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KARNATAKA CURRENT AFFAIRS

MARCH 2018

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KPSC Test Series, March 2018- Karnataka Current Affairs

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RECENT NOTIFICATIONS

1. GROUP A TECHNICAL AND GROUP B TECHNICAL AND NON TECHNICAL POSTS

2. RFO’s Recruitment Notification 3. 240 FG and 329 DRFO Publication 4. NOTIFICATION FOR VARIOUS POSTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF

KARNATAKA STATE POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

Table of Contents March 01, 2018 -Karnataka Current Affairs ............................................................................................ 6

Country’s first planetarium with 3D hybrid tech opens in Pilikula .................................................... 6

IT, BT dept is now Department of Innovation and Technology ......................................................... 6

Lingayat religion: HC refuses to stay expert panel proceedings ......................................................... 7

CM dedicates Pavagad solar plant to nation, calls it 8th wonder ........................................................ 8

First SC/ST mayor chosen unopposed for Belagavi Palike ................................................................ 8

Shakti Sthala: 600 MW first stage of Pavagada solar park inaugurated ............................................. 9

March 02, 2018 – Karnataka Current Affairs ........................................................................................ 10

HC bins plea against online registration of agreements .................................................................... 10

March 03, 2018- Karnataka Current Affairs .......................................................................................... 11

Panel favours separate religion tag to Lingayat faith ........................................................................ 11

Karnataka state govt launches universal health coverage scheme .................................................... 12

DBL bags Rs 4K-cr B’luru-Mysuru highway project ....................................................................... 13

KSRTC posts Rs 10 crore profit till Feb ........................................................................................... 13


First Rashtrakoota Utsava held in Kalaburagi .................................................................................. 14

Compensation to Seabird project evacuees released ......................................................................... 14

PM Modi lauds Siddaganga mutt seer’s contribution to nation building .......................................... 14

Veera Rani Abbakka Utsav to be held in Delhi between March 11-18 ............................................ 15


Manikandan’s death raises questions on staff training, revives lantanna concerns .......................... 17

Cauvery order: Centre convenes meeting on March 9 ...................................................................... 18

SC order on Juvenile Justice Act: HC takes up suo motu case ......................................................... 18

March 06, 2018 – Karnataka State Current Affairs ............................................................................... 20

Big jump in Karnataka’s foodgrain quota ......................................................................................... 20

Meeting today to discuss Bandipur night traffic ban ........................................................................ 21

http://www.kpsc.kar.nic.in/NOTfN%20group%20A%20technl%20and%20group%20B%20technontech.pdf

http://www.kpsc.kar.nic.in/NOTfN%20group%20A%20technl%20and%20group%20B%20technontech.pdf

https://forestrecruitment.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/73-rfo-notification-2017-18.pdf

https://forestrecruitment.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/240-fg-and-329-drfo-publication.pdf

http://www.kpsc.kar.nic.in/Pollution%20Control%20Board%20Notification-18.pdf

http://www.kpsc.kar.nic.in/Pollution%20Control%20Board%20Notification-18.pdf


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Govt mulls tossing Lingayat religion ball to Centre ......................................................................... 22

CID to probe irregularities in purchase of Marco Polo buses ........................................................... 23


Anti-tiger poaching centre to be named after Manikandan ............................................................... 24

SC sets aside HC order quashing Ballari ZP president’s election .................................................... 24

Activists urge govt not to lift night traffic ban in Bandipur .............................................................. 25


Pro-Kannada activists approve state flag design, CM to seek centre’s nod ...................................... 25

Hampi Univ’s honorary doctorate for sarod maestro Taranath: VC ................................................. 26

Bhaskar Moily voted Mangaluru mayor, Mohammed Kunjatabail his deputy ................................. 27


Ranganathittu bird census on Sunday ............................................................................................... 27

Tribal festival begins ......................................................................................................................... 28

Committee to look into security of HC, judges ................................................................................ 28

KPSC: HC quashes KAT order on selection of 362 candidates ....................................................... 28


Members of Bandaya movement to regroup ..................................................................................... 31

Goshanas unearthed at village near Dharwad ................................................................................... 31

Lingayat religion row: HC refuses to grant stay ............................................................................... 32

Cauvery meet: States favour ‘scheme’ to implement apex court order ............................................ 32

March 11, 2018 -Karnataka Current Affairs .......................................................................................... 37

Centre studying two models for Cauvery water sharing ................................................................... 37

India’s tallest tricolour to be hoisted in Belagavi on March 12 ........................................................ 38

State to get yarn bank soon, announces Smriti Irani ......................................................................... 39


Karnataka unveils first-ever sports policy ........................................................................................ 40

India’s tallest tricolour hoisted in Belagavi, dedicated to country, state........................................... 40


KSRTC bags awards at PR conclave ................................................................................................ 41

Electric trains to Mysuru may not chug for now............................................................................... 41

SC disposes of plea against Kambala Ordinance .............................................................................. 42

Only 22% municipal soild waste processed in state ......................................................................... 44


Forest dept treads cautiously over Great Canara Trails .................................................................... 44


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Rain expected over south, coastal K’taka ......................................................................................... 45


Rare fish species hauled up from Madduramma lake ....................................................................... 46

KSRTC bags awards at PR conclave ................................................................................................ 46

High Court stays shifting of RGUHS campus to Ramanagaram ...................................................... 47


MCI opposes in SC state’s eligibility norms for PG medical courses .............................................. 47

SC: Money lenders can’t claim interest on security deposit ............................................................. 48


Farmer suicides rise 32% in Karnataka in 2016, Centre tells Parliament ......................................... 49

Conversion order illegal, will restore forest land, state tells CEC .................................................... 50


Selected KPSC candidates move SC against order quashing appointments ..................................... 51

Minister warns authorities over expired medicines at Dharwad civil hospital ................................. 53


Karnataka govt okays separate religion status for Lingayats, seeks Centre’s nod ............................ 53


Govt restores 50% quota for general students in its residential schools ........................................... 55

Apex court refuses status quo on KPSC-selected candidates ........................................................... 55

‘Minority tag plea must get Parliament approval’ ............................................................................ 56

Speaker reserves orders in JD(S) rebel MLAs’ disqualification case ............................................... 57


Hande for greater use of solar power ................................................................................................ 59

SC junks plea to stop miners’ funds to mineral body ....................................................................... 60

MHA to look into proposal on minority status ................................................................................. 61

NGT starts fresh hearing on Yettinahole project .............................................................................. 62

About Yettinhole ............................................................................................................................... 63

Draft rules provide quota limit for ‘others’ in minority institutions ................................................. 64


Trial flight landing at Kalaburagi airport in April first week ............................................................ 65

Courts have no jurisdiction on disqualification matter: Speaker ...................................................... 65


Set up panel to implement Cauvery order, Karnataka suggests Centre ............................................ 66

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recommends extension of Ratna Prabha’s term ................................. 67


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I-T collection in Karnataka-Goa region to cross Rs 1L-crore this fiscal .......................................... 68


Centre plans Skybus between Bengaluru, Mysuru if state agrees: Gadkari...................................... 69

Mangaluru professor Dr Anurag Bhargava makes app for TB patients ............................................ 71

NHAI awards Rs 1,395 cr contract for highway in Karnataka ......................................................... 72


In SC, govt defends 10-yr study criteria for PG medical seats ......................................................... 73

CNG refilling fuel station inaugurated in Bengaluru ........................................................................ 74


Centre to bring millets under Public Distribution System soon ........................................................ 75

Institute linked to KSOU issues fake marks cards, CID probe ordered ............................................ 76


Battleground Karnataka: state to go to polls on May 12, counting on May 15 ................................ 77

Karnataka election: each candidate can spend up to Rs 28L on poll expenses ................................. 78

Each Assembly segment to have one women-operated polling station ............................................ 78

EC sets up panel to probe Karnataka poll date leak .......................................................................... 82

High Court sets aside CAT order on Rohini Sindhuri transfer ......................................................... 83


Karnataka needs more than one economic centre: Ramachandra Guha ........................................... 83

Dishaank set to be state’s most apt property App ever ..................................................................... 84

No new schemes, projects can be announced now ........................................................................... 86

Model code won’t affect setting up of Cauvery board: CEC ............................................................ 86


It’s early summer, but Vijayapura is already sweating it out, literally ............................................. 88

Poll date leak: EC panel examines responses ................................................................................... 89

Demotions to affect 20,000 SC/ST govt employees ......................................................................... 89

If you vote, democracy wins, says Rahul Dravid in message to Karnataka voters ........................... 90

As Karnataka, TN differ on Cauvery ‘scheme,’ Centre plans plea in SC ......................................... 90

HC hears petition challenging consumption of liquor by minors ..................................................... 91


Fake news targeting Muslims: ‘Postcardnews’ owner Mahesh Hegde held in Bengaluru ............... 92

Election Commission bans release of MPLAD funds to Karnataka ................................................. 93

Now, smart card to replace International driving licence book ........................................................ 94

KSTDC earns profits after 10 years .................................................................................................. 94


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IISc students make lightweight stretcher for bike ambulances ......................................................... 95

SWR seeks poll panel’s nod for new trains ...................................................................................... 96

Widespread rain brings relief from summer heat .............................................................................. 96

TIT-BITS ................................................................................................................................................. 98


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March 01, 2018 -Karnataka Current Affairs

Country’s first planetarium with 3D

hybrid tech opens in Pilikula

Science and Technology, Planning and Statistics Minister M R Seetharam, on Thursday,

inaugurated the Swami Vivekananda 3D Planetarium on the premises of the Regional

Science Centre at Dr K Shivarama Karantha Nisargadhama, Pilikula.

The planetarium, enabled with 3D hybrid technology and featuring an 18 metre- nano-

seam dome set to 15 degrees along with Active 3D, 8K digital and Opto Mechanical

(Hybrid) projection system, is the first of its kind in India.

The planetarium has been set up with grants from KSTePS (Karnataka Science and

Technology Promotion Society) of the state government.

This will channelise the younger generation towards constructive study and research of

astronomy and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the region.

Seetharam said that the Pilikula Development Authority Bill had been passed in both

Houses of the legislature. The same had been sent to the Governor for his approval.

IT, BT dept is now Department of

Innovation and Technology

The state government on Thursday announced renaming the Department of Information

Technology, Biotechnology and Science &Technology as the Department of Innovation

and Technology. Announcing this at ‘Innovate Karnataka‘ event, Minister for IT and BT Priyank Kharge

said the renaming is primarily to make the state the global hub for innovation.

“The initiative is under the single narrative of ‘Innovate Karnataka’, the umbrella brand

for all innovation in the state, be it in high-tech areas like block-chain, robotics, artificial

intelligence (AI), nanotechnology, etc, or in the vibrant startup ecosystem,” he said.

Kharge said the state government’s initiative to change the name of the department will

help it to carry out various programmes in a more agile and mission-mode way to make

Karnataka a global hub.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who unveiled the brand narrative for ‘Innovate Karnataka’,

said the development cannot happen without innovation and no innovation is truly big

unless it helps people.

“With ‘Innovate Karnataka’, we hope to start on the path to Mission 2025 where

technology will help in the inclusive development of the state, where better governance

can be delivered to the citizens,” he said.

“Our vision is to put people first in all our schemes, and ‘Innovate Karnataka’ will both

fulfil the vision, and be a driving force for it,” he added.


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The state government carved out the Department of Information Technology from

Department of Commerce and Industry in 1998.

The move really gave a momentum to make Bengaluru and Karnataka the IT capital of

India. Later, it established the Department of Information Technology & Biotechnology

in September 2001.

Lingayat religion: HC refuses to stay

expert panel proceedings

The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday orally observed that “no one is above law,”

while hearing a matter regarding granting of religious minority tag to the Lingayat

community.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sunil Dutt

Yadav was hearing a batch of public interest litigations challenging the authority of the

Karnataka State Minorities Commission to grant status of religious minority to a

particular community.

The court also directed the state government to file its statement of objections within a

period of three days.

According to the petitioners, the Karnataka State Minorities Commission has formed a

seven-member expert committee to study the demand of the Lingayat community for a

separate minority religion status.

Headed by retired high court judge, Justice H N Nagamohan Das, the panel has to

submit a report within four weeks. The committee recently issued an order stating that the

report of the expert committee shall be placed before the commission for making suitable

recommendations to the government.

The petitioners stated that the Lingayat community constitutes 20% of the state’s

population.

They have contended that the role of the minority commission is to protect the interests

and rights of the people from minority communities and not to add a community to the

list of minority communities.

The petitioners also sought for a stay on the proceedings of the expert committee, which

was denied by the court. The matter was adjourned.


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CM dedicates Pavagad solar plant to

nation, calls it 8th wonder

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Thursday, said that the mega solar power plant set up

here was the eighth wonder of the world and a pride of Karnataka.

He was speaking after inaugurating unit I of the power plant set up at Tirumani in

Nagalamadike hobli of the taluk. The power plant, christened as the ‘Shakti

Sthala,’ would help remove the backward and drough-prone tag associated with the

taluk. It would open the floodgates of prosperity for Pavagad, the chief minister said.

The power plant would accelerate economic growth here by attracting industries,

Siddaramaiah said. The 600-MW unit I is part of the 2,000-MW environment friendly

power plant proposed here.

In his speech, Energy Minister D K Shivakumar claimed that Karnataka generated the

highest quantum of solar power in the country, at 3,628 MW. He said the state was now

self-reliant in electricity generation, in the face of tough challenges.

First SC/ST mayor chosen unopposed

for Belagavi Palike

Basavaraja Chikkaladinni, a Kannadiga council member belonging to the SC/ST

community, has been unanimously chosen mayor of the Belagavi Mahanagara Palike.

For the first time, the mayoral office is being held by a member of the SC/ST community,

here in Belagavi. This occurred because the mayor’s position is reserved for SC/ST this

election.

The Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti which is in majority in the Palike, does not have a

SC/ST candidate to hold the office. As a result, a Kannadiga has clinched the post.

Only Chikkaldinni filed his nomination papers. None else did. He was chosen unopposed.


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Shakti Sthala: 600 MW first stage of

Pavagada solar park inaugurated

Karnataka is ahead of all states in the generation of solar power said Energy Minister D K

Shivakumar.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the 600 MW first stage of solar park at Shakti

Sthala in Pavagada taluk, Tumakuru district, on Thursday.

The minister revealed that 3,628 MW was being generated in the state.

In comparison, Gujrat was generating 1,585 MW; Madhya Pradesh 1,537 MW, Tamil

Nadu 1,822 MW and Telangana 1000 MW.

He stated that Karnataka’s total generation from all sources, conventional and

unconventional, had risen from 13,000 MW in 2013 to 22000 MW in 2018.

Despite many issues, the state had achieved self-sufficiency in power generation the

minister added.

Shivakumar said that the Shakti Sthala solar park will also be converted into a tourist spot

and importance will be given to setting up of industries in the region to provide

employment for local labour.

“This solar park belongs to, and is for, the farmers of the region. The government is

thankful to them for giving up their lands for the project,” the minister said.

He said that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appreciated the state government

for this achievement and indicated that other state governments must replicate the effort.

‘Eighth wonder’

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who inaugurated the solar park, called it the ‘eighth

wonder of the world’. He said with the commissioning of the solar park, the fortunes of Pavagada taluk now

change. “The solar park has opened the gates for investors to come set up industries in the

taluk,” he added.

He also added that this was not his election speech. “I will come another day to expose

the opposition parties, ” he quipped.

When done, Pavagada solar park to

add 2000 MW to state grid

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the 600 MW first stage of the Shakti Sthala

solar park at Nagalamadike hobli, Pavagada taluk, Tumakuru district on Thursday.


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The solar park spreads over Rayacherlu, Tirumani, Balasamudra, Valluru,

Kythaganacherlu villages and has a total generation capacity of 2000 MW. The

construction of the second stage of the park is underway.

The generation has been outsourced to six companies. According to Karnataka Solar

Power Development Corporation (KSPDCL) CEO D Nagaraju they are:

Adani Power Limited: 150 MW

Tata Power Company Limited: 150 MW

Fortum Power Solutions: 100 MW

Acme Solar: 100 MW

Yaro Power: 50 MW

ReNew Power: 50 MW

March 02, 2018 – Karnataka Current

Affairs

HC bins plea against online

registration of agreements

The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday dismissed a plea challenging the

implementation of ‘Sulabha Nondani,’ a scheme for online registration of agreement

of sale and lease deeds, leave and licence agreements.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sunil Dutt

was hearing a petition filed by K S Yathiraj, a resident of Koppa village in Bengaluru

Rural and three others, challenging the implementation of the software on the ground that

the rural community did not have ease of access to internet and was not well versed in

using it.


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The court said the implementation of the software was in public interest and the court

would not interfere with it. It said the scheme sought to promote the ease of doing

business and that the court did not find any illegality in it.

The bench said the scheme sought to serve public welfare and reduce the difficulty of the

common man and thus, it should not be opposed by law

March 03, 2018- Karnataka Current Affairs

Panel favours separate religion tag to

Lingayat faith

An expert committee is said to have recommended according a separate religion status to

the Lingayat faith.

The committee was constituted by the Karnataka State Minorities Commission following

a demand from various quarters on giving Lingayat faith a separate religion tag.

The committee headed by retired High Court jugde Justice N S Nagamohan Das

submitted its report to the Minorities Commission late on Friday. The Commission is

likely to forward the report to the state government on Saturday.


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Karnataka state govt launches

universal health coverage scheme

The state government on Friday launched its universal health coverage scheme, “Arogya

Karnataka.” All the present schemes such as Vajpayee Arogyashree, Yeshaswini, Rajiv

Arogya Bhagya and others would be brought under the newly launched scheme.

Ten government hospitals in the state have been selected implementing the scheme in the

first phase – KC General Hospital, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and

Research and Victoria Hospital, all in Bengaluru; Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences,

Mandya; McGann Institute of Medical Sciences, Shivamogga; Wenlock district hospital,

Mangaluru; Karnataka Institute of Medical Services, Hubballi; Gulbarga Institute of

Medical Sciences, Kalaburagi and Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences, Ballari.

All the government hospitals including community health centres would be covered

under the scheme by December 31.

The beneficiaries will get a health card once they approach government hospitals for

treatment. The health card is issued on the basis of the Aadhaar or ration card.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who launched the scheme, said that issue of health card

would be a continuous process and hence people need not wait in queue to obtain it.


13


DBL bags Rs 4K-cr B’luru-Mysuru

highway project

Highways builder Dilip Buildcon Ltd (DBL) on Thursday said it has bagged two projects

worth Rs 4,473 crore to be executed under hybrid annuity mode, stated a PTI report from

New Delhi.

In a BSE filing, the company said it “has received Letter of Award by the National

Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for two new hybrid annuity projects in Karnataka”.

The project pertains to six-laning of 56-km Bengaluru-Nidaghatta section of National

Highway-275 on hybrid annuity mode. The company got this project at a bid price of Rs

2,190 crore.

The second project is six-laning of Nidaghatta-Mysuru section of National Highway-275.

DBL said it had bid for Rs 2,283 crore. The construction period for the 61.10 km project

is 30 months.

.

KSRTC posts Rs 10 crore profit till

Feb

The KSRTC has surpassed the Rs 138.50-cr loss incurred in the previous financial year to

post a profit of Rs 10.29 cr up to February in the year 2017-18.

Chairman of the Corporation K Gopal Poojary said they expect the number to climb up

further to reach Rs 15 crore by the end of March. “We bought 1,621 buses this year on

which a significant amount of money was spent. These buses will further increase the

profit next year,” he said at a press meet.

Poojary said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed with the Red Cross

Society for providing first-aid kits in all the KSRTC buses and imparting first-aid training

to drivers and conductors.

“We will also give the task of toilet maintenance to Sulabh International. This will

happen in phases after the expiry of the existing contracts,” KSRTC Managing Director S

R Umashankar said.

He said WiFi facility has been provided in 1,500 buses. The facility will be extended to

remaining buses in three months.

It was also announced that the Corporation will make a donation Rs 40 lakh to the

Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research


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First Rashtrakoota Utsava held in

Kalaburagi

The department of Kannada and Culture and the Kalaburagi district administration is

hosting a Rashtrakoota Utsava for the first time.

The celebrations kicked off at Malakhedanalli, Sedam taluk on Sunday morning.

District in-charge minister Dr Sharanaprakash Patil inaugurated the fest.

A grand procession that began from the Malakheda fort, was the cynosure of eyes

during the festivities.

