CBI raids on ex-cop: 'No reason to panic,' says Kumaraswamy

Agencies
September 26, 2019

Bengaluru, Sept 26: As the CBI raided the office and residence of former Bengaluru police commissioner Alok Kumar on Thursday in connection with a phone tapping case, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said he is not worried as he has no connection with the matter.

"Let them raid whoever they want to. Why are you asking me? How am I connected to it?" Kumaraswamy told reporters in reaction to the raids on Kumar.

When it was pointed out that the searches pertained to phone tapping during his tenure as chief minister, Kumaraswamy said, "Everybody does it during their tenure.

If they investigate how the phone tapping happened in the past, then why should I be worried about it?"

Kumaraswamy said he has no reason to get worried because he has no connection with the matter.

To a question that the CBI may question him, the JDS leader said "Let them come. As per the law of the land, anyone can be questioned and investigated. Why should I panic?"

CBI sleuths on Thursday morning swooped down on the residence and office of Alok Kumar.

Police said about 20 CBI officials reached Kumar's residence at Adugodi and questioned him. They reportedly looked for some pen drive and computers.

While confirming the raids, a CBI officer declined to divulge details.

The Karnataka government handed over the phone tapping case to the CBI after a few MLAs alleged that their phone calls were intercepted.

A few police officers too complained that their phones were tapped including the present Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao.

As the BJP government came to power, it removed Alok Kumar as the commissioner of police (COP) and appointed Rao in his place.

Days later, an audio clip went viral containing a purported conversation between Rao and a middleman where the former was allegedly lobbying for the post of Bengaluru police commissioner.

Taking a serious note of it, Rao complained to the director general of police Neelamani M Raju who ordered an inquiry led by joint commissioner of police (crime) Sandeep Patil in mid-August.

Chief minister BS Yediyurappa ordered an inquiry by CBI which took up the case on August 31.

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coastaldigest.com news network
June 24,2020

Mangaluru/Udupi, Jun 24: Dakshina Kannada reported 12 new coronavirus positive cases where as neighbouring Udupi district reported 14 new cases today. Dakshina Kannada also reported a covid related death. 

Among the 12 cases in DK, 8 are males and 4 females. Four among them had recently come from Sharjah. One is suffering from severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and seven with influenza like illness (ILI) symptoms.

In Udupi, there were two children among 14 people who tested positive today. There are 8 males and 6 females. Nine are Maharashtra returnees, one has travelled from Bengaluru, three have contracted infection from P-3851, and the source of infection of one more patient is being traced.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 4: CM BS Yediyurappa may reconsider plans to hike taxes and curtail populist schemes in his budget on Thursday as the Centre released part of GST compensation it owes the state. Officials said the Centre released the first instalment of the bimonthly compensation for October-November amounting to Rs 2,013 crore.

"This is welcome relief as the government has been scrambling to mobilise funds," said BT Manohar, member of GST consultative committee, government of Karnataka. The second instalment of Rs 1,523 crore is also expected to be released soon.

The CM, in his seventh budget, is expected keep the focus firmly on farmers and give top priority to irrigation, agriculture and welfare schemes.

The irrigation sector is expected to land the lion's share with an allocation of at least Rs 25,000 crore, followed by agriculture. Former CM Kumaraswamy had allocated over Rs 17,000 crore for water resources.

The bulk of funds is likely to go to the Upper Krishna (UKP) and Upper Bhadra projects, as it will help backward Kalyana Karnataka and central Karnataka regions. The two are also significant political blocs. The government will also seek assistance from the Centre for the UKP project in the erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which enjoys special status under the Constitution owing to its backwardness. P4

Yediyurappa is also expected to spell out populist schemes for the poor.

Former CM HD Kumaraswamy had allocated Rs 17,212 crore in the previous budget for water resources and Yediyurappa is likely to go well beyond that figure. "Priority will be given to irrigation and farmers," Yediyurappa had said recently. "I am making efforts to present a budget within the financial constraints."

he amounts are released once every two months, but the Centre had fallen behind on payments. PX

"There are indications that another payment will be made."

The state's optimism stems from the fact that the Centre's GST collection crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore-mark for four successive months till February.

However, the CM could still hike tax rates marginally. At a pre-budget meet on resource mobilisation where Yediyurappa is learnt to have expressed willingness to borrow funds, officials from the finance department advocated raising tax rates instead.

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News Network
May 12,2020

Bengaluru, May 12: People returning to Karnataka from other states will have to remain in quarantine">institutional quarantine even if they are asymptomatic, according to Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka

"All persons returning to Karnataka from any State, symptomatic or asymptomatic shall be kept in quarantine">institutional quarantine," read an order issued by the State Health and Family Welfare Services.

It further read, "For persons claiming to come from Goa, Deputy Commissioner of receiving district should verify and in the event of adequate capacity not being available, can put them in home quarantine for a period of 14 days, if the claim regarding the origin state is confirmed."

"Deputy Commissioner/Special Commissioner, BBMP will fix the rates for hotels where such returnees will be staying on a payment basis," the statement read.

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