smoke at the chimney... smoke into the exhaust fan in the kitchen... smoke in the bathroom&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A fifth said, &ldquo;whosoever has eliminated the ultra leftist has done a splendid job. you live and prosper on this land.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>And it went on and on and on... (Perhaps I am being too unfair. There were also a few sensible, sensitive comments but they were far outnumbered by the other kind).&nbsp;</p>

<p>How did we become a people like this &ndash; full of sound and fury signifying nothing?&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are stray answers here and there.&nbsp;</p>

<p>That the anonymity afforded by the internet reins in the better angels of our nature. That now that everybody is able to broadcast his or her opinion via social media, nobody is interested in anybody else&#39;s. That our younger generations are not familiar with the idea of reading a book, and therefore struggle with complex ideas.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Whatever the reason(s) might be, the state of affairs worries me.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They say the biggest problem facing India today is the lack of jobs. But even if we were able to create them &ndash; what jobs would we give these people?&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>Follow Parakram on Twitter @parakramrautela</em></p>


I knew I would find pathos in the piece but it also left me appalled ? and not because of anything that Chidanand Rajghatta had written

I had been worried about the pathos I would find in the piece and so had put off reading it for a few days. I was familiar with Chidanand Rajghatta's work, having worked with the Times of India. Chidanand is the Times' Washington DC correspondent, and his work is always competent. Sure enough, when I finally sat down to reading the piece one quiet evening over dinner, it left me watery-eyed. How could it not have? A woman had been shot at the doorstep of her home in cold blood by people who can only be described as cowardly (terrorists?), and her ex-husband was writing about her. But it also left me appalled, and not because of anything that Chidanand had written. Gauri and Chidanand had met in school, had courted for five years, and then been married for another five before going their separate ways. They remained friends, with each other and their in-laws. Chidanand says they reached out to hold hands before the judge hearing their divorce petition and their lawyers hissed that they should disengage should they wish to disengage. After their divorce, they went to lunch. In his piece, I thought Chidanand hit a high – which reminded me of Naipaul – and a low. In his first book on India, An Area of Darkness, Naipaul describes his friendship with a Sardarji he meets in south India. Like the average north Indian, the Sardarji salivates over his “Aryan” heritage, looks down upon what he sees as the darker south Indians – “monkeys” he calls them – thinks they stare at him, and finally commits an act of violence against what he thinks is a south Indian man gawking at him. Lying on his back, the “south Indian” man tells the Sardarji that he is just like him – a north Indian. I had had to double back to the passage – the incident is recounted with such a deft touch – asking myself: “Did the Sardarji really slap that man?” There is a similar exchange over cigarette smoking in Chidanand's piece. Gauri is visiting him in Washington and wishes to smoke. Chidanand insists that she go outside to do so, that she not smoke inside the house. Gauri tells him it's cold outside, and that she started smoking because of him. Tough luck, he says. You're becoming too American, she says. It's got nothing to do with being American, he says. It's about being healthy. “Bollocks,” she says. “I'll outlive you.” “Liar”, Chidanand writes in his piece. And leaves it at that. He hits his low when he refers to the maid that Gauri had sent his way as her “gift to us”, writing that she is still with him. (It is incorrect to refer to a human being as a gift, even in India where we often treat our domestic help as if they might be.) But all of this seemed to elude most of Chidanand's readers. After having read his piece, I looked at the comments. The “top comment” said, “Press ti tutes and award wapsi brigades are big time bstds.” A second said, “Gouri khan was a chain smoker and a drunkard woman.” A third said “The writer is a bad journalist at worst.” A fourth educated Chidanand on how one could smoke inside a house in the US – “smoke at the chimney... smoke into the exhaust fan in the kitchen... smoke in the bathroom”. A fifth said, “whosoever has eliminated the ultra leftist has done a splendid job. you live and prosper on this land.” And it went on and on and on... (Perhaps I am being too unfair. There were also a few sensible, sensitive comments but they were far outnumbered by the other kind). How did we become a people like this – full of sound and fury signifying nothing? There are stray answers here and there. That the anonymity afforded by the internet reins in the better angels of our nature. That now that everybody is able to broadcast his or her opinion via social media, nobody is interested in anybody else's. That our younger generations are not familiar with the idea of reading a book, and therefore struggle with complex ideas. Whatever the reason(s) might be, the state of affairs worries me. They say the biggest problem facing India today is the lack of jobs. But even if we were able to create them – what jobs would we give these people? Follow Parakram on Twitter @parakramrautela

