Bengaluru:

Lokayukta sleuths on Thursday conducted raids at 56 places across the state and found that 11 government officers and engineers had amassed assets worth Rs 45.14 crore that are disproportionate to their known sources of income, the office of the Lokayukta said.

In an early morning operation, about 100 officials carried out simultaneous raids in nine districts against government officers who allegedly accumulated disproportionate assets (DA).

The superintendents of the districts supervised the raids and carried out searches in 56 locations.

The officers who were raided include Assistant Executive Engineer in Panchayat Raj Engineering Department in Belagavi, D Mahadev Bannur; Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited Executive Engineer DH Umesh; Assistant Executive Engineer at BESCOM Vigilance Police Station in Davangere, MS Prabhakar; Belagavi Nirmiti Kendra Project Director Shekhar Gouda Kuradgi; Retired PWD Chief Engineer M Ravindra; and PWD Chief Engineer KG Jagadeesh, a statement issued by the Lokayukta said.

The other officers are retired Executive Engineer of the Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Division Mandya, S Shivaraju; Harohalli Tahsildar in Ramanagara. Vijayanna; Superintending Engineer in Irrigation Department, Mahesh K; Panchayat secretary N M Jagadeesh; and Mahadevapura Revenue Officer Division of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Basavaraj Magi.

According to the Lokayukta office, Shekhar Gouda Kuradgi was found to be in possession of the highest amount of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income — worth Rs 7.88 crore — among those raided on Thursday.

Officers found having DA above Rs 5 crore are Umesh, Ravindra, KG Jagadeesh and Shivaraju, it added.

In all, the 11 officers were found to be in possession of Rs 45.14 crore worth DA, the statement said. 

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

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) should be “ashamed” for issuing a notice to the state government in connection with the alleged diversion of funds meant for SC/STs.

The deputy chief minister said that there is nothing wrong with using the SCSP (Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan) and TSP (Tribal Sub Plan) funds for guarantee schemes.

“After Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka is the only state in the entire country that has brought a law to allocate and use separate funds for the welfare of SC/STs. If the National Commission issues a notice, it should be directed to the Central government. Our government is utilising these funds for the welfare of Scheduled Castes,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has sought a detailed report from the Karnataka government within seven days regarding the utilisation of funds meant for the welfare of the Scheduled Caste and Tribe.

Joint Secretary Rajeev Kumar Tiwari of the commission said that suo-moto cognizance has been taken by the commission following the media report on the utilisation of SC/ST funds to welfare schemes.

“The Karnataka government decided to utilise funds allocated under the Karnataka Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) for implementing five guarantee schemes,” the commission said.

It said that the government of Karnataka has taken the decision to divert Rs 14,730.53 crore from SCSP and TSP allocation to guarantee schemes.

New Delhi:

The Karnataka government on Monday prohibited the use of artificial colouring agents in the preparation of vegetarian, chicken and fish kebabs in the state, saying it can have a serious impact on the health of the public.

Announcing the decision on X (formerly Twitter), state’s health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the food vendors violating the rule will be dealt with “serious action” including seven years of jail time and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakhs.

“Artificial colors are harmful to the body and can cause adverse health effects,” he said.

Considering the safety of our citizens, Karnataka Government has banned the usage of artificial colors in Veg, Chicken and Fish Kebabs.

Recently, 39 samples of Kebabs were subjected to tests in the laboratory and 8 variants of kebabs were found to have harmful artificial colors… pic.twitter.com/0N1EmVNQCM

— Dinesh Gundu Rao/ದಿನೇಶ್ ಗುಂಡೂರಾವ್ (@dineshgrao) June 24, 2024

Karnataka’s Food Safety and Standards Department had received various complaints that eateries across the state were using artificial colours in kebabs. The department then tested 39 samples of kebabs in the laboratories and found that as many as eight of them were unsafe due to the usage of artificial colour.

Sunset Yellow was found in seven samples while Sunset Yellow and Carmoisine were found in another sample.

The use of any artificial colours in the preparation of kebabs is not permitted under rule 16 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. 

Earlier in March, the state government prohibited the usage of artificial colours in ‘Gobi Manchurian’ and ‘Cotton Candy’ as their usage causes adverse effects on public health, especially children.