Halage Vadana, Pata Kunita, Dollu, Garudi Gombe artistes filled the streets dancing

and entertaining the audience that had gathered on the streets.

School and college students also took part in the festival

Compensation to Seabird project

evacuees released

The Defence Ministry has released, in two instalments, the compensation to those

affected by the Seabird naval project.

The amount was released in instalments of Rs 23.76 crore and Rs 29.05 crore,

respectively, on February 26 and March 2, to the special district land acquisition officer.

PM Modi lauds Siddaganga mutt

seer’s contribution to nation building

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering over video conferencing (VC) at

that valedictory of the ‘Rajathayana’ silver jubilee celebrations of the Ramakrishna-

Vivekananda Ashram, in Tumakuru on Sunday.

The PM spoke over VC at a program titled ‘Yuvashakti Aspotana’ for over 20 minutes.

The gathering comprised mainly youth and devotees of the ashram.

The Prime Minister who began his speech in Kannada, lauded the service rendered by the

Siddaganga mutt seer Shivakumara Swamiji to the cause of education.


15


The seer has trodden the path shown by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami

Vivekananda in nation building, PM Modi added.

Veera Rani Abbakka Utsav to be held

in Delhi between March 11-18

Food and Public Distribution Minister U T Khader said that a Veera Rani Abbakka

Utsava will be held, in Delhi, from March 11 to 18.

Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru on Sunday, he said that seminars on Veera Rani

Abbakka would be held in Kannada, Tulu, Hindi, English, Malayali, Tamil and Telegu

will be held on the occasion.

He added that the state government had already set aside Rs 12 lakh for the fest and more

would be granted if necessary.

Abbakka Rani or Abbakka Mahadevi was the queen of Tulunadu who fought

the Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th century.

She belonged to the Chowta dynasty that ruled over the area from the temple town

of Moodabidri. The port town of Ullal served as their subsidiary capital.

Abbakka’s memory is much cherished in her home town of Ullal. The “Veera Rani

Abbakka Utsava” is an annual celebration held in her memory. The Veera Rani

Abbakka Prashasti(award) is awarded to distinguished women on the occasion.


16


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17



Affairs

Manikandan’s death raises questions

on staff training, revives lantanna

concerns

The death of S Manikandan, director of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, in an attack by a wild

tusker on February 3 has raised several concerns in the forest department.

Two major worries are lack of training among ground staff and increasing lantanna

cover in the forests. The officer had gone to the incident spot in Kakanakote where there was a forest fire the

previous day. The trees and grass were still burning when he reached there.

The forest department staff were involved in dousing the flames and were fetching water

from the tanker stationed on the main road.

“The question is if there were guards, range forest officers and other personnel, why were

they not alert. Alertness is the first lesson that forest staff are taught during training.

There is a protocol to follow when directors visit the field. Guards have to keep a close

watch on animal movement, especially in DB Kuppe, which houses a healthy elephant

population and whenever there is a forest fire. The personnel had weapons, but why did

they not fire in the air to scare the elephant away is the moot question. All this is being

investigated,” said a senior forest official. Nagarahole and Bandipur house the highest

population of tigers and elephants in India.

The increasing growth of lantanna and other weeds has caught the attention of the forest

department yet again. “We were worried about the lantanna, but now it has become a

bigger problem. Manikandan was unable to see the tusker hiding in the lantanna growth

close to him. Even in his death, he has taken forward our case to the Ministry of

Environment and Forests (MoEF) to give permission to clear lantanna and other weeds,”

the official said.

Human presence within a short distance and noise of vehicles and people provoked the

elephant and it charged at those standing nearby. While the range forest officer and

guards escaped, Manikanadan, who was reportedly on the phone, was late in trying to

escape.

MoEF holds condolence meeting

The MoEF, on Monday, held a condolence meeting for Manikandan.

“Manikandan was a conscientious and honest officer. Words are not enough to express

condolence,” Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said.

“The MoEF has lost a dear colleague and a friend. Our heart goes out to the members of

the bereaved family,” environment secretary C K Mishra said at the condolence meeting


18


held at the office of the ministry. Director General of Forests Siddhant Das also paid

tributes.

A condolence message on behalf of the IFS Association was read out and a two-minute

silence was observed in his memory. The Wildlife Conservation Society also issued a

statement, condoling the 2001 batch IFS officer’s death.

Cauvery order: Centre convenes

meeting on March 9

The Centre has called a meeting of the chief secretaries of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,

Kerala and Puducherry to discuss the proposal for setting up a mechanism to

implement the Supreme Court judgement on allocation of the Cauvery river water on

March 9 here.

Upendra Prasad Singh, Secretary to the Union Ministry of Water Resources, will chair

the meeting.

The meeting intimation says that it has been convened to discuss the recent Supreme

Court judgment on sharing of the Cauvery water.

The Centre has written to the states to also suggest a convenient date for the meeting of

the chief ministers of the Cauvery river riparian states to discuss the issue further. The

chief ministers’ meeting will be chaired by Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari and

the date will be fixed soon after consulting the states, sources said.

The meeting was convened following the Supreme Court judgment on February 16,

which directed the Centre to frame a “scheme” within six weeks to implement its order

on allocation of water among the riparian states.

The Centre will hear from the riparian states on the issue of setting up the Cauvery

Management Board, said the official, adding that the Union Ministry of Water

Resources was bound to convene the meeting of the chief ministers of the riparian states

with regard to the Supreme Court order, before the six-week period lapses, to avoid

contempt of court.

Any delay by the Centre’s part in convening the meeting may encourage one of the states

to approach the Supreme Court, complaining about the non-compliance of its order,

said the official

SC order on Juvenile Justice Act: HC

takes up suo motu case The Karnataka High Court has taken up a suo motu case, following the directions of the

Supreme Court to ensure effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and

Protection of Children) Act, 2015.


19


Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav heard the suo motu

public interest litigation filed by Ashok Nijagannavar, registrar general of the High Court,

seeking directions to the state government, department of child and women development,

state commission for protection of child rights and to pass appropriate orders in

accordance with the directions of the SC.

The apex court has also asked all high courts to seriously consider establishing child

friendly courts and vulnerable witness courts in each district. The advocate general submitted that all the requirements relating to juvenile justice are

being effectively monitored by the juvenile justice committee (JJC) of the High Court.

He said he had been attending the meeting of the JJC every month and he shall place on

record his response, as indicated in the order passed by the Supreme Court, after the next

meeting of the JJC.

The petition states that all authorities like the Juvenile Justice Board, child welfare

committees, probation officers, members of child protection societies, district child

protection unit, special juvenile police units, child welfare police officers and managerial

staff of child care institutions must be sensitised and given adequate training relating to

their position. The matter was adjourned for hearing to March 16.

About Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015

The Bill replaces the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. It

addresses children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection.

The Bill permits juveniles between the ages of 16-18 years to be tried as adults for

heinous offences. Also, any 16-18 year old, who commits a lesser, i.e., serious

offence, may be tried as an adult only if he is apprehended after the age of 21 years.

Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and Child Welfare Committees (CWC) will be

constituted in each district. The JJB will conduct a preliminary inquiry to determine

whether a juvenile offender is to be sent for rehabilitation or be tried as an adult. The

CWC will determine institutional care for children in need of care and protection.

Eligibility of adoptive parents and the procedure for adoption have been included in

the Bill.

Penalties for cruelty against a child, offering a narcotic substance to a child, and

abduction or selling a child have been prescribed


20


March 06, 2018 – Karnataka State Current

Affairs

Big jump in Karnataka’s foodgrain

quota

After implementation of National Food Security Act from January 2014, Karnataka’s

foodgrain quota has seen a big increase.

As per the data provided by the Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs, allocation of

foodgrain (both rice and wheat) to Karnataka was 24.56 lakh tonne in 2013-14, while it

was gone up to Rs 26.08 lakh tonne in 2016-17.

In 2017-18, the Union government had already allocated 23.92 lakh tonne to state as on

January 18, 2018.

In the current fiscal, the Centre also allocated only rice as per the state’s request.

‘Only rice’

Since Karnataka is 100% a rice-consuming state, the Ministry of Food and Consumer

Affairs also allowed the state government to procure rice locally and distribute it to the

poor through the public distribution scheme.

The Centre will provide the money to the state, said an official from the Ministry.

On Karnataka’s demand to grant permission to purchase ragi and other coarse cereal

locally and distribute it through the public distribution system, the Ministry is studying

the matter and is expected to take a decision any time.

Apart from this, the state is also entitled for allocation of an additional 65,713 tonne of

foodgrain under the Welfare Institutions and Hostels scheme under which foodgrain will

be supplied to old age homes, destitute centres or schedule caste and tribe hostels said the

official.


21


Meeting today to discuss Bandipur

night traffic ban

PC: TOI

Kerala government continues to demand the lifting of night traffic ban on NH 212 and

NH 67 passing through Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

A meeting of officials of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala forest departments and the

National Highways Authority of India is scheduled for Tuesday at Aranya Bhavan, the

Karnataka forest department’s head office here.

A ban on night traffic was imposed by Karnataka High Court on March 9, 2010. Upon a

request by Kerala government and MPs from Wayanad and Kozhikode, the high court

had directed the Karnataka government to repair and develop an alternate road passing

through Hunsur- Thithimatti- Gonikoppa- Kutta, to be used at night.

The Karnataka government executed the work and improved the road at a cost of Rs 73

crore.

In the past, the Kerala government has held five meetings with four chief ministers of

Karnataka B S Yeddyurappa, D V Sadananda Gowda, Jagadeesh Shettar and

Siddaramaiah. All have categorically refused permission.


22


Timeline of Ban

PC: DH

Govt mulls tossing Lingayat religion

ball to Centre

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is most likely to let the Centre take a call on declaring the

Lingayat faith as a religious minority, without having to stick his own neck out.

An expert committee headed by former High Court judge Justice Nagamohan Das, in a

report submitted last Friday, has concluded that Lingayats in Karnataka are religious

minorities. This has triggered opposition from Veerashaivas, mainly the Akhila

Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha headed by veteran Congress leader Shamanur

Shivashankarappa.

On the other hand, a triumphant Lingayat camp wants the state government to use its

powers to declare Lingayats as a minority community.

“We are still examining the expert committee’s report. It will be placed before the

Cabinet and mostly, we will make a recommendation to the Centre,” a source in the Chief

Minister’s Office said. Lingayats will have to be included under Section 2(c) of the

National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.

When contacted, Shivashankarappa said: “I am the 23rd president of the Veerashaiva

Mahasabha and our stand remains the same: Veerashaivas and Lingayats are one and the

same.”


23


Addressing reporters here on Monday, writer Chandrashekhar Patil (Champa), who is on

the advisory board of the Jagathika Lingayat Mahasabha – a counter to the Veerashaiva

Mahasabha – said the state government should now accord minority status to the

Lingayats. “This will take things to its logical end,” he said. “We are not asking for the

sky. Karnataka had declared Jains as minority before the Centre granted them the status.”

Patil declined to comment on why the expert committee submitted its report in under two

months whereas it had sought six months to do. He added that the movement for a

separate Lingayat religion had nothing to do with any political party. “But there are

attempts being made to politicise it. We urged all those not connected with our religion to

stay away,” he said.

CID to probe irregularities in

purchase of Marco Polo buses

The state government has ordered a CID probe into the purported irregularities in

acquiring Marco Polo buses during the previous BJP regime in the state, Transport

Minister H M Revanna said on Monday.

Revanna told reporters here that there were several irregularities in the purchase of 94

Marco Polo buses by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) during

the previous BJP regime. BJP leader R Ashoka was the transport minister when the

irregularities took place, he added.

The irregularities were earlier probed by IAS officer S R Umashankar.

After coming to power, the Congress government had decided to scrap the buses citing

losses of several crores of rupees. It had even sought the Tata Motors and Marco Polo to

refund the money to Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and the

KSRTC, he added.

Women’s Day initiative

To mark Women’s Day, the BMTC would ensure last mile connectivity to women

commuters from March 8 onwards, said the minister.

He also said that free buses to around 2.5 lakh construction labourers and passes at

subsidised rates to around two lakh women garment factory workers would be distributed

soon.


24



Affairs

Anti-tiger poaching centre to be

named after Manikandan

The Forest department will name the anti-tiger poaching centre at Nagarahole Wildlife

Sanctuary after Manikandan, an IFS officer who was trampled to death by a wild tusker

while on duty. Manikandan was the director of Narahole Tiger Project.

In a condolence meeting held at the project director’s office on Tuesday, the forest

officials said that a watchtower being constructed at Veeranahosahalli range will also

be named after the slain IFS officer.

Maria Christaraj, Assistant Conservator of Forest, Wildlife division, Virajpet, has been

appointed as the new Project Tiger Director.

SC sets aside HC order quashing

Ballari ZP president’s election

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said election of Zilla Panchayat president cannot be

quashed on suspicion of false and bogus income and caste certificate, until the

scrutiny committee concludes it so. The court set aside the Karnataka High Court’s order dated December 4, 2017, that

quashed election of Bharati Reddy as the president of Ballari Zilla Panchayat.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y

Chandrachud, however, directed the Caste Verification Committee to expedite the

enquiry on the validity of the income and caste certificate issued to her and conclude it

preferably within two months. The high court could not have acted until the certificate

issued to her was declared void or invalidated by the committee, the court said.

“The mere fact that the certificate was issued in a short span of five days from the date of

the application, per se, does not lead to an inference that the required procedure has not

been followed,” the apex court said.

Bharati had challenged the division bench decision of the Dharwad bench of the high

court. The court had acted on a writ petition contending that Reddy was not qualified for

or entitled to the post which was reserved for the category of Backward Caste B

(Woman).


25


Activists urge govt not to lift night

traffic ban in Bandipur

Former MLA and Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha chief Vatal Nagaraj on Tuesday

barged into the closed-door meeting of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu officials and

demanded that the night traffic ban on NH-212 and NH-67 passing through Bandipur

Tiger Reserve should continue.

“It is a lobby of the timber mafia, poachers and Kerala government who want to damage

the forests and wildlife of Karnataka. So, they are demanding that the ban be lifted. We

will not allow it to happen. If this happens, then we will stage a rasta roko in Bandipur

Tiger Reserve. Karnataka should not budge and we the people of Karnataka are with the

government,” he told reporters after meeting the officials.

All forest department officials who visited the head office were greeted by silent

protesters who were carrying placards demanding that the night traffic ban stays. Around

50 men and women from various walks of life had gathered to support the night traffic

ban.

Ayappa K C, member, Coorg Wildlife Society, said that if there is forest fire during

night, the reaction time will be less. So, night traffic ban is a good idea.

Sharath G, volunteer of Vanya, an NGO, said as in Nagarhole, there should be a complete

ban on vehicle movement inside Bandipur also. People of Karnataka will support the

department and the government on this stand. There is a good alternative road for people

to use, he added.


Affairs

Pro-Kannada activists approve state

flag design, CM to seek centre’s nod

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a meeting at his home office Krishna in Bengaluru on

Thursday, with pro-Kannada organisations’ leaders to discuss the Karnataka state flag

(Nada Dwaja) designed by the expert committee set up for that purpose.

Kannada litterateurs, pro-Kannada activists expressed their approval for the flag design

that was presented to them during the meeting.

The CM presented before the gathering, the flag which is a combination of yellow, white

and red, and bears the official Karnataka state insignia ‘Gandaberunda’ (coat of arms

of the erstwhile Mysuru kingdom). The ganda bherunda was first seen in coins of the Vijayanagara Empire as early as 1510.

It soon became the symbol of the Mysore dynasty.


26


The CM assured that the design and other details of the flag would be dispatched to the

central government for approval at the earliest.

He also informed that there is a provision under the Constitution for a state to have its

own flag.

The government — after the Cabinet approval — will write to the Union Ministry of

Home Affairs to amend to the Flag Code, 2002. An expert committee was constituted

following representation from renowned journalist and writer Patil Puttappa.

In the Past

Karnataka started using its unofficial yellow and red state flag in the mid-1960s.

It was created by Kannada writer and activist Ma Ramamurthy for a pro-Kannada

political party called Kannada Paksha, after he observed that many parties representing

non-Kannadigas had their own flags.

This flag is unfurled every year on Karnataka’s foundation day, November 1, and is a

common sight at public places across the state.

Hampi Univ’s honorary doctorate for

sarod maestro Taranath: VC

Hampi Kannada University Vice-chancellor Prof. Mallika S Ghanti said that this year’s

prestigious ‘Nadoja’ title (equivalent to honorary D. Litt degree) will be conferred on

renowned Sarod maestro Pandit Rajeev Taranath, in recognition of his contribution in

the field of classical music.

Speaking at a media conference here in Hospet on Thursday, she said as per norms three

names had been referred to the Governor and the latter had approved Pandit Taranath’s

nomination.


27


Bhaskar Moily voted Mangaluru

mayor, Mohammed Kunjatabail his

deputy

As expected, senior Congress member Bhaskar Moily was elected mayor and

Mohammed Kunjatabail as deputy mayor in the mayoral elections held in Mangaluru

Mahanagara Palike, in Mangaluru on Thursday.

Returning officer Shivayogi Kalasada announced this result.

Earlier, Muslim Congress leaders had demanded that the mayoral office be reserved for

Muslims.

In the meeting chaired by Dakshina Kannada District in-charge minister Ramanath Rai

on Thursday morning, the candidates for mayor and deputy mayor were finalised.

Bhaskar Moily of the Congress and Surendra Shetty of the BJP filed their nominations

for mayor’s post.

Bhaskar Moily bagged 37 votes and Surendra Shetty got 19 votes.

Similarly for the deputy mayor post, Congress candidate Mohammed Kunjatabail bagged

37 votes and BJP’s Meera Karkera got 19 votes.

Congress has 35 members in the Palike. MLA J R Lobo and; MLC and Chief Whip in the

Legislative Council Ivan D’Souza voted for the Congress candidates.


Ranganathittu bird census on Sunday

The first-ever bird census at Ranganathittu to be conducted by the Forest

Department, in association with Mysore Bird Watchers’ group, has been rescheduled

for March 11 from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The census exercise will be preceded by a workshop for volunteers participating in the

census, to be held at Aranya Bhavan in Mysuru on Saturday.

Describing the scientific bird census as essential for better management of the sanctuary,

Mr. Yedukondalu, the Deputy Conservator of Forests, said the results of the 2018

exercise will be used as a baseline data for future exercises.

It is planned to conduct the census four times a year — February, May, August,

November — to ascertain the number of species of the birds during different seasons,

identify any trends in the migratory patterns of the species and so on.

Ranganthittu is an important riverine wetland of India attracting nearly 200 species of

birds apart from supporting endangered species like smooth coated river otters, mugger

crocodiles and orange finned masheer fish.


28


Tribal festival begins

A two-day tribal festival organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and

the Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute, got under way in the city on Thursday.

The objective of the festival is to create awareness, promotion and dissemination of tribal

culture and traditions. Besides, it is also expected to generate awareness of the richness

and the diversity of the tribal culture among the urban population.

A release said such festivals also help provide the Scheduled Tribe communities an

opportunity to conduct cultural activities and showcase the same to the public.

About 45 tribal communities from Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar,

Chikkamagaluru are participating in the festival.

Committee to look into security of HC,

judges

Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka Dinesh Maheshwari has constituted a

“security committee” to look into various aspects relating to security in the functioning

of the High Court’s Benches in Bengaluru, Dharwad, and Kalaburagi.

The committee comprising two sitting judges — Justice L. Narayana Swamy and Justice

Ravi Malimath — will also have to look into the security to be maintained at the

residences of the Chief Justice and other judges, stated a notification issued by the

Registrar-General of the High Court.

The timing of the constitution of the “security committee” assumes importance as it was

done on March 7 soon after the incident of stabbing of Karnataka Lokayukta P.

Vishwanatha Shetty, who is a retired judge of the High Court of Karnataka.

KPSC: HC quashes KAT order on

selection of 362 candidates

The Karnataka High Court on Friday set aside the direction issued by the Karnataka

Administrative Tribunal (KAT) to the State government to issue appointment orders

to 362 candidates selected to the posts of Gazetted Probationers Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ by

the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) for the 2011 batch.

The court also restored the government’s August 14, 2014 order where it had chosen to

close the selection process by withdrawing its 2011 notifications to the KPSC to select

candidates to the 362 posts. The court quashed the appointment orders issued by the

government to some of the candidates based on KAT’s direction.


29


A Division Bench, comprising Justices H.G. Ramesh and P.S. Dinesh Kumar, delivered

the verdict while allowing PIL petitions, filed by unsuccessful candidates —

Renukambike R. and 10 others.

