BENGALURU: Observing that providing age-based exemption in the transfer of teachers is an established practice, and the decision-making authority should consider such reasonable, legitimate and valid requests of teachers while making transfers, the Karnataka High Court dismissed two petitions filed by the Department of School Education and Literacy. It questioned the order passed by the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal, which quashed the transfer of two female teachers, identifying them a

BENGALURU: Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre on Friday said that a task force, comprising marshals, will be set up across the state to control the use of single-use plastic. The task force will also act tough in ensuring that no Plaster of Paris (POP) idols are being used during Ganesha Chaturthi this year. He issued these directions, after holding a detailed meeting with officials from the environment department and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). Khandr

BENGALURU: Senior BJP leader and former minister Arvind Limbavali expressed displeasure over the partys performance in the just concluded monsoon session of the State Legislature. It is regrettable that there has been no harmony, and understanding between our party president who is also an MLA and the Leader of the Opposition. This helped the Ruling party to take complete advantage. The action of our party leaders, who did not utilise the opportunity and time in the House adequately, spent the w

BENGALURU: Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti on Friday said they received 1,251 questions, including star queries, during the session that concluded on Thursday. To answer one of the questions, we had to spend Rs 93,000 where an MLC had sought details of all the 90,000 gram panchayat members, he said. Photos of Anubhava Mantapa were given to all the legislators and on July 24. The Council witnessed 93% attendance. The session was conducted from July 15 to July 25 for eight days. As

BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday called the Oppositions proposed 10-day padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru demanding CM Siddaramaiahs resignation over the alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) a ploy to tarnish the latters image. Shivakumar also warned the saffron party that he would expose the scams that took place during its rule. The BJP has provided us an opportunity to expose their wrongdoings by taking out a padayatra. We will highl

BENGALURU: BJP and JDS MPs from Karnataka on Friday protested in front of the Parliament House in New Delhi, demanding a CBI probe into alleged irregularities at the ST Corporation and allotment of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Former chief minister and Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who claims to be an honest politician, has been exposed. He accused Siddaramaiah of closing a case related to alleged irregularities in the Bangalore Developme

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday defended allotment of sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). However, he admitted that due to oversight, he did not declare this in his 2013 election affidavit. Subsequently, the same was declared before the Lokayukta, he said. Addressing reporters along with ministers Byrathi Suresh, HC Mahadevappa and Santosh Lad, the CM released some documents in support of his claims. Slamming BJP and JDS legislators for their alle

BELAGAVI: The sick and unconscious woman Harshada Harishchandra Ghadi (38) who was carried in a hand-made stretcher for 10-km in the forest of Amgaon, near Khanapur, for treatment a few days ago by the villagers died in hospital on Thursday evening in Belagavi. The government officials and several NGOs who had met the womans family had assured to extend help to her family. Anjalitai Trust of Khanapur, headed by former MLA Anjali Nimbalkar also had assured financial support to the family after th

BENGALURU: To groom a new generation of leaders, Congress will launch a membership registration drive to conduct internal elections for the Youth Congress between August 16 and September 16. Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar told the media that the process of creating new leaders has started across the country as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has decided to nurture young leaders. Shivakumar said internal polls will not give rise to factionalism as those

HASSAN: Residents and shop owners on Azad Road of Sakleshpur town were put to hardship as the entire area was submerged with Hemavathi river water. The taluk administration is taking measures to move the stranded people to relief centres. The century-old Holemalleshwara temple on the banks of Hemavathi river in Sakleshpur is partially submerged. Officials have restricted the entry of devotees into the temple as a precautionary measure. Traffic was disrupted on the Holenarasipur-Arkalgud state hi

BENGALURU: Courtesy a robust monsoon, the Thippagondanahalli (TG Halli) Reservoir, located 35km west of Bengaluru, is brimming with 2.5tmcft of water, and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will start supplying water from the reservoir soon. Water quality tests are being conducted and once the reports come in, around 50-60MLD will be supplied to parts of west and north Bengaluru. The installed capacity and infrastructure is to supply 110MLD, but this is subject to water availabili

BENGALURU: Often constrained to the four walls of a parlour, beauticians rarely get noticed or appropriately compensated for their long hours and back-breaking routines. Demanding standardization of minimum wages, regularization of work hours, legal protection and benefits post-retirement, the Bengaluru Beautician Womens Trust on Friday protested at Freedom Park. According to reports, the beauty industry employs close to 20,000 individuals in the city and 2.5 lakh across the state. Speaking to T

BENGALURU: While Karnataka became the third state to pass a resolution against NEET on Thursday, stakeholders in the field of education have expressed their reservations on how the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) will be able to provide the same uniformity and platform for students, who want admission in medical colleges within the state and across the country. A former vice-chancellor for a medical college in Bengaluru said the resolution passed by the state government is not a wise move,

