15 Disqualified Congress-JD(S) Karnataka MLAs formally join BJP

Mangaluru, Jan 9: Customs officials seized 1.575 kg gold, worth about, Rs 63 lakh from three passengers who arrived from Dubai here at Mangalore International Airport on Thursday.

Official sources said that in the first incident, three days back gold weighing 336.7 grams was found in possession of an inbound air passenger. The passenger who arrived by Air India flight from Dubai had concealed the gold in his socks. The value of the seized gold is estimated to be Rs 13.43 lakh.

In the other two instances that took place on January 7, gold weighing 1239 gram and worth about Rs 50.3 lakh was confiscated from two passengers who arrived from Dubai by Air India flight. One of the passengers had attempted to smuggle 523 gram gold in paste form.

Bengaluru, Mar 5: At 11 am on Friday, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will present the State Budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal. Coming at a time when the state is facing financial challenges, the budget is expected to have minor tax shocks for citizens, while making space for big-ticket allocations to the agriculture and water resources ministries. Thursday's budget will be Yediyurappa’s seventh.

“Agriculture is our primary focus. The recent gazette notification of the Mahadayi tribunal order is a welcome move for Karnataka and we will make budgetary allocations for this too,” the CM had said.

The cut back in devolution of funds for Karnataka from the divisible pool, trimming of funds from the Union Government for Centrally-sponsored schemes and tax collections falling short of revenue targets have made matters tough for Yediyurappa. The consolation may be the part payment of one installment of GST compensation from the Centre. The GST compensation, in part for the October-November period, was released to the state in time for tabling of the budget.

Bengaluru, Jan 21: Controversial Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan will remain in state-syllabus textbooks in the next academic year (2020-21) too. But the government will form another committee to look at the subject afresh.

"Efforts are on to give textbooks and uniforms the day schools open next academic year. After a discussion with the CM, we decided to not make any changes in the textbooks for the upcoming academic year,"said primary and secondary education minister S Suresh Kumar.

No political angle, says minister

However, we will form a committee to look into it again,” said the minister.

Three months ago, Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan had written to the minister seeking removal of contents on Tipu Sultan from Karnataka state syllabus books of classes 6,7 and 10. The minister said: “Appachu Ranjan is a five-time MLA. When he sent a letter, it’s my duty to seek an opinion on it. There’s no political angle here.”