Mangaluru: Former Lok Sabha MP from Mangalore and Union Minister Venur Dhananjay Kumar on Monday afternoon passed away at a private hospital in Mangaluru. He was 67.

A lawyer by profession, Dhananjay went on to represent Mangalore constituency in the Lok Sabha for four successive terms.

He was cabinet minister for civil aviation and tourism in 1996, Union Minister of State for Finance from 1999-2000 and Union Minister for State for Textiles from 2000-2003.

A Staunch loyalist of former Karnataka CM B. S Yeddiyurappa, he was elected as the president of Karnataka Janata Party. He has also served as the Special Representative if the Government of Karnataka to the Union Government.

People can get the last glimpse of the former minister on Tuesday between 7.00 am to 10.00 am at his residence at Kadri Kambala in Mangaluru. His mortal remains will then be taken to Venur for funeral rights

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Bengaluru (PTI): To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) announced on Friday that a special EV fair will be organised for the Secretariat employees in January 2025.

During a meeting at the BESCOM office, Managing Director Mahantesh Bilagi said, "The fair is being organised following a directive of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and will be conducted under the supervision of Energy Minister K J George and Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta."

According to him, the event aims to educate attendees about the benefits of environmentally friendly EVs and to encourage the adoption of two-wheeled EVs.

"During the fair, dealer discounts to government employees, particularly those in the Secretariat will also be offered. There will also be opportunities for practical demonstrations of the vehicles at the exhibition site," added Bilagi.

He said the Secretariat employees will also benefit from no down payment and low-interest loans to purchase the EV vehicles.

"EV companies are eager to participate and the sales will extend beyond the exhibition, continuing in the future," the Managing Director said.

The state, particularly Bengaluru, has the highest electric vehicle (EV) users, said Bilagi, adding that to support this, the Energy Department has provided essential infrastructure.

"BESCOM's efforts in promoting EV usage have been recognised with the 'Charge India 2024 Excellence' award. This award is a testament to our commitment to establishing excellent charging facilities. Karnataka has the country's most public electric vehicle charging stations, with a total of 5,765 stations, of which 4,462 are located in the Bengaluru Urban district," said Bilagi.

The Secretariat Employees' Association president Ramesh Sanga and other office-bearers, BESCOM Technical Director H J Ramesh as well as senior officials attended the meeting.