Karnataka cabinet portfolios announced; helpless BSY names 3 deputies

Agencies
August 27, 2019

Bengaluru, Aug 26: It took more than three weeks for the Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa - who took oath on July 26 -- to name his cabinet members. It took another six days to decide on the portfolios for the 16 men and one woman who joined the cabinet. The list of ministers announced on Monday evening showed that the state will have no fewer than three deputy chief ministers -- Govind Karjol, Dr Ashwath Narayan and Laxman Savadi.

Mr Karjol has been assigned the PWD and social welfare ministries too. Dr Ashwath Narayan, very prominent at the time of the collapse of the coalition government of the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy, has been given the portfolios of higher education, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology. The Infotech and biotech portfolio is considered high profile, given Karnataka's position as a leader in India's IT space.

Laxman Savadi has been given the transport portfolio. The home department goes to Basavaraj Bommai.

Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar has got the industries portfolio, while Suresh Kumar, a former law minister of the state, will be in charge of primary and secondary education. C T Ravi, known for his right-wing views, is in charge of Tourism, Kannada and Culture.

The only woman in the cabinet, Jolle Shashikala Annasaheb, has been given the Women and Child Development portfolio.

For now, Chief Minister Yediyurappa will keep all unallocated portfolios.

The cabinet expansion has seen ruffled feathers among BJP leaders, who were left out of the first list. Some have openly been critical.

For Mr Yeddiyurappa, the other challenge is to keep the hopes of a cabinet berth alive for 17 disqualified MLAs who effectively brought down the coalition government. The MLAs are seen as expecting a reward in the form of cabinet posts should they win their case against disqualification in the Supreme Court. The 16 vacant berths hold out hope for them.

For a month, during which the parts of the state suffered devastating floods, Mr Yediyurappa ran a "one-man cabinet". It drew stinging criticism from the opposition Congress which accused him of incompetence.

Mr Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular tweeted: "@BSYBJP While the state is reeling under severe floods, you've not formed the cabinet yet,& on a selfish trip to Delhi. Do you get sadistic pleasure by seeing lakhs of people in distress? Is this why you toppled a perfectly functioning govt? To see people suffer? Shame on you!"

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News Network
January 25,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 25: The local police will provide security for Sri Nijagunananda Swami and his Kittur Nishkal Mantapa Mutt following a letter containing a threat to his life that was received on Friday.

The letter, containing the names of 15 liberal thinkers and activists, was circulated widely on social media and shown on some Kannada TV channels. The letter is addressed to the seer, and it condemns his lectures where he speaks in favour of liberal values.

“The decision to eliminate you will be taken on January 21. You will be eliminated, along with 15 of your followers and people who think like you,” the letter said. 

Among those threatened are Nidumamidi Channammalla Swami, Jnyana Prakash Swami, the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, actors Prakash Raj and Chetan Kumar, writer Chandrashekar Patil, Brinda Karat of the CPI(M) and writer K.S. Bhagavan.

It is not the first time that the seer is getting such threats. Two years ago, Belagavi Police had provided security to the seer following threats to his life. Last year, he got a phone call from a person from Shivamogga district. But the seer did not bother to complain.

This time, the district police will seek a written complaint from the seer. “We will assess the threat perception and the security levels. Adequate security will be provided,” the police said.

The seer is now camping in Jewargi in Kalaburagi district. “We have intimated the Kalaburagi Superintendent of Police of the need for immediate security arrangements. We will take steps to provide adequate security to him once he arrives in Belagavi district,” Superintendent of Police Lakshman Nimbaragi said.

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News Network
February 1,2020

Mangaluru, Feb 2: A video of a woman rescuing a dog from a well in Mangaluru has gone viral on social media. The dog fell inside the well accidentally and the woman rushed to the spot to rescue it. The two minute seven second video has been shared on Twitter by a user, Mauna, and has ever since been viewed over 15,000 times.

The woman climbed down the well as other people attached a rope to her body during the rescue mission. Another rope was then thrown to her and she tied it around the dog after which it was pulled outside. The woman, thereafter, climbed outside the well with much difficulty.

"Bless the lady who saved the Dog," the user captioned the post.

Watch the video here:

 

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News Network
August 6,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 5: A red alert has been issued in several districts in Karnataka due to heavy rainfall in the state since last two-three days, the India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday.

"Red alert has been announced in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Chickamagalur, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Hassan, due to heavy rainfall in the region from last two-three days," CS Patil, Director, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Bengaluru said.

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