“The Criminal Investigation Department investigation report, prima faciediscloses that

there are sufficient reasons to believe that the selection process was not inviolable,” the

Bench said, while observing that “if the judicial pronouncement by the administrative

tribunal is given effect to, it would compel the State government to appoint candidates

selected by a committee [of KPSC] of questionable reputation.”

The Bench made it clear that the selection made by KPSC is only recommendatory in

nature. The government may reject the recommendations, subject to compliance of

Article 323(2) of the Constitution. “… the investigation report, in our view, prima facie reveals that: (a) the candidates and

members of the public service commission, or their agents were in constant touch; (b)

interview marks were not awarded on the basis of merit and performance; (c) security

system was compromised and records of security systems such as CCTV cameras were

destroyed/manipulated,” the Bench observed.

“In substance, we have observed that the investigation report prima facie shows that the

selection process was not free from interference. In the light of facts recorded by the CID

in it’s investigation report, we are of the view that there is no error in exercise of their

powers under the transaction of business by the State Government in withdrawing the

requisition given to the State Public Service Commission,” the Bench held.

Candidates argument

Rejecting the arguments by the selected candidates that PIL petitions are not maintainable

in “service matters”, the Bench held that this issue was not a mere “service” but has

public interest.

The Tribunal, the Bench said, had “substituted its opinion with that of the government

with regard to consideration of investigation report and the action taken thereon. This is

impermissible in law.”

The government had withdrawn its 2011 notifications after the CID, in 2013, submitted a

probe report pointing out large-scale of irregularities in the KPSC selection process.

However, the KAT struck down the government’s order of 2014, terming the CID report

“one-sided” and “not having segregated the tainted candidates”, and had directed the

State to issue appointment orders to selected candidates as after verifying suitability of

362 candidates as per the Rule 11(3) of the 1997 rules governing the selection

process. The PIL petitions were filed after the State government, which had justified its

action of closing selection process citing irregularities, accepted the KAT’s October 19,

2016, verdict and began issuing appointment orders to the 362 candidates based on their

ranking given by the KPSC.


30







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31



Members of Bandaya movement to

regroup

Some writers and thinkers associated with the Bandaya (progressive) movement of

the ’70s, which started as a rebellion against the established literary canon and a voice

of the oppressed, are regrouping in Karnataka to revive its ideals.

The movement marked its start by organising Bandaya Sahitya Sammelan on

March 10, 1979, at Devanga Hostel in Bengaluru. Those leading the movement

included the late D.R. Nagaraj, Baragur Ramachandrappa, Chandrashekhar Patil,

Siddalingaiah, Kalegowda Nagavara, Geetha Nagabhushana Channanna Walikar, and

Alanahalli Krishna among others. Those associated with the movement will get

together on Sunday to rejuvenate its crusade after four decades.

Goshanas unearthed at village near

Dharwad

Archaeological evidences from the periods of the Shatavahanas, Rashtrakutas and

Kalyana Chalukyas (9th century to 13th century AD) have been unearthed at Yadwad

in the taluk. Goshana inscriptions were found while digging the ground for the construction of a

temple in a farm belonging to Vittal Dindalakoppa. Idols of Mahishasura Mardini, Saptha

Mathrukas and two Shivalingas have also been unearthed.

Idols had been found here in the past also. R M Shadaksharaiah, retired professor at the

archaeology department in Karnatak University, Dharwad, said, “Pots unearthed here are

from thue Shatavahana period (2nd century).

Of the four Goshanas, two have been partially damaged and have Halegannada words

carved on them. One of the Goshanas is a pillar-like structure with eight faces carved at

its top. The objects of archaeological importance found here date back to a 1,000 years

and a one-of-its-kind statue of Shivaji on horse back had been unearthed here in the past.


32


Lingayat religion row: HC refuses to

grant stay

The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the Union and state governments and the

national and state minorities commissions to file their statement of objections in a petition

related to separate religion tag for the Lingayat faith.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav was

hearing a batch of petitions challenging the authority of the Karnataka State Minorities

Commission to constitute an expert panel on the issue. The bench also refused to stay the

proceedings of the state government in this regard. The court adjourned the matter.

Cauvery meet: States favour ‘scheme’

to implement apex court order The Centre on Friday asked Cauvery basin states to submit their suggestions on structure

and functions of the proposed mechanism to implement the Supreme Court order on

allocation of water.

At a meeting convened by Union Water Resources secretary U P Singh to discuss the

setting up of the body, the Centre asked the states to submit their recommendation on the

body’s duties and responsibilities. The meeting was attended by chief secretaries of

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry,

The Supreme Court, while pronouncing its verdict on Cauvery water sharing dispute on

February 16, has said a “scheme” should be in place within six weeks to monitor the

release of water as per its order.

Though the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) suggested the setting up the

Cauvery Management Board (CMB) to monitor the release of water, the Apex Court

did not used CMB instead just said a scheme.

In the meeting all the states, including Karnataka, favoured for setting up the scheme.

However, all the states were of the view that the physical assets (dams and other

structures on the river) would continue to be with the respective states, while the

regulation, water release and supervision aspects would be dealt with by the scheme, said

an official in the Ministry of Water Resources.

All of them also said the proposed scheme should protect the interest of farmers of their

respective states.

The Supreme Court has (in its order) not used the words Cauvery Management Board, it

is basically saying a ‘scheme’. It (the scheme) could be exactly what the tribunal had said

and all the states have their representation in the body, Singh said.

He said the meeting also discussed if an official, senior than the rank of a chief engineer,

should be appointed as the chairman of the scheme for its better implementation.


33


Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Karnataka Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha said the

unanimous decision taken at the meeting was that there should be a scheme. She also said

that Karnataka is expected to send its recommendations with regard to the scheme by

Monday or Tuesday.

CAUVERY ISSUE TIMELINE

The agreement signed between Madras Presidency and the princely State of

Mysore in 1924 lapsed in 1974.

May 1990: Supreme Court directs Centre to constitute Cauvery Water Dispute

Tribunal, a demand made by Tamil Nadu since 1970.

June 2, 1990: Centre notifies Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).

January 1991: The CWDT rejects Tamil Nadu government's plea for interim relief.

TN appeals the rejection in Court.

April 1991: Supreme Court directs the CWDT to entertain TN's petition for interim

relief.

June 1991: The CWDT announced an interim award: Karnataka ordered to release

205 tmcft. In a move to nullify the interim awards, Karnataka government passes an

Ordinance. Supreme Court intervenes, strikes down Karnataka's ordinance and

upholds the interim award of the CWDT. Karnataka refuses to oblige.

December 11, 1991: The Interim award is published in the Government of India

gazatte.

July 1993: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa goes on a sudden fast at the MGR

memorial in Chennai demanding the Tamil Nadu's share of water as stipulated by the

interim order.

August 1998: Centre constitutes Cauvery River Authority to ensure the

implementation of the interim award of CWDT.

September 8, 2002: Cauvery River Authority chaired by Prime Minister A.B.

Vajpayee directs Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs (0.8 tmcft) of Cauvery water to

Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu unhappy with the order, says it will move Supreme Court.

The Cauvery tangle

September 13, 2002: Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Mani Shankar Aiyar blames the

AIADMK for not raising the issue in Parliament.

September 15, 2002: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa refutes Mani Shankar

Aiyar's charges against her and issues a 9-page statement on the Cauvery issue.

September 18, 2002: Protesting against the release of water to Tamil Nadu, a

Karnataka farmer jumps into the Kabini Reservoir, dies.

September 25, 2002: Karnataka farmers explain the distress situation to the visiting

Cauvery Monitoring Committee panel.

October 12, 2003: Water experts from the Centre express their helplessness in coming

to the rescue of Tamil Nadu in inter-State river disputes; say their hands are tied. They

are of the view that the Centre has not been pro-active in ensuring effective

functioning of the Cauvery River Authority.

July 17, 2005: Karnataka refuses to implement the distress sharing formula and rules

out Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.


34


April 13, 2006: After six-rounds of talks, farmers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu try to

find a solution to the problem of water-sharing between the riparian States .

Feb. 5, 2007: After 16 years, Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal gives final award.

Tribunal holds as valid the two agreements of 1892 and 1924 executed between the

Governments of Madras and Mysore on the apportionment of water to Tamil Nadu.

Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal

Feb. 12, 2007: Karnataka protests tribunal final award. Observes State-wide bandh on

the issue.

Feb. 18, 2007: Bangalore IT professionals protest against the "biased" award of the

Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

March 18, 2007: Jayalalithaa undertakes a token fast in Chennai demanding

publication of the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in the Official

Gazette of the Centre.

June 30, 2008: Senior counsels of Karnataka on the Cauvery dispute meet top officials

of the State government.

July 28, 2010: Cauvery river rises owing to good rainfall in the catchment areas in

Kodagu district.

Dec 2, 2010: The Stanley reservoir, the lifeline of the Cauvery delta, touches the full

reservoir level (FRL) of 120 feet, bringing cheers to water managers in Tamil Nadu.

A report in The Hindu says that between 1991 and 2011 -- in 20 years, Tamil Nadu

realised less water on 13 occasions in June-September.

May 19, 2012: Jayalalithaa seeks immediate Cauvery River Authority meet

Sept. 19, 2012: After nine years, at the seventh CRA, Manmohan Singh directs

Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu Both

the CMs -- Jayalalithaa and Jagadish Shettar term it "unacceptable". This is the first

CRA meet since the UPA came to power at the Centre in 2004.

Sept. 28, 2012: Supreme Court slams Karnataka government for not complying with

PM's direction at the CRA.

Feb. 29, 2013: Centre notifies the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal

(CWDT). The Central government was mandated to constitute the Cauvery

Management Board (CMB) simultaneously with the gazette notification of the final

award of the Tribunal dated February 19.

March 10, 2013: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister says that she will strive for formation of

Cauvery Water Board during a felicitation ceremony organised in Thanjavur for her

efforts to get the final award notified in the Union gazette.

March 19, 2013: Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court to give directions to Water

Ministry for constitution of Cauvery Management Board.

May 1, 2013: The Election Commission directs the Union Water Resources Ministry

to defer constituting the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and the Cauvery Water

Regulation Committee (CWRC) till May 5 in view ot Karnataka Assembly polls.

May 10, 2013: Supreme Court directs Centre to set up panel to supervise Cauvery

water release.

May 24, 2013: Centre notified temporary Cauvery Water (Implementation of the

Order of 2007) Scheme, 2013.

May 27, 2013: Cauvery issue will be resolved soon, says Karnataka Law Minister.

May 28, 2013: Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court, seeks Rs. 2,480-cr damages from

Karnataka for not following orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal


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June 1, 2013: Union Water Resources Secretary chairs the first meeting of the

Supervisory Committee which saw Tamil Nadu demanding its share of water for June

as stipulated in the award.

June 2, 2013: Water cannot be released as and when TN demands, says Karnataka

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

June 6, 2013: Karnataka says it cannot release 134 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu

between June and September.

June 12, 2013: Cauvery Supervisory Committee terms the Tamil Nadu's plea for

directions to Karnataka for release of Cauvery waters as per the award of the CWDT

as not “feasible”.

June 14, 2013: Tamil Nadu decides to file contempt plea against Karnataka for its

stand on the Cauvery Supervisory Committee.

June 15, 2013: Chief Minister Jayalaithaa says the Tamil Nadu government will

approach the Supreme Court for the formation of the Cauvery Management Board and

Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority.

June 26, 2013: Contending that the setting up of a supervisory committee had become

a futile exercise, Tamil Nadu moves SC for constitution of Cauvery Management

Board.

June 28, 2013: Tamil Nadu files contempt petition in the Supreme Court against

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for his a defiant stand before the Supervisory

Committee

July 15, 2013: Karnataka and Tamil Nadu clash during the third meeting of the

Cauvery Supervisory Committee here over latter’s share of the river waters. While

Tamil Nadu sought 34 tmcft in July and 50 tmcft for August to save the Samba crop,

Karnataka says that it had already released 34 tmcft between June and July 13.

September 8, 2013: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wants the Centre to instruct Karnataka

not to take up any schemes in the Cauvery, including hydro-electric projects, without

the prior consent of Tamil Nadu. Taking exception to the neighbouring State’s

proposal to build a reservoir across the river at Mekedatu for generation of hydro-

electric power, Jayalalithaa on requests the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to

intervene.

January 6, 2014: Justice Chauhan is Chairman of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

The tribunal had been without a Chairman since April 2012, when Justice N.P. Singh

resigned on health grounds. Justice Singh was appointed a few days before his

superannuation as a Supreme Court judge in December 1996.

July, 2014: The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal meets in New Delhi to hear

applications filed by the Centre, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala seeking

clarification on the final award it had passed on February 5, 2007, allocating the

quantum of water for each State.

March 30, 2015: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah informs the Legislative Assembly that

the State Government is committed to implementing the Mekedatu dam project

proposed across the Cauvery river in Ramanagaram district.

April 23, 2015: Members of Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are involved

in heated exchanges over the issue of Cauvery water sharing. AIADMK leader P.

Venugopal claims that Karnataka is building two reservoirs on river Cauvery and says

the move is against the final award of the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal. The

then Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who hails from Karnataka, and BJP MP from the

State Shobha Karandlaje oppose the AIADMK’s claim.


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September 6, 2015: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa writes to Prime Minister Narendra

Modi seeking his intervention in the Cauvery issue and requests him to advise the

Karnataka Government to release 27.557 TMC ft. of water that is due to Tamil Nadu

(till the end of August).

September 16, 2015: The Tamil Nadu government shoots off a letter to the Karnataka

government stating that this water year should not be considered as a distress year in

terms of rainfall and is contrary to the factual position.

November 18, 2015: Karnataka objects to Tamil Nadu’s plea to release Cauvery

water. The Karnataka government tells the Supreme Court that Tamil Nadu’s demand

for the release of 45.32 tmcft of Cauvery water proceeds from a wholly erroneous

premise that the water year of 2015-16 in the Cauvery basin is a “normal year” and

not a “distress year”.

Karnataka says the flows into the Cauvery basin has been drastically less due to the

failure of the south-west monsoon in Karnataka and Kerala this year.

August 16, 2016: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa tells the Legislative

Assembly that she has ordered filing of an interlocutory petition in the Supreme Court

seeking release of Cauvery water as per the final award of the Cauvery Water

Tribunal.

September 2, 2016: Urging Karnataka to embrace the principle of “live and let live”,

the Supreme Court asks the State to consider taking steps to release Cauvery water to

Tamil Nadu to help the State continue to “exist as an entity.”

September 5, 2016: The Supreme Court directs the Karnataka government to release

15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu for the next 10 days to

ameliorate the plight of farmers. Noting that the samba crops in Tamil Nadu will be

adversely affected, a Bench — comprising Justices Dipak Misra and U.U. Lalit —

directs Karnataka to ensure supply of water to Tamil Nadu.

September 7, 2016: Karnataka begins releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from as

per the Supreme Court order, even as protests against the decision continue to disrupt

inter-State movement.

September 11, 2016: Succumbing to political pressure and the wave of public

protests, the Karnataka government files a plea to modify a Supreme Court order

directing it to share Cauvery water with distressed neighbour Tamil Nadu.

September 12, 2016: In a stern message asking people in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

“to behave”, the Supreme Court refuses a plea by the Siddaramiah government to

freeze the September 5 order. The court, however, reduces the quantum of daily water

release ordered earlier, from 15,000 cusecs to 12,000 cusecs.

September 12, 2016: One person dies and four are injured in police firing. Mobs

attack businesses with Tamil names.

Curfew is imposed in seven police station limits of Bengaluru. The violence virtually

paralyses the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 are imposed in Bengaluru and Mysuru, areas

around four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin, and Pandavapura in Mandya district.

September 19, 2016: A technical body, empowered by the Supreme Court, slashes by

three-fourths the quantum of Cauvery water that Karnataka is required to release

downstream between September 21 and September 30. The Cauvery Supervisory

Committee (CSC) orders Karnataka to release 3,000 cubic feet of water per second

(cusecs) for the rest of the month.


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January 10, 2017: Supreme Court directed Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to file

affidavits of witnesses to be examined in the former’s plea seeking about ₹2,500 crore

compensation for loss of crops for not releasing Cauvery water in 2012-13.

July 14, 2017: Supreme Court said it would take a balanced view, keeping in mind the

interests of the people of both the States. Karnataka sought a reduction in the quantum

of Cauvery water it should release to Tamil Nadu from 192 tmcft to 132 tmcft.

September 20, 2017: The Supreme Court reserved its judgment on the appeals filed

by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the final award of the Cauvery Tribunal

in 2007 on the allocation of the river water to the three States.

In the final day of the hearing before a Special Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra

and Justices Amitava Roy and A.M. Khanwilkar, Tamil Nadu reiterated its demand

that the Supreme Court should itself appoint the authority and frame the scheme for

sharing and management of the water among the three States.

February 16, 2018: Supreme Court reduces the allocation of Cauvery water from

Karnataka to Tamil Nadu. The apex court directed the Karnataka government to

release 177.25 tmcft of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from its inter-state Biligundlu

dam. The judgement clarified that Karnataka will now have an enhanced share of

14.75 tmcft water per year while Tamil Nadu will get 404.25 tmcft, which will be

14.75 tmcft less than what was allotted by the tribunal in 2007.

Earlier, in accordance with the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal

(CWDT), Karnataka had a share of 270 tmcft of Cauvery water. This will now

increase to 284.75 tmcft.

Source: Thehindu

March 11, 2018 -Karnataka Current Affairs

Centre studying two models for

Cauvery water sharing

Looks at working of Bhakra Board, Narmada Control Authority

With the apex court on February 16 asking the Centre to set up a scheme to implement its

order on allocation of Cauvery water among riparian states within six weeks, the Centre

is studying two models – Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and the Narmada

Control Authority (NCA).

All the Cauvery basin states are suggesting the Centre to allow the respective states to

maintain physical assets such as dams and that the scheme should only monitor the

release of water from upper riparian states to lower riparian states. The Union Ministry of

Water Resources will prepare a structure of the scheme after taking the views from the

states, Ministry Secretary U P Singh told DH.


38


The BBMB is engaged in regulation of water and power supply from the Bhakra Nangal

and Beas projects to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and

Chandigarh. The NCA is a body with representatives from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,

Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the Centre.

Both the models are slightly different from each other. The BBMB has taken over the

assets such as reservoirs whereas, under the NCA model, the assets continue to be with

the respective state governments, but the responsibility of regulation, release and

supervision is with the NCA, Singh said.

The Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal had, in the 2007 award, recommended setting up a

Cauvery Management Board (CMB) with a chairman, who would be an officer of the

chief engineer’s rank (with 20 years of experience). The tribunal had said there would be

two members (chief engineers with 15 years of experience each) – one from the

agriculture department and the other from the water resources department – and a board

secretary.

They would be full-time members, the tribunal had said and recommended two part-time

engineers from the central government, of the rank of chief engineer, and a

commissioner. The four states would also have representations through part-time

members, it had recommended.

“After taking the views from the states, the Centre will prepare a draft of the scheme and

place it before the meeting of the chief ministers of basin states for final approval, he

said, adding that the chief ministers’ meeting would be convened after the ministry

finalises the draft.

The Supreme Court had, on February 16, increased the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water

for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share, while compensating the

latter by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the

issue of drinking water had to be placed on a “higher pedestal”.

By virtue of the apex court verdict, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry

would be annually entitled to 404.25 tmcft, 284.75 tmcft, 30 tmcft and 7 tmcft of Cauvery

water respectively out of a total of 740 tmcft.

India’s tallest tricolour to be hoisted in

Belagavi on March 12

A 120 X 80 feet Indian tricolour national flag will be hoisted on a 110 metre tall flagpole

and dedicated to the nation, here on Kotekere bank, in Belagavi at 9 am on March 12.

This will be the nation’s tallest tricolour.

A 105 metre tall tricolour is being flown at the Wagah border.

Another flagpole in Pune is 109 metre tall.

This makes the Belagavi tricolour the tallest in the country.


39


State to get yarn bank soon, announces

Smriti Irani

Union Minister of Textiles, Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani, on Sunday, said

that a yarn bank would be established in the state at a cost of Rs five crore.

She was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the portal and mobile app

for PowerTex India at ‘Textiles in Karnataka,’ a buyer-seller meet-cum-facilitation

camp in the city.

The minister said there was a need for more than one yarn bank as there was a growing

need. The ministry had learnt that weavers were finding it difficult to get the yarn.

