A very disappointing budget: Karnataka Congress says BJP govt is lying to the people

Budget 2020

The Congress also slammed the BJP for selling equity stake in the state-run Life Insurance Corporation

TNM Staff

The Karnataka unit of the opposition Congress on Saturday slammed the NDA government for the proposed selling of its equity stake in the state-run Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). "Another blunder of the (NDA) government is the announcement of selling stake in LIC. This is again a bid to privatise LIC and open it to private parties, putting people's deposits in danger," tweeted the party's state unit here. Presenting the Union Budget for fiscal 2020-21 in the Lok Sabha, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government proposed to sell a part of its holding in LIC through the initial public offer (IPO)." "The government is hell bent on selling the country to their capitalist friends from railways to LIC India," alleged the party in the tweet. The minister, however, did not disclose the details of the LIC going public. The central government owns the entire 100 per cent equity in LIC, which was established in the year 1956 by an Act of Parliament. The Karnataka Congress slammed the BJP government and accused it of lying to the people about the suburban rail project in Bengaluru. Reacting to announcement, Congress spokesperson Srivatsa said in a tweet, “Stop lying Minister. Rs 18,300 crore is the total project cost and we have known that for years now. What's the exact amount allocated for Bengaluru Suburban Rail in this year? Also, Centre is paying just 20% of total cost. Rest? BJP's Suburban Rail Jumla going on for years now,” he said. The party also accused the BJP-led Narendra Modi government of lying to the people about creating employment and reducing the poverty rate. “The country has problems of hunger, poverty, unemployment, industry downturns, more than 1 crore job losses. There is a need to create 1 crore jobs in this country. Narendra Modi and his government hid the truth and lied about this. The current budget is a malicious attempt to keep the country in the dark,” the Karnataka Congress said in a tweet. Congress spokesperson and former Ballari MP VS Ugrappa in a press conference said that the budget is very disappointing. “The country's GGDP fell to 4.5%. India’s ranking in terms of addressing hunger stands at 103 in the global index. In terms of administration and policy, India’s ranking on a global scale fell from 41 to 51. This is a very disappointing budget,” Ugrappa said. With IANS inputs  

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Budget 2020: Bengaluru suburban rail finds mention yet again, but will it kick-off soon?

Budget 2020

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Bengaluru suburban transport project would cost Rs 18,600 crore, with the Centre providing 20% equity.

Theja Ram

In a traffic-dense city like Bengaluru, its residents have long demanded the construction of a suburban rail network. For the last 37 years the residents of the city have demanded the construction of the suburban rail and yet, successive governments have ignored the demand. On Saturday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Bengaluru suburban transport project would cost Rs 18,600 crore and that the Centre would provide 20% equity. “The 148-km long Bengaluru Suburban transport project at a cost of Rs 18,600 crore, would have fares on metro model. Central government would provide 20% of equity and facilitate external assistance up to 60% of the project cost,” Nirmala Sitharaman said. This mention in the Budget speech comes after several activists lobbying for better public transport demanded that the Central government allocate funds for the project. Announcing project cost not a new move This is not the first time the BJP-led Centre has made an announcement on the suburban rail project. Despite mentions in the last two budget speeches, the project has failed to kick off. In his budget speech in the 2018-2019 fiscal, then Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that the project would cost Rs 17,000 crore. Arun Jaitely had announced the project in the budget but there were no other specifications about how much of the cost the Centre and state would each have to bear. In the 2019-2020 Budget, the project was allocated only Rs 10 crore by FM Niirmala Sitharaman.    In November 2019, the extended Railway Board approved the suburban rail project that was announced for the project in the 2018-19 fiscal. This was sent to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, whose approval is required for the funds to be released. “The Finance Ministry has not yet approved the project. Only when it does will the Cabinet Committee for Economic Affairs okay it. This will take another eight to nine months to come through and we will not be seeing any movement regarding the project this year. There is no point in making announcements when there is no action. With the new announcement, new clearances will have to take place. Let them approve the funds first,” said Sanjeev Dyammannavar, an urban mobility expert, who fought for the movement to bring about the suburban rail in Bengaluru. Political blame game Despite the slow progress, BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, tweeted that announcement was a welcome move. “Bengaluru's urban transport system gets a shot in the arm. The 148 KM Bengaluru Suburban Rail Network has been announced in the budget with a massive outlay of Rs. 18,300 Crores!! Kudos to Narendra Modi ji for this move,” Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan said. Reacting to this, the Congress accused Ashwath Narayan of lying. “Stop lying Minister. Rs 18,300 crore is the total project cost and we have known that for years now. What's the exact amount allocated for Bengaluru Suburban Rail in this year?” tweeted Srivatsa of the Congress. The suburban rail project is a dedicated service for Bengaluru and aims to build four corridors: Kengeri-Whitefield, KSR Bengaluru City- Rajanukunte, Nelamangala-Baiyappanahalli and Heelalige-Devenahalli. The revised DPR of the project states that it will include 57 stations and will have a 148 km railway network.      

