Actress Ramya Barna secretly marries MLA Zameer Ahmed’s relative

Mangaluru, Apr 25: The Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) has extended vital assistance to hundreds of migrant workers, destitute and needy families during the COVID-19 crisis through its CSR fund.

The lockdown has left thousands of people including migrant workers and destitute in the district, in the lurch. MRPL, using its corporate social responsibility fund through the Dakshina Kannada district administration, has sponsored 50,000 kg rice for the benefit of these needy citizens, a company release here said.

MRPL also donated grocery kits comprising boiled rice, dal, rava, sugar and tea to the needy families in the district, it said.

Bengaluru, Apr 26: Two businessmen brothers, Tajammul Pasha and Muzammil Pasha, in Karnataka's Kolar district have set out to help people in need amid the lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic by selling their land for Rs 25 lakh.

On seeing daily wage labourers and their families in Kolar suffer during the lockdown, the brothers said they decided to sell their land and use the money to buy essentials and food grain for a large number of poor people.

The brothers also bought oil and cereals with the money. Then they set up a tent next to their house and started a community kitchen to make food for labourers and homeless people.

"Our parents died early. When we shifted to our maternal grandmother's place at  Kolar, people from communities, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims helped us survive without any religious bias," said Tajammul Pasha, visibly emotional.

The Pasha brothers are into banana cultivation and real estate. Tajammul was five and his sibling Muzammil was three when they lost their parents. They had to move from Chickbalapor to Kollar, where their grandmother lived.

"We were brought up in poverty. We survived because of the support of people of all communities and religions. We have signed the society agreement bond and handed it over to our friend who purchased our site and gave the money," the brothers said.

Once the lockdown ends and the land registrar's office opens, the remaining steps to transfer the land will be completed, they said.

So far the two brothers have supplied food grain, oil, sugar and other essentials to over 3,000 families. They have also given hand sanitizers and masks to the poor.

The Kolar administration has issued passes to their volunteers so that they can help in this difficult time.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has increased to 24,506, including 775 deaths, the Home Ministry said today, adding that 1,429 cases and 57 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

Amid a countrywide lockdown to check the spread of the highly contagious illness, which began on March 25, the government last night issued an order to allow neighbourhood shops to remain open with conditions; malls across India continue to remain shut.

Varanasi, Jan 20: An FIR has been lodged against unidentified persons for a controversial hoarding near the Varanasi railway station. It is worth mentioning here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is the MP of Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

The hoarding near the Englishiya Line crossing read, "Hindu dharma mein ghar vapasi karo... CAA, NRC se chhutkara pao (Get rid of CAA, NRC by converting to Hinduism)".

Inspector Ashutosh Ojha said that the FIR under section 295 A and 505 of IPC has been lodged.

"Investigation has been launched in the case and those involved in putting up the hoarding would be identified soon," he added.

According to sources, a lesser known outfit, Hindu Samaj Party, had placed the hoarding on the busy road.

The outfit's state Vice President Roshan Pandey had made a video viral on social media with his message in which he claimed to have put up the hoarding in response to the protest being staged at Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi.

The hoarding, which also has photographs of some Muslim women wearing saffron pagdi, was removed by the police late Saturday evening.

It came up at a time when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Smriti Irani and other leaders were in Varanasi to address a rally in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University.

Pandey, along with his supporters, had also tried to stage a sit-in at Lanka to give a call for marching to Shaheen Bagh in Delhi but was prevented by the police.

They were taken in custody and were later released following initial interrogation, said inspector Lanka, Bharat Bhushan.