Smriti said the state government was neglecting the welfare of weavers. She said if the

state government provided land to the ministry, a textile park would be established here.

Weavers would benefit a lot from the textile park. She said investors and those

establishing an unit at the park would get 50% subsidy.

She announced a scheme for the children of the economically weak who are enrolled in

the distant education programme. The central government will pay 75% of their fees, the

minister said.

To upgrade powerlooms, the central government would provide Rs 20,000 and 50%

subsidy would be given to those who instal solar power panels at their units. Also, loans

would be disbursed at 4% interest under Mudra Yojana to those keen on establishing

textile units, she added.


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Karnataka unveils first-ever sports

policy

The state government on Sunday announced its first-ever sports policy for Karnataka –

ahead of Assembly elections.

Giving details of the policy at a press meet here on Sunday, Sports and Youth

Empowerment Minister Pramod Madhwaraj said that the policy lays emphasis on

nurturing sportspersons who can excel at national and international levels.

“The Cabinet gave its approval for the policy on March 8. The policy will come into

force immediately. Separate funds will be earmarked in the next budget for implementing

the policy,” the minister said.

The policy proposes at least one “active and well-endowed” community sports centre in

all the towns. Every district centre will have one multi-sports coaching centre, swimming

pool of Olympic standards with trained coaches.

Centres of Sporting Excellence offering world-class training facilities will be set up in the

state. The policy also talks of setting up sports college/university offering courses on

management of professional sports.

Pension scheme will be extended to all past national sportspersons who have an annual

income below a particular threshold. The amount of pension shall be reviewed every two

years.

The minister said that sports will be promoted as a tool to raise the confidence and self-

esteem of differently abled. Services of qualified coaches and the supporting staff with

requisite knowledge of each category of sport will be made available, he said.

India’s tallest tricolour hoisted in

Belagavi, dedicated to country, state

India’s tallest tricolour, at a height of 110 metres, was hoisted with pomp and gaiety on

the banks of Kotakere, by district in-charge Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, in Belagavi

district on Monday.

The event was attended by thousands of government employees, religious heads,

dignitaries and common people. Maratha Laghu band played the national anthem.

MLA Firoz Sait said, the nation and its flag are one and all were equal before it.

At 110 metre height, the 120 X 80 square feet Indian tricolour at Belagavi is the nation’s

tallest.

A 105-metre tall tricolour is being flown at the Wagah border. Another flagpole in Pune

is 109 meters tall.


41



KSRTC bags awards at PR conclave

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has received the Public

Relations Council of India’s (PRCI) Chanakya Award for Communication Idea of

the Year and corporate collateral awards in two categories: silver award for its in-house

magazine ‘Sarige Sampada‘ and bronze award for ‘accident awareness radio jingle,’

during the 12th Global Communication Conclave 2018 held in Pune on Saturday.

According to a press release from KSRTC, the awards were presented to KSRTC by

Dilip Kamble, Social Welfare Minister of Maharashtra.

Electric trains to Mysuru may not

chug for now

It has been nearly a month since Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the

electrification works of Bengaluru-Mysuru double line. But, railways will not be able

to run electric trains for at least six months, thanks to delay in power supply.

The state government and the railways spent Rs 218 crore for electrification work.

However, the Yeliyur sub-station, which has to supply power to half of the 138-km line

in Mysuru and Mandya section, is yet to be connected to the Karnataka Power

Transmission Corporation Limited’s (KPTCL) power grid.

Sources in the Railways said they initially planned to carry out the work themselves

before approaching KPTCL. An official said the industrial area is situated nearly 3 km

away from Yeliyur sub-station and the powerline has to go through agriculture fields.

“There were several issues with farmers, which have been settled recently. We believe

that the work will be completed within six months after the contractor gets LoI,” the

official said. The South Western Railway, which had plans to replace diesel locomotives

with electric ones for at least six trains by the first quarter of 2018, has now put off the

plans. At present, only Shatabdi Express (Daily), Darbhanga (Weekly) and Chennai-

Mysuru Weekly Express, run with electric locomotive as powering trains from Bidadi

sub-station, resulting in high wastage.

A conventional locomotive requires about 700 litres of diesel for one-way trip between

Mysuru and Bengaluru, the route that sees an average of 22 trains running in each

direction. Railways believes that electrification will reduce annual consumption by 1.2

crore litres, at a time when it procures the fuel by paying Rs 57.20 per litre.

Conversion of all the trains is expected to save Rs 20 crore annually.


42


SC disposes of plea against Kambala

Ordinance

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed an NGO to withdraw its plea for staying

Karnataka’s Ordinance allowing traditional buffalo race ‘Kambala‘ after the state

government submitted it has become infructous with enactment of a fresh law.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y

Chandrachud took the submission made by Additional Advocate General Devdutt Kamat

into the record and disposed of the matter.

The court, however, granted liberty to the petitioner Peta India to challenge the law, if so

advised.

The state government claimed the plea has become infructous as the NGO had challenged

validity of the Ordinance that has already lapsed. ‘The Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017‘, passed by the Karnataka Assembly, has

already been granted assent by the President last month. The new law has been notified as

well.

In its plea, the NGO claimed the Ordinance has removed the very basis of its 2014

judgement by the apex court wherein ‘Jallikattu’ of Tamil Nadu, bullock-cart race of

Maharashtra were declared illegal for violating the fundamental rights of animals.

The state, for its part, maintained that ‘Kambala’, conducted in water and slushy field in

coastal districts, helped in regulating the metabolic activity including heat and

temperature in the body of the buffalo. There was no cruelty to animals, it claimed.

On February 2, the Supreme Court had referred to the five-judge Constitution bench to

decide if the Tamil Nadu’s 2017 law allowing Jallikattu can be granted protection under

the fundamental right of a group of citizens to conserve their culture.


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44


Only 22% municipal soild waste

processed in state

Of the 36.50 lakh metric tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Karnataka

per annum, only 22% is being processes, according to the report of a Parliamentary

panel. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development, in its report, said solid

waste processing in Karnataka is lower than the national average of 23.70%.

Telangana stood top in the country in waste management by processing 67% of waste

while the neighbouring Kerala processes 45% of MSW. However, Tamil Nadu fares poor

by processing just 8% trash.

In Karnataka, of the total 6,464 wards in urban local bodies, garbage is being collected

from door-to-door in 3,962 wards. The garbage is 100% segregated at source in 1,311

wards, said the report tabled in Parliament.

The panel headed by Pinaki Mishra suggested that the Ministry of Urban Development

must take up the matter with the states to scale up the waste processing and emphasise on

collection, transportation, processing to achieve 100% solid waste management in the

country.


Forest dept treads cautiously over

Great Canara Trails

The ‘Great Canara Trails‘ will be opened for trekkers to walk down the untrodden

paths in the pristine forests of the Western Ghats only if the Centre for Environment

Education (CEE), Bengaluru, submits a positive report after a scientific study.

The Forest department’s ambitious project will be implemented only after receiving a

‘sustenance’ report from a third party, the CEE, informed Principal Chief Conservator of

Forests (PoFF) Punati Sridhar.

The department decided at a recent meeting to ask the CEE to conduct a scientific study

on the impact of allowing trekkers into the Western Ghats.

The Forest department is expecting the CEE to submit a report in three months. The

third-party study aims at an impartial report on the impact of human carbon footprint in

the hitherto out-of-access forests.

Human access will also affect one of the last ‘hiding grounds’ of endangered species

like lion-tailed macaques in the Malemane forests, they say. However, Forest officials

are claiming that the entire trek route could be designed, keeping in mind the findings of

the report.


45


“The department is ready to leave out eco-sensitive areas,” said Sridhar. After the

environmentalists and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) raised

objections, the Forest department redrew the 97 km trail route, away from the core area of

the Kali tiger Reserve, but including its buffer zone.

Forest department sources said the great Canara Trails would help control illegal trekking

adventures that people undertake.

Compared to the present jeep safari, which is not affordable by many, this would be

cheaper and more eco-friendly. The department is claiming that they are not constructing

any permanent structure at its 17 camps, but use only those forest roads which were used

by village residents for long.

What is Great Canara Trail?

Claimed to be the longest forest trail in India, it runs to almost 270 km, starting from Jog

Falls in Shivamogga district to Castle Rock on the Goa border in Belagavi district.

If opened for public, the trek will allow easy access to the people to mesmerising

waterfalls such as Burude Jog, Unchalli Falls and Shivaganga Falls.

But the project has been facing stiff resistance from environmentalists as they fear that

human footprint in these forests would result in irreversible damage to the Myristica

swamps in the Katlekan forests, which are among the most endangered forest eco-

systems.

Rain expected over south, coastal

K’taka

Bengalureans, who have been fretting over the rising temperature, experienced pleasant

weather over the last two days with the mercury below normal due to cool and strong

winds and cloudy skies.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast isolated rainfall over coastal and

south interior Karnataka over the next two to three days coupled with strong winds and a

dip in temperatures.

Till 5.30 pm on Tuesday, the city recorded a maximum and minimum of 31.6 and 20.1

degrees Celsius, respectively, while HAL recorded a maximum and minimum of 31.4 and

18 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The maximum and minimum temperatures on Monday in Bengaluru were 32.5 and 20.1

degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature was 0.3 degrees less than normal while the

minimum temperature was 0.3 degrees Celsius above normal. The maximum and

minimum temperatures at HAL airport were 32.6 and 18 degrees Celsius respectively.

In March 2017, Bengaluru received 47.8 mm rainfall. In March 2016 and 2015, the city

recorded 19.9 mm and 37.7 mm rainfall respectively. The highest ever rainfall recorded

in March was 101.2 mm in 1981.

According to IMD, there is a low-pressure area over the equatorial Indian Ocean and

adjoining south-west Bay of Bengal and south Sri Lanka coast. This has now become a


46


deep depression over the south-east Arabian Sea and adjoining the equatorial Indian

Ocean. This is likely to move north-westwards and intensify into a deep depression in the

next 48 hours. Under the influence of these systems, rain and thundershowers are forecast

over Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

This will also have an impact on temperatures of south interior and coastal Karnataka,

Metri said.

IMD has forecast squalls and gusty winds with speeds of 45-65 kmph over Lakshwadeep,

adjoining the south-east Arabian Sea, Kerala coast, Comorin area and along the south of

Tamil Nadu. Rough to very rough sea conditions have also been forecast over Comorin-

Maldives area and over Lakshwadeep area. A warning has also been issued to fishermen

along the coasts of south India.


Rare fish species hauled up from

Madduramma lake

A unique and rare species of fish, was caught in the net by a fisherman,

from Madduramma lake at Deshahalli in the Maddur taluk on Thursday.

Nagaraja Naik of Deshahalli was fishing on Thursday when a rare variety of fish

weighing one kilogram was caught in his net.

The fish was brown in colour with yellow stripes. The mouth of the fish resembled a

whale, with four sharp thorn-like structures on the top.

Interestingly, the fish was alive for a while, even after it was brought out of the water,

and has been released into the well belonging to a farmer.

KSRTC bags awards at PR conclave

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has received the Public

Relations Council of India’s (PRCI) Chanakya Award for Communication Idea of the

Year and corporate collateral awards in two categories: silver award for its inhouse

magazine ‘Sarige Sampada‘ and bronze award for ‘accident awareness radio jingle,’

during the 12th Global Communication Conclave 2018 held in Pune on Saturday.

According to a press release from the KSRTC, the awards were presented by Dilip

Kamble, Social Welfare Minister of Maharashtra.


47


High Court stays shifting of RGUHS

campus to Ramanagaram

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed all parties to maintain status quo while

hearing a petition challenging the shifting of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences

(RGUHS) from Bengaluru to its new campus in Ramanagaram district, about 50 km

away from the old campus.

Justice Vineeth Kothari was hearing a petition filed by principals of various medical,

nursing and ayurvedic colleges, who have challenged the government order dated

February 8 directing the RGUHS to shift immediately to Ramanagaram district. The

government order has been signed by Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who is the

district in-charge minister of Ramanagaram. The court, thereby, stayed the shifting of the

premises of the university to Ramanagaram.

The court also stated that the funds of the university cannot be used for any new

construction by the state government in Ramanagaram.

According to the petitioners, the sole intention of the respondents is to misuse the funds

of the university. The aim is to force the university into paying for construction of a new

building and campus, a project worth approximately Rs 520 crore, and armtwisting the

university into additionally building a 250-bed hospital with absolutely no contribution

from the government.

The petitioners have contended that the Health Department has failed to address the

difficulties that the university will face if it is shifted to Ramanagaram. Further, the

petitioners have charged that to appease voters of Ramanagaram area, it has been decided

to shift the entire university immediately with complete disregard to law or practicality.

The petitioners stated that the administrative block of the university has already been

shifted to the new campus. In response to this, the bench observed that the administrative

block can continue to function, but no other portion of the university will be shifted.

The court adjourned the matter for hearing to June 4.


MCI opposes in SC state’s eligibility

norms for PG medical courses

The Karnataka government on Thursday defended before the Supreme Court its

notification allowing only those with a minimum 10-year study in the state to qualify for

government quota seats in postgraduate (PG) courses in medical colleges.

Senior advocate Basava Prabhu Patil, appearing for the state, submitted before a bench of

Justices Arun Mishra and U U Lalit that several other states, including Andhra Pradesh,

Goa and Uttar Pradesh, have brought in similar criteria for admission.


48


A counsel, representing the regulatory body, Medical Council of India (MCI), opposed

the contention, saying that according to rules such kind of eligibility cannot be introduced

in PG courses as seats are very limited.

After a brief hearing, the bench, however, asked the counsel, appearing for the state

government and the MCI to file their response to a writ petition filed by Dr Kriti Lakhina

and 39 others, by March 21. The court is likely to hear the matter again on March 22.

During the hearing, advocate Amit Kumar, representing the petitioners, sought a direction

to allow the candidates, non-Kannadigas, who studied their MBBS and BDS courses

from the Karnataka colleges and cleared NEET Post Graduate-2018, to get themselves

registered for the counselling.

“If we allow your petition, we will do everything to protect your interest,” the bench said.

The petitioners contended that the eligibility criteria prescribed in the information bulletin

of the Karnataka Examinations Authority on March 10 are “illegal, arbitrary,

discriminatory, unconstitutional and thus void being in clear violation of Articles 14, 15,

19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution“.

It would jeopardise the prospects of candidates who studied MBBS and BDS from

Karnataka, as now only those of Karnataka origin are eligible to apply for government

quota seats in government and private medical colleges in the state. They also claimed the

notification was contrary to Regulation 9 of Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations,

2000 framed by MCI under Section 33 of Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, which

stated that admission to PG courses shall be strictly on the basis of merit.

SC: Money lenders can’t claim interest

on security deposit

Apex Court upholds changes made to Karnataka laws

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that money lenders and pawn brokers would not

be entitled to any interest on security deposit made by them for carrying out their

business.

“The profession of money lending, may be a trade, but onerous restrictions may be placed

on such trade which is definitely usurious,” a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and

Deepak said. These onerous restrictions would be reasonable keeping in view the nature

of the trade. The Legislature in its wisdom can decide whether it should make it more

difficult for people to engage in the business of money lending and pawn broking, the

court said.

The top court held as “constitutional, valid and legal” the 1998 amendments brought into

the Karnataka Money Lenders Act, 1961 and the Karnataka Pawn Brokers Act, 1961,

providing that the security deposit furnished by the money lenders and pawn brokers shall

not carry interest.

The bench said the businesses of money lending and pawn broking are usurious

businesses and the government may rightly restrict or even discourage people from

entering into such businesses.


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The court, however, said Section 7-A and 7-B of the ML Act and 4-A and 4-B of the PB

Act are valid from the date of their enactment. “The provisions making these

amendments retrospective from 1985 are illegal and invalid,” it said.

On an appeal filed by Karnataka government represented by Additional Advocate

General Devdatta Kamat, the court said the provisions prohibiting payment of

interest on the amount of security deposits cannot be said to be arbitrary or

violative of Article 14 (equality) of the Constitution. “A money lender or a pawn broker applies for licence to do this business knowing fully

well that the security that he shall deposit shall not earn any interest. He with open eyes

accepts the condition which is part of the Acts. Nobody forces a person to engage in the

trade of money lending or pawn broking,” the bench said. With regard to applicability of

amendments retrospectively, the court said legislature cannot, by way of introducing an

amendment, overturn a judicial pronouncement (previous one on validity of the law) and

declare it to be wrong or null.


Farmer suicides rise 32% in

Karnataka in 2016, Centre tells

Parliament Farmers’ suicides rose by 32% in Karnataka in 2016 over the previous year, Union Agriculture

Minister Radhamohan Singh told Parliament on Friday.

Singh, quoting from provisional data gathered by the National Crime Records Bureau, said the

farm sector in Karnataka witnessed 2,079 suicides in 2016 as against the 1,569 in 2015.

Of the 2,079 suicides, 861 were agricultural labourers while 1212 were farmers/cultivators,

according to the data submitted by the agriculture minister in the Rajya Sabha.

The trend in Karnataka was in contrast with the national statistics which indicated to a nearly 10%

decline in suicides in the farm sector.

“The number of suicide by farmers and agricultural labourers during 2016 has come down from

12602 to 11370 approximately by 9.77%,” Singh said in reply to a question put by Shiv Sena

leader Sanjay Raut.

Maharashtra tops

The maximum numbers of suicides in the farm sector were reported from Maharashtra. In 2016,

the state witnessed 3661 suicides â€“ 1111 by farm labourers and 2550 by farmers and cultivators

as against the 4291 suicides witnessed in 2015.

Madhya Pradesh ranked third with 1321 persons from the farm sector resorting to suicide in 2016

as against 1290 in 2015. Of the 1321 committing suicide, 722 were farm labourers and 599 were

farmers and cultivators. In 2015, 709 farm labourers and 581 farmers or cultivators committed

suicide.


50


In Andhra Pradesh, of the 804 suicides reported in the farm sector in 2016, 565 were agricultural

labourers and 239 were farmers or cultivators. This is a decline from the 916 suicides reported in

2015.

The NCRB publishes a report on Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) every year.

However, it is yet to publish the ADSI report for the year 2016 and had provided “provisional

data” to Parliament.

As per NCRB report of 2015, ‘bankruptcy or indebtedness’ and ‘farming related issues’ were

reported as major causes of suicides among farmers/ cultivators.

Since 2014, the NCRB has divided suicides in the agriculture sector in two categories farmers and

agricultural labourers.

Conversion order illegal, will restore

forest land, state tells CEC 323 ha forest converted into revenue land in Tumakuru dist

The state government has assured the Supreme Court-constituted Central Empowered Committee

(CEC) of immediate steps to restore forest land in Chikkanayakanahalli in Tumakuru district.

An area of 323.88 hectares of reserved forest was declared revenue land through an order passed

on December 21, 2015 by M Madan Gopal, the then Additional Chief Secretary (ACS),

Department of Forests, Ecology and Environment.

The CEC had asked the government to submit an action taken report and, in a meeting held in the

last week of January in New Delhi, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest, Ecology and

Environment) stated that the illegal order of December 21, 2015 will be set aside. Madan Gopal

had converted the entire forest land as revenue land, barely 10 days before his retirement.

At the meeting held recently, the CEC asked the state government about the authority or legal

provision which empowered the ACS to pass the order.

The government stated that there was no provision in law for the court of the ACS to deal with

representations connected with notification of forest. Challenging the order passed by Madan

Gopal, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) had filed an appeal before the

government. When the CEC asked about the status of the appeal, the government said no action

has been taken so far.

“The CEC is of the opinion that the order (December 21, 2015) issued by the ACS is not in

conformity with the Karnataka Forest Act and is beyond the scope of the apex court order. This

illegal order of the ACS ought to have been remedied by the government, especially when such a

request was made by the PCCF. The CEC noted with concern that the order, if implemented, may

benefit the mining lessees,” the minutes of the meeting stated.

The ACS’s order had regularised nine major mining companies. The notification under Section 4

of the Karnataka Forest Act was issued in August 4, 1994 proposing to declare land in Janeru

block (Jaaneharu village) of Chikkanayakanahalli taluk as reserved forest.

Notification declaring the extent of 323.88 hectares in survey numbers 41, 42, 43 as reserved

forest was published in the gazette on October 31, 1996. In its report in February 2012, the CEC

had said there were apparent mistakes in the 1996 notification.


