Shiva Rajkumar declares himself cancer-free after successful surgery
Bengaluru: Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar has announced that he is cancer-free following a successful surgery at the Miami Cancer Institute (MCI) in the United States. The actor underwent treatment for bladder cancer on December 24, 2024. Sharing the news in an Instagram video, he expressed gratitude to his fans and well-wishers for their prayers and support.
In the video, Geetha Shiva Rajkumar, his wife, stated, "Because of your prayers, all of Dr Shiva Rajkumar’s reports have turned negative. Even the pathology reports are negative, and he is now officially cancer-free."
The actor also opened up about his journey, acknowledging the emotional challenges he faced. Speaking about the days leading up to his surgery, he said, “I was a little emotional while leaving for the US, but my fans, family, and friends instilled courage in me.”
Shiva Rajkumar revealed that he continued working during his treatment, including shooting the climax sequence of his upcoming film, 45, while undergoing chemotherapy. Despite his health struggles, he promoted his last release, Bhairathi Ranagal, which hit the screens on November 15, 2024.
Expressing deep gratitude to his wife Geetha and daughter Niveditha for their unwavering support, the actor remarked, “Without Geetha, there is no Shivanna.” He also thanked his medical team for their care throughout the process.
Clarifying the nature of his surgery, Shiva Rajkumar said, “It was not a kidney transplant but the removal of the urinary bladder with an artificial replacement.” He explained that the decision to withhold detailed information earlier was to avoid causing worry.
The actor is set to return to work gradually, with doctors advising him to resume full-fledged activities from March. “I’ll be back with twice the energy. With your blessings, I’ll always be full of power,” he assured fans.
Shiva Rajkumar is currently working on multiple projects, including Uttarakaanda, 45, Bhairavana Kone Paata, and Ram Charan’s RC 16. He is expected to return to India on January 26.
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LoP Ashoka accuses Karnataka govt of 'diverting' SC/ST funds for guarantees
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, on Tuesday accused the state government of "diverting funds" meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the SCSP and TSP components to finance its guarantee schemes. He also alleged that the budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has undermined the principle of social justice.
During the discussion on the 2026–27 state budget in the assembly, the BJP leader claimed that substantial portions of funds earmarked for Dalit welfare had been diverted for other schemes over the past four years.
He also questioned the implementation of allocations under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), saying the government has "failed" to ensure that the money actually reached the intended communities.
“Today, the money here has been diverted. In this diversion of funds, social justice has been ignored. If the money meant for Dalits is looted, can that be called social justice?” he asked while criticising the government’s handling of SC/ST allocations.
According to the opposition leader, around Rs 14,198 crore had been diverted in the current financial year alone from SCSP and TSP allocations to various guarantee schemes announced by the government.
Listing the expenditure under these programmes, the former Deputy CM said Rs 8,296.32 crore had been allocated for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, Rs 1,537 crore for Shakti, Rs 1,612 crore for Anna Bhagya, Rs 2,591.6 crore for Gruha Jyothi and Rs 1,062 crore for Yuva Nidhi.
“In total, Rs 14,198 crore has been diverted this year,” he said.
He further claimed that the diversion of funds had increased over the years.
“In 2023–24, Rs 11,144 crore was taken from SC/ST funds. In 2024–25, Rs 14,282.68 crore was taken. In 2025–26, Rs 13,343.84 crore was taken. In 2026–27, Rs 14,198.97 crore has been taken.”
“This amount keeps increasing year after year. In total, Rs 53,059.45 crore belonging to SC/ST communities has been taken during Siddaramaiah’s tenure,” he added.
Ashoka said that although the budget documents projected large allocations for Dalit welfare, the actual funds reaching the beneficiaries were significantly lower.
The government had earmarked Rs 44,632 crore for SC/ST communities in 2026–27, but once the diversion towards guarantee schemes was removed, the effective amount available was much less, he added.
The BJP leader also referred to a review meeting on January 31 to examine the utilisation of SCSP and TSP funds.
As per the review, Ashoka said only a part of the sanctioned amount had actually been released and spent.
“For SCSP, Rs 29,872 crore was allocated, but by January 27, only Rs 16,699 crore had been released, and the expenditure was Rs 15,391 crore."
Similarly, under the Tribal Sub-Plan, he alleged that Rs 11,900 crore had been allocated, but only Rs 6,521 crore was released and Rs 6,002 crore spent by the end of January.
“Even after eleven months, only about 50 per cent of the funds were released by the Finance department.”
Ashoka also criticised the allocation of SC/ST funds to departments and schemes that he said had little direct relevance to the welfare of those communities.
These included wildlife conservation programmes in the forest department, the tiger conservation project, maintenance of hospital buildings, and IT policy formulation.
“How are Dalits related to wildlife conservation? Are there SC tigers and ST elephants? How can funds meant for Dalits be used for tiger conservation?” he asked.
He also objected to funds being allocated from SC/ST components to institutions such as the Sanjay Gandhi Trauma and Orthopaedic Institute in Bengaluru and for Public Works Department buildings.
The opposition leader also charged that the government hiked taxes and prices of various commodities and services ranging from milk to petrol, vehicles, drinking water, sewerage cess, electricity, metro rail and bus fare, school and college fees, property taxes in Bengaluru, property e-Khata fee, A-Khata conversion, exam fee and birth and death certificate issuance.
“People are being taxed for digging cellar. The mines and geology department has issued notices to people. This is unheard of for me,” Ashoka said.