BENGALURU: Former AICC president and chief minister S Nijalingappa was a political giant and Chitradurga DCC president T Pir has urged KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to consider buying Nijalingappas bungalow with Congress funds and setting up the district party office. The State Government had planned to convert the bungalow into a Nijalingappa memorial, but a government official raised objections, delaying the sale. For the last four

BENGALURU: India is far away from becoming the manufacturing hub of the world. Government plays a big role in the success of manufacturing and unless the public governance system is improved, for India to become a leader is very difficult, said NR Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, here on Friday. Speaking at ELCIA Tech Summit 2024, he said, These (hub, global leader) are all big words that we shouldnt use. China has already become the factory of the world. Around 90% of things in supermark

SHIRUR(UTTARA KANNADA): The search operations using radars on Thursday led to the truck driven by Arjun, finally being tracked. The district administration is now gearing up for the rescue operations, and getting the truck out of the water. The rescue operations began on the 9th day, and the coordinates of where the truck is struck has been received. The truck is buried 60 metres from the landslide spot, and 5 metres beneath the river bed. We have the coordinates. Now, we are working on retrievi

MANGALURU: Pilikula Biological Park, one of the major zoos in India with more than 1,200 wild animals including mammals, birds and reptiles has undertaken captive conservation breeding of King Cobra and other animals. The main objectives of the zoo include conservation, education and scientific research of wild animals. Now the park has taken up the implanting of microchips in wild animals and reptiles. H J Bhandary, Directorof Pilikula Biological Park in a press communique said, Since most of t

HUBBALLI: The Hubballi Dharwad police opened fire at a jewellery theft accused while he tried to assault police officers on Friday morning. The incident was reported near Gamanagatti area of Hubballi when the accused Farhan Sheikh was secured the previous night by the police to trace another accused in thetheft case reported last week at a jewellery store in Keshwapur. According to the police, Farhan Sheikh, native of Mumbai, is an interstate offender who has cases of murder, dacoity and robbery

BENGALURU: After Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, Karnataka became the third state to pass a resolution against the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) for admissions in medical colleges held by National Testing Agency (NTA), a central agency. In the resolution passed on Thursday, the Siddaramaiah government demanded that the Centre allow the state to follow the earlier system and allow admissions to medical colleges based on the CET conducted by the KEA.Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan

BENGALURU: In a setback to actor Darshan, who is currently at the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara, in connection with the murder of Renukaswamy since June 22, a magistrate court in the city rejected his application seeking directions to the prison authorities to allow him to get home cooked food rich in protein, to maintain his physique, since he is facing digestive issues with prison food. This court is justified to hold that, prima facie, at this stage of proceedings, the Chief Medical Of

BENGALURU: Observing that the popular government is the best judge for taking care of the needs and interests of the assembly constituencies, the Karnataka High Court dismissed a PIL filed by MLA Muniraju of Dasarahalli assembly constituency, seeking directions to the state government to release a sum of Rs 78 crore in respect of tendered public works in his constituency and also to ensure time-bound completion of the infrastructural projects sanctioned under the Chief Ministers New Bengaluru Pl

BENGALURU: In a significant move to strengthen global collaborations, India and the UK launched a New Technology Security Initiative, aimed at boosting economic growth and cooperation in critical areas like telecom, AI, and green energy on Thursday. The announcement comes during the visit of David Lammy, the UKs newly elected Foreign Secretary, to India. The event was focused on building on a series of partnerships between the British and Indian governments, industry and academia. The UKs Foreig

BENGALURU: The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) on Thursday announced that the seat allocation for all professional courses, including engineering, architecture and medicine, will be conducted simultaneously, despite the ongoing NEET issue. H Prasanna, Executive Director, KEA, through a release, advised that students and parents should not panic. Due to the delay in receiving NEET results from the National Medical Commission (NMC), KEA has decided to prioritise registrations for engineerin

BENGALURU: Both Houses of the Legislature were adjourned sine die on Thursday as Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal(Secular) legislators continued their protest seeking a debate on the alleged irregularities in allotment of sites by the Mysuru Uruban Development Authority (MUDA). The opposition parties later decided to organise a 10-day padayatra over the issue from Bengaluru to Mysuru from August 1. Defending himself in the Council, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reiterated that there were no i

BENGALURU: A delegation of BJP and JDS legislators on Thursday met Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and petitioned him to direct Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to resign over the alleged scam in the allotment of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and the alleged multi-crore irregularity in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd. Led by the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, state BJP president BY Vijayendra, and JDSLP leader B Suresh

BENGALURU: Defending that he had no role in the alleged illegal allotment of Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites to his wife, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged that the allotment took place in 2021 when BJP was in power in Karnataka. The BJP and JDS members, who sat on an overnight dharna demanding a debate on the alleged irregularities, entered the well of the Council as soon as the proceedings commenced on Thursday. As they were firm that they would not return to their seats unti

