Regional

Lucknow, Jan 10 (IANS) A young woman was attacked and injured by a pack of stray dogs in Lucknow when she was going to college.

This was the fourth attack by stray dogs within a month in the Uttar Pradesh capital and the third in 10 days at Swapnalok colony.

The victim, Shivanshi Singh, was rescued by neighbours and admitted to a private hospital from where she was discharged after treatment.

"I left my home for college and after walking some distance, a pack of more than a dozen dogs started barking at me. Out of fear, I tried to run away, but I fell on the ground. One of the dogs bit my left hand. Hearing my cries, neighbours came and chased the dogs away. I was not able to go to college to take the test," she said.

A five-year old boy was also attacked and bitten by a stray dog two days ago. He was chased by dogs a week ago.

Lucknow Municipal Corporation chief veterinary officer Abhinav Verma said: "After receiving complaints I directed my team to capture the dogs and about four dogs have been picked up for sterilisation.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS) One of Asia's largest literature festivals, the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) will be held at Kozhikode beach from January 12 to 15.

From Nobel laureates to Booker Prize-winning writers, and senior politicians to historians, journalists, film and theatre personalities, performers and artists, and diplomats, the sixth edition promises to host a spectacular list of delegates.

KLF is part of the tourist calendar of the region with participation from across India and from other parts of the world. The state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would inaugurate the four-day festival.

With a footfall of 3 lakh in the previous years, the sixth edition has also launched its own app. With the festival growing every year in huge numbers, a surge to 40,000 registrations is expected this year.

The app will allow the passing of information to a larger audience. Along with the basic features such as viewing schedules, and speakers list, the app will also allow the public to register for the literature festival, update regarding session changes, run contests and news pertaining to the literature festival.

Nearly 400 speakers from 12 countries are expected to attend the event to be held in six venues spread across the Kozhikode beach. They include Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan, 2022 Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka, International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree, Noble Laureates Ada Yonath and Abhijit Banerjee, American Indologist Wendy Doniger, Piyush Pandey, authors Jeffrey Archer, Francesc Miralles, Shobhaa De, Tushar Gandhi, MT Vasudevan Nair, Jerry Pinto, Shashi Tharoor, T. Padmanabhan, K. Satchidanandan, M. Mukundan, K.R. Meera and Sudha Murthy, historians Ramachandra Guha, William Dalrymple, and Manu S. Pillai, and Remo Fernandes. Film personalities Emily Perkins and Prakash Raj, politician Kapil Sibal, entrepreneur Kris Gopalakrishnan, and economist Sanjeev Sanyal, among others will also be present.

Invitees from Turkey, Spain, the US, Britain, Israel, New Zealand, the Middle East, the Far East, and other parts of the world will also be present.

The sessions at KLF, aim to map literature through discussions on aspects of science and technology, art, cinema, politics, music, environment, literature, pandemic & its impact, business and entrepreneurship, health, art and leisure, travel and tourism, gender, economy, culture genomics, history and politics, and various facets that shape human consciousness.

Fireside chats at night, music concerts and classical, theatre, and performing artists will make up the entertainment quotient at the festival.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Jan 10 (IANS) Various pontiffs representing influential mutts and religious centres have stressed the need for imbibing moral education in schools at an early age to children in the round-table conference held by the Education Ministry in the Karnataka Assembly in Bengaluru on Monday.

Nirmalananda Natha Swamiji of Aduchunchanagiri Mutt, Shivacharya Swamiji of Sirigere Mutt, Vishwaprasanna Theertha Swamiji of Pejawar Mutt, SriSri Ravishankar Guruji from the Art of Living and Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji from JSS Mutt gave their advice over the matter to the BJP government in Karnataka.

Renowned scientist Kasturi Rangan and Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri attended the round-table conference.

Srigere Mutt Shivacharya swamiji opined that moral education is needed more for politicians rather than school children.

"If politicians reform, half of the society would get reformed. If they go on the wrong path, who will save the civil society?" he said.

He added that he does not have a second thought on imparting moral education to children. But those who teach them should be given moral education first, he said.