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.)

SkyServe, a Bengaluru-based space tech and edge computing technology company, has announced that it has successfully achieved Smart Earth Imaging in orbit.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Bengaluru-based space tech and edge computing technology company SkyServe has announced that it has successfully achieved Smart Earth Imaging in orbit.

In mid-April, SkyServe collaborated with space logistics company D-Orbit to uplink and test STORM, their edge computing software stack, on a satellite launched by SpaceX in January 2022.

Within seconds of capturing a vast area over the Egypt-Sinai peninsula, STORM performed a range of intelligent tasks on the satellite itself, including correcting errors in the imagery, detecting and removing cloud and water cover, and identifying vegetation. Following these onboard optimisations, STORM transmitted memory-efficient imaging by 5X back to earth.

The company said STORM signifies a paradigm shift, empowering satellites to perform well beyond their original functionalities. The edge computing stack delivers near-real-time insights for customer applications, optimising for specific use cases on demand, enabling a dynamic and responsive approach to earth observation.

“We’re essentially creating the iPhone moment for earth observation. Just like smartphones revolutionized data accessibility and enhanced user engagement, STORM hosts and enables geospatial applications with edge tasking and data processing, unlocking a vast array of use cases from space,” said Vinay Simha, SkyServe’s co-founder and CEO.

“We can programme the satellites to identify wildfires while flying over regions like Australia and monitor water resources when they are positioned over Bengaluru,” said Vishesh Vatsal, SkyServe’s co-founder and CTO. Later this year, SkyServe is gearing up for Mission K2 scheduled for launch aboard ISRO’s PSLV C59.

New Delhi:

The Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka is gearing up for a three-way battle with children of former Chief Ministers and a veteran leader in the fray.

BJP has fielded sitting MP BY Raghvendra, son of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and brother of party state chief BY Vijayendra. While Congress has fielded Geetha Shivarajkumar in the seat. She is the daughter of former Chief Minister late S Bangarappa, sister of state Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa and wife of Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar.

Setting the stage for a triangular fight, BJP rebel leader KS Eshwarappa is contesting as an independent in the seat. Mr Eshwarappa was expelled from the BJP for six years following his decision to contest as an independent. The veteran leader has represented Shivamogga assembly five times.

The Shimoga has been witnessing the face-off between the two political families of Yediyurappa and Bangarappa since 2009. The constituency has favoured both BJP and Congress multiple times in the past.

In the 2019 general elections, Raghavendra defeated Madhu Bangarappa, who represented JD(S) then, by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. In the 2018 byelection also, Raghavendra and Madhu came face-to-face. In the 2014 general elections, Mr Yediyurappa defeated Geetha Shivarajkumar. Mr Raghavendra became Shimoga MP first time in 2009 defeating Mr Bangarappa. Mr Bangarappa has won the seat four times representing different parties in the past.

When Mr Raghavendra is seeking re-election and a third term banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image, Geetha Shivarjkumar is holding onto the Congress Nyay guarantees and the state government’s popularity.

Both BJP and Congress are keen on establishing dominance in Shimoga with PM Modi himself on the ground campaigning for Raghavendra while actor Shivarajkumar is actively participating in roadshows and rallies campaigning for Geetha.

The key issues debated in the constituency include disturbances between different communities in the region, environmental conservation, need for better educational facilities and job opportunities among others.

The voting in Shimoga will be held on May 7 in the third phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections along with 13 other seats in Karnataka. Karnataka sends 28 MPs to the Lower House. Polling in 14 seats was held on April 26 in the second phase. The counting will be held on June 4.

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

New Delhi:

Karnataka government has urged the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to seek other nations help to trace JDS leader Prajwal Revanna, who is accused of allegedly raping multiple women.

Revanna, the grandson of former prime minister Deve Gowda, left the country after videos showing him allegedly harassing women surfaced on social media, triggering a huge row in the middle of the general election.

Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging him to extend all possible help to the victims in the case.

“I request you to kindly extend all possible support to the victims,” Mr Gandhi said in his letter.

The scandal involves explicit videos that were allegedly shot by the MP and were circulated widely in the Hassan constituency.