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Watch: What makes citizen activism work in Bengaluru

Governance and Policy

From infrastructural changes to the Bengaluru’s green cover, the past decade has seen a steady rise of voices that have started influencing government decisions.

Haripriya Suresh

Sanyukta Dharmadhikari

“The steel flyover was not a steel flyover. It was a Godzilla that basically could damage the heart and soul of Bengaluru." - Priya Chetty Rajagopal. On a sunny October morning in 2016, Bengaluru witnessed something it had never seen before. Thousands of citizens formed an unprecedented human chain to protest against a steel flyover that the Karnataka government was planning to build, which would lead to thousands of trees being cut down. This was four years ago. Today, Bengaluru has become synonymous with citizen activism. From infrastructural changes to the green cover of the city, the past decade has seen a steady rise of voices that have started influencing government decisions.  The Steel Flyover Beda movement became one of Bengaluru’s iconic citizen protests. It began when Bengalureans found out that the flyover, which was built to ease Bengaluru’s traffic, would have no real effect on the traffic at all. 8,000 people turned up to form a human chain at the location where the steel flyover was to be built and after four months of similar citizen protests, in 2017, the Karnataka government announced that the steel flyover has been scrapped. This came as a huge victory for citizens. Two years later, citizens scored another win — the Graphite India factory, which Whitefield Rising had been protesting against over the pollution it was causing, was shut down. From civic issues like better roads, footpaths, better transport connectivity and even getting more people to register, today, Bengaluru is home to citizen groups that are involved with as many as 60 causes at the same time.  “Once you have the roti-kapda-makaan, your basic needs are taken care of, and people have the time to think about larger society and other issues and the number of people in Bengaluru that do, is probably higher because the city is a different kind of demographic,” says Srinivas Alavalli, o-founder, Citizens for Bengaluru. What makes the citizen groups more effective in Bengaluru is that they approach authorities with a solution-based approach and not a problem-based approach. “We have been very clear with what the problems are, and it's not always about complaining. Whenever we kind of look at an issue or a challenge, we've always approached it with a solutions-oriented approach. We just don't go to the Commissioner, Corporator, MLA or MP saying that this road is dug up, this tree is cut, you're not stopping it. No, we always think of what is it that we can do constructively,” says Zibi Jamal, member of Whitefield Rising. Watch the video to know what makes citizen activism work in Bengaluru.

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Didn't sleep well on Thursday night? Bengaluru saw hottest January in 150 years

Temperature

The previous high in January was recorded two decades ago, on January 24, 2000, at 32.8 degrees Celsius.

Theja Ram

Ever wondered why the nights in Bengaluru have been unusually warm over the last two days? According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), January 30, Thursday, marked the hottest January night in 150 years. On Thursday, Bengaluru recorded a temperature of 33.5 degrees Celsius, the highest maximum temperature in January. On Friday, the temperature remained at 33.4 degree Celsius, according to IMD figures.  IMD officials said that the highest average temperature in January in Bengaluru is between 27 to 28 degree Celsius. The last time temperature rose drastically in January was in the year 2000, when it has touched 32.8 degree Celsius, the Deccan Herald reported.  “This year is the highest temperature IMD has recorded in January in the city ever since we began recording temperature data 150 years ago. Generally, January is colder and the temperatures rise in late February,” said CS Patil, Managing Director of IMD.    According to IMD’s extended-range forecast, the temperature is expected to rise to around 35-36 degrees Celsius by the last week of February, the DH report stated. “We cannot predict whether the summer will be warmer or not right now. But we are witnessing a general, one to two degree rise in temperature throughout the peninsula,” he added. Speaking to TNM, KSNDMC Director Sreenivas Reddy said that the rise in temperature is due to the rise in the sea surface temperature in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. “The skies have been clear with no cloud formations. The sea surface temperature has increased in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. As a result, the entire peninsula is witnessing a rise in temperature. There is a general increase in temperature across the world. This year, even Australia witnessed record high temperature. It is a global phenomenon and we can expect a rise in temperature in the future,” he said.

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'Bengaluru will see a Jamia repeat': Two men detained for threatening anti-CAA protesters

The two men were employees of a bank and threatened students after getting drunk.