He called upon Assembly Speaker Hegde Kageri to provide moral education to politicians and ensure change.

Swamiji said that for the first time in the country, the National Education Policy (NEP) is being implemented in Karnataka.

The trend of children treading on the wrong path is a concern. At an early age they should be given moral education. They need to be taught the morals of Ramayan, Mahabharat and Bhagvad Gita, he added.

Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji of Adichunchanagiri Mutt said that children should be given an opportunity to learn out of their choices at their home and school. It is a decade-old demand that the human values, etiquette, democracy and values of Sanatana dharma and moral education should be imparted to children.

He complimented State Education MInister, B.C. Nagesh for taking opinion from religious seers. He opined that students will face difficulty if they are made to learn advanced psychology and philosophies. They should be imparted stage-by-stage.

Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji of Udupi Pejawar Mutt said, "Children should be given activities like learning values and sports. They should have knowledge on truth, non-violence and character of giving. The children have been turned into rank machines. They should have interaction to learn etiquette."

Through education, the children should respect others. The changes in the children could be brought from good conduct of parents and the society. The practice of teaching children through Panchatantra tales should begin again, he said.

The violence on television has to come down, animals should not be killed in front of children. The non-vegetarian food should not be displayed in a way that it is visible to all, it is better to keep it inside, Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji said.

Ravishankar Guruji of the Art of Living, who joined the meeting virtually mentioned that 600 shootouts have taken place in America. "Moral education is the need of the hour. The menace of drugs in north India is worrying. This is a concern and they are into bad addictions."

He also stressed that the menace of drugs had increased in the neighbouring state. "There is no problem as such in Karnataka, but it is picking up in urban areas. The education of a child should be given in a happy environment."

A child gives a smile 400 times in nurseries. As it grows the number is reduced to 17. Those indulged in violence are getting the status of hero, Ravishankar Guruji said.

"In our ages one who was calm and peaceful was given that status," he added.

Seminars should be organised not only for teachers but also for parents, he said.

Kasturi Rangan, the President of NEP, said that the role of gurus in forming the culture of the country is important. In this backdrop, the opinion of all participants in the round-table meeting becomes important.

Minister B.C. Nagesh said that for various reasons there is an erosion of values and the meeting is organised in this perspective.

--IANS
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Agartala, Jan 9 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that Tripura government employees and the poor people of the state are getting more Dearness Allowance (DA) and social allowance, respectivelys then their Assam counterparts.

Addressing a pre-poll election rally at Killa (Bagma) in southern Tripura, he said that the Tripura government has recently sanctioned 12 per cent DA to its employees while the Assam government recently sanctioned four per cent DA.

"Tripura government has been giving Rs 2,000 per month to 3.90 lakh poor people as social allowance while the Assam government is giving the allowance at the rate of Rs 1,200 per month," he said, adding that he feared that people of his state would now demand to raise the rate of the social pension.

Quoting his Tripura counterpart Manik Saha, Sarma said that the Tripura government would soon start giving the social pension to more 30,000 poor people.

The Tripura government has also increased the salaries and wages of the state government employees and the Anganwadi workers.

Sarma, also the convener of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), urging the people to cast their votes in favour of BJP candidates in the forthcoming elections, said that the BJP government in Tripura has been providing free rice and rice at the rate of Rs 2 to the poor families even as the previous CPI-M government did not do this despite calling themselves a pro-poor party.

He said that the Agartala airport is much bigger than the Guwahati airport and the roads and other establishments have been developed by the BJP government.

With double engine government functioning in Tripura, the national law university, campus of forensic university and many more important institutions were set up in the state, the Assam Chief Minister said that adding that if there is no Covid-19 pandemic, Tripura's growth would be much more than the present position.

--IANS
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Patna, Jan 9 (IANS) After Sudhakar Singh, another RJD leader has made critical comments against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

While interacting with former minister and BJP MLA Jibesh Mishra, RJD MLA Vijay Kumar Mandal said that the government of Nitish Kumar is becoming "autocratic" now and the BJP is responsible for it.

