Joshi calls Siddaramaiah a ‘Mullah’, slams IGP who averted riots in coastal Karnataka

Bengaluru, May 9: The Karnataka government may not extend the daily working hours from 8 to 12, with Labour Minister A Shivaram Hebbar saying on Saturday that the move would neither benefit the industries nor workers.

Hebbar said that the proposal has not been discussed and it may come for final deliberations next week. He also noted that some States have already extended the working hours. More than extending working hours, there should be employment to be given. If there are no jobs what can be done by extending working hours? If it is done (working hours extended to 12 hours), it would neither benefit workers nor industries. Let's see what happens, he said.

Asked if the government was in favour of the extension, he said, "I don't think it will be ready for the (12 hour) proposal." Meanwhile, the Minister also said that their top priority now was to see that all MSMEs start operating again, salaries are paid to employees and there are no job losses for any reason. If industries don't reopen, how can workers get their employment? We should think in parallel, Hebbar said adding, the government was keeping the interests of both MSMEs and workers in mind.

He urged the Centre to offer a relief package to the MSME sector, saying it is facing very difficult times due to the adverse impact of the COVID-19-induced lockdown, and also noting its role in generating large-scale employment and feeding large industries.

The BJP-led government has done whatever within its limitations to help the MSMEs, he said. Earlier this week, the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced that the monthly fixed charges of electricity bills of MSMEs would be waived for two months. MSMEs have suffered huge production losses due to the lockdown. It takes some time for them to revive, Yediyurappa had said. The Chief Minister had also said payment of fixed charges in the electricity bills of the large industries will be deferred without penalty and interest for a period of two months.

Hubballi, Jan 30: Seeking to disabuse people of the notion that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), recently passed by the BJP-led central government threatened the legitimacy of Muslims in the country, yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Wednesday said that he would among the first to take to the streets should the community face any such trouble. “If the National Register of Citizens (NRC) threatens injustice to Indian Muslims, it I not just I, but a billion Indians will protest against its implementation,” he added.

Recalling his longstanding association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ramdev said, “I have known Modi for more than 15 years, and I can assure you that he cannot be called anti-Muslim. There is nothing in the CAA that threatens the rights of Muslims, some of whom are being misled by a few.”

The yoga guru said that, while 99% of the Muslims in India were patriotic, the remaining ones were seeking to divide the country, which he said was resulting in Islam falling into disgrace. “I appeal to all Muslims to keep away from such anti-national forces seeking to bring a bad name to Islam,” said Ramdev, calling on the people to stay united in the face of the severe economic crisis that the country was presently in the grips of.

He added that he was as committed to his goal of getting black money back to India. However, when quizzed by journalists as to how long he was willing to wait for PM Modi to realise this objective, Ramdev said, “Chodi, mere aur Modi ke beech jagada mat lao (Please do not incite a fight between Modi and me).”

The yoga guru also endorsed the decision of the Centre to recognise singer Adnan Sami with a Padma award.

Bengaluru, Jan 22: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa has urged the business community to focus on industries that are farmers and job-oriented and promised that his government would provide all the assistance it can in setting up these industries.

“My government will go the extra mile to facilitate industries that help farmers and provide jobs for youths,” Yediyurappa said during a meeting with several investors and entrepreneurs on the first day of the World Economic Forum, which brings global industry players and government representatives face- to-face, in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday.

The chief minister met representatives of 2000 Watt Smart Cities Association, which is represented by sustainability professionals of Nuesch Development, a Swiss Company, and ReNew Power. Both made presentations of their projects to the state delegation.

Yediyurappa appeared impressed by the 2000 Watt’s food processing clusters (development of modern infrastructure and common facilities) projects in rural areas. While presenting their concept, company representatives said they are willing to invest in food clusters, which can provide a better remunerative price for farm produce.

“We will provide all assistance and scientific farming techniques to grow healthy food and market them with added value to the produce,” said Andreas Binkert, scientist and academician, 2000 Watts.

Madhav Bhagwat, CEO of Nuesch Development India, told the Karnataka delegation that the company specialises in carbon-neutral smart township development projects and it has already signed an MoU with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

ReNew Power delegates expressed interest in setting up solar power plants in North Karnataka districts like Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Koppal and Raichur. Samanth Sinha, CEO, ReNew Power, urged the Karnataka government to remove bureaucratic and legal bottlenecks in acquisition of land.

Industries minister Jagadish Shettar and chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar among others were present at the meeting.

Yediyurappa and members of the state’s delegation attended US president Donald Trump’s address at the meet. Union minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goel and Union minister of state for shipping Mansukh Mandaviya were also present in the audience.