Gauri Lankesh, and that piece by her ex-husband

<p>Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Anantkumar Hegde has written to the Karnataka government asking that his name not be included on the invites sent out for the Tipu Jayanti celebrations on November 10.&nbsp;</p>

<p>ANI reported that Hegde had written to the Karnataka chief minister&#39;s secretariat and to the Uttara Kannada DC.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Conveyed <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KarnatakaGovt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KarnatakaGovt</a> NOT to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic &amp; mass rapist. <a href="https://t.co/CEGjegponl">pic.twitter.com/CEGjegponl</a></p>
&mdash; Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnantkumarH/status/921388161229455360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Hegde, who is with the BJP, is the MP from Uttara Kannada.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Conveyed #Karnataka Govt NOT to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist,&quot; Hegde wrote on Twitter. He also posted a copy of the letter he had sent to the CM&#39;s secretariat and the Uttara Kannada DC.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the invitation for the Tipu Jayanti celebrations would be sent to all central and state leaders. And that it was up to them to accept or reject the invitations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Siddaramaiah added that &quot;As part of government, he (Hedge) shouldn&#39;t have written it&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Siddaramaiah added that &quot;It is being made into a political issue. There were four wars against British, and Tipu fought them all.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>ANI however reported the BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje as saying &quot;Tipu was anti-Kannada and anti-Hindu,&quot; and that &quot;all the Kannadigas are opposing it&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hegde had last year too asked to be left out of the celebrations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>News reports said he has been a vocal critic of the celebrations ever since they were started in 2015.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As the MP from Uttara Kannada, protocol demands that his name be included on invites sent out in the district.&nbsp;</p>


The birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan fall on November 10

Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Anantkumar Hegde has written to the Karnataka government asking that his name not be included on the invites sent out for the Tipu Jayanti celebrations on November 10. ANI reported that Hegde had written to the Karnataka chief minister's secretariat and to the Uttara Kannada DC. Conveyed #KarnatakaGovt NOT to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic & mass rapist. pic.twitter.com/CEGjegponl — Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) October 20, 2017 × Hegde, who is with the BJP, is the MP from Uttara Kannada. "Conveyed #Karnataka Govt NOT to invite me to shameful event of glorifying a person known as brutal killer, wretched fanatic and mass rapist," Hegde wrote on Twitter. He also posted a copy of the letter he had sent to the CM's secretariat and the Uttara Kannada DC. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the invitation for the Tipu Jayanti celebrations would be sent to all central and state leaders. And that it was up to them to accept or reject the invitations. Siddaramaiah added that "As part of government, he (Hedge) shouldn't have written it". Siddaramaiah added that "It is being made into a political issue. There were four wars against British, and Tipu fought them all." ANI however reported the BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje as saying "Tipu was anti-Kannada and anti-Hindu," and that "all the Kannadigas are opposing it". Hegde had last year too asked to be left out of the celebrations. News reports said he has been a vocal critic of the celebrations ever since they were started in 2015. As the MP from Uttara Kannada, protocol demands that his name be included on invites sent out in the district.

Leave me out of 'shameful event': Minister of State for Skill Development on Tipu Jayanti celebrations