BENGALURU: The Karnataka government has decided to appeal to the Union Government to amend the Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006, and the rules made under it to treat other traditional forest dwellers equally with forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribe communities. Speaking in the Assembly on Thursday, Forest, Environment, and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre said 9,136.27 acres belonging to dwellers, including farmers, was acquired to construct the Linganamakki Dam, but

BENGALURU: The Congress State Government on Thursday passed resolutions in both Houses of the legislature against One Nation, One Election and the impending delimitation exercise to redraw Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies and increase their numbers based on the census to be conducted in 2026 or later. CM Siddaramaiah tabled the resolution against One Nation, One Election in the Council on Thursday and stated that India was the biggest democracy in the world and free and fair election proc

BENGALURU: The Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) report on Public Sector Undertakings that was tabled on Thursday, pointed out that the Endowment department had released grants to 2,836 institutions between 2017-18 and 2021-22, for which there were no proposals. Out of 2,836 institutions, 2,264 are private temples, while 572 are government temples. The grant outlay for government temples was Rs 44.48 crore, while private temples were granted Rs 187.81 crore, without proposals. On the contrar

MANGALURU: Following heavy rain, a 17-year-old boy died when a retaining wall collapsed on a house at Jokatte on outskirts of Mangaluru city on Thursday. Police said Shailesh, a resident of Lingappayyakadu near Mulky, had come to his cousins house on Wednesday and stayed back for the night. His cousin Savita, her husband and their children who were sleeping in another room of the house, escaped unhurt. Heavy rain continued to lash Dakshina Kannada on Thursday. Five houses, 286 electric poles and

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will fly to New Delhi on Tuesday (July 30) and meet the Congress high command Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal and other senior leaders to brief them about the alleged Valmiki scam and MUDA irregularities which have rocked both Houses of legislature for the entire monsoon session of nine days. These two issues have put the Congress on the backfoot. Worse, the BJPs plan to take out a padayatra to Mysuru in the next few days could

BENGALURU: While Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar claimed that 96 per cent of potholes on Bengalurus streets have been filled, residents countered that in reality, more than 96 per cent of the roads still need repairs. Recently, the Deputy CM stated that the BBMP worked on road repairs from April to June and continued to address pending issues. Cold asphalt mix units have also been set up to fix the roads. Locals, however, argued that the roads were already in poor condition before the monsoo

BENGALURU: The Bitcoin scam has a shocking revelation. Police Inspector Prashanth Babu DM, who was the head of the Technical Support Centre (TSC) of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) at Adugodi in November 2020, had allegedly transferred 4,000 bitcoins worth Rs 850 crore seized from the prime accused in the scam, Sriki aka Srikrishna, to his personal computer without the courts permission. Babu had allegedly transferred the contents of two Apple MacBooks, which were sealed after seizing them from S

BENGALURU: Indian Railways has now decided to bid goodbye to the colonial-era metal guard line boxes inside trains. They will be replaced with trolley bags for all loco pilots (LPs) and guards (train managers) which they need to carry around on their own. An order issued by the Railway Board has called upon the general managers of all zonal railways to start implementing it with immediate effect. The order, issued on July 19, 2024, by Pulkit Singhal, Director, Traffic Transportation, Railway Boa

BENGALURU: In a tragic incident on Thursday evening, a 40-year-old passenger on board the Wodeyar Express, took his life by jumping under the train just as it was about to depart. The incident occurred on the railway tracks adjacent to Platform 8 at KSR Bengaluru City Junction. According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), the deceased, Sushanth Nishatath Varma, a native of West Bengal, was employed as a supervisor in a private company in Mysuru. He is survived by his wife and daughter, who

BENGALURU: A Court here on Thursday rejected a petition filed by Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who is in judicial custody in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case, seeking a direction to the prison authorities to permit him to have access to home food in the jail. He had also sought cutlery, clothing, bedding, and books to be supplied by his family members. The Karnataka High Court had earlier this month directed Darshan to approach the Magistrate court in this regard. In his petition

A gang of seven armed individuals from the Vokkaliga community attacked a Dalit family in Malagalu village of Kanakapura taluk. The assault resulted in the severing of the left hand of Anish Kumar, a Dalit, according to Bangalore Mirror . The incident occurred on July 21 when Anish was walking with his uncle on the main road. One of the accused, along with a few others, confronted them about Anish's caste, leading to an altercation which eventually ended in the attack. The Bangalore Mirror repor

BENGALURU: Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil on Thursday slammed the opposition BJP over its all-night agitation in the Karnataka legislature after the party's demand to discuss the MUDA 'scam' was denied. Patil said the BJP has used the ongoing legislative session for their political advantage despite explaining to them why the adjournment motion into the alternative site (plot) scam in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) cannot be taken up. He said Chief Mini