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The apex court passed an interim order directing the government to issue corrigendum to correct

`typographical error’, as submitted by the department. A corrigendum was issued in September

2014 by adding 37 new survey numbers with an area of 1,545.04 hectares as reserved forest.

Madan Gopal had passed the order based on an appeal filed by mining companies.


Selected KPSC candidates move SC

against order quashing appointments

A group of candidates selected by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC)

have approached the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court’s order of March 9 that

set aside the directions to issue appointment letters to 362 people for the posts of gazetted

probationers ‘Group A and B’ for the 2011 batch.

The candidates were issued appointment letters on the directions issued by the Karnataka

Administrative Tribunal (KAT) on October 19, 2016, and they joined duty in April last

year. They sought direction to the state government not to take any precipitative action as

they risk losing job, the only source of their livelihood.

A three-judge bench presided over by Justice Adarsh K Goel is to consider the special

leave petition on Monday after the counsel for the petitioners sought urgent hearing.

The petitioners, Avinash C and others, contended they had played no role in the

manipulation of or interference into the selection process.

“The High Court erred in not segregating the untainted candidates who had no direct or

indirect role in the recruitment process from the tainted ones. The state government has

clearly stated that only 46 candidates out of 362 were contacted by the members/officials

of KPSC,” the petition said.

The HC acted on a PIL filed by unsuccessful candidates, which was in private interest, as

the petitioners had then challenged particular appointments. But the orders were issued as

if all candidates had indulged in malpractice, which is contrary to records, they said.

The state government, on August 14, 2014, withdrew its 2011 notification after the CID

submitted a report in 2013, pointing towards large-scale irregularities in the selection

process. After KAT quashed the withdrawal of notification, the government preferred not

to file an appeal and issued appointment letters this year.

“The HC erred in not appreciating that a public interest litigation impugning a Tribunal’s

order is legally untenable and a practice unheard of, at the instance of persons who were

not parties before the Tribunal,” they contended.


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53


Minister warns authorities over

expired medicines at Dharwad civil

hospital

Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Dr Virendra Kumar, on

Saturday, expressed shock over expired medicines being stored at the civil hospital here.

The matter came to the notice of the minister during his visit to the hospital to inspect the

facilities available to women patients and children there.

He said it was a matter of great concern that doctors and nurses had failed to check the

medicines at the pharmacy.

Some of the medicines given to children had passed the expiry date and they could cause

complications, the minister said.

The doctors at the hospital should not show negligence in treating the patients. Poor

patients have high respect for government doctors and it should be retained, said the

minister.

Kumar said the matter would be discussed with the higher authorities and necessary

action would be taken.

He ordered the health assistants to compulsorily check the expiry date of medicines

before giving them to the patients.

The minister said there were complaints from BPL card holders that some doctors and

nurses were demanding money for treatment. The government was spending crores of

rupees every month to provide free medicare facilities to the patients. But it was

unfortunate that poor patients were being exploited, he said.


Karnataka govt okays separate

religion status for Lingayats, seeks

Centre’s nod

The State Cabinet on Monday accepted the recommendation of an expert committee to

accord ‘religious minority’ status to the numerically strong and politically-influential

Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat community.


54


The state government will soon notify “religious minority” status to “Lingayats and

Veerashaiva Lingayats (believers of Basava philosophy) ” under section 2(d) of the

Karnataka State Minorities Act, 1994. Addressing reporters after the cabinet meeting, which lasted for four hours and witnessed

a heated debate on the issue, Law Minister T B Jayachandra said the state government

will also recommend to the Centre to notify “Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats”

under section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities, 2005 for final approval.

The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accepted the recommendations of

the seven-member expert committee headed by retired Karnataka high court judge H N

Nagamohan Das. There was a discussion for over four hours before taking the final decision.

Before taking the final decision, the meeting witnessed heated arguments among cabinet

colleagues as ministers were divided on the issues.

The committee submitted its report on March 2, 2018 recommending “Religious

Minority” status for Lingayat community. The cabinet meeting was divided in its opinion

and deferred a decision to March 14.

According to the report, Lingayats cannot be considered as a sub-sect of Hinduism. It was

founded by the 12th-century social reformer Basavanna. Based on the historical

documents, Lingayat can be accorded minority status on the lines of Buddhism and

Jainism.

Polyester labels to replace paper

holograms on liquor bottles

The state government on Monday informed the Karnataka High Court that it has planned

to replace the paper-based hologram-embedded excise adhesive labels (EAL) on liquor

bottles with polyester-based excise adhesive labels to prevent the loss to the exchequer.

The government also said that 15 states across the country have already implemented this

measure.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was hearing a public

interest litigation filed by Ramprasad, a social worker and Rajesh Babu, Secretary of

Swaccha, a city-based non-governmental organisation for waste management. The

petitioners have challenged the use of these labels saying that they were non-

biodegradable and non-recoverable.

The state government said that every month spent Rs 35 crore worth of paper-based

hologram embedded excise adhesive label are wasted by consumers.

It was also submitted that the same matter was being heard before the National Green

Tribunal. The matter was adjourned.


55



Govt restores 50% quota for general

students in its residential schools

The state government on Monday filed a memo before the Karnataka High Court stating

that it has restored the earlier 50% reservation for students of general merit (GM)

category for admission to state-run residential schools.

The memo was submitted in response to a petition filed by Vishwanath S Mathad and

four others – the parents of children seeking admission to state-run residential schools.

They had challenged the government circular which reserved all the seats in the state-run

residential schools only for students of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs.

The petitioners had questioned the legality of circular dated April 24, 2017, issued by the

state government which provided that the students admitted to Morarji Desai, Kittur Rani

Chennamma, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other such residential schools must belong to SC,

ST or OBC, and no student from any other category could be admitted in these schools.

In the last hearing, the court had passed an interim order staying the implementation of

the circular. Justice A S Bopanna took the memo on record and disposed of the petition.

According to the memo, 50% of the seats at residential schools will be reserved for

General Merit category, 25% for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and 25% for Other

Backward Classes.

Apex court refuses status quo on

KPSC-selected candidates

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to maintain status quo on a plea by a group of

KPSC- selected candidates, facing risk of losing their job.

The Karnataka High Court had on March 9 set aside the directions to issue appointment

letters to 362 people for the post of gazetted probationer group ‘A’ and ‘B’ for the 2011

batch. A bench of Justices Adarsh K Goel and U U Lalit, however, said the apex court

would hear next Tuesday, March 27, a special leave petition filed by 25 such candidates

who were issued appointment letters and joined duties.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, along with other counsel Ranjit Kumar, A M Singhvi

and B V Acharya, appearing for the selected candidates, challenged the High Court

directions. “We were selected and notified. The government sought to cancel the

selection en masse. We challenged it before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal and

succeeded. But the HC, acting on a PIL, cancelled it. There is a long line of the apex

court judgements which stated that normally attempt has to be made to separate grain

from the chaff,” they said. Though the government has said that there were only 46

candidates who were tainted out of 362 selected ones, the high court went ahead to

rescind the whole process. Out of 316 untainted candidates, 25 were issued appointment

letters and they joined the duty, the counsel said.


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The counsel sought direction to the state government not to relieve those candidates, who

had reported at various posts, saying they have been granted protection under Article

311 of the Constitution by which no member of civil service can be removed or

dismissed without an enquiry or having been heard. “No status quo, let the government take any action. We will hear the matter on next

Tuesday,” the bench said, directing them to serve the copy of the petition to the state

government counsel.

The petitioners, led by Avinash C and others contended they had played no role in

manipulation or interference into the selection process.

The state government, on August 14, 2014, withdrew its 2011 notification after the CID

had submitted a report in 2013, pointing to large-scale irregularities in the selection

process. After the KAT quashed the withdrawal of notification on October 19, 2016, the

state government preferred not to file appeal and issued appointment letters this year.

‘Minority tag plea must get Parliament

approval’

If Lingayat wants to get minority status at the national level, the proposal has to get

approval from Parliament, the National Minorities Commission said on Monday.

The National Minorities Commission Act, 1992, has to be amended by Parliament to

include Lingayats as a minority community, George Kurian, vice president of the

Commission, said here.

Several Hindu organisations from Northeastern states, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir

had sought that Hindus should be treated as a minority in these states and the pleas were

pending before the Commission, he said.

UN guideline

The United Nations resolutions in 1992 said a community cannot be treated a

minority just because it is a minority in a particular region of a country, he said. If Lingayats

have to be treated as a minority, all states where they are residing, including Maharashtra,

Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, have to send recommendations seeking the

separate religion tag for them, he said.


57


Speaker reserves orders in JD(S) rebel

MLAs’ disqualification case

Legislative Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad on Monday reserved his ruling after

conducting a hearing on a petition filed by the JD(S), seeking disqualification of its seven

rebel MLAs.

During the hearing, the petitioners appealed to the Speaker to dispose of the petition

immediately, as the seven MLAs had announced to vote in favour of the Congress

candidate during the Rajya Sabha polls on March 23.

Last weekend, the JD(S) had urged the Speaker to dispose of the matter immediately. If

not, the party had said that it would be forced to initiate legal action in the matter. The

party had suspended the MLAs for flouting the party whip and voting in favour of the

Congress during the 2016 Rajya Sabha polls.

Anti-Defection Law

The 10th Schedule to the Constitution, popularly referred to as the ‘Anti-Defection Law,’

was inserted by the 52nd Amendment in 1985.

The grounds of disqualification are specified in Paragraph 2 of the 10th Schedule.

A member would incur a disqualification under paragraph 2 (1) (a) when he “voluntarily

gives up his membership of a party” and under 2 (1) (b) when he/she votes (or abstains

from voting) contrary to the directive issued by the party.

Two important questions arise in this regard: what would constitute the member

‘voluntarily’ giving up of membership of a party? And, what is the full import of 2 (1)

(b), wherein voting/abstention from voting against the party is mentioned?

The Supreme Court, in the Ravi Naik vs. Union of India case, has interpreted the phrase

‘voluntarily gives up his membership.’ It says: “The words ‘voluntarily gives up his

membership’ are not synonymous with ‘resignation’ and have a wider connotation. A

person may voluntarily give up his membership of a political party even though he has

not tendered his resignation from the membership of that party.


58


SC issues notices over bio-med waste

treatment plants sans green clearance

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and the state government on a plea

contending that no bio-medical waste treatment plant be allowed to run without prior

environmental clearance.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan sought response from the Ministry of

Environment and Forests and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board on a petition

by D Swamy, a Mysuru resident.

Advocate Sanjay M Nuli, representing the petitioner, challenged the order of the National

Green Tribunal, Chennai bench, of May 10, 2017, dismissing his plea for closure of the

common bio-medical waste treatment facility, run by GIPS Biotech in Jayapura hobli,

Mysuru.

He sought a direction to disconnect electricity supply to the facility on account of non-

compliance with the provisions of the environment impact assessment notification, 2006,

as amended on April 17, 2015.

“The NGT bench did not take into consideration the order passed on November 28, 2013

by the principal bench, New Delhi, directing all those running such plants, handling,

treating and disposing of bio-medical waste to apply with the Ministry of Environment

and Forests for environment clearance within one month,” his plea said.

Any plant discharging and disposing of hazardous bio-medical waste can be permitted

only on the fulfilment of the regulations and guidelines issued by the authorities, it said.

The particular plant did not take prior environmental clearance and neither did it have any

authorisation under the rules, the petitioner said.

It was located hardly at a distance of 100 feet from the national highway, 200 metres

from a residential locality and 8 km from forest area, which is in violation of the

guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board as well, he said.

The petitioner contended that people from Gujjegowdanapura, Manadalli, Harohalli,

Chunchunarayahundi, Kallahalli, Arinakere and Mahadevapura in Jayapura hobli have

already made a representation to the authorities for banning the plant on the ground that it

will be injurious to their health, being in violation of environment safety norms and

environment laws.


59



Hande for greater use of solar power

Recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay award and Selco India company chairman Harish

Hande has called for a new model of development in which the poor will be partners,

instead of beneficiaries.

He was speaking at a press interaction held in the city on Tuesday. “We should look at

how to use solar energy in appliances which create livelihood. We should look at solar-

powered sugar threshers and sewing machines,” Hande said. Using solar energy for

lighting alone will not remove poverty, he said. Hande said Selco India provides

affordable renewable energy services to poor households in India, and gave examples of

how solar energy is being used as a catalyst for development.

In Assam, Selco Foundation, along with Centre for North-East Studies and Policy

Research, has equipped boat clinics with solar panels so that they can operate throughout

the day, if needed.

“The number of patients the doctors saw in a day used to depend on the amount of diesel

the boat had. The doctors would not stay overnight because there was no electricity on it,

unless the boat had enough diesel. After solar energy was introduced, doctors were able

to stay for five days in a go,” he said. Hande said collaborating with the government is

difficult in India, one reason being that IAS officers are transferred too often.

“We haven’t been able to penetrate governments here as much as we have managed in

other countries. We have met two sitting presidents of the United States, but it is very

difficult to meet ministers in India,” he said.

He criticised large-scale solar projects in the country, such as the one in Pavagada in

Tumakuru district which is set to generate 2,000 MW electricity by the end of the year.

“Large solar plants do not make sense in a country like India. A layer of dust will form on

the panels which will reduce the efficiency by 30%. After transmission losses, instead of

one unit of electricity, you will get only 0.4 units,” Hande said.

Decentralised power generation is the best solution, he said, adding that households will

be self-sufficient when there is no transmission loss.

Who is Harish Hande?

Harish Hande is an Indian social entrepreneur, who co-founded SELCO India in 1995. He

was awarded with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2011 for “his pragmatic efforts to

put solar power technology in the hands of the poor, through his social enterprise SELCO

India”.

He was born in Handattu, Udupi Taluk, Udupi District, Karnataka and raised in

Rourkela, Orissa, India. After completing his basic schooling in Orissa in Ispat English

Medium School, he went to IIT Kharagpur for his undergraduate studies in Energy

Engineering and graduated in 1990. He then went to the U.S. to do his Master’s and later

PhD. in Energy Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.


60


Hande co-founded SELCO INDIA (in 1995), a social enterprise, to eradicate poverty by

promoting sustainable technologies in rural India. SELCO India is a social enterprise that

provides sustainable energy services to the poor in India.

SELCO INDIA under the leadership of Hande has won the Ashden Award for

Sustainable Energy 2005 and Accenture Economic Development Award for 2005.In 2007

SELCO INDIA again won the Ashden Award, this time for “Outstanding Achievement”

in energy sector. The award was presented by Al Gore, former Vice President of the

United States of America. Hande was named the Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 by

the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and the Nand & Jeet Khemka

Foundation. In 2008, Hande was chosen by Business Today as one of the “21 young

leaders for India’s 21st century”. Later, in June 2008, India Today named him one of the

50 pioneers of change in India. In 2011 he was awarded the Magsaysay Award.

Harish Hande was also awarded the Karnataka Rajyotsava Prashasti in 2011 by the

Government of Karnataka. In 2013 the Trustees of University of Massachusetts awarded

him the Doctorate of Humane Letters. In 2014 IIT Kharagpur conferred upon him the

distinguished alumnus award.

SC junks plea to stop miners’ funds to

mineral body

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a plea by the southern chapter of Federation

of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) to discontinue taking 10% of the royalty from the

miners towards contribution for district mineral foundation (DMF).

The industry lobby contended that over Rs 11,000 crore collected so far has not been

utilised for any infrastructure projects in Karnataka’s mineral rich areas.

“We are of the view that the present is not the stage where contribution is ought to be

discontinued,” a bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Abhay Manohar Sapre and Navin Sinha

said.

The court took into consideration a report given by the Central Empowered Committee

on Monday and submission made by amicus curiae senior advocate Shyam Divan, saying

it was “not prudent” to discontinue the contribution. They further said the Comprehensive

Environmental Plan for the Mining Impact Zone (CEPMIZ) is a vision document and the

quantum of money required for each project was still not clear.

“The ambit of CEPMIZ is in the interest of social justice and may require huge money for

carrying out various socio-economic development projects,” the CEC said.

Senior advocate P Chidambaram, representing Federation of Indian Mineral Industries,

southern chapter, contended that the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration

Corporation (KMERC), a special purpose vehicle created for carrying out the projects,

did not have in-house experts and it has engaged Rail India Technical and Economic

Services (RITES), among others, for feasibility study on laying conveyor belt, railway

sidings and sub-lines.

“They are at the stage of giving draft feasibility report. The detailed project report will

not see light of the day before a year or so. The plan is for 10 years. At the rate on which

the money was being collected, they would accumulate Rs 80,000 to 90,000 crore by


61


then,” he said. “It will not serve your purpose by painting a gloomy picture,” the bench

said, rejecting his plea.

The court directed the KMERC and the state government, represented by senior advocate

Raju Ramachandran, to submit a report within six months on the proposed projects

including details on total outlay and cost escalation.

“It is going to be a gigantic task. The outcomes will still be nebulous. It would be wishful

thinking to say that the project reports can be prepared within six months,” the bench

said.

The court, however, directed the KMERC, comprising top officials from different

departments of the state government, to involve FIMI southern chapter in all future

deliberations

MHA to look into proposal on

minority status

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday said it will examine in detail the

Karnataka government’s recommendation to grant minority tag to the Lingayat and

Veerashaiva-Lingayat communities as and when it receives the proposal.

The remarks came a day after the Siddaramaiah government decided to recommend that

minority tag be granted to the numerically strong and politically-influential Lingayat and

Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. A senior official said they are yet to receive the

proposal and that they can comment only after examining it thoroughly. The MHA is

likely to forward the proposal to the registrar general and census commissioner for an

examination and suggestions. Only after this, the official said, a decision will be taken


62


NGT starts fresh hearing on

Yettinahole project

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday started hearing afresh a plea challenging

the legality of Karnataka government’s Yetttinahole project for utilisation of 24 tmcft of

water from Netravathi river for drinking water purpose.

A bench, headed by Jawad Rahim, started hearing the matter for the second time, as one

of the expert-member Ranjan Chatterjee had retired on October 6, last year, before the

pronouncement of the full verdict.

The tribunal had reserved its order on September 21, though it had given conditional

approval to the project, saying the details of the judgement will be released subsequently.

However, the new panel, also comprising Justice S P Wangdi and expert-member Nagin

Nanda, decided to conduct re-hearing of the plea filed by enviromentalist K N

Somashekhar.

Advocate Ritwik Dutta, representing the petitioner, contended that the forest clearance

granted to the project is illegal as it is given without any regard to rules and regulations

under the Forest Act. It will result in human and wildlife conflict and affect flora and

fauna, as the project fell under the elephant corridor of the Western Ghat, he said.

The Karnataka government, represented by advocate Ashok Devaraj, had said the

Yettinahole project is meant to provide drinking water to drought-hit Kolar,

Chikkaballapur and Tumakuru districts. He had maintained the people in the three

districtsare facing health problems due to excessive flouride content in ground water.

The project will utilise the water also for filling up 527 tanks during the rainy season to

help farmers of the region for irrigation.


63


About Yettinhole Yettinahole project is based on the report submitted by committee headed by Dr. G.

S. Paramashivaiah. This project involves construction of eight small dams, two on

Yettinahole, two on Kadumane hole, one on Kari hole, one on hongada hole and two

more on its tributaries. From these storage dams, the water is pumped to 3 delivery

chambers. From these chambers water is again lifted to Haravanahalli reservoir near

Sakaleshpur. From here water flows downward through gravity towards Tumkur. Near

Devarayana Durga a reservoir is constructed for storage of water. From here the water is

channeled through the rivers of Nandidurg. This project mainly provides drinking water

for Hasan, Tumkur, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bangalore Rural and Ramanagar

districts. This entire project stated that there is no adverse effect on environment. There is no

submergence of land and there is no need of rehabilitation of people.

Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project, one of the flagship projects of Krishna

Neeravari Nigam Ltd. (KNNL). To meet the drinking water requirement of people in these

districts, where the groundwater levels have hit the all-time low, the project proposes to lift

24.01 tmcft of water from Yettinahole, a west-flowing stream, near Sakleshpur in Hassan

district and transport it through hardened steel pipeline and open canal running to distance of

274 km.

The Karnataka government proposes to spend Rs. 12,931 crore on the project which is

expected to provide a permanent solution to drinking water shortage in the six districts.

Besides this, 527 tanks will be filled using 8.96 tmcft of water in these district so as to help

recharge groundwater. In Kolar, Tumakuru, Chickballapur, and Bengaluru Rural,

groundwater levels have dipped alarmingly to 1,000 to 1,400 feet and groundwater sources

here are contaminated by fluoride, nitrate, and harmful salts.