<p>Gauri Lankesh was shot in the chest, her brother has said.</p>

<p>Indrajit Lankesh added that the shooting was captured on CCTV.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that he had requested police to view the the CCTV&nbsp;footage in front of him and his mother.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And that the family wanted a CBI probe into the killing of Gauri Lankesh.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Karnataka Police meanwhile have formed a SIT (special investigation team) to look into the murder.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">She was shot in her chest. CCTV captured everything. Requested Police to open it in front of me &amp; my mother-Indrajit <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a>&#39;s brother</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905303412744572933">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">She was an activist, she was doing her job, there were no threats as of now as far as we know: Indrajit Lankesh, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a>&#39;s brother <a href="https://t.co/zZa8h8mZBT">pic.twitter.com/zZa8h8mZBT</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905303158485811201">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>He added that there were no threats to Gauri&#39;s life.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/protests-rage-across-country-as-gauri-lankesh-is-laid-to-rest-19932" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Protests, rage across country as Gauri Lankesh is laid to rest</a></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Request CBI probe. We&#39;ve seen Kalburgi issue that state investigated &amp; with sadness I say they&#39;ve not done anything: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a>&#39;s brother <a href="https://t.co/YaVVFzREZb">pic.twitter.com/YaVVFzREZb</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905305580536922112">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Karnataka chief minister Siddaramiah said he had left the decision on whether there would be a CBI probe or not to the Karnataka police chief.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Left it to DGP who will speak to Home Minister and decide on it: Karnataka CM on question of handing over case to CBI <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> <a href="https://t.co/WpGaSod7iE">pic.twitter.com/WpGaSod7iE</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905324050897027073">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>He added that he had instructed police that activists propagating progressive thoughts should be given police protection.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Instructed Police that activists propagating progressive thoughts should be given Police protection: Karnataka CM <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> <a href="https://t.co/bphWl8KecQ">pic.twitter.com/bphWl8KecQ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905323679143182336">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>He said Gauri had met him recently but had not mentioned any threats to her. &nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that similar weapons had been used in the Kalburgi, Pansare, and Dabholkar killings, but that it was too soon to link Gauri&#39;s murder to theirs.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Similar weapons used in Kalburgi, Pansare &amp; Dabholkar killings, in this case we don&#39;t know yet so can&#39;t draw link-Karnataka CM <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905323432409042944">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>He said he had instructed police that the &quot;case must be taken seriously&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Instructed case must be taken seriously &amp; be investigated by special team. Constituted SIT headed by senior officer: K&#39;taka CM <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> <a href="https://t.co/of5lVBKg4e">pic.twitter.com/of5lVBKg4e</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905328940050288640">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bengaluru: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah chairs meeting with top Police officials of the state to discuss <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GauriLankesh?src=hash">#GauriLankesh</a> murder case. <a href="https://t.co/LneImCgCFB">pic.twitter.com/LneImCgCFB</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905333027751870465">September 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Indrajit Lankesh said he had requested police to view the CCTV footage in front of him and his mother

Gauri Lankesh was shot in the chest, her brother has said. Indrajit Lankesh added that the shooting was captured on CCTV. He added that he had requested police to view the the CCTV footage in front of him and his mother. And that the family wanted a CBI probe into the killing of Gauri Lankesh. The Karnataka Police meanwhile have formed a SIT (special investigation team) to look into the murder. She was shot in her chest. CCTV captured everything. Requested Police to open it in front of me & my mother-Indrajit #GauriLankesh's brother — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × She was an activist, she was doing her job, there were no threats as of now as far as we know: Indrajit Lankesh, #GauriLankesh's brother pic.twitter.com/zZa8h8mZBT — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × He added that there were no threats to Gauri's life. Also read: Protests, rage across country as Gauri Lankesh is laid to rest Request CBI probe. We've seen Kalburgi issue that state investigated & with sadness I say they've not done anything: #GauriLankesh's brother pic.twitter.com/YaVVFzREZb — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × Karnataka chief minister Siddaramiah said he had left the decision on whether there would be a CBI probe or not to the Karnataka police chief. Left it to DGP who will speak to Home Minister and decide on it: Karnataka CM on question of handing over case to CBI #GauriLankesh pic.twitter.com/WpGaSod7iE — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × He added that he had instructed police that activists propagating progressive thoughts should be given police protection. Instructed Police that activists propagating progressive thoughts should be given Police protection: Karnataka CM #GauriLankesh pic.twitter.com/bphWl8KecQ — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × He said Gauri had met him recently but had not mentioned any threats to her. He added that similar weapons had been used in the Kalburgi, Pansare, and Dabholkar killings, but that it was too soon to link Gauri's murder to theirs. Similar weapons used in Kalburgi, Pansare & Dabholkar killings, in this case we don't know yet so can't draw link-Karnataka CM #GauriLankesh — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × He said he had instructed police that the "case must be taken seriously". Instructed case must be taken seriously & be investigated by special team. Constituted SIT headed by senior officer: K'taka CM #GauriLankesh pic.twitter.com/of5lVBKg4e — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 × Bengaluru: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah chairs meeting with top Police officials of the state to discuss #GauriLankesh murder case. pic.twitter.com/LneImCgCFB — ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017 ×

