Regional

Chikkaballapura (Karnataka), May 7 (IANS) Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda during an election rally on Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said, "The presence of BJP has weakened in Karnataka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming down here and conducting roadshows for two days. This is not a Parliament election. One cannot fool people through roadshows."

Addressing the rally in Sidlaghatta town of Chikkaballapur district, Gowda asked, "Not a single Muslim was made a Minister in the BJP government. We are all children of 'Bharat Mata'. Why is the BJP practising discrimination?"

Referring to Karnataka BJP leader K. Sudhakar, who defected from the Congress to BJP under 'Operation Lotus', the Janata Dal (Secular) founder added that it must be told who had sent 18 MLAs to Mumbai and who were responsible for the formation of the BJP government in Karnataka.

Gowda said that he is waiting for his son H.D. Kumaraswamy to become the Chief Minister of Karnataka again.

"In last Assembly election, I did not even imagine that Ravi (local JD-S candidate) would suffer defeat. It is unfortunate that four acre of land was not given to kabristan. I have donated land to the Idgah Maidan and given reservation to the Muslims and Valmiki community. We are all children of one mother and discrimination should not be done," the former Prime Minister added.

Former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy alleged that due to the roadshow of Prime Minister Modi, the people were being inconvenienced.

"PM Modi is conducting roadshows by troubling people. Due to his roadshows, those who earn their livelihood are going without any income. What is the purpose of the roadshow? This will negatively impact children who are attending NEET exams," he added.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, May 7 (IANS) The Secunderabad division of South Central Railway (SCR) has decided to construct a new Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT) at the Gadchandur station.

This terminal will come up entirely on railway land at the station located in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.

The tender has been awarded for the railway station at the cost of Rs 15.2 crore to Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, SCR said on Sunday.

The GCT policy has been introduced by the Indian Railways to boost investment from industry in development of additional terminals for handling rail cargos.

These terminals will ease the handling of freight commodities for transportation by Railways with enhanced facilities providing safe and secure transportation.

Under this policy, apart from new sidings, the under-construction and existing private sidings/terminals can also migrate to convert as GCT.

The scope of the construction of GCT involves laying of additional line, concreting of surface, electronic in motion weigh bridge, provision of Hamali rest room, covered shed, approach road, water supply arrangements, installation of computerised working i.e., Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) and Track Management System (TMS), electrification of additional line, high mast lighting etc.

The period of contract is 35 years and the maintenance of GCT will be done by Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, Chandrapur, for the said period.

No terminal charges will be levied on cargo for which GCT himself is the consignor and/or consignee. Maintenance and operations of assets like track, signal and telecom, over-head equipment and staff costs will be borne by the Railways.

Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, SCR, has congratulated Secunderabad Division officials for materialising the proposal for construction of GCT at Gadchandur station.

He also said that the cement companies located around Gadchandur and Chandrapur area will be most beneficial with this move as the transportation by Railways will be safer, easier and the most comfortable option.

--IANS
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Chennai , May 7 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government is planning to distribute coconut oil and groundnut oil through ration shops.

As a pilot project, coconut oil and groundnut oil will be distributed from ration shops in Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari districts of the state.

The state government had earlier announced distribution of cooking gas through ration shops. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Minister, R. Sakkarapani, told IANS that the government was taking steps to buy 15,000 tonnes of wheat.

He said, "The central government reduced the monthly allotment from 23,000 tonnes to 8,000 tonnes and hence we are in shortage of wheat. Our Officials will be meeting higher officials in Delhi on Tuesday and seek permission from them for procuring wheat through National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Ltd (NCCF)."

He said that there has been a huge demand from the people of Tamil Nadu even in rural areas for wheat and added that this might be due to the changed eating habits of the people.

--IANS
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Gurugram, May 7 (IANS) Fourteen villages in Haryana's Nuh district are emerging as new hotspots of cybercrime, and mostly the youths there are indulging in the crime by using stolen high-end mobile phones.

This was disclosed by the police after questioning 125 cybercriminals, who were apprehended by as many as 102 teams comprising over 5,000 police personnel. The raids were conducted in 300 locations in the 14 villages on April 27.

The police raided the 14 identified villages in the Pinangwa, Punhana, Ferozepur Jhirka, Nai, Aminabad, Tirwara, Jaimat and Bichhore areas.

The police had earlier identified Khedla, Luhinga Khurd, Luhinga Kalan, Gokalpur, Godhola, Aminabad, Mahu, Gulalta, Jaimat, Jakhopur, Nai, Tirwara, Mamlika and Papda as cybercrime hotspots.

The police said the accused cheated people on the name of selling vehicles on OLX, seeking KYC data, offering loans and even sextortion.