"You (BJP) stayed the maximum time with Nitish Kumar in the government in Bihar so you are responsible for making his (Nitish Kumar) government autocratic. For public welfare, the government and 'roti' need to change from time to time. If the government would not be changed, it would become autocratic and if we do not flip the roti during the cooking it, it burns," Mandal said while interacting with Mishra on the road during a morning walk.

Mishra, on the other hand, blamed Mandal's party and the Mahagathbandhan for making Nitish Kumar government autocratic.

Mandal further claimed that the development of Bihar is below expectation in the last 17 years. The road infrastructure was developed due to the late Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Nitish Kumar is claiming it. Even the electricity reaching every village is also due to the efforts of the UPA government, he added.

He also appealed to Nitish Kumar to check the bureaucrats, alleging corruption is at the highest level at the Secretariat in Patna.

"The issues of farmers are big in Bihar. If Nitish Kumar government resolves it during the Samadhan Yatra, it will be a big achievement for him. At present, the financial condition of farmers is not good. They are not getting MSP of their crops," Mandal said.

Earlier, former Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh, during his tenure, claimed that there was massive corruption in his department and blamed Nitish Kumar for it. He also claimed that all employees and officers of the department were thieves and "he was their king". He went to make several derogatory comments against Nitish Kumar later.

--IANS
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Amaravati, Jan 9 (IANS) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has condemned the arrests of party supporters in various parts of the state and demanded their immediate release.

In a letter to the Director General of Police, he lodged his protest against illegal arrest of several TDP workers.

The Leader of Opposition stated that police were acting as complainants in false cases. He alleged that the police are misusing section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), thus violating the Supreme Court directions.

He wrote that police are wantedly filing Section 307 in the FIRs and then mentioning TDP supporters in the FIR as 'Others' among the list of accused.

"Based on such unethical and illegal FIRs, police are in turn arresting TDP activists indiscriminately and subjecting them to harassment in the name of registered cases. It seems this kind of modus operandi is being carried out in Kuppam, Punganur, Macherla and other parts of the State," he said.

The TDP chief said this was being done in spite of Supreme Court's directions with regard to the essential ingredients required to file an FIR under attempt to murder under Section 307 of Indian Penal Code. "The intention has to be ascertained along with the nature of the weapon used, the nature of injury and the body part chosen for assault. Ridiculously, the police themselves after indiscriminate lathi charge against the TDP supporters are acting as the complainants for registering FIRs under Section 307," reads the letter.

He also alleged that police were resorting to arrests of the victims in mufti without wearing police uniform or name tags, thereby causing panic among their family members.

"As per the directions of the Supreme Court police, while affecting the arrests, had to be in proper police uniform and inform the family members or the local heads in that vicinity giving details in writing as to why they are being arrested, etc. Surprisingly, no such notices are being to the family members of the victims causing them anxiety about the safety of their loved ones," said Naidu.

He cited arrests of TDP supporters in his Assembly constituency Kuppam. The same tendency has been observed in other parts of the state. In Kandukuru, TDP leaders were arrested on January 5 without giving information to their family members, while in Punganuru and Macherla Assembly segments too police are affecting illegal arrests indiscriminately.

"Such cowardly acts by the police are nothing but vulgar abuse of power that does not augur well for the democracy, as in the process the police are essentially trying to criminalise political activists," he wrote.

Naidu demanded that the police stop abuse of power and immediately release those arrested illegally across the state in general and Kuppam, Punganur and Macherla Assembly segments in particular.

--IANS
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Mysuru (K'taka), Dec 30 (IANS) A woman was killed while three others including her husband were injured in a wild elephant attack on Thursday in Chikkabeechanahalli village near Bilikere in Mysuru district of Karnataka.

The deceased was identified as 55-year-old Chikkamma, a resident of Beechanahalli. According to authorities, she was attacked by the elephant while she worked at her farm with her husband Sidde Gowda.

Chikkamma died on the spot while Sidde Gowda managed to escape with minor injuries.