Nethravathi is Lifeline of Mangalore and Dakshina kannnada District. She starts at

Bangrabalige valley, Yelaneeru in Kudermukh in Chikkamangalru District of Karnataka,

India flows West and reaches Arabian Sea .It is used for agriculture and cultivation by the

farmers of Hassan, Mangalore and Dakshina Kannada Districts to cultivate 3.5 lakh Hectares

of Land. It is also used to provide drinking water for the people of Mangalore and Daskina

Kannada District. Apart from above two things it is also used for fish cultivation and for

fishing which is another prime occupation of people of Mangalore.

But the environmental impacts and controversies surrounding the Project are huge.

Some of them are:

Ecological imbalance because of felling thousands of trees from dense forests of western

ghats.

Alteration of river course results in habitat fragmentation.

It may dry the upper course of Gundia river and impacts the life of people living in the

area.

Water logging and increased salinity near the storage area.


64


The diversion will decrease the water flowing into the Arabian sea and this could increase

the salinity of the Netravati river which is considered the lifeline of Dakshina Kannada

district.

Draft rules provide quota limit for

‘others’ in minority institutions

According to the new draft rules framed by the state government, minority institutions

should have 25% students from the minority community – be it linguistic or

religious. The students can be from any religious or linguistic minority and need not be

from the minority community of the institution.

The draft Karnataka Educational Institutions (Recognition of Minority Educational

Institutions Terms and Conditions) Rules 2017 were published in a gazette notification on

Monday.

At present, there are only guidelines in the form of government orders issued over several

years. According to these guidelines, 25% of students should be from the particular

minority community that the institution claims to represent. With the new rule, the

students can be from any minority community.

For instance, 25% of the students in a Christian minority school should be from any of

the minority religions, as notified under clause (f) of Section 2 of the National

Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004.

Similarly, a linguistic minority institution should have at least 25% students from

communities whose mother tongue is other than Kannada and is included in the Eighth

Schedule of the Constitution of India. “This has been done to ensure that the purpose of

constituting minority institutions is not diluted. The interests of minorities should be

served,” Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait said. “If the institution

fails to adhere to the criteria, minority status can be revoked.

Further, the educational institutions should have two-thirds of the trustees or members of

the managing committee from the said community to qualify as a minority institution. A

screening committee with the commissioner of Department of Public Instruction as

chairperson, director of the Pre-university Education Department as member and the

director of Urdu and Minority languages as member-secretary will be the authority to

recognise minority institutions.

Minority status will not be accorded to managements having headquarters outside the

state.

Stakeholders have 15 days from the date of the publication to file any objections.


65



Trial flight landing at Kalaburagi

airport in April first week

Having an airport of their own, a long cherished dream of Kalaburagi people is inching

closer. The trial landing of an aircraft at Kalaburagi Airport on Sedam Road is scheduled

to be held in the first week of April.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has permitted the trial and all preparations had been

made and that the deputy commissioner and other officers were coordinating with AAI.

The trial landing is likely to be conducted by GMR company.

Courts have no jurisdiction on

disqualification matter: Speaker

Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad on Wednesday asserted his right to reserve his

decision on the disqualification of seven rebel JD(S) legislators, quoting a

Constitutional provision, as per which he said courts had no jurisdiction over the

matter. On March 19, Koliwad had reserved his order after hearing a petition filed by the JD(S),

seeking disqualification of seven rebel legislators. The High Court, on Tuesday,

requested the speaker to inform as to when he would pass the orders. Accordingly,

Advocate General Madhusudan Naik met Koliwad to discuss the matter.

He cited the the 10th Schedule of the Constitution – referred to as the anti-defection law

– and said courts had no jurisdiction in the matter of disqualification. “Notwithstanding

anything contained in the Constitution, no court shall have any jurisdiction in

respect of any matter connected with disqualification,” he said, while reading

out Rule 7 of the 10th Schedule.

Ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled on March 23, the JD(S) has sought

disqualification of B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, N Cheluvarayaswamy, A B Ramesh

Bandisiddegowda, H C Balakrishna, Akhanda Srinivasamurthy, Iqbal Ansari and S

Bheema Naik.

The ruling Congress is banking on the votes of these seven legislators to help its third

candidate G C Chandrashekhar win in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Anti-Defection Law

The 10th Schedule to the Constitution, popularly referred to as the ‘Anti-Defection Law,’

was inserted by the 52nd Amendment in 1985.

The grounds of disqualification are specified in Paragraph 2 of the 10th Schedule.


66


A member would incur a disqualification under paragraph 2 (1) (a) when he “voluntarily

gives up his membership of a party” and under 2 (1) (b) when he/she votes (or abstains

from voting) contrary to the directive issued by the party.

Two important questions arise in this regard: what would constitute the member

‘voluntarily’ giving up of membership of a party? And, what is the full import of 2 (1)

(b), wherein voting/abstention from voting against the party is mentioned?

The Supreme Court, in the Ravi Naik vs. Union of India case, has interpreted the phrase

‘voluntarily gives up his membership.’ It says: “The words ‘voluntarily gives up his

membership’ are not synonymous with ‘resignation’ and have a wider connotation. A

person may voluntarily give up his membership of a political party even though he has

not tendered his resignation from the membership of that party.


Set up panel to implement Cauvery

order, Karnataka suggests Centre

Karnataka has suggested the Centre to set up a Cauvery Decision Implementation

Committee headed by Union Water Resources Minister to implement the Supreme

Court verdict on allocation of Cauvery water among basin states.

The state government in its comments submitted to the Union Ministry of Water

Resources on Thursday on setting up a “scheme” to implement the apex court order, said

that Water Resources Ministers of all riparian states, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu,


67


Puducherry and Kerala, can be its members. Union Water Resources Secretary can

be member secretary of the panel. The state government submitted its opinion on formulating the scheme after the Union

Ministry of Water Resources asked for comments from all the riparian states following

the apex court direction.

In its comments, the state said the power and functioning of the committee should include

implementing the Supreme Court order, decide the disputes in executing the highest

court’s judgment, determine the share of water among states in distress year, frame rules

and regulations for the conduct of the business.

Monitoring agency

Under the Cauvery Decision Implementation Committee, Karnataka said a monitoring

agency headed by Secretary, Union Ministry of Water Resources should be formed and

chief secretaries of all basin states should be its members.

The monitoring agency should appoint an expert team headed by a member of

the Central Water Commission or an officer of equal rank to verify the information and

data provided by the states and to report on the ground realities of the basin after the field

inspection, Karnataka said.

The monitoring committee should meet at least once in three months but it may meet as

often as necessary.

On resolving the dispute, Karnataka suggested that if any state is aggrieved by the non-

implementation of the decision of the apex court, may file a complaint and monitoring

committee can issue direction to the concerned state after holding proper inquiry. If any

state is dissatisfied with the directions of the monitoring agency, it may file a review

petition before the committee.

If a question of interpretation of the decision of the Supreme Court arises for

consideration in the implementation, Committee may file an application before the

Supreme Court seeking clarification.

The Centre may provide funds to set up the panel. Head quarters of the committee may be

decided by the Centre in consultation of states, it said.

PC: TOI

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

recommends extension of Ratna

Prabha’s term

The Karnataka government has recommended to the Centre for granting three-month

extension to Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha K, who will be retiring on March 31, on her

superannuation.

A couple of days ago, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recommended the Department of

Personal and Training for granting three months’ extension to the 1981 batch IAS officer.


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The reasons cited were Assembly elections and smooth transition to the government,

sources said.

The file is pending at the DOPT and it has to take a final call on this decision, sources

said.

S K Pattanayak (1982 batch), Secretary to Union Ministry of Agriculture is the next

senior most officer followed by Latha Krishna Rau (1982 batch), Secretary to Union

Ministry of Social Welfare.

Next senior officer is T M Vijay Bhaskar, (1983), who is currently serving as Additional

Chief Secretary.

I-T collection in Karnataka-Goa

region to cross Rs 1L-crore this fiscal

The Income Tax department on Thursday said that for the first time net collection of tax

in Karnataka-Goa region will reach Rs 1 lakh crore by the year end.

“We have collected Rs 98,000 crore as on date and are confident of crossing Rs 1 lakh-

crore mark by the end of this month. Last financial year, the net collection stood at Rs

87,500 crore,” Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax Rajnish Kumar said.

Kumar said that the department had conducted 50 searches, unearthing an unaccounted

income of Rs 5,259 crore in 2018. He said that department will launch more survey

operations to unearth undisclosed income and particularly of those who have not filed

returns of income.

He said the department has been rigorously following up cases of cash deposits of high

denomination, especially after demonetisation in December 2016. The I-T department

(Karnataka-Goa region) has detected 21,628 cases of deposits of more than Rs 10 lakh

wherein returns were not filed. “As many as 570 people have deposited more than Rs 1

crore. The department has issued notices to all of them. We are after them and most of the

cases will end in prosecution,” he said.

First arrest

On Wednesday, the Tax Recovery Officer of Income Tax department arrested a person

for failing to pay the self-assessment tax of Rs 16.45 lakh. “It is for the first time in

Karnataka that an assessee has been arrested under provisions of Income Tax Act,” an

official said.


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Centre plans Skybus between

Bengaluru, Mysuru if state agrees:

Gadkari

The union government is mulling over introducing an electric Skybus between Bengaluru

and Mysuru.

If the state government agrees, this scheme will be implemented, said Union Minister for

Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

He was speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony for the six-laning of the Bengaluru-

Mysuru express highway (national highway) here on Saturday.

A Skybus project is being implemented in New Delhi and the tender process will begin

by April 15, Gadkari said.

“Even common people will be able to experience what it is like to travel, floating in the

air” he said.

While Metro rail costs Rs 3,500 crore per kilometre, Skybus costs lesser than Rs 50 crore,

Gadkari said.

The Bengaluru-Mysuru Express highway will be ready in two years. After its completion,

the commute between the two cities will take only 90 minutes, he said.

Foundation stone was also laid to widen the 170-kilometre stretch from Bengaluru to BR

Hills Reserve from two-lane to four-lane. The Rs 2,000 crore project would also be

completed in two years, Gadkari said.

“The length of highways in Karnataka was 5,707 kilometre in 2013-14 year. Now, it has

been increased to 13,565 kilometre by our government. A total of Rs 2 lakh crore has

been spent on this,” Gadkari said.

Linking Godavari with Cauvery to end water woes

To solve the problem of water scarcity in the southern states, the union government

intends to link the Godavari river with Cauvery river, Gadkari said. This extra water will

help irrigate six lakh acres of land in Karnataka, he said.

At present, 3,000 tmc ft of water from the Godavari is flowing into the sea. To begin

with, 300 tmc ft of water will be redirected from Godavari to Krishna river via the

Nagarjuna Sagar dam. Next, water will be directed to the Somasila dam across Pennar

river and from there, to the Cauvery river, Gadkari said.

“On the whole, this project will benefit Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and

Telangana states,” he said.

Apart from this, the union government intends to take up projects with the state

government, to irrigate 15 lakh to 20 lakh acres in the state, he said.


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rigorously.

Any Queries?






KPSC Test Series






71


Grant minority tag or face stir:

Lingayat body to Centre

The Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha (JLM), which is demanding a minority status for

Lingayats, on Saturday said that it would intensify its agitation if the Centre fails to give

its nod the state government’s recommendation in this regard.

This comes a day after Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha (ABVM) passed a nine-

point resolution demanding that the minority status be accorded to both Lingayats and

Veerashaivas, as they were “one and the same”.

The JLM has, however, staunchly maintained that the Veerashaivas and Lingayats are

two different entities. Addressing the media in Bengaluru, JLM general secretary and

former IAS officer S M Jaamdar claimed that ‘Lingayat’ was a different religion — and

that the ABVM is no more a representative body of the Lingayat community. He called

upon the Lingayat office-bearers of the ABVM to quit the Mahasabha and join the JLM

en masse.

Describing the resolutions passed by ABVM as “contradictory to the stands taken over

the years”, Jamdar said that the Mahasabha had lost its credibility. Stating that the state

government had issued a notification seeking a religious minority status to Lingayats and

Veerashaiva Lingayats, who believe in ‘Basava tatva’, Jamdar said that if the Centre

failed to accede to the demand, then Lingayats spread across several states would launch

a massive movement.

He said that there were over three crore Lingayats residing in Karnataka, Andhra

Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. Jamdar also demanded that the ‘panchacharyas’ (panch peeta seers) clarify whether

they were ‘Veerashaivas’, ‘Lingayats’ or ‘Dalits’. He said that earlier the Lingayat

community was not organised though four struggles were launched in the past 900 years.

But, the state government’s recognition had provided a platform for the community

members to get united. He described the state government’s decision as “historic” and

“far sighted.”

Mangaluru professor Dr Anurag

Bhargava makes app for TB patients

A professor from Mangaluru has developed a first-of-its-kind mobile application for

tuberculosis patients ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on Saturday (March 24).

An Android-based application ‘N-TB’ was developed by Dr Anurag Bhargava,

professor of medicine, Yenepoya Deemed to be University, Mangaluru in collaboration

with McGill International TB Centre, Canada, to calculate the body mass index

(BMI) of patients with tuberculosis. According to doctors, TB often results in significant weight loss, which can exacerbate

under-nutrition. Under-nutrition in TB patients points toward a consistent risk factor.


72


Such patients are also at a higher risk of side-effects of drugs, poor absorption of drugs,

reduced ability to return to work, and recurrence of the disease.

The application will tell the users their BMI and will counsel them on an appropriate diet

regime which includes daily caloric and protein intake based on their BMI.

“The application is currently intended to help healthcare providers to quickly assess the

body mass index of patients with TB and how severely undernourished the patient is so

that they can be guided accordingly,” said Dr Bhargava.

He added that the TB cards currently record the weight alone and not the height to assess

the nutritional status of the person, whereas the new application assesses the height and

weight to calculate the BMI of the person.

He said the new N-TB mobile application specifies the weight and height and raises a red

alert if it is below the desired weight.

The application was launched on Thursday (March 22) and is yet to be rolled out. It can

currently be downloaded from Playstore free of cost.

“Certain aspects for the application such as analysing nutrition component, counselling

are to be improvised,” said Dr Bhargava.

The application, endorsed by Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme

(RNTCP) and World Health Organisation (WHO), was included in the new initiatives

unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Delhi End TB Summit on March

13, 2018.

“We are glad that such as application was developed, but we are yet to receive

information on the use and implementation of the application,” said Dr Ramachandra

Bairy, Joint director, TB, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Karnataka.

NHAI awards Rs 1,395 cr contract for

highway in Karnataka

The National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) has awarded two projects worth Rs

1,395.38 crore in Karnataka to Ashoka Concessions and Dilip Buildcon for widening of

stretches of National Highway 4A, an official statement said.

The four-laning of Belgaum-Khanapur section of about 30 km has been awarded to

Ashoka Concessions on Hybrid Annuity Mode at a cost of Rs 892.16 crore, it said.

Besides, two-laning of about 52 km of the highway on Karnataka/Goa border has been

awarded to Dilip Buildcon on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode at

a cost of Rs 503.22 crore.

The projects involve construction of two major and six minor bridges and five railway-

over-bridges (ROBs), for free movement of traffic in major crossroads and reduce

conflicts. Two bypasses have also been proposed for the stretch.

“Keeping in view the safety of roadusers, all major intersections have been provided with

21 vehicular underpasses/vehicular overpasses/light vehicular underpasses, etc. The

project also provides four bus shelters,” the statement issued by the Ministry of Road

Transport and Highways said.

The concession period of the projects is 17.5 years, including construction period of 2.5

years.


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Melkote Vairamudi utsav on March

26

The annual Vairamudi utsav of Cheluvanarayanaswami in Melkote will be held on March

26.

The deity, adorned with diamond-studded crown will be taken out in a procession as part

of the event.

The rituals for the 10-day Vairamudi jatra mahotsava began on Friday. The Rajamudi

utsav and Teppotsava will be held on March 30.

Deputy Commissioner N Manjushri said that necessary arrangements have been

made for accommodating lakhs of devotees who arrive at the temple town for the annual

event.

The Vairamudi and Rajamudi will be brought from the district treasury in Mandya on

March 26 amid tight police security.


In SC, govt defends 10-yr study

criteria for PG medical seats

The Karnataka government has defended before the Supreme Court its criteria for

Karnataka origin or minimum 10-year study requirement for candidates outside the state

to get admission to Post Graduate seats in medical and dental colleges.

According to the government, it is necessary to meet the state’s requirement of skilled

human resources.

The state government also claimed that it has invested heavily in setting up medical

colleges across the state with no help from the central government. It further said the

government proposed to set up 14 more medical colleges in other districts and eight

super-speciality hospitals, in addition to existing nine super-speciality hospitals, creating

huge requirement of specialists to run these hospitals.

“Every year approximately Rs 2,000 crore is being spent on strengthening medical

education in the state. The government of India is not assisting the state in establishing

necessary infrastructure for post-graduate medical education and the entire manpower

and infrastructure are being provided by the state,” an affidavit submitted by the

government stated. “This being so, the state of Karnataka has every right to formulate

eligibility conditions to give preference to candidates who are most likely to serve the

state,” the affidavit added.


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The Karnataka government said states like Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and

West Bengal have also put similar eligibility conditions. It maintained that conditions

would allow the merit candidates from the state to pursue post graduate education on

subsidised seats and serve the people of the state.

This will also subserve the interest of medical and dental educational institutes by

ensuring adequate number of specialists year after year, it said. In its response to a writ

petition filed by Dr Kriti Lakhina and 39 others against the fresh notification by the

Karnataka Examination Authority issued on March 10, the state government said the

petitioners cannot say that they would be deprived of their rights to compete for seats in

government medical and dental colleges as 2,301 seats woulds still be available for

candidates who were not of Karnataka origin. Out of 3,435 posts of specialists in 11,615

public health care institutions in Karnataka, about 1,312 posts are vacant. In educational

institutions, out of 2,700 posts of specialists, 517 are vacant. A total of 16 out of 39

medical colleges in Karnataka are run by the state.

Out of 970 senior resident posts in these medical colleges, 524 are vacant. “If these posts

remained vacant beyond stipulation by the Medical Council of India, de-recognition

looms large with the risk of jeopardising future of both undergraduate and post graduate

students studying in these colleges,” it said. It claimed that the doctors, belonging to other

parts of the country, cannot claim any legal entitlement on the basis that they have

graduated from the Karnataka medical or dental colleges.

CNG refilling fuel station inaugurated

in Bengaluru

In a first, oil giants Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Gail Gas Limited

have come together to launch a CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) refilling station in

Bengaluru. The station was inaugurated off Magadi Road on Sunday.

A senior BPCL official said that it has been decided to open a total of 15 CNG stations in

Bengaluru by December this year. Gail will be opening these stations in coordination

with BPCL and Indian Oil. In the first phase, three such stations have been planned off

Magadi Road, Jigani and Kodigehalli. These locations have been chosen because of the

availability of pipelines.


75


Eventually, the fuel stations will have pipeline and casket connections, he said. It has

been observed in other big cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, that once

infrastructure for CNG is made available, people switch over to vehicles compatible with

it. And that CNG is cost effective helps the cause, he said.

Arun Singh, Executive Director, Retail, BPCL and Partha Jana, Chief General Manager,

Gail were present on the occasion along with other officials.

Singh highlighted that CNG has the potential to become the fuel of choice for Bengaluru

as it is much cleaner and cheaper compared to petrol and diesel.

About CNG

Compressed natural gas (CNG) (methane stored at high pressure) is a fuel which can

be used in place of gasoline (petrol), Diesel fuel and propane/LPG.

CNG combustion produces fewer undesirable gases than the fuels mentioned above. It is

safer than other fuels in the event of a spill, because natural gas is lighter than air and

disperses quickly when released.

CNG may be found above oil deposits, or may be collected from landfills or wastewater

treatment plants where it is known as biogas.

CNG is made by compressing natural gas (which is mainly composed of methane, CH4),

to less than 1 percent of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure.


Centre to bring millets under Public

Distribution System soon

The Centre is working on including millets in the list of grains that are supplied under the

pubic distribution system (PDS).

Along with rice and wheat, the government may soon take a decision to include millets

like ragi, jowar or bajra in the list of foodgrains to be distributed under the PDS system,

said a senior official in the Ministry of Food.

A high-level committee headed by Niti Ayog member Ramesh Chand has already

deliberated on the issue and is likely to recommend to the government to include millets

in the PDS, said the official.

