Congress backed PFI when in power, alleges Minister Sunil Kumar
Mangaluru, Sep 24: Karnataka Minister for Energy, Kannada and Culture V Sunil Kumar on Saturday alleged that the Congress encouraged the activities of Popular Front of India (PFI) during their rule.
Addressing reporters in Udupi, he said the BJP lost 14 of its workers as a result of Congress nurturing the PFI.
The Minister said the raid on PFI and SDPI offices in the State is the natural conclusion to the actions taken after the murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettaru.
The NIA is conducting the investigation into the case at the highest level. The Congress, during its rule, had created a situation of unrest in the State by withdrawing cases against SDPI and PFI workers, he alleged.
He termed the 'PayCM campaign by the Congress as a bundle of lies.' Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was the father of corruption, he alleged, and said the Congress has no moral right to criticise the BJP government.
If they have any complaint, let them approach the Lokayukta or raise it in the State assembly, Sunil Kumar said.
On the proposed power tariff hike in the State, the Minister said tariff is hiked every year. The tariff is fixed on the rise due to rhe price of coal, he said.
To a question, Sunil Kumar said the BJP would come back to power in the State in the next Assembly elections and Basavaraj Bommai would be the captain.
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Karnataka village switches off TVs, mobiles for two hours daily to help students study
Belagavi: Every evening at 7 pm, a siren rings out in Halaga, a village near Belagavi, signalling residents to switch off all screens including televisions, mobile phones, laptops and tablets for the next two hours.
The community has voluntarily adopted this “digital-free time” to help students focus on studies and to encourage families to spend more time talking to each other. The 'digital detox' initiative, 'No TV, no mobile, just study and conversation', is said to be the first such to be adopted by a Karnataka village, Deccan Herald reported on Monday.
According to the report, Halaga, which has a population of about 12,000 and is located close to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, launched the initiative on December 17. A siren installed at the gram panchayat office marks the start of the no-screen period at 7 pm, and another siren at 9 pm signals its end.
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Gram panchayat authorities are reaching out to those residents who are yet to comply and are urging them to stay away from screen during the two hours.
Authorities are also visiting households that have not fully adopted the practice and are encouraging parents to follow the routine strictly. Teachers and panchayat members plan to continue meeting families to ensure more participation.
The Halaga village exercise is said to be inspired by a similar experiment in Agran Dhulgaon near Sangli in Maharashtra which had a positive response on students' learning habits.