TNM Staff

Student protester

The shooting outside Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi on Thursday by a minor shook the country. On Friday, two men, threatened student protesters in Bengaluru, that there would be a repeat of Jamia in Bengaluru. The High Grounds Police, who were deployed for security at the Maurya Circle, where a protest was under way, detained the two men and herded them off to the police station after complaints from protesters. The students of several colleges in Bengaluru had gathered at Maurya Circle at around 7.30 pm to protest the incident at Jamia Millia. The students demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah resign and that BJP MP Anurag Thakur be booked for hate speech. By 11 pm, many protesters had dispersed after which the two men who were passing by began heckling the remaining student protesters, Times of India reported. TOI quoted a student named Adrian stating that the small group of protesters stayed within the barricaded area and two men, who were inside the barricade, began shouting pro-CAA slogans. Speaking to TNM, Teresa Braggs, a student protester said that three men were circling the area where the protest took place for over an hour before the incident occurred. “They began saying, ‘it’s not down down CAA but you people will go down just like Jamia’. Two of them came up to a friend and took a picture with my friend. The two men shook hands with the same friend and started running,” Teresa said. The two men began running away from the protest site and Teresa and her friends chased them. “The police was also with us. We caught up to them and the police detained the two men,” she says. According to the TOI report, the two men came back and pleaded with the protesters to not file any police complaint. They were taken to the High Grounds Police Station, where the incident was noted in the case diary and the they were let off. “We noted it as public nuisance. They were both bank employees and were drunk. One of them had thrown a party last night and they were all drunk when the incident happened. They apologised to the students. We told the students that we would register a case if they filed a complaint. But they accepted the apology. Se warned them and let the two men go,” the High Grounds Police said.   

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Plea to cancel Nithyananda’s bail: Karnataka HC issues notice to self-styled godman

Crime

In the plea, whistle blower Lenin sought the cancellation of bail granted to Nithyananda in a rape case from 2010.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka High Court on Friday issued a notice to absconding self-styled god man and rape accused Nithyananda while hearing a petition by whistleblower Lenin Karuppan, who was a former disciple of the rape accused. In the plea, Lenin sought the cancellation of bail granted to Nithyananda in a rape case from 2010. Justice John Michael Cunha hearing the case directed the local police to execute the notice issued by Monday (February 3), and file a report before the court. The counsel appearing for the petitioner stated that Nithyananda had fled the country, his passport had been cancelled and a blue corner notice was issued against him by Interpol in connection with a case registered in Gujarat. The court ordered that the notice has to be issued against the self-proclaimed godman and asked the police if they will be able to execute it.  The counsel appearing for the state government said that they did not know the whereabouts of Nithyananda. Reports indicate that Nithyananda has left India, either on a fake passport or bearing a second passport. Thus, he would not be available for trial and for judgement, the petitioner informed the court. The High Court in response asked, "Why has his presence not been secured before the trial court? Did you (prosecution) file any objections to the exemption granted?” Live Law quoted the judge as saying. The court directed the prosecution to file a report stating the reasons for not filing objections before the trial court seeking revocation of the exemption granted and for cancellation of bail. Nithyananda is facing trial under Sections 376 (rape), 420 (cheating), 114 (criminal abetment), 201 (disappearance of evidence, giving false information), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and other charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the III Additional District and Sessions Court in Ramanagara in Karnataka. Since the complaint was filed in 2010, Nithyananda has been arrested twice and been granted bail from higher courts, successfully delaying the start of the trial. Ultimately, the victims approached the apex court to seek justice. The Gujarat police had declared him as wanted as he failed to appear for trial in a child abduction case.    

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Karnataka CM Yediyurappa to induct 11 more ministers into his cabinet

Politics

BJP spokesperson G Madhusudhana said, however, that he was not privy to the names of the ministers who will make it to the final list.

IANS

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will induct 11 new ministers into his ministry, a BJP spokesperson said on Friday. "Amongst 11 ministers, maybe nine will be accommodated (from by-election winners) and another three from the regular BJP cadres," BJP spokesperson G Madhusudhana told IANS. However, he said he was not privy to any names that would feature in the final list. Commenting on the amount of time being taken to expand the cabinet, Madhusudhana said 11 non-BJP candidates winning the bye-election and all of them being promised a ministerial berth has created imbalances. "...the entry of 11 non-BJP legislators getting elected on BJP tickets with an assurance of cabinet berth for everybody has really caused a lot of commotion, a sort of tension and a regionally imbalanced and a caste imbalance also," he said. To rule the state, the spokesperson said regional and caste balances are a must. "Regional balances... ministers coming from different parts of the state. And ministers representing different groups of people. These two things are not there with the assurance we have given to a group of people who are the benefactors of our government in Karnataka," said Madhusudhana. As a result, the question of how to accommodate, how to make a balance has been the problem for the Chief Minister, the high command and everybody as a matter of fact, he said. Amid this chaos, Madhusudhana said some balance has to be struck, some have to be convinced and some simply sympathised with. Some hopefuls will be promised next time as politics is a game of hope, he added. According to the BJP leader, being the Chief Minister is like wearing a crown full of thorns. "Both (throne and crown) have more thorns than roses. But the thing is sitting on the thorny throne, he (Yeddiyurappa) has to smile at the people, he can't weep," he added. The much-delayed cabinet expansion has already been postponed several times. The BJP won 12 of the 15 Assembly seats in the bye-elections while the opposition Congress could win only two while an Independent won one.

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