Apart from high nutritional value, the cereals also require less water to grow, said the

official, adding that millet-growing states Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,

Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand have requested the Centre to include

millets in the PDS system.

Being a pioneer in growing millets, Karnataka cultivates three popular varieties of millets

like ragi, jowar and bajra in around 18 lakh hectares, while other varieties including


76


sorgam, brown top millets (korle), little millet (samai) and Indian barnyard millet in

around 20,000 hectares land.

Also, millets are the best crops to cultivate amid growing challenges of climate change,

said an official in the Ministry of Agriculture. “There is a need to revive millet cultivation

as its acreage has come down not only in Karnataka, but in other parts of the country as

well,” he said.

The Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs has already allowed the state government to

procure rice locally and distribute it to poor through the public distribution scheme. Once

millets are included in PDS, the Centre will provide the money to the state to procure the

same locally, said an official from the Ministry of Food.

Institute linked to KSOU issues fake

marks cards, CID probe ordered

The Karnataka Information Commission has directed the Criminal Investigation

Department (CID) of the state police to conduct investigations into cases of institutes

tied up with the Karnataka State Open University’s (KSOU) distance education

department issuing fake marks cards to students.

The commission has ordered this on the basis of information it received from the KSOU

that ‘Algol University Trust‘, which has several branches in the country, had issued a

fake marks card to a student from Haryana.

A student in Haryana, Ashish Vashista, had signed up for a course in BTech (Electronics

and Telecommunication) offered by Algol, in association with the KSOU.

The Trust had provided him marks cards for the first three semesters but not the fourth.

This led the student to send an application to the KSOU with his registration number. As

he did not receive any information from the university, Ashish filed a complaint with the

Karnataka Information Commission.

After conducting an inquiry, the Commission directed the KSOU to provide marks cards.

However, when the registration number provided by the student did not match with their

records, the KSOU was alerted. They asked Ashish to send copies of his third semester

marks card and hall ticket.

The KSOU, after scrutinising the documents, informed the Commission that the Trust

was producing and distributing their own marks cards and hall tickets. Based on this, the

Commission has asked KSOU to take action against the trust and has also asked the CID

to conduct further investigation.


77



Battleground Karnataka: state to go to

polls on May 12, counting on May 15

Notification on April 17; code of conduct kicks in

The Assembly elections in Karnataka will be held on May 12 and votes will be counted

on May 15, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday.

At a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat said the EC will issue the

notification for the elections on April 17, but the model code of conduct came into effect

immediately after the announcement of the poll schedule. Altogether 4,96,82,357 voters

are expected to exercise their franchise and the commission will set up 56,696 polling

stations across the state, said Rawat.

The CEC, who was joined by Election Commissioners Sunil Arora and Ashok Lavasa, at

a press conference, said that all the 224 Assembly constituencies, including 36 reserved

for Scheduled Castes and 15 for Scheduled Tribes, would go to polls together on

May 12. He said that all the political parties in the state had sought single-phase polling

during their consultations with the EC.

The Assembly elections in Karnataka are going to be crucial for both the Congress and

the BJP ahead of the 2019 parliamentary elections. The BJP, which leads the government

at the Centre, is keen to wrest power from the Congress in Karnataka – one of the three

states where Rahul Gandhi’s party is still in power.

Retaining power in Karnataka is crucial for the Congress to project itself as a serious

challenger to the BJP, not only in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan,

Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh but also in the Lok Sabha elections next year. A

victory in Karnataka will reverse the slide for the BJP, which suffered losses in some

byelections in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The BJP is also keen

to win Karnataka to dispel the perception that its electoral performance has already

peaked after a series of victories, the latest being Tripura.


78


The Janata Dal (Secular), which has been out of power for 10 years, tied up with the

Bahujan Samaj Party ahead of the forthcoming elections, as it hopes to have enough seats

in the state Assembly to play an important role after the elections.

The CEC on Tuesday said that April 24 would be the last date for filing nominations and

April 27 would be the last date for withdrawal of the same. The nominations would be

scrutinised on April 25.

The votes will be counted on May 15 and the results are expected on the same day.

Karnataka election: each candidate

can spend up to Rs 28L on poll

expenses

Each candidate, who will contest Assembly polls in Karnataka, can spend up to Rs 28

lakh, said the Election Commission on Tuesday.

However, the EC said there was no upper limit in spending by political parties.

“As per the revised ceilings, the maximum limit of election expenses for the Assembly

constituencies is Rs 28 lakh per candidate for the state of Karnataka,” OP Rawat, Chief

Election Commissioner, told the media here.

All candidates are required to furnish their accounts of expenditure within 30 days of the

declaration of results.

“All political parties sponsoring candidates for the Legislative Assembly elections are

required to maintain day-to-day accounts of all elections campaign expenses and submit

the accounts to the Commission within 75 days of the completion of such elections. Such

accounts will be uploaded on the website of the Commission for public viewing,” he said.

The commission will appoint expenditure observers and assistant expenditure observers

for each constituency.

Control room and a complaint monitoring centers with 24-hour toll-free numbers will be

operative during the entire election process.

Each Assembly segment to have one

women-operated polling station

One polling station in each Assembly segment will be managed by women staff,

including polling staff, police and security.


79


A total of 224 women-managed polling stations will be set for the entire state, said O P

Rawat, Chief Election Commissioner on Tuesday.

VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) will be used along with electronic

voting machines (EVMs) in all 56,696 polling stations of 224 Assembly segments.

On a pilot basis, VVPAT of one polling station in each Assembly segments will be

randomly selected to count VVPAT paper slips for verification of the result obtained

from the control unit, he said.

Booth-level planning:

For the first time, booth-level planning and management will be implemented in

Karnataka.

According to the Election Commission, booth-level plans for all 56,696 polling stations

have been prepared to contain all information and standard operating procedure for the

response for smooth conduct of elections at each polling station.

These booth-level plans will be used for Assembly segment, district, and state level

elections management plans.

As a new innovation, GIS-based planning, implementation, and monitoring of various

election-related activities are being implemented in the state for poll planning, he said.

Lowest turnout polling station:

The commission had identified the lowest turnout polling station in the state in earlier

elections and special initiatives will be taken to motivate the voters to exercise their

rights, he said.

Rahul Dravid state election icon; new

initiatives for Karnataka assembly

polls


80


Cricketer Rahul Dravid as the state election icon, disabled government employees as

polling staff and all women polling stations are among the slew of new initiatives taken

up by the state electoral authorities for the May 12 assembly elections in Karnataka.

“Rahul Dravid will be the state election icon,” Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told

reporters here. Yograj Bhat, film and music director, is making a title song, which

will be 2018 “Karnataka Election Anthem” and it will get released in a week’s time. “Some of the persons with disabilities — employees of the government, will be

participating in certain selected polling stations as polling staff for the first time… we are

encouraging them,” Kumar said.

He said “450 all women polling stations will be set up. Efforts are on for four in urban

constituencies and one in rural constituencies.” The Election Commission of India today

announced a single phase poll for the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly on

May 12. Counting of votes will be taken up on May 15.

Officials said IT and other initiatives were taken by the CEO office for the elections

include GPS based vehicle tracking of flying squads, a GIS-enabled complete database of

the polling station and digital maps, Digital Atlas of all polling station areas and

assembly constituencies. For persons with disability, complete mapping of voters and

their requirements and making available all required facilities including wheelchair

booking would be done, they said.

Transfer facilitation and certification system for ensuring code of conduct on transfer and

posting of officers involved in elections, SMS based Polling Station Access, App-

Based Polling Station Access and navigation, Queue status facility on the poll day for

a few polling stations with higher voter population are among the other initiatives.

Webcasting of 3,000 to 6,000 polling stations based on feasibility and sensitivity will be

done, Kumar said, adding that work was on towards integration of election monitoring

facilities under one platform.

There will also be GIS-based tracking and swift intervention on critical complaints, he

added. The CEO office is also conducting a special drive to register excluded groups like

primitive tribes and Nomadic Tribes.

Some special polling stations with the ethnic look in Primitive Tribal Areas will be

established on a pilot basis, he said.


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82


EC sets up panel to probe Karnataka

poll date leak

The Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat was on Tuesday caught by surprise when

he learnt during a news conference that a BJP leader had already made public the election

dates in Karnataka, even before he could do it.

The EC later constituted a committee of senior officers of the commission to investigate

the matter and submit its report within seven days.

The CEC was yet to read out the poll schedule when reporters drew his attention to the

tweet by the BJP IT cell chief, Amit Malviya, who had already posted that Karnataka

would go to polls on May 12.

The CEC, visibly perplexed, looked at senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh

Sinha and other officials and apparently enquired about the veracity of the information

that the poll date had been announced.

“Certain things may have leaked for which Election Commission will take appropriate

action,” he later told reporters.

“It will be investigated. Be assured, legally and administratively befitting action would be

taken,” added Rawat, as several mediapersons repeatedly asked him for the commission’s

reaction to the unprecedented leak of the election dates.

The CEC also did not rule out the possibility of changing the poll dates and said it would

take a call on it after conducting an investigation.

Rawat then went on to read out the schedule of the elections.

“Karnataka will vote on 12 May 2018, counting on 18 May 2018,” Malviya posted on

Twitter at 11.08 am – almost 15 minutes before the CEC officially announced the

schedule. He got the date of polling correct, but the date of counting wrong. The CEC

said that the votes would be counted on May 15.

The BJP IT cell chief, however, deleted the tweet after it triggered a controversy.

It was later found that Srivatsa, who introduces himself as “Karnataka Congress social

media in-charge” on Twitter, also posted at 11.08 am that polling would be held on May

12 and the results would be out on May 18.

Both Malviya and Srivatsa later stated on Twitter that they had posted the dates only after

some TV channels aired the poll schedule.

The EC took note of Malviya’s original tweet revealing the poll date and his subsequent

tweets citing a TV channel as his source. The probe committee set up by the commission

already sought information from the media organisations concerned, and individuals.

“The committee would also suggest steps needed to prevent any such eventuality in

future,” the EC said in a statement.

Though the EC apparently decided by Monday that it would announce the date of polling

for Karnataka, it notified the journalists only early on Tuesday – less than three-and-a-

half hours before the CEC started addressing the press conference.

He said the EC had decided the schedule of the polls for the state keeping in mind the

weather conditions as well as the academic calendar to make sure students preparing for

various examinations were not disturbed by electioneering.


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High Court sets aside CAT order on

Rohini Sindhuri transfer

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday set aside the Central Administrative Tribunal

(CAT) order directing Hassan Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri to give a

representation to the chief secretary challenging her transfer order.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari directed the matter to be

heard afresh by the CAT in accordance with law.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Rohini Sindhuri challenging the CAT order,

asking her to give representation to the chief secretary against her transfer order. The

court stated that Rohini will continue to serve as the deputy commissioner of Hassan till

the final order is passed by CAT. The court also directed all parties to maintain status quo

till CAT passes its final order. The matter is to be heard by CAT on April 2.

Rohini has contended in the petition that IAS cadre posts have a fixed tenure of two years

as per the rules and despite this, she is being transferred from the post of Hassan deputy

commissioner for political reasons.

According to her petition, she had cracked down on the mining mafia, which had enraged

the local politicians who carried a complaint against her to the chief minister who

directed for her premature transfer after succumbing to the political pressure.

The petition states that many IAS officers with long tenure have been spared without

subjecting to transfers. Rohini has urged the court to quash the transfer order of March 3,

2018 and the tribunal’s order of March 21, 2018. The court directed the petitioners to

appear before the CAT on April 2 and disposed of the petition.


Karnataka needs more than one

economic centre: Ramachandra Guha

Karnataka should not focus its resources solely on Bengaluru and, instead it should

develop other cities as financial and economic capitals, said historian and writer

Ramachandra Guha.

He was speaking at a panel discussion on ‘My idea of Karnataka’ organised by the

Bengaluru Central University on Wednesday. This is the first session of the Foundation

Lecture series organised by the varsity.

Guha gave examples of neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala which have

more than one centre of commerce.

The panel also included academician Valerian Rodrigues, researcher Sharad Lele,

engineer C P Ravikumar among others.


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They discussed the hegemony of Bengaluru and the increasing disconnect between the

city and the hinterlands.

“The big question is how Bengaluru can move forward without hurting the hinterland.

Bengalureans don’t understand where our water comes from and the effect it has on the

Western Ghats,” said Lele, who is a researcher at the Ashoka Trust for Research in

Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). He, however, added that there is still time for course correction. “Bengaluru is at an early

stage of decay in terms of pollution levels, and its resources have not yet depleted

irreversibly, so we still have time to chart a new trajectory,” said Lele.

The event also saw the release of a book titled ‘Speaking for Karnataka’ – a compilation

of deliberations on the state.

Dishaank set to be state’s most apt

property App ever

Here is an App which helps citizens find the exact survey number of a property and also

show whether the property stands on a lake bed or not.

The App Dishaank, launched by the Revenue Department for the whole of

Karnataka, will be crucial and most apt for Bengaluru, where many properties stand on

rajakaluves or lake beds. But various civic agencies and builders are yet to validate it.

The App, available on Google Playstore, is based on 1960 survey maps available with the

department, which originally show how Karnataka and Bengaluru city looked like. By

looking at the map on the App, one can know the ground reality of a a property and see

whether there is an encroachment or not, said Munish Modgil, Commissioner of Survey,

Settlement and land Records.

The department has prepared this referral App after three years of rigorous ground work.

Modgil said this cannot be considered as a legal document as the details of the survey

number have not yet been included. The map is indicative and shows the boundary

demarcation of each survey number with a 20-30 metre scale difference. The department

has uploaded over 70 lakh survey numbers on the App and work on adding more is under

way.

Modgil said one can download the App on his mobile phone, switch on the location on

the Android phone and know the survey number details. One can also type the survey

number to know the details. It also shows whether the location is a road, lake, rajakaluve,

government land or gomal land.

“People can refer to the App before purchasing or dealing with any property,” he said.

This App is different from the ones launched by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike

(BBMP), Bangalore Metropolitian Region Development Authority and other civic

agencies as they do not tell the original nature of the site. One can also ascertain whether

the survey number mentioned in the khata certificate is accurate or not through the App.

The department is keen to partner with BDA, BMRDA, BBMP and other municipalities

and share their data on the App to make it a one-stop destination for all citizens. The next

step in Dishaank is adding property owner details to make it more handy.


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State writes to Centre to grant

minority status to Lingayats

The state government has written to the Centre to notify “Lingayat”, “Veerashaiva”

and “those who believe in Basava tatva” as religious minority. The move follows the government notifying religious minority status to the Lingayat

faith under Section 2(d) of the Karnataka State Minorities Act, 1994.

The Minority, Welfare, Haj and Wakf department secretary Mohammed Mohsin, in a

letter dated March 23 to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, has stated that the Centre notify

the faith as religious minority under Section(c) of the National Commission of Minorities

Act 1992, so as to give effect to the state’s decision.

Memorandum to Shah

In another development, the seer of Murugha Mutt Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru

submitted a memorandum to BJP president Amit Shah, seeking the Centre’s approval for

the religious minority tag for the faith. The memorandum said a strong movement was on

in Karnataka by Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayats, pressing for minority status.

Election Commission seeks help of

state’s IT professionals to check

misuse of social media

The Election Commission (ECI) on Tuesday called upon the Information Technology

professionals from Karnataka to help it make it sure that the social media was not

misused to run malicious or divisive campaign during the electioneering for the state

Assembly polls.

The Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat said that the IT professionals of Karnataka

could render a “great service to strengthen democracy” in the country if they could do

“whatever is within their reach” to help the commission to ensure that no one could

misuse social media to influence the poll outcomes, either by running divisive and

malicious campaign or by harvesting data unduly.

The ECI noted the reports about data harvested from social media had been unduly used

to sway public opinion “in some developed countries”. Rawat said that the ECI itself had

formulated social media policy and had set up a social media hub at the commission to

keep tab on social media during elections.

He stressed on cooperation from the IT professionals of Karnataka, noting that the state

was known as the “IT capital of India.” Notwithstanding the controversy regarding

harvesting of data from Facebook by Cambridge Analytica, the ECI is likely to continue

using the social media during and beyond the polls in Karnataka, the CEC said.


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“Any aberration won’t stop the use of modern technology… bank-frauds have taken

place, but we don’t stop banking,” Rawat said while announcing the schedule of polls in

Karnataka in a press conference at the Nirvachan Sadan.

The EC has been using Facebook and other social media platforms to engage with youths

to encourage them to enrol as voters and cast their votes to participate in democratic

exercise. The EC partnered with the Facebook to reach out to them.The EC took note

of the controversy over alleged role of British political consultancy company Cambridge

Analytica harvesting data from Facebook to sway public opinion in favour of Donald

Trump during the US Presidential election in 2016 as well as to influence the referendum

the same year when the British voted to leave the European Union.

No new schemes, projects can be

announced now

With the model code of conduct in place, the state government can no longer announce

new schemes or launch new projects. Also, schemes already announced cannot be given

effect to, the Election Commission said Tuesday.

Restrictions binding on the government have been sent to Chief Secretary K Ratna

Prabha, Additional Chief Electoral Officer K G Jagadeesha said.

“Directions have been issued to remove all government advertisements within 24 hours,”

he added. Only administrative decisions required for the day-to-day functioning of the

government can be taken.

Beneficiary schemes can continue, but new beneficiaries cannot be identified.

“Foundation stones for development works cannot be laid. Civil works already underway

can continue. For civil works whose action plan is ready, the government cannot float

tenders or issue work orders,” Jagadeesha said.

Ministers are barred from convening review meetings with officials. They can leave

Bengaluru for official business only after informing the chief secretary and the Election

Commission in writing. A “total ban” is in place for transferring officials on election

duty. Also, no departmental enquiry can be ordered against such officials.

Model code won’t affect setting up of

Cauvery board: CEC

The Election Commission of India on Tuesday said model code of conduct will not come

in the way of setting up the Cauvery Water Management Board.

To a question on the applicability of the model code for the Centre in constituting the

board to implement the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award for Tamil Nadu,


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Karnataka and a few other states, Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat said,

“Whatever is the direction or order of the court and the (steps in) compliance thereof, the

commission or the model code of conduct does not come in the way.”

As per the model code of conduct, the Centre also cannot announce schemes or take

policy decisions which can influence voters of Karnataka till the model code is in force. It

will end a couple of days after May 15, the counting day for the May 12 elections.

Verdict

The apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, had delivered its verdict on

Cauvery water dispute on February 16 and directed the Centre to set up a scheme to

monitor the implementation of its verdict in six weeks.

Earlier, AIADMK apprehended that model code of conduct may be a hinderance to the

Union Ministry of Water Resources to constitute the “scheme.”

Separate religion issue

To a question what steps the Commission would take to check political parties exploiting

the religious issues following the granting of separate religion status to Lingayats, he said

the model code of conduct strictly bans the political parties from exploiting religious

issues during the poll period. The Commission will keep a watch on all political parties

on this issue, he added.

About Model Code of Conduct

The model code of conduct is a set of norms which has been evolved with the

consensus of political parties who have consented to abide by the principles embodied in the

said code in its letter and spirit. It came into effect the moment Election Commission of India

announced the election schedule for the Lok Sabha polls on Wednesday and will stay in force

till the end of the electoral process.

Here are 10 things that one needs to know about the model code of conduct

Under the code, governments cannot do anything which may have the effect of

influencing voters in favour of the party in power, and political parties and candidates

are forbidden from indulging in any corrupt practices

Before using loud speakers during their poll campaigning, candidates and political

parties must take permission or license from the local authorites. The candidates

should inform the local police for conducting election rallies to enable the police

authorities to make required security arrangements.

The contesting candidates and their campaigners must respect the home life of their

rivals and should not disturb them by holding road shows or demonstrations in front

of their houses.

The election campaign rallies and road shows must not hinder road traffic.

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The code asks the candidates to refrain from distributing liquor to voters.

The code instructs that public spaces like meeting grounds, helipads, government

guest houses and bungalows should be equally shared among the contesting

candidates. These public spaces should not be monopolised by a few candidates.

On the polling day, the code asks all party candidates to cooperate with the poll-duty

officials at the voting booths for an orderly voting process. Candidate should not

display their election symbols near and around the poll booths on the polling day. No

one should enter the booths without valid pass from the Election Commission.

The code says that there will be poll observers to whom any complaints can be

reported or submitted.

The ruling party should not use its seat of power for campaign purposes.

The ruling party ministers should not make any ad-hoc appointment of officials,

which may influence the voters in favour of the party in power.