Gauri Lankesh was shot in the chest, CCTV captured everything: Brother

<p>Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi launched &quot;Indira canteen&quot; in Karnataka&#39;s Bengaluru on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>#IndiraCanteen became a top trending tag on micro-blogging site Twitter through&nbsp;the morning.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Indira Canteen is another step towards the &quot;Food for All&quot; commitment of the Congress. I congratulate the Karnataka Govt. for this initiative <a href="https://t.co/SlYoJwbeAH">pic.twitter.com/SlYoJwbeAH</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/897712262261202944">August 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The canteen will serve&nbsp;subsidised meals with&nbsp;breakfast priced at Rs 5 and lunch/dinner at Rs 10.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Break fast,lunch &amp;dinner in ?5 &amp; ?10 in K&#39;taka.Gr8 idea.Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/CMofKarnataka">@CMofKarnataka</a> fr <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiraCanteen?src=hash">#IndiraCanteen</a> to b inaugrtd by <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG">@OfficeOfRG</a> tdy</p>
&mdash; Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) <a href="https://twitter.com/sanjaynirupam/status/897704953766195201">August 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The model of the canteen is similar to &quot;Amma canteens&quot; in the state of Tamil Nadu which also serve affordable meals.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Karnataka: Hoarding placed outside the &#39;Indira Canteen&#39; launched by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Bengaluru <a href="https://t.co/phi5gOAAlL">pic.twitter.com/phi5gOAAlL</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/897706159561482245">August 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>In a speech, Gandhi said there are plans to open such canteens across the state.&nbsp;</p>


The canteen will serve?subsidised meals with?breakfast priced at Rs 5 and lunch/dinner at Rs 10

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi launched "Indira canteen" in Karnataka's Bengaluru on Wednesday. #IndiraCanteen became a top trending tag on micro-blogging site Twitter through the morning. Indira Canteen is another step towards the "Food for All" commitment of the Congress. I congratulate the Karnataka Govt. for this initiative pic.twitter.com/SlYoJwbeAH — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 16, 2017 × The canteen will serve subsidised meals with breakfast priced at Rs 5 and lunch/dinner at Rs 10. Break fast,lunch &dinner in ?5 & ?10 in K'taka.Gr8 idea.Congratulations to @CMofKarnataka fr #IndiraCanteen to b inaugrtd by @OfficeOfRG tdy — Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) August 16, 2017 × The model of the canteen is similar to "Amma canteens" in the state of Tamil Nadu which also serve affordable meals. Karnataka: Hoarding placed outside the 'Indira Canteen' launched by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/phi5gOAAlL — ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2017 × In a speech, Gandhi said there are plans to open such canteens across the state.

Rahul Gandhi launches 'Indira canteen' in Bengaluru

<p>Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to be hitting right chords over the past three months by pushing BJP to a corner in the state. It would be safe to say that Karnataka is the only state where BJP is facing a resurgent Congress under&nbsp;Siddaramaiah, who after 3 years of bad press has turned the table around and pushed BJP to the corner on issues central to the people of the state.<strong> </strong>In every other state but Karnataka, BJP has successfully used corruption, dynasty and disunity themes to marginalise the Congress. It is only&nbsp;in Karnataka that the state&#39;s chief minister has successfully played the &lsquo;son of the soil&rsquo; card to push back an aggressive BJP.</p>