Most interestingly, the hackers have studied only up to Class 12, while some are even illiterate and some of them have rewards on their heads.

A senior police officer said earlier illiterate youths, who were involved in vehicle theft, phone snatching, cattle smuggling and other crimes, have shifted to cybercrime in the past two years after being "trained".

During the raid, police nabbed the highest number of 31 cyber criminals from Nai village, followed by 25 from Luhinga Kalan village, 20 each from Jaimat and Jakhopur, 17 each from Khedla and Tirwara, and 11 from Aminabad.

A total of 66 smartphones, 65 fake SIMs, 166 Aadhaar cards, three laptops, 128 ATM cards of different banks, two ATM swipe machines, one AEPS machine, six scanners, five PAN cards, etc., were recovered from the suspects.

Police investigation revealed that most of the youths arrested by the police during the raid were trained in the villages of Jurehera and Ghamdi in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district. The two villages, located on the Haryana-Rajasthan border, have emerged as the 'cybercrime training hubs', said the police.

These two villages offer fake SIM cards and documents which help in opening bank accounts. Most accounts were opened in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The police disclosed that the accused mostly targeted job-seekers, senior citizens and students. They even offer lucrative offers on OLX. They said the accused usually committed crimes at the border areas of Rajasthan and Haryana as it is difficult to track the mobile locations of the criminals.

"We are probing the matter from different angles and will also seek help from adjoining state police to crack down on cybercriminals. We are taking help from cyber experts to help solve cases," said Varun Singla, Superintendent (SP), Nuh.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, May 7 (IANS) Telangana's minister for information technology and industries K.T. Rama Rao has been invited to the 'AsiaBerlin Summit 2023', to be held in Berlin, Germany, from June 12 to 15.

This year's summit will be held on the theme 'Connecting the Startup Ecosystems' and will be inaugurated by the Governing Mayor of Berlin in the Berlin City Hall

The invite from the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, requested minister KTR to speak at this year's Summit and thus strengthen the partnership between our countries and send a visible signal for intensifying this cooperation.

The AsiaBerlin Summit is the annual summit addressing economic connections between Berlin and Asia, with the goal of connecting Berlin startups with valuable markets and ecosystems in Asia.

This year, the summit will focus on three main topics -- mobility and logistics, energy transition, green tech, climate change and artificial intelligence. In addition, a dedicated investor program, a startup pitch competition and guided tours through the Berlin ecosystem will be organised.

Earlier on May 4, the World Economic Forum's (WEF) invited KTR to the 14th WEF annual meeting of the new champions, to be held from June 27 to 29, 2023 in Tianjin, China, with the support of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

WEF's President BA,rge Brende stated in the invitation that driven by KTR's vision, Telangana has become a beacon of innovation and a pioneer in embracing emerging technologies.

"Telangana is leading India's start-up and innovation system through future-oriented policies and enablers such as the T-Hub. Participants will be keen to hear your insights on promoting growth in Telangana led by entrepreneurship, innovation and digital transformation," reads the invitation.

The meeting will convene over 1,500 global leaders from business, government, civil society, international organizations and academia at a pivotal time for the global economic recovery. It will focus on key transformations such as accelerating the energy transition, making progress on climate and sustainability, deploying innovation across economies and industries, and post-pandemic consumer behaviour.

--IANS
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Lucknow, May 7 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the home department to help students from the state who are currently stranded in violence-hit Manipur.

The chief minister's direction to the states's home department came after the students appealed to the Uttar Pradesh government to rescue them from Manipur that is caught in an ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities.

According to government spokesman, Principal Secretary (home department) Sanjay Prasad had spoken to the chief secretary of Manipur and requested him to help students from Uttar Pradesh. He added that the state relief commissioner's office has also been directed to coordinate with the Manipur government.

At least 52 people have been killed in Manipur since the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, even as Chief Minister N Biren Singh held an all-party meeting on Saturday, and a video conference with security personnel calling for calm and an end to violence.

At least 23,000 civilians have been rescued till now and moved to operating bases/military garrisons, with the help of the Army and Assam Rifles.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh said the curfew, imposed after the violence broke out, would be partially eased after assessing the law-and-order situation.

A defence spokesperson reportedly said the Army has significantly enhanced aerial surveillance through unmanned aerial vehicles and redeployment of helicopters.

--IANS
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Chennai, May 7 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that the government would ignore bad criticisms, take good criticisms and move ahead as his government enters the third year in office.

The Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues visited the memorials of the first Chief Minister of the DMK and legendary Dravidian leader, C.N. Annadurai, and former Chief Minister and DMK's founder leader and Stalin's father, Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi and paid respects.