The elephant also attacked Ranju with its trunk and trampled another person Ravi. Both were working at their farm. The injured had been shifted to a private hospital in Mysuru.

The police personnel from Bilikere police station and Range Forest Officer Nandakumar and staff of the forest department have rushed to the spot and trying to shoo away the elephant to the forest.

Chamundeshwari constituency MLA, G.T. Deve Gowda, paid a visit to the injured persons in the private hospital in Mysuru and also met the family members of the deceased woman.

He has directed the authorities to take up operation to avoid elephant menace, and provide compensation.

--IANS
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Mandya (Karnataka), Dec 30 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a mega dairy built at a cost of Rs 260 crore in Mandya district of Karnataka on Friday.

Addressing a public gathering after the inauguration, he stated that if Amul and Nandini work together jointly, in three years there will be primary diaries at every village level.

The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) will get all technical support and cooperation from Amul, he said, adding that if Karnataka and Gujarat come together in this direction, it will benefit the farmers all over the country.

The Union Minister announced that he is giving an assurance from the platform of Mandya to the farmers and cooperative workers in the country that his government will not let them get cheated or meted with injustice.

"This is the decision taken by the Indian government," he said.

"After independence, Indian farmers had demanded a separate ministry for the Cooperation sector. If someone had separated it from the ministry of Agriculture, the fate of farmers would have been different today."

Shah explained that Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled this demand finally. He maintained that Karnataka is in the forefront in the cooperative and dairy sectors.

The state had come a long way and made good progress from 1975 to 2022.

In 1975, Karnataka processed 66,000 kilo milk and now it is processing 82 lakh kilo milk. The federation's turnover per year is 25,000 crores and nearly 80 per cent of the money goes to farmers, he said.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda stated that Shah has taken note of mismanagement of cooperative societies and banks in the country and this is not a political programme, he said.

"I have great respect for Amit Shah as he has reciprocated well for the implementation of the projects in the state," he said.

Sri Adichunchanagiri Mutt pontiff Nirmalananda Natha Swamjji, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai were present on the occasion.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) A Special CBI court in Tamil Nadu has awarded three years' rigorous imprisonment to three accused, including a former senior manager of Central Bank of India, in connection with a bank loan fraud case.

The Special Judge for CBI cases, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) awarded jail term to S.Sakthivel, the then Managing Director of Chemfree Vegetable Pvt Ltd, M. Vellaichamy, then Senior Manager, Central Bank of India, Coimbatore and C. Bommaiya, and also imposed a fine of Rs 1,50,000 for committing the offence.

The CBI registered this case on February 21, 2011 on the allegations that Chemfree Vegetable (P) Ltd, Chennai represented by its Managing Director, Sakthivel, and Vellaichamy, Senior Manager, Central Bank of India, Main Branch, Coimbatore and Bommaiy cheated the bank to the tune of Rs 1,41,44,861 by submitting forged documents to the Bank using them as genuine, the loan was sanctioned and funds were released.

The accused fraudulently withdrew the amount and the same was never repaid. In the process, Vellaichamy abused his official position and showed undue favour to the accused, thereby causing loss to the Bank.

The total outstanding amount was Rs 1,41,44,861 including interest.

After investigation, a charge sheet was filed against the said accused. The trial court found the three accused guilty and convicted them.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a 14th accused, a martial arts and hit squad trainer, in connection with the Kerala Popular Front Of India (PFI) case.

The arrest was made on Thursday and according to information, the accused was identified as Mohammed Mubarak A.I, a resident of Ernakulam district.

"This arrest was made subsequent to the searches conducted at 56 locations in Kerala including the residence of Mohammed Mubarak A I, who is a PFI martial arts and hit squad trainer," an NIA official said.

"He's a practicing advocate in the Kerala High Court. An assortment of arms, concealed in a badminton racket bag, were recovered from his house during the searches yesterday (Thursday), including an axe, swords and sickles.

"Investigations have confirmed that the PFI was raising, training and maintaining hit squads in different states and districts to target leaders and members of other communities," the official added.

Investigation into the case is underway.

--IANS
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