BENGALURU: A delegation from Gangktok, the capital of the Himalayan state of Sikkim, led by Mayor Nell Bahadur Chettri, on Wednesday visited the BBMP and discussed solid waste disposal practices being followed in Bengaluru. Gangtok Municipal Corporation Mayor Chettri and Deputy Mayor Tshering Palden Bhutia visited the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML). They got acquainted with the solid waste management methods being followed in the corporation, the role of the corporation in soli

BENGALURU: Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda informed the Council on Wednesday that 38,78,525 farmers were given drought relief compensation in 2023-24, which is the highest in a year so far. Replying to a question by BJP MLC Keshava Prasad, Gowda said that in the past, aid provided to 23,42,667 farmers was the highest. This year, Rs 4,047 crore has been spent towards the same. The aid was provided after the officials visited the fields and conducted a crop loss survey. The aid was d

BENGALURU: The State Government has decided to introduce counseling sessions for students belonging to the SC/ST and Backward Classes communities studying in residential schools run by the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS), including Morarji Desai Residential Schools. The counseling will include the physical, mental, and academic well-being of the students. Cutting across party lines, MLAs raised the issue of the poor condition of hostels run for students belonging t

UDUPI: The loco pilot and the assistant loco pilot of Matsyagandha Express train averted a possible mishap by stopping the train in the nick of time after spotting a big tree fallen on the tracks in Udupi on Wednesday. As the incident occurred a little away from Udupi railway station, the railway gangmen later rushed to the site and cleared the tracks. Sources from Konkan Railway said that the train was approaching from Barkur to Udupi and at that time the loco pilot and the assistant loco pilot

BENGALURU: Karnataka has been allocated Rs 7,559 crore for railway projects in the Union budget for 2024-2025, said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday. Addressing a virtual news conference from New Delhi, he said the total outlay for Indian Railways in the budget was Rs 2.62 lakh crore, including Rs 1.09 lakh crore for safety-related activities. South Western Railway General Manager Aravind Srivastav later told reporters that this was the highest budget allocation under working

BENGALURU: Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre on Wednesday said all measures should be taken to prevent illegal felling and smuggling of sandalwood trees. He said an action plan should also be prepared to protect sandalwood trees. After holding a meeting with officials of the forest department and Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd (KSDL), he said sandalwood is vital for KSDL so the action plan should also include measures on increasing the area of sandalwood plantation. K

BENGALURU: A man armed with a knife entered a womens paying guest (PG) facility in the city on Tuesday night and allegedly murdered a 24-year-old woman. According to the police, the man stabbed the girl several times after slitting her throat at her room on the third floor of the PG facility on 1st Cross Road, 6th Block, VR Layout, Koramangala. The deceased has been identified as Krithi Kumari, an employee of a private company. Kumari, who hailed from Bihar, was murdered between 11.10 pm and 11.

BENGALURU: BJP and JDS legislators staged a dharna in both Houses on Wednesday night in protest against the Assembly speakers decision of not allowing a debate on the alleged irregularities in allotment of sites by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka alleged that Speaker UT Khader acted in a partisan manner and did not allow the House to discuss the MUDA issue in which Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is allegedly involved. The Speaker, who should

BENGALURU: The Assembly witnessed a heated exchange between ruling and opposition members on Wednesday after Leader of Opposition R Ashoka tried to move an adjournment motion on MUDA scam. Speaker UT Khader denied permission, resulting in a heated debate, especially between former Law Minister Suresh Kumar and Law Minister HK Patil. Patil said that since the MUDA scam has been entrusted to a commission for probe, it cannot be discussed under adjournment motion in the House as per rule. The State

The Budget 2024 is distinctive, striking a balance between the populist approach of 2019-20 and the lacklustre, reform-sparse budget of 2020-21. It lays down essential foundations for future reforms in business, while simplifying processes for individuals. For businesses, it addresses several long-standing demands and sets a long-term focus. Four key aspects stand out: fostering innovation in startups, supporting SMEs and MSMEs, enhancing ease of doing business and maintaining a long-term vision

BENGALURU: Amid the protests by the Opposition BJP and JDS in the ongoing session of the state legislature demanding discussions on the alleged irregularity in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment, and the ED probe into the alleged multi-crore scam in the ST Corporation, CM Siddaramaiah met Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Wednesday evening. CMO sources said that it was a courtesy call by Siddaramaiah. During the meeting which lasted for close to 8 minutes, the CM briefed

BENGALURU: The state government is all set to hire employees through societies headed by deputy commissioners of respective districts. Labour Minister Santosh Lad revealed this while replying to questions raised by some MLAs in the Assembly on Wednesday. Raising the problems faced by contract employees in various departments, the MLAs, cutting across party lines, said the staffers hired through private recruitment agencies are not getting their salaries on time. The agencies also deny them vario