K’taka to contribute big to nation’s economy: CM Bommai

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K’taka to contribute big to nation’s economy: CM Bommai

Karnataka is set to play a big role in the nation’s economy in the future. Out of the 54,000 startups in the country, 13,000 are in the state. The Karnataka government has taken a slew of measures to encourage setting up of startups. Guidance and scientific support is being provided by the government, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said.

The Chief Minister in his online message on the occasion of ‘National Startup Day’ on Sunday said that the idea of New Karnataka for New India would be made a reality.

In accordance with the Prime Minister’s wish, the Startup Day has been celebrated in a meaningful manner in the state. In the coming days the state government would provide a big boost for startups, innovation, scientific thinking and entrepreneurship, he said.

“Thanks to the long term vision of the Prime Minister, the number of startups, which was around 500, has crossed the 54,000-mark now. He has given a big push to innovation and startups by setting up a forum to help them and freeing them from the restrictions of the government. The Prime Minister has been the inspiration for the highest growth of startups in the state,” Bommai said and thanked the Prime Minister for this on behalf of the state’s youth.

“Karnataka is in the numero uno spot in the IT BT sector in the country. The first software company in Karnataka was started in 1980. It has seen a rapid growth since then and the state has the maximum share in IT BT exports,” Bommai said.

“Financial assistance is being provided through programmes like Elevate 100, Elevate Unnati for setting up startups by SC-ST communities. Under the Amrit Startup programme financial help is being provided to 75 startups by the OBC and minority community members. Similarly 25 startups from women are being provided the assistance. About Rs 120 crore has been granted for 482 startups in the state, he said.

State government is mulling to take startups to various districts of the state under its ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ project. A new Research and Development Policy would be unveiled to encourage setting up startups from a small garage to big scientific research and industrial units, Bommai said.

“It has been decided to encourage scientific thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship by including them as subjects in school syllabus. About 150 ITIs have been upgraded. It has been decided to upgrade Diploma colleges. State government would bring an ambitious programme to lay a strong foundation in schools and colleges for scientific thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship,” he said.

There are over 180 science and research institutions in various fields in Bengaluru. The government is keen to see more startups coming in agriculture, horticulture and sericulture which generate more employment. Bommai wished for more startups coming with social responsibility towards education, health, social welfare and women’s empowerment.

“Karnataka will play a major role in realising Prime Minister Modi’s dream of making India a $5 Trillion economy. Through startups a New Karnataka would make a significant contribution for the economy of New India,” he said and congratulated the Prime Minister for encouraging the youth to inculcate scientific thinking to face new challenges.

Battle for UP: BJP likely to release 1st list on Friday

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Battle for UP: BJP likely to release 1st list on Friday

BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to select candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, concluded on Thursday and the first list is expected to be released on Friday, party sources said.

A total of 172 candidates have been finalised for three of the seven-phased polls in the state.

For the first time, saffron party held a hybrid meeting, which was attended virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, election in charge and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, General Secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh were present at the headquarters in the national capital.

Party national President J.P. Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari attended the meet virtually as they are Covid-19 positive.

Polling for the first, second and third pahse of the polls will be held on February 10, 14 and 20 on 58, 55 and 59 seats in UP.

Ex-BJP Minister demands arrest of K’taka Cong chief Shivakumar

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Ex-BJP Minister demands arrest of K’taka Cong chief Shivakumar

Former minister and BJP MLC C.P Yogeshwar on Thursday demanded the arrest of Congress President D.K. Shivakumar.

Yogeshwar is considered to be the arch rival of Shivakumar. Both hail from the same district.

“Mekedatu padayatra was a farce. The ruling BJP government cannot budge before the ‘goondaism’ and utter negligence of Shivakumar. “He is a corrupt brigand. That is why he was not considered for the post of cabinet during the Congress rule,” he charged.

“Since four days the padayatra was being carried out by Shivakumar and gang. People were roped in by bribing them. The government will not bend before their dominance,” he said.

“Shivakumar should be taught in his own language. He should be arrested immediately. The padayatra was being taken up to promote the Congress party in southern Karnataka. Siddaramaiah did not take Shivakumar into the cabinet for a period of one year considering his criminal background. Now, Siddaramaiah is appearing to be weak,” he maintained.

“Corona is spreading rapidly in the state. Padayatra was nothing but self-promotion of Shivakumar and there was nothing called public interest in the padayatra,” he charged.

Pinarayi Vijayan not to do a Joe Biden

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Pinarayi Vijayan not to do a Joe Biden

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has dropped enough hints that he does not intend to do a ‘Joe Biden’ and instead will rely on technology to run his government in remote control mode from a hospital bed in the US.

Vijayan is leaving to the US along with his wife and his personal assistant on Saturday and will return only on January 29.

Biden, in November last year, for a brief while had officially handed over power to vice-president Kamala Harris when he underwent a colonoscopy examination.

During Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting which Vijayan attended virtually from Kozhikode, he informed his colleagues that the next Cabinet will be held on January 19, giving enough hints that he does not wish to handover charge to any of his colleague.

Incidentally, the last time when he went for his medical treatment, he had handed over charge to E.P.Jayarajan, the de-facto number two in his then cabinet (2016-21).

With regards to checking up on files, technology will be coming to his help as barring secret files, today in the State Secretariat, the seat of power in the state capital has by now adopted the e-file system, where any official with the correct authorisation can log on to any of the e-files.

In the new Vijayan Cabinet after he retained office through a swashbuckling electoral win in the April 2021 Assembly polls, Vijayan sprang a huge surprise when he failed to induct K.K.Shailaja- the health minister who had won accolades in the way the Covid pandemic was handled till April 2021, in his new cabinet.

When many thought either M.V.Govindan or K.Radhakrishnan (both central committee party members of the CPI-M) would be given the charge officially, Vijayan’s announcement about that the next cabinet meeting implie he does not wish to do a Jose Biden.

KCR will go to jail, says Telangana BJP chief

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KCR will go to jail, says Telangana BJP chief

Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Wednesday said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will definitely go to jail for corruption. He alleged that Rao was resorting to gimmicks like ‘third front’ to gain sympathy.

Stating that action against the chief minister is inevitable, Sanjay said his efforts to form a ‘third front’ at the national level was aimed at gaining sympathy. Sanjay, who is also a member of Parliament, claimed that the central government was readying to take action against KCR.

Sanjay said that even if KCR escapes to some other country with his family, he will be brought back and put behind bars.

The BJP leader was speaking at a free medical camp organised by BJP Yuva Morcha at the party office here on Wednesday to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Sanjay said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader was holding meetings with leaders of Communist and other parties to project himself as a national figure and gain sympathy after the central government sent him to jail.

Referring to KCR’s meeting with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday and earlier meetings with leaders of CPI and CPI-M, the BJP leader said KCR was resorting to gimmicks to save himself.

Sanjay remarked that KCR will not be able to save himself even if he takes the support of sons of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Communists or even ‘Taliban, Bangladesh or Al-Qaeda’.

The BJP leader also alleged that the corrupt are coming together on one platform. “They made thousands of crores but KCR made lakhs of crores. I think he is running a training camp for them here,” he said.

Sanjay, who was arrested and sent to jail early this month for staging a protest in Karimnagar without police permission, has stepped up his attacks on KCR after his release from jail. The BJP has been bringing its national leaders here to target the TRS.

BJP national president J.P. Nadda, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were among the leaders who attended BJP meetings during the last few days to condemn Sanjay’s arrest.

The BJP leaders have been describing TRS government as the most corrupt and claiming that the central government has all the record of corruption indulged in by KCR.

KCR urges people to root out BJP govt at Centre

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KCR urges people to root out BJP govt at Centre

Registering his strong protest against the Central government as decision to increase the price of fertilisers, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday called up on people across the country to root out BJP government saying it was weakening the rural economy and playing havoc with the farm sector.

He said the increase in the prices of fertilisers will put the agriculture sector into a crisis and break the backbone of farming in the country.

KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, said he will write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi registering his protest against the increase of fertiliser prices.

He alleged that the BJP government is weakening the rural economy, hereditary trades and playing havoc with the farm sector only to hand over the sector to the corporates.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief expressed anguish that the BJP government at the Centre removed subsidies on fertilisers, which were in vogue for several decades, and the situation came to such a pass that the farmers had no option but to take up their ploughs and revolt against the Central government.

The CM expressed his anger that the Central government which made tall promises that it would double ‘the farmers’ income by 2022, has now increased the prices of fertilisers at an all time high to break the farming community’s back.

“It is highly reprehensible that the Central government which promised to double the income of farmers took a U-turn and increased the agriculture expenses. This shows that the BJP government is totally against the farmers and it is proved right beyond any doubt,” he said.

KCR said there was a deep rooted conspiracy behind the Central government’s policies and actions to make the lives of farmers miserable. Decisions like installing metres to motors to collect the power charges, not linking NREGP with the farm sector, increasing the fertilisers prices to all time high, not purchasing the paddy cultivated by the farmers, all these draconian decisions of the BJP government at the Centre have made farmers’ life miserable. He said everyone should oppose the actions that would make a farmer a labourer in his own land.

The CM urged the people to confront the BJP on the matter at every opportunity. He made it clear that if the central government fails to withdraw the increased prices of fertilisers, there will be statewide and countrywide agitations against the Central government. He also urged the farming community in the state to expose the BJP’s conspiracy and join the struggle to make the Centre withdraw the fertiliser price hike.

AIADMK leveling false charges over Pongal gift hampers: TN Minister

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AIADMK leveling false charges over Pongal gift hampers: TN Minister

Tamil Nadu Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R. Sakkarpani has hit out at AIDMK leaders, O. Panneerselvam and K. Palaniswami stating that the opposition was leveling false charges against the Pongal gift hampers being distributed to rice ration card holders of the state.

