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Bengaluru, Jun 27: Marijuana or ganja as it is known locally, has emerged as the most peddled and seized drug in Karnataka in the first six months of 2020, a police officer has said, commemorating the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

"As many as 510 ganja cases have been registered, leading to the seizure of 312 kg of ganja in 2020," Central Crime Branch (CCB) Deputy Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Jain told media perrsons on Friday.

Cases and seizures of other drugs paled in comparison to Marijuana. Only one case each has been registered on Brown Sugar, Opium and other drug forms.

Hashish was the only other seized narcotic which weighed more than a kg at 17 kg, rest all were under a kg.

Other banned substances included charas, cocaine and MDMA.

Police also seized 91 papers of LSD and 550 tablets belonging to the Yaba, Restyl, Anxit and Nitrosun category of drugs.

Similarly, 781 Indians and 14 foreigners have been arrested in the drugs cases.

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Director General of Police Praveen Sood and Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao were among the officials who commemorated the event which recognised police staff who cracked drug cases.

"Bommai reaffirmed the pledge to fight against drugs and continue the policy of zero tolerance (of drug abuse)," Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil said.

Police showcased the seized haul of drugs to Bommai in the past one year, and the minister later rewarded the policemen involved in cracking the drugs cases in Karnataka.

Bommai and the police officials took a pledge to fight drugs on the occasion.

"The Karnataka police has been taking strict action against the drug peddlers while at the same time creating awareness among youth," added JCP Sandeep Patil.

Police also roped in celebrities such as Milana Nagaraj, Darling Krishna and former cricketer Anil Kumble to send across a social message to give up drugs.

Udupi, Jun 20: Movement of heavy vehicles on Agumbe Ghat section was banned till October 15, following heavy rain lashing due to onset of South West Monsoon.

The Agumbe Ghat connects Shivamogga with the Udupi district. There is a possibility of landslides on either side of the Ghat road if movement of heavy vehicles is allowed during the monsoon, said Udupi DC G Jagadeesh in statement issued here on Saturday.

The movement of all heavy vehicles above 12 tonnes has been banned on the road. Till end of monsoon all the heavy vehicles have to move via Udupi-Brahmavar-Barkur-Shankaranarayana; Siddapura-Hosangady-Hulikal Ghat-Hosanagara-Theerthahalli; Udupi-Karkala-Bajagoli-S K Border-Kerekatte-Sringeri- Shivamogga.

May 11: The Karnataka government appears set to roll out red carpet welcome to foreign companies seeking to move out of China.

The State's Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said the Government plans to constitute a task force, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, to spearhead the drive to attract such investment. A proposal to this effect has been sent to the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa for approval, the Minister told PTI in an interview.

This panel would take feedback and suggestions from a consultative committee to be formed with prominent industrialists from the State and representatives of various countries located here, Shettar said.

In recent days, the Minister held consultations with industrialists such as co-founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Infosys Ltd, Nandan M Nilekani, Executive Chairperson of Biocon Ltd, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Chairman of early-stage startup accelerator and venture fund Axilor Ventures Senapathy (Kris) Gopalakrishnan to fine-tune the States outreach push.

Shettar also held interactions with industry bodies, including Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) and Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA).

Industrialists who took part in the deliberations suggested to the government to focus on ease of doing business and improving the single window clearance system for approvals, as the Minister spelt out government's intent of further improving the investment climate to attract industries to Karnataka.

To boost the industry sentiment in the State, they also stressed the need on easing land acquisition regulations, and leveraging the knowledge base of Bengaluru to promote technology-based manufacturing.

"Given the interest shown by some companies in moving their manufacturing bases out of China, the industry leaders recommended that the State government identify a target list of 100 firms to reach out to for attracting to the State, and work out a strategy to bring them to Karnataka," an Industry department official said.

The industry leaders assured cooperation from the private sector in reaching out to and facilitating interactions with CEOs of these companies.

Shettar said restrictions on acquisition of agriculture land for starting industries have now been relaxed with the passage of an amendment to the land reforms act in the recent Legislature session.

This would facilitate immediate land allotment to industries, he added.

The Minister has also submitted a proposal to the Chief Minister on relaxing labour laws.

Secretary General of industry body ASSOCHAM, Deepak Sood, told news agency recently that there is a broader consensus that the global manufacturing supply chain would be more spread than concentrated in major economies like China.

"If India comes out of the present crisis with minimum of impact, we can be the destination of choice for the global manufacturing giants in different sectors like electronics, computer hardware, pharmaceuticals, including medical devices, automobile, including components and other engineering products," Sood had said.

Gopalakrishnan, also co-founder of Infosys and former CII President, said India has to target companies which have operations in China, reach out to them, understand what their needs are and hold discussions with them.

"We have to make sure that their requirements are addressed, be it with regard to land, office space, faster approvals, and some concessions on local taxes. It depends on the businesses that the companies are in, and if we are able to respond to those requests, I think we will be able to attract them", he told news agency.

"All states will compete for this business (foreign investment)," Gopalakrishnan added.