Akshay Kumar becomes Indian citizen: 'Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani'
Mumbai, Aug 15: Actor Akshay Kumar on Tuesday announced that he has once again become an Indian citizen, a news that he shared with his fans on Independence Day.
Kumar, who has often faced criticism over his Canadian citizenship, shared a photo of his Indian citizenship certificate on X, formerly Twitter.
"Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani (Heart and citizenship, both Indian). Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!" the 55-year-old actor said.
Kumar had previously said that he went through a lean phase in his career in the 1990s when he delivered over 15 consecutive flops and it pushed him to apply for the Canadian citizenship.
His citizenship status had come under intense scrutiny after he did not vote during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The matter also became a topic of debate after he conducted a "non-political" interview of Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the elections.
During an event in 2019, the actor had revealed that he had applied for an Indian passport.
On the work front, Kumar currently stars in "OMG 2", also featuring Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam. The movie was released in theatres across the country last week.
Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani.
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 15, 2023
Happy Independence Day!
Jai Hind! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/DLH0DtbGxk
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