Reacting to the statement of O. Panneerselvam that most of the items in the gift hampers were procured from outside the state, the minister said that an open tender was floated and awarded to the companies that offered the lowest rates.

He said that legally any company can participate in the open tender and hence companies from outside the state participated in the bid and got the tender.

The minister told IANS, “The present government had properly procured the items required for the Pongal gift hampers unlike the previous AIADMK government when there were many allegations of corruption in the scheme.”

“The Pongal gift hampers that were distributed to the people during the DMK government were stopped when the AIADMK came to power in 2011. In 2013 and 2014, one kg of rice, one kg of sugar, and Rs 100 were given to family card holders. The present DMK government has included 21 essential items in the Pongal gift hamper and the AIADMK leaders should have minimum answered to their conscience before leveling unnecessary allegations against the present government. People of the state are really happy and the DMK is a political party that acts for the benefit of the people of Tamil Nadu.”

Yogi asks officials to sell assets of sugar mills to pay farmers

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Yogi asks officials to sell assets of sugar mills to pay farmers

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to recover the dues of cane growers by immediately liquidating “other assets of these mills that have failed to clear the arrears”.

As many as 20 sugar mills, all in the private sector, still owe over Rs 1,600 crore in dues from the previous crushing season to farmers across 50 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.

The move is aimed at ensuring that non-payment of dues does not adversely affect the BJP in the Assembly elections.

Most of these mills are based in west UP, the sugar bowl of the state, spanning Lakhimpur Kheri, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Pilibhit, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Meerut, Hapur and Bulandshahr, among other districts.

Sugar, in this region, remains the focal point of politics.

According to an official of the cane department, there are 119 sugar mills in the state to which around 45 lakh sugarcane growers supply their produce.

On an average, at least 40,000 farmers are associated with each mill.

The defaulter mills are owned by four groups. They not only owe a total of Rs 1,600 crore from last year’s crushing season to cane growers in their respective areas but have not paid a penny for the current season either, he added.

As expected, opposition parties are ready to cash in on the mood among these cane growers, many of whom participated in the agitation against farm laws.

RLD’s senior leader Praveen Deshwal said, “These farmers will give a fitting reply in the upcoming polls.”

However, Uttar Pradesh minister and senior BJP leader Bhupendra Singh said, “It is only the BJP government which ensured cane payments in time and launched several schemes to double farmers’ income.”

Naidu seeks action against those involved in attacks on TDP leaders

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Naidu seeks action against those involved in attacks on TDP leaders

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday urged the Director General of Police Gautam Sawang to take stringent action against those involved in the brutal attack on his party leaders in Kuppam Assembly segment in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district.

In a letter to the DGP, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Naidu stressed the need for maintaining law and order to restore the people’s faith in democracy. He alleged that the henchmen of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) are targeting the opposition TDP leaders but there has been no action from the police there.

“It has been brought to my notice about the brutal and uncivilised attack by YSRCP henchmen on TDP leaders in Kuppam, on January 10, 2022. Two TDP leaders, Lokesh and Saravan were attacked in broad daylight by the YSRCP goons in Kuppam town. Not only were they attacked but also one of them, Lokesh, was prevented from going to the hospital to get treatment,” wrote Naidu, who represents Kuppam constituency.

The leader of opposition told the DGP: “Such cruel attacks were carried out by the YSRCP henchmen only to deter the TDP leaders from raising illegal mining issues. These attacks have not only eclipsed fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution but are also a blot on our democracy.”

Meanwhile, the TDP staged protests across the state on Tuesday, demanding that the YSRCP government bring down the prices of essential commodities.

The party leaders and workers took out rallies, demanding that the government reduce the prices of essential commodities, petrol, diesel and gas ahead of the Sankranti festival celebrations.

TDP general secretary Panchumarthy Anuradha said that the poor people in the state were unable to celebrate Sankranti considering the skyrocketing prices. The YSRCP leaders were enjoying feasts and entertainment with tainted money but not bothering about the hunger pangs of the common people, she said.

She said Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was still unable to give a convincing reply on why Anna Canteens were closed. These canteens were providing food at just Rs 5 during the TDP regime.

Battle for UP: Mayawati not to contest Assembly polls

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Battle for UP: Mayawati not to contest Assembly polls

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati and party MP Satish Chandra Mishra will not contest the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Satish Chandra Mishra told reporters here that the BSP chief will ensure the party’s victory in the five poll-bound states while he will also focus on the party’s campaign and strategy for elections.

Mishra, however, exuded confidence that the party will form the next government in Uttar Pradesh.

“Former Chief Minister Mayawati and I will not contest the Assembly elections. If Samajwadi Party does not have 400 candidates, how will they win 400 seats? Neither SP nor BJP will come to power, BSP is going to form the govt in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

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