This was followed up by a woman filing a police case against Prajwal Revanna, accusing him of sexual assault. She alleged she had been sexually abused multiple times between 2019 and 2022.

The complainant also claimed that Prajwal Revanna misbehaved with her daughter over a video call and had “vulgar conversations” with her.

New Delhi:

On April 29, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held public meetings in Karnataka’s Davanagere and Belagavi as part of his campaign for the 2024 general elections.

A clip from his speech at these meetings went viral, with allegations that the Prime Minister called the people of Karnataka “sinners” who should be punished this election. 

In the clip, PM Modi is heard saying in Hindi, “You should punish these ‘people of Karnataka’ for the sins they have committed in this election. And Modi also gives you a guarantee in the coming years…”

This clip (archived here) has been widely shared on social media with captions such as, “Just because Kannadigas voted out BJP, PM Modi thinks that Kannadigas have committed a sin. Why does he hate Kannadigas?”

The official X account of Kerala Congress posted (archived here), “Modi has clearly lost it. He is scoring goal after goal in his own post. He has now called the people of Karnataka sinners. Karnataka is known to respond to such insults with a tight slap! BJP will be wiped out in the state.”

Gaurav Pandhi, an AICC (All India Congress Committee) coordinator at the office of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, captioned the video (archived here) as, “Just because the people of Karnataka voted against the BJP, PM Modi thinks they have committed a sin (Karnataka walon ne paap kiya hai).”

Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar, wrote in Kannada on X (archived here), “Is this statement of Prime Minister Modi an embarrassment of the defeat in the Assembly elections? Or is it the frustration that Kannadigas are rejecting the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections?”

What are the facts?

We found the complete speech from April 28, streamed live on PM Modi’s official YouTube channel and captioned: ‘PM Modi Live | Public meeting in Belagavi, Karnataka | Lok Sabha Election 2024.’ While PM Modi did make this statement at the 32:00 timestamp of the video, the context in which the clip is being shared is misleading.

What’s the actual context? 

During his speech, from around 29:00 onwards in the video, PM Modi spoke about the various benefits enjoyed by Indian farmers under the BJP’s rule before criticising the Karnataka Congress government around the 31:04 mark. He claimed that “the betrayal that Congress has done to the farmers ‘here’ is a big sin”. Clearly, by ‘here’, the PM was referring to Karnataka.

He said, “When the BJP ruled here, Rs 10,000 used to be deposited in the farmers’ accounts. The Congress stopped giving Rs 4,000 just after coming to power. After they managed to secure their vote, they stopped caring about the farmers and their work. The remaining Rs 6,000 is what the Modi government sends, which the farmers receive. They deducted the part of the money given here.” He further assured that farmers would continue receiving money from PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Referring to the above, PM Modi said, “You should punish these Karnataka people for the sins they have committed in this election, and Modi gives you a guarantee that whatever is sent from Delhi will continue in the coming years.”

It becomes clear that PM Modi was criticizing the Congress government in Karnataka when he referred to them as ‘Karnataka walon’, when the entire part of the speech following 31:00 is read as a whole for the correct context.

A Deccan Herald report from August 10, 2023, titled ‘Resume annual payments of Rs 4,000 to farmers: BJP to Karnataka govt,’ further confirms that PM Modi was talking about Karnataka when he was referring to ‘Congress stopping Rs 4,000 to farmers’. The report confirmed that the topic was a long-standing criticism of the Congress government in Karnataka by the BJP.

The transcript of the speech, available on PM Modi’s website, corroborates this. It reads, “These Congress individuals should be punished for the sins they have committed in this election.”

What is Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi?

PM Kisan is a Central Sector scheme that the Government of India fully funds. It’s designed to supplement the financial needs of the Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) by helping them procure various inputs. This ensures optimal crop health and yields that align with the expected farm income at the end of each crop cycle. On February 28, Modi released the 16th installment of the PM KISAN scheme.

The verdict

This clip from PM Modi’s speech in Belagavi has been selectively edited and circulated without context, leading us to mark the claim as misleading. Although the viral clip is unaltered and PM Modi did say the exact words, it’s being shared with a misleading interpretation that he was referring to the people of Karnataka instead of the Congress government in the state.