It’s early summer, but Vijayapura is

already sweating it out, literally

Summer seems to be intense right in its initial phase this year for people in the city, with

the mercury touching 39 degrees Celsius.

The severe heat has forced people to stay indoors after 9 am. Some people are even

finding it difficult to breathe the hot air. The coolers and fans seem just not enough.

Things take a turn for the worse as night falls with the heat wave taking a toll on the

residents’ sleep. The heat, trapped in the earth during the day, rebounds into the air at

night.

Residents just roll on the floor, unable to sleep, and manage to grab a few winks only in

the early hours of the day.

“Children wake up midway, asking for water. We are worried as to how it will be as

summer progresses,” said Geetha, an employee of a private educational institution. Less

said the better about the situation in a cloudy weather as the heat only increases.

Shankar Kulkarni, technical officer of the weather forecast division of the agriculture

college at Hitnalli on the outskirts of the city, said that the temperature could touch a high

of 44 degrees Celsius. He said it may be one or two degrees Celsius more in the city

limits.

The Hitnalli station recorded the highest temperature of 43 degrees Celsius in the

last 27 years on May 12 and 19, 2010. It was 42.5 degrees Celsius on April 20, 2017,

said sources at the station. The temperatures have hovered around 40-41 degrees Celsius

during March in the district.

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Poll date leak: EC panel examines

responses

The committee set up by the Election Commission to probe leaking of poll date in

Karnataka met on Wednesday and examined responses from BJP IT cell chief, Amit

Malviya, state Congress social media in-charge Srivatsa and two TV channels.

The EC constituted the panel on Tuesday after Malviya made public the poll date for

Karnataka about 15 minutes before Chief Election Commissioner formally announced the

dates in a press meet. The polling for the Assembly elections is scheduled for May 12 and

the votes would be counted on May 15. It was later found that Srivatsa, who introduces

himself as “Karnataka Congress social media in-charge” on Twitter, also posted the date

of poll.

Some TV channels also aired the date of poll before the EC formally announced it. They

all however got the date of counting of votes wrong. Malviya wrote to the EC on Tuesday

that he had posted the dates of polling and counting only after learning it from news flash

by a national TV channel. Srivatsa too claimed that he had tweeted after watching the

news on the national TV channel.

The Editor-in-Chief of the national TV channel on Wednesday wrote to the EC that it had

“accessed the details from informed sources”. “Given that the information wasn’t entirely

accurate it is obvious it wasn’t a leak,” he wrote in response to a query by the EC.

The head (news and programme) of a Kannada TV channel responded to the EC’s query

stating it aired the poll date after it was flashed by the national TV channel. He also wrote

to the EC that another Kannada TV channel aired the poll date before his channel did so.

“We do not have any source whatsoever inside Election Commission of India who could

leak us the information before the press meet.”

The six-member panel decided to further examine the responses received and take

further action in this regard, according to a press release issued by the poll panel.

Demotions to affect 20,000 SC/ST govt

employees

The state government has ordered demotions to SC/ST employees who were promoted

through reservation under a law that the Supreme Court has struck down.

This is set to affect nearly 20,000 employees across 63 departments and 132

boards/corporations. An equal number of employees will be promoted.

In February 2017, the apex court had ordered that all consequential promotions given to

the employees belonging to SC/STs under the Karnataka Determination of Seniority

of the Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation (To the Posts in

the Civil Services of the State) Act, 2002, will be null and void. Accordingly, all

government departments were to revise the seniority list of employees.

The government had sought six months time for this, which the Supreme Court rejected

on March 20 while hearing a contempt petition. It directed immediate implementation of


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the revised seniority lists and told the chief secretary to appear before it on April 25, if its

direction is not implemented.

In a circular, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms has directed

giving effect to the revised seniority lists within the time limit set by the apex court.

Apparently, employees at the level of chief executive engineers will slip two ranks below

to become executive engineers. Most demotions will take place in the Police, Public

Works Departments and KPTCL.

If you vote, democracy wins, says

Rahul Dravid in message to Karnataka

voters

“If you all vote, democracy wins. In cricket, every player is important. Even in

democracy, all are important. I vote. You also vote,” says former Indian cricket

captain Rahul Dravid in video message to voters.

State election officials, who had announced Dravid as the ambassador and icon for the

May 12 Karnataka assembly polls to boost voter turnout, have released the 30-second

video message.

The former India captain says just as every player in cricket is important, every voter is

important in democracy.

“When everyone plays well, we can win the match. In cricket, every player is important.

Even in democracy, all are important. I vote. You also vote,” he adds. The video message

will be telecast on television channels and spread through posters and hoardings that will

be put up across state.

Dravid also pitches for ethical voting by saying, “Together, let us play a fair game. Say

yes to ethical elections.” Dravid has also been an ambassador for Bengaluru traffic police.

His message, “don’t try googlies on the road” was very popular among young bikers.

As Karnataka, TN differ on Cauvery

‘scheme,’ Centre plans plea in SC

The Centre is likely to approach the Supreme Court seeking clarification on

implementation of its verdict in the Cauvery water sharing dispute.

In view of differences between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on setting up the mechanism

to implement the highest court order, the Union Ministry of Water Resources will file a

petition in the apex court on Saturday (March 31), seeking its clarification on how to go

about it, sources told DH.


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The apex court, on February 16, directed the Centre to frame “a scheme” under Section

6A of the Inter State Water Disputes Act 1956 (Amended Act of 1980) for

implementation of the modified Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) final

order. In view of the Supreme Court order, the Water Resources Ministry prepared a Cabinet

note and sent it for the law ministry’s opinion. The ministry suggested that since the apex

court had not explained what “the scheme” is, it is better to approach the highest court

and seek its clarification to avoid future legal complications, sources said. Though the issue of setting up “a scheme” was supposed to come up before the Union

Cabinet for discussion on Wednesday, it was deferred following the opinion of the law

ministry, sources said.

As the six-week deadline fixed by the apex court for setting up “a scheme” expires on

March 29, the water resources ministry is likely to file a petition in the apex court on

March 31. In the petition, the ministry will seek clarification on the scheme and also what

it means for the two states, sources said.

It is learnt that Tamil Nadu may also file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court the

same day, saying the Centre has not implemented the court order. Karnataka and Tamil

Nadu have differed on the structure of the scheme.

While Karnataka said the Centre should set up a Cauvery Decision Implementation

Committee headed by the union water resources minister, Tamil Nadu demanded that the

Cauvery Management Board should be formed as explained in the final order of the

CWDT.

HC hears petition challenging

consumption of liquor by minors

The high court has asked the petitioner to give representation to the National

Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Excise Commissioner while

hearing a petition challenging consumption of liquor by minors.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was hearing a public

interest litigation filed by Laya Sajan Meriyanda, a minor, seeking directions to the state

government and Excise department to ensure strict compliance with the Karnataka

Excise Act, 1965, and rules made therein with regard to prohibition of sale of liquor to

minors.

The petition states that Rule 10 (1) of the Karnataka Excise Licenses (General

Conditions) Rule, 1967, specifically prohibits the sale of liquor to persons below 21

years. Further the Section 36(1)(g) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, makes it an

offence to sell or give any intoxicant to any child below the age of 18 years.

The court asked the petitioners if they had given representations regarding the same to the

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to which the petitioners replied in

the negative.


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The court further orally observed that the Commission had not been made a party to the

petition. Following this, the court asked the petitioners to make the representations to the

respective authorities and then approach the court. The matter was disposed of.


Fake news targeting Muslims:

‘Postcardnews’ owner Mahesh Hegde

held in Bengaluru

The cybercrime cell of the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru on Wednesday

arrested Mahesh Vikram Hegde, the founder of the website Postcardnews for posting a

fake news post that went viral on social media.

Hegde claimed in the video that a Jain munni was attacked by a Muslim youth near

Nanjangud and people are unsafe in the Siddaramaiah dispensation. The post was shared

more than 6,000 times.

Hegde was arrested following a complaint by Gafar Baig, a 48-year-old resident of

Whitefield, while the police are also on the lookout for the portal’s two news managers –

Gaurav Pradhan and Deepak Shetty – who were also named in the complaint.

Sleuths said Jain munni Upadhye Mayank Sagar was knocked down by a bike on March

11, following which he was treated for injuries to his right shoulder, forehead, face and

elbow.

Despite knowing that the munni had met with an accident, Hegde posted: “Very sad

news, yesterday in Karnataka Jain Muni attacked by Muslim youth… No one is safe in

Siddaramaiah’s Karnataka.”

“When news like this starts going viral, you know that elections are round the corner and

the usual suspects are rolling out their polarization strategy,” he further wrote in the post.

Hegde and Pradhan, who was caught earlier for spreading fake news, made similar claims

on Twitter, while Shetty was one of the first to share the information on Facebook.

Baig lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police, observing the post going viral.

Hegde, who is followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter, was defended by

the BJP leaders including Parliament members Pratap Simha, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and

Maheish Girri.


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Election Commission bans release of

MPLAD funds to Karnataka

With the poll schedule for Karnataka already announced, the Election Commission has

imposed restrictions on implementation of the MPs’ Local Area Development scheme in

the State.

The EC wrote to the Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer of the state, imposing a

ban on fresh release of funds for the MPLAD scheme in Karnataka. The poll panel also

banned fresh release of funds for the MLAs’ and MLCs’ Local Area Development

scheme. The ban would remain in force till the completion of the poll process, Narendra

Butolia, principal secretary to the EC, wrote to the Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha and

Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar.

The EC on Tuesday announced that polling for the state Assembly elections would be

held on May 12.

Butolia wrote to the Chief Secretary and the Chief Electoral Officer that no work under

the MPLAD or MLA or MLC LAD schemes would commence even if the work order

was issued before Tuesday. The works could start only after the completion of election

process in the middle of May.

He clarified that if a work under the MPLAD or MLA or MLC LAD scheme had actually

started on the ground before the announcement of poll schedule on Tuesday, it could

continue. Besides, the officials could also release payment for the works already

completed if they were satisfied with the quality of the works.

Karnataka was entitled to receive Rs 140 crore in 2017-18 for MPLAD scheme on

recommendation of the Lok Sabha MPs from the state.

The Centre, however, has released Rs 25 crore so far. Besides, the Centre so far released

Rs 15 crore against Karnataka’s total entitlement of Rs 60 crore for implementation of the

MPLAD scheme on recommendation of the Rajya Sabha MPs from the state, according

to a March 1 report of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

About MPLAD Scheme

The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Division is entrusted with the

responsibility of implementation of Members of Parliament Local Area Development

Scheme (MPLADS). Under the scheme, each MP has the choice to suggest to the District

Collector for works to the tune of Rs.5 Crores per annum to be taken up in his/her

constituency.

The Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament can recommend works in one or more districts

in the State from where he/she has been elected.

The Nominated Members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha may select any one or more

Districts from any one State in the Country for implementation of their choice of work

under the scheme. The Ministry has issued the guidelines on MPLADS Scheme including

implementation and monitoring of the scheme. The Department has initiated all necessary

steps to ensure that the scheme is successfully implemented in the field.


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Now, smart card to replace

International driving licence book

The Transport department is all set to replace the booklet authorising the international

driving licence (IDL) with a smart card.

People going abroad on tour or business as well as those pursuing education seek

international driving licence.

The department issues a booklet – of the size of a passport – as licence document.

Officials said since travelling abroad requires carrying many documents, the department

has decided to reduce part of the burden through the smart card. RTO officials had sent a

proposal to the transport secretary after many people suggested the smart card.

The proposal was approved recently. “We had plans to start the smart card programme

with a formal event at the end of March. Since the code of conduct is in place, we will

seek the permission of the election commission officials and start issuing the DLs,”

Transport Commissioner B Dayananda said.

He said the IDL card is part of the department’s effort to digitalise its entire operations.

“We are already issuing smart cards for driving licence and registration certificate. The

IDL smart card will be a step forward in that direction,” he said.

One-year validity

The IDL can be obtained by anyone who has a driving licence from any RTO in the state

provided the person clears the test. Visa and passport documents are required for the

application.

“The IDL helps those who choose to stay abroad and obtain a permanent DL. We are

charging Rs 1,000 for an IDL. The decision on additional charge for the smart card will

be taken depending on the demand,” he said.

RTO officials noted that the smart card will also help in preventing the menace of fake

documents.

KSTDC earns profits after 10 years

The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation(KSTDC) has made profit after a

gap of 10 years. It has recorded a profit of Rs 457 lakh during 2016-17, according to a

official press release.

The Corporation has purchased 14 new vehicles, including multi-axle, Deluxe, AC and

mini buses and this acquisition has pushed up the revenue from transport by 20%. It has

partnered with the KSRTC for launching customised package tours for people. Tours are

now being sold online, through KSRTC’c online portal- Awataar.

The occupancy of KSTDC hotels has increased from 30% to 43%. New properties were

launched at Nandi Hills and Bharachukki Falls. The press release states that the demand

for package tours went up, especially to religious places.

This year Indian Railways revised the haulage charges model from fixed charges to

revenue sharing of 56:44 between railways and KSTDC.


95



IISc students make lightweight

stretcher for bike ambulances

With more cities introducing bike ambulances, it is crucial they have lightweight

stretchers to help transport the injured or distressed patients. Now, a stretcher tailor-made

for bikes is in the making.

Two students at the Indian Institute of Science’s Centre for Product Design and

Manufacturing have developed a foldable stretcher for bike ambulances.

Designed as part of a course project by Vaibhav Goswami and Shantanu Singh, the

stretcher can be folded compactly for a single person to carry. At about five kilograms, it

is also the lightest available on the market.

“This is not made for any specific motorbike in mind and so it could fit pretty much any

bike,” said Goswami, a second-year Master of Designs student. “We’ve also made it easy

to unfold.”

Using a software, the duo determined that the stretcher – developing steel and a lighter

material aluminium for sturdiness and lightweight – can hold up to 130 kilograms. They

also like to reduce the weight by at least 1.5 kilograms.

“The stainless steel clamps at the folding points make the stretcher heavier. We’ll rework

on these joints to ensure the weight is reduced further. We’ll also replace the nylon

polyester material,” Goswami said.

They are also considering patenting the design after taking a look at the products

available in the market. “Most of them we saw weren’t made for bike ambulances. Our

idea is to make (the stretcher) easy to operate,” he said.

While other stretchers cost over Rs 8,000, the students say their product would be priced

Rs 5,000 since its production does not involve complex manufacturing or expensive

material.


96


SWR seeks poll panel’s nod for new

trains

The South Western Railways has approached the Election Commission (EC) seeking

permission to flag off new trains and inaugurate a slew of works.

Apart from a weekly express train between Mysuru and Renigunta, the railways plan to

regularise Yeshwantpur-Hubballi and Yeshwantpur-Pandharpur weekly express trains,

which are currently run on special occasions and extend the Yashwantpur-Solapur line to

Hassan.

The list of works included the inauguration of new station building at Yelahanka,

escalators at Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna station (Bengaluru City) two lifts at

Hosapete and work on new line between Tumakuru and Rayadurga.

“We were making final arrangements for the event and planned it for March 28 when the

elections were announced. Most of these works were approved and completed months

ago and are aimed at providing convenience to the public. We hope to get a green signal

from the poll panel instead of making the people wait for two more months,” a senior

official told DH on condition of anonymity.

Another official said that soon after issue of notification for new trains, election schedule

was declared and model code of conduct came into force. “Because of this reason, we

will start running trains without any formal function. No elected representative will attend

the first run of new trains in compliance with the code of conduct,” he added.

“The Bagalkot-Khajjidoni line got approval from commissioner of railway safety about

five months ago, but we couldn’t start a train on the route. There is a huge demand for the

Renigunta train, which will run via Katpadi, and the extension of train to Hassan will

reduce the congestion at Yeshwantpur. Thousands of people will be benefited if the

election commission approves our request,” the official said.

Mahesh K, a railway activist from Hosapete, said the new lifts at the station have been

powered off and aged people were still forced to climb the stairs. Lokesh T P from

Karnataka Railway Vedike said people’s convenience was more important than publicity

for the politicians. “The works should be inaugurated without involving the leaders. It is

good that officials are putting people’s interest before the formalities.”

A programme scheduled for Wednesday had to be cancelled due to model code of

conduct.

Widespread rain brings relief from

summer heat

Pre-monsoon showers across several parts of state on Friday brought relief from

sweltering heat for the residents.

Parts of Mysuru region, including Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajanagar

districts, received good rains, accompanied by lightning and hailstones.


97


Periyapatna, KR Nagar, HD Kote and Hunsur taluks of Mysuru district received copious

rain. There were reports of rain in Bandipur forests of Chamarajanagar district.

Chikkamagaluru received showers for around 45 minutes.

Heavy rains coupled with lightning, thunder and hailstones, threw normal life out of gear

in and around Kushalnagar of Kodagu district. The rain brought traffic to a grinding halt

on many key stretches. Several trees and electricity poles were uprooted disrupting power

supply.

Malur in Kolar taluk received good rain coupled with hailstone for about 30 minutes. The

showers brought relief for farmers. Several parts of the taluk have been receiving rain for

the last three days.

The rains coupled with hailstones and gusty winds played havoc in parts of Chikkaballpur

district destroying hundreds of acres of vineyard.


98


TIT-BITS

February

Name of the Sport Events Name of the Winners

SpiceJet India Open Boxing Tournament Mary Kom, Pinki Rani , Lovlina Borgohain,

Sanjeet, Manish Kaushik Clinches Gold, India

Bag 10 Medals

Highest-ranked Indian squash player in PSA

rankings

Saurav Ghosal (ranks 14 )

U-19 Cricket World Cup, in New Zealand. India defeated Australia

Maybank Golf Championship Shubhankar Sharma

India Open 2018 (Badminton) Winner : Beiwen Zhang, Runner : PV Sindhu

Senior Women Hockey champions CRPF

First Indian golfer to qualify for China LPGA

Tour

Sharmila Nicollet

world's youngest and first Asian swimmer to

complete Ocean 7 Challenge

Rohan More

Australia's Border Medal Steven Smith

13th edition of National Chess 'A'

Championship for Blind

Kishan Gangolli won

World's first robot ski competition South Korea hosted the event

8th edition of Theatre Olympics India to host Theme ‘“Flag of Friendship”.

8th Senior National Women's Hockey

Championship title

Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB)

23rd Senior Women's National Football

Championship title

Tamil Nadu

Sponsor Indian National Hockey teams for 5

years

Odisha government

First player in Champions League history to

score 100 goals for one club

Cristiano Ronaldo

First batsman ever to score 500 runs in bilateral

ODI series

Virat Kohli

Oldest world No 1 in tennis history Roger Federer

Chennai Open ATP Challenger Australia's Jordan Thompson

Rotterdam Open title Roger Federer beats Grigor Dimitrov

First Indian to take a 5-wicket haul in all three

formats in international cricket

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

60m sprint indoor world record Christian Coleman of US

First Indian to cross 900 points in ICC ODI

player rankings

Virat Kohli

5th Commonwealth Nations Bridge

Championship in Gold Coast, Australia

Indian "A" team won gold

Austrian Open International Challenge Parupalli Kashyap


99


Sources: Major Newspapers, Government websites and other websites

(badminton)

1st Indian to win individual medal at

Gymnastics World Cup

Aruna Budda

69th Strandja Memorial boxing tournament in

Bulgaria

Vikas Krishan wins gold, adjudged best boxer

New Delhi Marathon titles Gopi Thonakal and Monika Athare won titles in

the men’s and women’s category

IOA enters partnership with Edelweiss Group for 2018 CWG, Asian Games, 2020 Olympic Games

Cricket Canada announces ICC-approved T20 league “Global T20 Canada”

Indian Golfer Shubhankar becomes World No. 72, surpasses Anirban Lahiri

Jhulan Goswami 1st woman in the world to take 200 ODI wickets

First Khelo India School Games

• Mascots of Khelo India School Games were ‘Vijay the tiger’ and ‘Jaya the black buck’.

• “Aurkhelnachahtehain hum…...” was the official anthem of Khelo India School Games.

• Haryana topped the overall medal tally with 38 gold medals. Haryana was followed by

Maharashtra and Delhi with 36 and 25 Gold respectively

Winter Games held inPyeongchang, South Korea

• Motto of Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018 was “Passion Connected”

• Soohorang, a white tiger, and Bandabi, an Asiatic black bear were the official mascots for this

event.

• Norway topped the medal tally at Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018 by winning 14 Gold, 14

Silver and 11 Bronze.


100







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