While speaking to reporters at Marina beach, the Chief Minister said that his government was for all those who have voted for the party and also for those who have not voted, and added that there was no differentiation.

He said ,"I have promised that this government would make those who have voted for us happy and those who have not voted for us regret as to why they did not vote."

Stalin went to the residence of his late father and former Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi and sought blessings of his mother, Dayalu Ammal.

The Stalin government which assumed office on May 7, 2021 is now entering the third year in office.

The government has got praise from all sections of the people following several pro-people friendly programmes including 'Illam Thedi Kalvi' scheme taking education to the doorsteps of children, 'Naan Mudhalvan Scheme' for skill development of youths, 'Pudhumai Pen Scheme' to support girls in higher education, 'Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam' scheme taking health care to door steps.

Free bus ride to women has been a major project of this government which is accepted cutting across party lines. The announcement of Rs 1000 crore honorarium to women monthly from September 15 benefitting 1 crore women is a major step taken by the Stalin government.

The Tamil Nadu government has attracted around Rs 2 lakh crore investments and has increased domestic productivity by 6.11 per cent.

The Stalin government garnered praise from across the country for an exclusive agriculture budget and three agriculture budgets have been presented already. The government is also promoting organic farming to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.

However the government drew flak from even its allies on the move to amend the Factories Act and to increase the working hours of labourers from the present 8 to 12 hours. The government had to hurriedly withdraw the amendment after the criticism with the Congress party even walking out of the House in protest to the amendment bill moved in the legislative assembly.

The car explosion of October 23, 2022 on the eve of Deepavali at Ukkadam, Coimbatore in which a 29-year-old youth, Jameesha Mubin was charred to death, was a blot on the state home department. While all the co-accused were arrested, there were criticisms that the government was not cracking down on Islamic terrorism.

The Ambasamudram incident in which an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Balveer Singh was accused of plucking the teeth of youths using pliers, had drawn widespread opposition.

The Vengaivayal incident in which an overhead water tank in Vengavayil panchayath supplied drinking water to a Dalit colony had the presence of human excreta shocked the state and the society at large. The case is now being probed by the CB-CID of the state police.

Stalin drew praise on the manner in which he handled the rumours that spread virally that North Indian workers were being attacked in Tamil Nadu.

--IANS
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Hubbali, May 7 (IANS) The Veerashaiva Lingayat forum, a powerful group of the Lingayat sect, has issued an open letter supporting the Congress in the May 10 elections for the Karnataka Assembly.

The forum has urged the members of the Lingayat community to vote for the Congress candidates in the elections. The Lingayat community has been a traditional vote bank of the BJP and since the 1980s the party leader B.S. Yediyurappa, who is from the community, had worked tirelessly to develop the Lingayat support and base.

However, with reports of Yediyurappa being sidelined and senior leader with honest credentials and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar denied a seat from his bastion, Hubbali, the community is in anger against the BJP. Jagadish Shettar has openly lashed out stating that BJP national organising secretary, B.L.Santhosh, a Brahmin, denied him a ticket. There is a message that the BJP was trying to systematically reduce the influence of the Lingayat community in BJP.

The Lingayat is a powerful community with 17 per cent strength in Karnataka and the state had nine Lingayat Chief Ministers.

Congress leaders, Shamanur Shivasankarappa and Jagadish Shetter met the seers of the Lingayat community at Hubbali on Sunday morning. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had visited Sangamantha temple last week, which is the sacred Samadhi of the Lingayat sect founder, Basaveswhara also known as Basavanna.

With elections on May 10, the support extended by a section of the powerful Lingayat sect has given huge boost to the Congress.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, May 7 (IANS) The BJP is hoping to wrest most of the 28 Assembly seats in Bengaluru following the two-day mega roadshow of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the city.

PM Modi's second day roadshow in Bengaluru is happening on Sunday.

BJP is rooted strongly in Bengaluru, though its base is considered as weak in south Karnataka region. BJP won 15 seats in the last elections in the IT city. With PM Modi's unprecedented outreach, the saffron party is hoping to win at least 20 seats in Bengaluru alone.

Congress holds 12 seats and JD(S) had won one seat in Bengaluru in last Assembly polls. After 'Operation Lotus', BJP has got Vokkaliga faces and leadership in the state. PM Modi had inaugurated the 108-ft tall Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda statue in the premises of Bengaluru International Airport in November last year, and had also inaugurated a new metro line in the state capital.

