Shiv Sena demands sacking of Akbar over #MeToo charges
Mumbai, Oct 11: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Shiv Sena Thursday demanded the removal of Union minister M J Akbar, who has been accused by several women journalists of sexually harassment.
The saffron party also said the charges against Akbar needed to be investigated thoroughly.
"As far as I know, there are five to six women professionals who have openly narrated how they were sexually attacked by M J Akbar. The details are worrisome and serious. Hence, I demand that he should be removed from his post immediately," Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi frequently talks about 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao'. Hence, in order to maintain his own image, Modi should remove Akbar from his post," she added.
"Let there be a proper investigation into the accusations against him. If Akbar comes out clean, he can be reinstated in the cabinet," the Sena MLC said.
The legislator also took a dig at the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, saying it was not doing its job properly.
"The chairperson of the commission has been a long-standing member of the BJP. She (Vijaya Rahatkar) only issues notices and selectively gives clean chits. She is certainly not using her judicial powers," Kayande said.
As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum in India, several women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, a former newspaper editor and now the Union minister of state for external affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as a journalist.
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Karnataka approves AI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru's Electronics City
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has approved the establishment of a CoE for AI in Biotechnology at IBAB in Electronics City (Phase 1), here.
The decision, taken by the state Cabinet on Thursday night, marks a significant step towards strengthening Karnataka’s leadership in emerging technologies, IT and biotechnology, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said on Friday.
The centre will be established over four years with a total outlay of Rs 20 crore, in partnership with the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), according to a statement from the minister’s office.
"Karnataka has consistently been at the forefront of technological innovation. As we enter the decade of deep tech, our focus is on building future-ready capabilities at the intersection of artificial intelligence and biotechnology," Minister for IT and Biotechnology said.
"This Centre of Excellence will strengthen our research ecosystem, accelerate innovation and enable Karnataka to lead in high-impact next-generation technologies," he added.
Priyank added that the state government, through the Departments of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology, is actively investing in emerging technologies and taking steps to strengthen Karnataka’s AI and deep-tech ecosystem.
The minister said the Cabinet has also approved the transfer of a 51 per cent stake in the Karnataka Technology & Innovation Museum Foundation (KTIMF) to the Unboxing BLR Foundation.
KTIMF was established by the Government of Karnataka as a not-for-profit organisation to promote innovation, technological awareness, startup culture and public engagement in science and technology, aligned with the state’s vision of building a robust innovation ecosystem, he said.
The Technology & Innovation Museum will be developed at the NGEF campus in Baiyappanahalli, Bengaluru, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, with a total project cost of Rs 100 crore. Of this, Rs 49 crore will be contributed by the state government and Rs 51 crore by the private partner, he said.