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<h5>It is only&nbsp;in Karnataka that the state&#39;s chief minister has successfully played the &lsquo;son of the soil&rsquo; card to push back an aggressive BJP.</h5>
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<p>Whether it his position on the language or the flag, the sentiments which the CM has evoked is that of a person who cares intensely about the cultural landscape of the state. He has also shown an inclination to implement a new cultural policy which would be dedicated to promoting local cinema and literature. The policy is also inclusive. It also entails local harmony cells. It also intends to curb moral policing which has become a scourge in some of the state ruled by BJP where the male aggressor is always imagined as a minority. The state also intends to set aside a sum of money to promote local artists. People may dismiss it as populist or superficial, but for a state with the rich history of literary culture and modern aspiration, Siddaramaiah has taken the right step.<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
Many can still accuse Siddaramaiah of pushing state level chauvinism but if you look all across India, successful chief ministers have been the ambassadors of the state pride and have successfully positioned themselves as the custodian of culture and political pride of their respective regions as opposed to the Centre. Whether it is a resurgence of TDP in united Andhra or TRS of Telangana or BJD of Orissa, all of them represent&nbsp;unique political aspirations of the state within the Indian democratic setup.</p>

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<h5>The concept of undivided Hindi vote is an accepted academic and political jargon then exceptional Kannadiga linguistic pride too shouldn&rsquo;t bother the Indian right.</h5>
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<p>Nitish Kumar, when opposed to the BJP, won Bihar on the issue of Bihari asmita. For Mamata, it was &#39;Ma Maati and Maanush&#39;. Similarly, the Karnataka chief minister has very successfully deployed the son of the soil culture card, which is laced with the sensitivity attached to the language.</p>

<p>Though polishing off Hindi names from metro and railway station is extreme but if seen through the prism of sending a message to the electorate then the job has been done. It is like saying that if the concept of undivided Hindi vote is an accepted academic and political jargon then exceptional Kannadiga linguistic pride too shouldn&rsquo;t bother the Indian right. It is expected of them to oppose it from the position of nationalism but they understand that such politics is replete with danger. It can get TV eye balls in Delhi, but will definitely cut votes in Karnataka.</p>

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<h5>For BJP&nbsp;to win it, will have to come down from the issue of corruption as Siddaramaiah has changed the rule of the game.</h5>
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<p>If BJP wants to fight the elections against Siddaramaiah then it will have to intelligently focus on meatier issues rather than using the department of income tax and Central Bureau of Investigation liberally. For BJP&nbsp;to win, it will have to come down from the issue of corruption as Siddaramaiah has changed the rule of the game. Karnataka, this time too, might keep up with its reputation of voting against the national trend. It will also reaffirm how important prominent regional faces are which Congress today finds bereft of. A lot of people might not like Karnataka CM in Delhi, but he is the only one who can take the might of an aggressive BJP in the country.<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
Siddaramaiah might have lost the earlier rounds by generating bad press in Bengaluru, but the canny old politician seems to have learned his lesson well, namely, publically associating with issues which are central to the Kannadiga pride and making other issues irrelevant. Lastly, he has an added advantage in Karnataka: he neither has the baggage of a Laloo type of a politician nor internal bickering which is jeopardising BJP&#39;s prospect in the state.</p>


