Udupi (Karnataka):

Two children of a family died after drowning in Nandrolli Lake in this district on Saturday. The parents who tried to save them, are undergoing treatment in hospital, police said.

The victims have been identified as Dhanraj Satish (13) and Chhaya Satish (7), who were studying in a school in Vandse, they said.

The incident happened under Kollur Police station limits in Kundapur taluka in Betala village in the district.

According to the police, their parents, Sheela and Satish Madiwala, who tried to rescue them and barely survived from drowning, are in critical condition in a local hospital.

Sheela is reported to be recovering, while Sathish is under critical care. They are undergoing treatment at Kundapur Hospital.

Both children accidentally slipped and fell into the lake. The parents got into the water to rescue their children but in vain, a police official said.

Local officials of the agriculture department also rushed to the spot but could not do much, he said.

The police have registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bidar:

A clash broke out between two groups of students at an engineering college here over playing a song from actor Prabhas-starrer ‘Adipurush‘ at a cultural event on Wednesday, police sources said.

Soon after the ‘Jai Sriram’ song was played, a section of students took objection to it and clashed with another group in the Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College in Bidar.

According to sources, one student was injured in the fight inside the college auditorium.

Upon learning about the incident, police rushed to the spot.

Later, Karnataka ministers Eshwar Khandre and Rahim Khan also visited the college to diffuse the situation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Udupi (Karnataka):

A heartbreaking incident in Gopadi village, Kundapur taluk, Udupi district has exposed the vulnerability of families dealing with elderly parents and dependent children suffering from mental health issues.

On Thursday night, neighbours discovered a foul stench emanating from a house in Gopadi village. Concerned about the well-being of the residents, they attempted to contact Jayanthi Shetty, a 62-year-old woman living alone there with her 32-year-old daughter, Pragathi Shetty. However, the calls went unanswered, and they informed the police.

When the police arrived and forced open the door, they made a grim discovery.

Jayanthi Shetty had passed away three days earlier and was lying lifeless in her home.

Beside her, Pragathi Shetty, who suffers from mental illness, was found unconscious. She had spent those three days lying next to her deceased mother.

Jayanthi Shetty battled diabetes and blood pressure issues, while her daughter Pragathi also struggled with diabetes.

Pragathi’s condition had deteriorated to the point where one of her legs had been amputated months ago. The lack of proper care and support likely exacerbated her mental health condition.

Pragathi Shetty was given water to drink and immediately rushed to the hospital. Despite efforts to save her, she tragically passed away on Saturday.

A case has been registered at Kundapur police station.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding Jayanthi Shetty’s death and Pragathi’s suffering.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Four boys drowned to death while swimming in a lake in Karnataka’s Hassan district, an official said on Thursday.

The incident happened at Muttige village in Hassan district.

The victims were identified as Jeevan (13), Satvik (11), Vishwa (12), and Prithwi.

According to the police, the boys, who were playing together during summer vacation, had gone to the lake to swim.

While swimming, they attempted to catch fish in a deep section of the water and drowned.

One of the boys had first started drowning, and the other three who tried to rescue him also found a watery grave.

Ten-year-old Chirag, after seeing his friends drowning, somehow managed to swim to safety and survived.

However, by the time people rushed to the lake, the four boys had already drowned.

The bodies of two boys have been retrieved while a search was underway to trace the other two.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mangaluru:

A 26-year-old undertrial prisoner allegedly died by suicide while in judicial custody on Monday, police said.

Muhammad Noufal, hailing from Kerela, died by hanging.

According to police, he was hospitalised multiple times after displaying signs of mental depression.

He was undergoing treatment at the jail ward of Wenlock hospital here, they said.

Though he was lodged in the ward with other inmates, he managed to hang himself from the ceiling.

A case has been registered and investigation is on, they added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mangaluru:

A second year Pre-University student allegedly died by suicide at her hostel room in a private college in Moodbidri, police said on Sunday.

She was identified as C M Divya (18) from Mysuru, they said.

According to the complaint lodged with Moodbidri police station by the girl’s parents, she was struggling with health issues and was afraid that she would not score in the NEET examinations for entering professional colleges. She was supposed to take the examination on Sunday.

On late Saturday night, the hostel authorities found the student hanging from the ceiling fan in her room, police said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hubballi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday met Congress Councillor Niranjan Hiremath and assured justice for his daughter Neha who was stabbed to death inside her college campus last month.

The 23-year-old Neha, daughter of the Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, was stabbed to death by her former classmate Fayaz Khodunaik on the campus of her college in Dharwad on April 18.

The incident sparked widespread condemnation and protests.

After meeting Amit Shah, Niranjan Hiremath said that the union home minister assured them that justice would be done, and said that if needed, the case can be handed over to the CBI for further investigation.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Niranjan Hiremath said, “Today union home minister came here and we met him. I have given a memorandum to him stating about my daughter’s murder which happened on April 18. Though he is aware about the incident, I still gave him a copy of the complaint and FIR. I also gave him a request letter seeking changes in the IPC section for such incidents”.