Apart from denying tickets to senior leader Arvind Limbavali and allotting ticket to his wife, the BJP had not done experiments with allotment of tickets in the city. Minister for Housing V. Somanna, who represented the Govindaraja Nagar Assembly constituency, has been given the task of defeating Opposition leader Siddaramaiah. He is contesting from Varuna seat in Mysuru district and Chamarajanagar seat in Chamarajanagar district. In Govindarajanagar, the party has fielded Umesh Shetty, a former corporator as its candidate.

The BJP wants to recover the Jayanagar seat, which it had lost to Congress. After the demise of MLA B.N. Vijaykumar, Congress wrested the seat. Powerful Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy's daughter, Sowmya Reddy, had defeated the BJP candidate.

She had won with a thin margin of 2,887 votes against BJP candidate B.N. Prahlad, brother of late MLA Vijaykumar. The constituency has a major chunk of Muslim votes. BJP has fielded loyal party worker C.K. Rammurthy this time. Sowmya Reddy is seeking election for the second time.

PM Modi's roadshow covered 29.8 kms on Saturday. The response of the people throughout the stretch has made the BJP camp joyful, and is hopeful of achieving the target. The campaign blitzkrieg by PM Modi has helped BJP to erase the bitter memories of failure of infrastructure during the flood situation last year in the IT city, sources in BJP said.

The second mega roadshow in Bengaluru covers 10 kms. The roadshow began from Old Airport Road and passed through BEML Factory junction in HAL 2nd Stage, Sairoad Junction in Indiranagar, Subramanya Temple on M G Road, and the show will end near the War Memorial on Brigade Road.

--IANS
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Panaji, May 7 (IANS) With the Narcotics Control Bureau busting the narcotics drug trade in Goa since the last seven days, the Opposition has raised questions about whether the local police were not aware of the drug manufacturing laboratories and the 'will' of the state government to act against it.

The NCB last Sunday busted an international drug cartel operating from North Goa, leading to the arrest of three persons and the seizure of multiple drugs worth lakhs of rupees.

Later on Tuesday it busted a LSD manufacturing laboratory at Anjuna in North Goa and arrested the manufacturer along with seizing multiple drugs valued at Rs 25 lakh.

On Friday NCB sleuths arrested a Kenyan national in possession of 1 kg cocaine valued at Rs 6 crore at Dabolim airport in Goa.

Though it is generally believed that drugs came to Goa with the hippies six decades ago, now the involvement of locals with foreign nationals has given a boost to this illegal trade.

Goa is increasingly known as a narco-tourism hotspot and many arrive in the coastal state with the intention of 'trade' and 'consumption'. In 2020, the BJP government in Goa was reportedly considering legalising the cultivation of marijuana or cannabis for medicinal purposes. However, after facing opposition the plan was dropped.

In the last four years, the Drug Disposal Committee of the Goa police has disposed off 101.993 kgs of narcotics, after the final disposal of the cases by the Court.

As per official records, the destroyed drugs include Charas, Ganja, LSD, Cocaine, Ecstasy tablets, MDMA powder, Heroin, Brown Sugar and Opium. Among these ganja is easily available in the coastal state.

According to official records of the Goa government, 168 cases in 2017, 222 cases in 2018, 219 cases in 2019, 148 cases in 2020, 121 cases in 2021 and 154 cases in 2022 have been registered under the NDPS Act.

Congress media cell chairman Amarnath Panjikar has attacked the BJP government over the drug trade alleging that it does not have the will to crackdown on illicit activities.

"The recent raids by the NCB prove that the narcotics trade is going on in a big way in Goa. This is because there is no control by the government on such activities. It is also strange that the local police were not aware of the LSD manufacturing laboratory, busted by the NCB. There may be many such labs in Goa which should be shut down," Panjikar said.

Panjikar said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has failed as home minister and hence he should vacate this position and pave the way for others.

"Give the responsibility of the Home Ministry to someone who will work in the interest of the people of Goa," he said.

Sources informed that NCB is tracking and following up the drug cases, which helped them to bust the drug trade in Goa.

According to Amit Ghawate, Zonal Director of NCB Mumbai, on the intervening night of April 3 and 4, one Kenyan national named Samuel was intercepted at Dabolim, Goa airport by the Customs officials on suspicion of concealing some non-metallic substance in his baggage, raised during the screening/scanning of his luggage.

"He travelled to India from Johannesburg via Dubai. Information in this regard was immediately passed by the Customs officials to the NCB, Goa and subsequently, a team of NCB, Goa reached Dabolim airport and conducted a thorough search of said Samuel along with his baggage. During the search, cocaine in two packets, weighing total 1.009 kgs, was recovered concealed in the false bottom of his trolley bag," NCB officials said.

--IANS
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