Govt to bear Rs 78 cr cost of 108-ft-tall Kempegowda statue outside Airport: DyCM

Mumbai, Mar 26 : A 28-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his younger brother for stepping out of their home during the COVID-19 lockdown in the western suburb of Kandivali, police said on Thursday.Rajesh Laxmi Thakur killed his younger brother Durgesh after the latter stepped out of the house despite repeated warnings about the lockdown on Wednesday night, an official from Samta Nagar police station said.

The deceased, who was working in a private firm in Pune, had returned home following the coronavirus scare, he said.When Durgesh got back home after his outing, the accused and his wife shouted at him and a heated argument ensued, following which the accused attacked him with a sharp object, the official said.The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, he said, adding that a case of murder has been registered against the accused.

Bengaluru, Apr 17: Karnataka on Thursday inked an agreement with the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar-led Art of Living to rejuvenate water sources and improve groundwater recharge in nine districts.

Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister KS Eshwarappa held talks with Ravi Shankar on the project. The partnership seeks to take up works through funds available under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

The project proposes to take up works in Shivamogga, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Chitradurga, Ballari, Kolar, Yadgir, Kodagu and Tumakuru districts. Under NREGA, works such as construction of check dams, construction of contours, bunds and so on will be commissioned.

Bengaluru, Jul 18: Bringing a major change in the  administration of Bengaluru, which has emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot, the state government on Saturday transferred B H Anil Kumar out of the BBMP and brought N Manjunath Prasad to take his place. 

Manjunath Prasad, who headed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) before being replaced by Kumar, will take over with immediate effect. The government has also placed him in concurrent charge of the Revenue Department as well as the Disaster Management, Bhoomi and UPOR.

Kumar, an Additional Chief Secretary, has been put in a place where earlier a secretary was posted. He now heads the Department of Public Enterprises. The posting would have brought him two spots down had it not been for the government upgrading it to the level of additional chief secretary. 

Anil Kumar, who was earlier praised for his work to contain the coronavirus pandemic, had faced criticism by the High Court of Karnataka for the BBMP's failure to help people in containment zones as well as other issues on the spread of the pandemic. 

Sources in the government said, pressure has been building up against Anil Kumar over the last two months after most of the Bengaluru MLAs complained to the chief minister's office.

"No MLA backed him. Everyone had a problem," a source said. 

Things came to the head with regard to a Rs 436 crore project given to KRIDL. "The issue reached the chief minister's office as all the MLAs took an issue with the way the project was awarded," a source said. 

Another source said that Kumar came under fire after a central team flagged the issue of failing Covid-19 surveillance measures in Bengaluru. The central team's criticism, it is widely believed in the government, came as the last straw.