BJP is finding the charges of corruption, dynasty and disunity themes irrelevant to corner the Congress party in Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to be hitting right chords over the past three months by pushing BJP to a corner in the state. It would be safe to say that Karnataka is the only state where BJP is facing a resurgent Congress under Siddaramaiah, who after 3 years of bad press has turned the table around and pushed BJP to the corner on issues central to the people of the state. In every other state but Karnataka, BJP has successfully used corruption, dynasty and disunity themes to marginalise the Congress. It is only in Karnataka that the state's chief minister has successfully played the ‘son of the soil’ card to push back an aggressive BJP. It is only in Karnataka that the state's chief minister has successfully played the ‘son of the soil’ card to push back an aggressive BJP. × Whether it his position on the language or the flag, the sentiments which the CM has evoked is that of a person who cares intensely about the cultural landscape of the state. He has also shown an inclination to implement a new cultural policy which would be dedicated to promoting local cinema and literature. The policy is also inclusive. It also entails local harmony cells. It also intends to curb moral policing which has become a scourge in some of the state ruled by BJP where the male aggressor is always imagined as a minority. The state also intends to set aside a sum of money to promote local artists. People may dismiss it as populist or superficial, but for a state with the rich history of literary culture and modern aspiration, Siddaramaiah has taken the right step. Many can still accuse Siddaramaiah of pushing state level chauvinism but if you look all across India, successful chief ministers have been the ambassadors of the state pride and have successfully positioned themselves as the custodian of culture and political pride of their respective regions as opposed to the Centre. Whether it is a resurgence of TDP in united Andhra or TRS of Telangana or BJD of Orissa, all of them represent unique political aspirations of the state within the Indian democratic setup. The concept of undivided Hindi vote is an accepted academic and political jargon then exceptional Kannadiga linguistic pride too shouldn’t bother the Indian right. × Nitish Kumar, when opposed to the BJP, won Bihar on the issue of Bihari asmita. For Mamata, it was 'Ma Maati and Maanush'. Similarly, the Karnataka chief minister has very successfully deployed the son of the soil culture card, which is laced with the sensitivity attached to the language. Though polishing off Hindi names from metro and railway station is extreme but if seen through the prism of sending a message to the electorate then the job has been done. It is like saying that if the concept of undivided Hindi vote is an accepted academic and political jargon then exceptional Kannadiga linguistic pride too shouldn’t bother the Indian right. It is expected of them to oppose it from the position of nationalism but they understand that such politics is replete with danger. It can get TV eye balls in Delhi, but will definitely cut votes in Karnataka. For BJP to win it, will have to come down from the issue of corruption as Siddaramaiah has changed the rule of the game. × If BJP wants to fight the elections against Siddaramaiah then it will have to intelligently focus on meatier issues rather than using the department of income tax and Central Bureau of Investigation liberally. For BJP to win, it will have to come down from the issue of corruption as Siddaramaiah has changed the rule of the game. Karnataka, this time too, might keep up with its reputation of voting against the national trend. It will also reaffirm how important prominent regional faces are which Congress today finds bereft of. A lot of people might not like Karnataka CM in Delhi, but he is the only one who can take the might of an aggressive BJP in the country. Siddaramaiah might have lost the earlier rounds by generating bad press in Bengaluru, but the canny old politician seems to have learned his lesson well, namely, publically associating with issues which are central to the Kannadiga pride and making other issues irrelevant. Lastly, he has an added advantage in Karnataka: he neither has the baggage of a Laloo type of a politician nor internal bickering which is jeopardising BJP's prospect in the state.

Karnataka CM plays 'son of the soil' card to corner BJP in the state

<p>Four states, all non-BJP ruled, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to intervene in the hearing on whether the Right to Privacy can be declared as one of the Fundamental Rights under the Indian Constitution.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The states include Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab and Puducherry.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Senior advocate Kapil Sibal is representing the four states. He initiated his arguments before a nine-judge Constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar and said that the court needs to take a fresh look on the Right to Privacy in the light of technological advancements.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Privacy cannot be an absolute right. But it is a Fundamental Right. This court needs to strike a balance,&quot; he submitted before the bench, PTI reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The top court had set up a Constitution bench on July 18 after the issue was referred to a larger bench by a five-judge bench.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The petitioners have claimed that the collection and sharing of biometric information under the Aadhaar scheme is a breach of the &quot;fundamental&quot; right to privacy.</p>

<p>The Central government on July 19 submitted a report before the Supreme Court saying that Right to Privacy is a common law right and not a Fundamental Right.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The states include Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab and Puducherry.

Four states, all non-BJP ruled, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to intervene in the hearing on whether the Right to Privacy can be declared as one of the Fundamental Rights under the Indian Constitution. The states include Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab and Puducherry. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal is representing the four states. He initiated his arguments before a nine-judge Constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar and said that the court needs to take a fresh look on the Right to Privacy in the light of technological advancements. "Privacy cannot be an absolute right. But it is a Fundamental Right. This court needs to strike a balance," he submitted before the bench, PTI reported. The top court had set up a Constitution bench on July 18 after the issue was referred to a larger bench by a five-judge bench. The petitioners have claimed that the collection and sharing of biometric information under the Aadhaar scheme is a breach of the "fundamental" right to privacy. The Central government on July 19 submitted a report before the Supreme Court saying that Right to Privacy is a common law right and not a Fundamental Right.

Four non-BJP ruled states move Supreme Court in favour of Right to Privacy

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