Niranjan Hiremath urged Amit Shah to ensure that capital punishment is given in such cases.

“I urged that such cases should be completed within 90 days or 120 days and also requested him for capital punishment in such cases,” he said.

Neha’s father said that he told Amit Shah about the inquiry being conducted by the CID team and informed him that the accused in the case has been taken into custody and the investigation is underway.

“He (Amit Shah) assured me that we will get justice and also said that we are with you,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Senior Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa has sparked controversy with his recent remarks concerning the BJP nominee for Karnataka’s Davangere parliamentary seat, Gayathri Siddeshwara, wife of incumbent MP and former union minister GM Siddeshwara.

Speaking at a party workers’ meeting, Mr Shivashankarappa disparaged Ms Siddeshwara’s qualifications, claiming that she lacks the ability to address public issues effectively. 

“As you all know she wanted to give lotus flower to Modi by winning the elections. First, let them understand the problems of Davangere. We (Congress) have done developmental work in the region. It’s one thing to know how to talk, but they know only to cook in the kitchen, the opposition party doesn’t have the strength to talk in front of the public,” Mr Shivashankarappa said. 

The Congress leader, 92 and a five-time MLA from Davangere South, is the party’s oldest MLA. His daughter-in-law Prabha Mallikarjun is the Congress pick for the seat for the upcoming elections. 

In response to Mr Shivashankarappa’s comments, Gayathri Siddeshwara highlighted the strides women have made across various professions, including those traditionally dominated by men. 

“He said it in a way that we should only cook and remain in the kitchen. What profession are women not in today? We are even flying in the sky. The old man doesn’t know how much women have progressed, he doesn’t know the love with which all women cook at home for men, children and elders,” said Ms Siddeshwara.

The BJP has condemned Mr Shivashankarappa’s comments and lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India, party spokesperson Malavika Avinash said. 
 

Tiptur in Tumakuru district and Arsikere in Hassan district are the prime coconut markets in Karnataka.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Coconut growers in Karnataka are losing sleep over the continuous fall in copra prices. The prevailing price in the market, they claim, is insufficient even to meet the input cost.

In November 2022, the copra price was around ₹14,500 per quintal. The price started to fall in December 2022. For the last six months, the price has been around ₹8,000 per quintal. As of July 10, the ball copra was sold at ₹7,000 in Channarayapatna market in Hassan district, according to growers.

Ramachandra, a coconut grower from Valagerahalli in Channarayapatna taluk, tends to 500 coconut trees. “Given the cost of cultivation and human labour, farmers should get at least ₹25,000 per quintal of copra. But, human labour and the value of land are never taken into account. The prevailing price is insufficient to meet our regular expenses, forget being able to repay loans,” he said.

Coconut is grown on over 6.46 lakh hectares across Karnataka, and the production of ball copra is around 2.18 lakh metric tonnes per year. The fall in price came up for debate in the Legislature session as well. MLAs representing coconut-growing areas demanded financial incentives for growers in addition to the MSP of ₹11,750 per quintal.

H.R. Naveen Kumar, Hassan district president of Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), said the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) had stopped procuring copra. “Copra is not a seasonal crop. Growers sell copra throughout the year. Hence, the NAFED should procure copra,” he said.

In August 2022, the State Government had recommended to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices to fix a minimum support price of ₹16,730 per quintal. “This price was recommended by the Horticulture Department. The State Government should fix the price at ₹16,730 per quintal for the benefit of farmers,” he said.

The Coconut Growers’ Struggle Committee of Channarayapatna has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in support of this demand. Besides that, the committee wants the government to fix the price of copra as per the Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Commission’s report, which suggested a MSP that is 50% more than the average cost of production, announce a special package for coconut growers, and take measures to stop corruption in the procurement of copra through NAFED.

The budget has proposed a revenue surplus of ₹402 crore, breaking the trend of revenue deficit budgets for the past two years

February 17, 2023 10:08 am | Updated 02:59 pm IST

Aided by a buoyant economy, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai presented a ‘please-all’ revenue surplus budget with no tax hike on February 17, less than 100 days ahead of Assembly elections in the State. The budget outlay has, for the first time, crossed the ₹3 lakh crore mark, and is pegged at ₹3,09,182 crore, up from ₹2,65,720 lakh crore in 2022-23.

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Fiscal deficit has been reined in at ₹60,581 crore, or 2.60% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). With borrowings of ₹77,750 crore, the liabilities at the end of 2023-24 are pegged at ₹5,64,896 lakh crore, or 24.20% of GSDP, thereby satisfying all parameters of Karnataka Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2002.

The budget has proposed a revenue surplus of ₹402 crore, breaking the trend of revenue deficit budgets for the past two years, when the budgets did not comply with the Karnataka Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2002.

Also read: Ceiling for interest-free loans to farmers increased from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh

The Budget speech is also being seen as a poll pitch for the ruling BJP and an exercise in “articulating the legacy” of Mr. Bommai. CM Bommai had earlier described the Budget as a “Budget for the voiceless”, with a focus on “farmers, working class, poor, and women”, setting its political tone.

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