Bengaluru:

Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna, an accused in the alleged sex video scandal, will be asked to return to India by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), said Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Monday.

Speaking to media persons, Mr Parameshwara said that an SIT probe would be complete soon and a report is submitted within 10 to 15 days in such cases.

“In this case, the directions have been given on the time frame to the investigation officers. If not for the time frame, the probe will be conducted for years,” he added.

The Home Minister said that an investigation would be conducted and action would be initiated against all the accused mentioned by the victims in the complaint.

“Based on the complaint to the Karnataka State Commission for Women, the state government has formed the SIT led by senior IPS officer B.K. Singh. Two women Superintendents of Police are also part of the team,” he added.

“The state government will not interfere in the probe, it is left to the probe agency to take it forward. The Investigating Officers will take the pen drives containing alleged sex videos which will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for verification. The evidence needed to be collected.”

“According to official information, the main accused Prajwal Revanna had travelled to a foreign country, he will be called back to India by the SIT,” Mr Parameshwara said.

The investigation would be conducted against JD(S) MLA H.D. Revanna against whom the complaint of sexual harassment is lodged separately.

Once the SIT gives a report, the action would be initiated against the accused persons, the Home Minister added.

The SIT officers will probe the matter of the possibility of many more pen drives containing sex videos being prevented from being circulated, Mr Parameshwara said.

The state government is ready to provide security to the complainants and victims if there is a necessity, he added.

Meanwhile, the mother-in-law of one of the victims has said that her daughter-in-law was quiet for five years and lodged a complaint of sexual harassment now.

“Bhavani madam (Prajwal Revanna’s mother) has helped us and she stood with our family. She (daughter-in-law) was taken out forcefully and a complaint was lodged. It is being done to bring disrepute to the Deve Gowda family. This is a false complaint,” she added.

Meanwhile, the SIT has expedited the probe and managed to locate five victims and received information from them after bringing them to the SIT office, sources said.

The victims included government officers and political leaders.

The victims have recorded their statements in front of Superintendent of Police Seema Latkar, sources added.

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

A boy fell sick after consuming “smoke biscuits” at a shop in Karnataka last week. The shop owner in Davanagere city had their license revoked for selling biscuits made with liquid nitrogen, and the authorities also promptly shut down the shop.

A video showing the boy consuming the “smoke biscuits” served by a street food vendor at an exhibition has gone viral.

The clip, which was shared by a user on X (formerly Twitter),  shows the vendor serving the dish in a disposable cup.

Upon taking a sip, the child promptly spits out the liquid and expresses discomfort. As the clip progresses, the boy collapses unconscious.

The text along with the clip reads, “This incident occurred at an exhibition near Aruna talkies, Dhavangare. Liquid Nitrogen converts into Ice form immediately. Excess amount of Liquid Nitrogen poured and the Ice cream swallowed by this small boy expanded inside the Lungs as a Big Ice cream.”

This incident occurred at an exhibition near Aruna talkies, Dhavangare.
Liquid Nitrogen converts into Ice form immediately.
Excess amount of Liquid Nitrogen poured and the Ice cream swallowed by this small boy got expanded inside the Lungs as a Big Ice cream. pic.twitter.com/1tZSRZQS7o

— uttam mishra (@uttamprithvi) April 24, 2024

What is a smoke biscuit?

“Smoke biscuits” are prepared using liquid nitrogen, which is widely used as a coolant and can cause severe injuries to the mouth, throat, oesophagus, and stomach if ingested directly.

The liquid nitrogen, which is used in its preparation, is dangerous to health and can pose severe health risks as its temperatures can reach -196 degrees Celsius. Some of the adverse reactions include skin allergies, mouthburn, stomach ache, irritable bowel syndrome and more.

Several reports have mistaken the liquid nitrogen for dry ice. It must be noted that both dry ice and liquid nitrogen can cause immense harm to the human body. Dry ice and liquid nitrogen produce thick white vapours when kept at room temperature and are often used as a freezing agent in food preparation and preservation. Both substances should not be directly consumed or even applied to one’s skin.