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Seminar to mark 82nd birth day of George Fernandes

[email protected] (CD Network)
May 27, 2012

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Mangalore, May 25: A seminar on former Union minister George Mathew Fernandes will be organised on June 4 in the city to mark his 82nd birth day.

A press release issued by George Fernandes Vichara Vedike of Janata Dal (United) stated that the contributions of Mr Fernades towards the country in general and Dakshina Kannada district in particular would be discussed in the programme that would commence at 4:00 pm at Town Hall, here.

As a trade unionist, politician, journalist, agriculturist, member of Rajya Sabha, minister the contributions of coastal based Mr Fernandes were memorable, said the release.

Mr Fernandes, who is currently suffering from Alzheimer's, was a key member of the JD(U), and was the founder of the Samata Party. He had held several ministerial portfolios including communications, industry, railways, and defence, and was the only Christian minister in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet.

A native of Mangalore, Mr Fernandes was sent to Bangalore in 1946 to be trained as a priest. He moved to Bombay in 1949, and joined the socialist trade union movement. As a fiery trade union leader, he organised many strikes and bundhs in Bombay in the 1950s and 1960s. The most notable agitation he organised was the 1974 Railway strike, when he was President of the All India Railwaymen's Federation. He went underground during the Emergency era (1975), as he took on Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for imposing a state of emergency, but was arrested in 1976, and tried in the infamous Baroda dynamite case.

After Emergency was lifted, he won the Muzaffarpur seat in Bihar in 1977, and was appointed the Union Minister for Industries. During his tenure as union minister, he ordered American multinationals IBM and Coca Cola to leave the country, due to investment violations. He was the driving force behind the Konkan Railway project during his tenure as railway minister from 1989 to 1990.

He was a defence minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government (1998–2004), when the Kargil War broke out between India and Pakistan, and India conducted its nuclear tests at Pokhran. Though a veteran socialist, Mr Fernandes has been dogged by various controversies like the Barak Missile scandal, and Tehelka Scandal.

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 4,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 4: In the wake of mounting coronavirus cases in Dakshina Kannada, all jewellery shops district will be closed for five days from July 5 to July 9.

The decision was taken by the Dakshina Kannada district unit of Jewellers’ Association.

All the jewellery shops including corporate jewellery shops in Manglauru and other parts of district will remain closed for five days, a media release said.

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News Network
April 14,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 14: Karnataka Labour Department has issued an order instructing public and private establishments not to cut salaries or lay off employees during the lockdown imposed to counter Coronavirus.

In view of Covid-19, there may be incidents where services of employees or workers may be dispensed with on the pretext of the disease or employees may be forced to go on leave without pay, the Ministry of Labour and Employment said.

Legal action will be initiated if any establishment violates this advisory, Labour Department Secretary P Manivannan said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

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News Network
July 19,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 19: A man protested in front of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's residence on Saturday alleging lack of medical care claimed the life of his one-month-old infant girl, police said on Saturday.

Venkatesh sat with the baby's photograph in front of the Chief Minister's house, saying the girl developed health issues on July 11 and he rushed her to a hospital, but it turned him away, the police said.

He said he had approached about a dozen hospitals and all of them refused to provide the baby any medical care. Eventually, the baby died.

This forced Venkatesh to hold a protest to draw the Chief Minister's attention to the issue, the police said.

The demonstration drew public attention and a few people joined him in the protest, they said.

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