PM Modi in Mangaluru on Friday to inaugurate and lay foundation for Rs 3,800 cr projects
Mangaluru, Sep 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in this coastal city on Friday afternoon during which he will inaugurate and lay the foundation for mechanisation and industrialisation projects worth around Rs 3,800 crore and address a mega event.
This visit by Modi for about a couple of hours to this port city, after attending events in neighbouring Kerala, is likely to give a boost to the Karnataka BJP, which is preparing for Assembly polls next year, aiming to regain power in the state, with a target of winning at least 150 of the total 224 seats.
According to party and official sources, the Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive at the Mangaluru International Airport at around 1:30 PM, from where he will fly to New Mangaluru Port Authority (NMPA) premises at Panambur by a chopper, and after inaugurating or laying foundation to various projects, he will arrive at the Goldfinch city grounds here, to attend an official public event.
Nearly two lakh people are likely to attend the event at Goldfinch city grounds, they said, in addition to one lakh workers of the BJP, the district administration is also said to have invited about 70,000 beneficiaries of various Union government welfare schemes to the programme.
Party workers and beneficiaries of government programmes are likely to come from various parts of Dakshina Kannada district and neighbouring Udupi.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje, a host of state Ministers, BJP legislators and leaders are likely to participate in the event.
Police have made elaborate security arrangements in the city for the PM's visit.
The visit to Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district is seen as significant after recent incidents of "communal" murders including that of BJP activist Praveen Nettar near here, which triggered widespread protests and spate of resignations by some of its Yuva Morcha members and workers at various places across Karnataka, accusing the state government of not standing up to protect the lives of Hindu 'Karyakartas'.
Several Hindutva ideologues and organisations too had expressed their angst against the government, reflecting similar sentiments.
The visit is also at the time when the BJP government is facing corruption charges of "40 per cent commission" in public works by the state contractors' association, and also allegations of irregularities in several departments by certain organisations and opposition parties, especially the Congress.
The projects that PM will inaugurate or lay foundation tomorrow include: Inauguration the project worth over Rs 280 crore for mechanisation of Berth No. 14 for handling containers and other cargo, undertaken by the New Mangalore Port Authority; lay the foundation stone of five projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore, undertaken by the Port.
He will also inaugurate two projects undertaken by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited viz BS VI Upgradation Project and Sea Water Desalination Plant, worth Rs 1,830 crore and Rs 680 crore respectively.
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Riyan Parag likely to be fined 25 percent of match fees for vaping inside dressing room
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag is set to be fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" after being caught vaping on camera during the IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
Parag's actions during the Royals' chase on Tuesday night drew condemnation on social media.
PTI has learned that on field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon had not reported the matter to match referee Amit Sharma right after the game. They only did that after seeing visual proof and Sharma found Parag guilty for a code of conduct breach as per the IPL guidelines.
The Level 1 offences carries 25 per cent deduction from match fees and one demerit point.
"He is set to be fined a portion of his match fees and a demerit point for a Level 1 offence," said an IPL source.
The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale and distribution. As per the law, the offender faces imprisonment up to one year and/or a Rs one lakh fine for a first time offence.
"Article 2.21 of IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20," the IPL Code of Conduct states.
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered.
"Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
Since it is a Level 1 offence there was no need for a hearing.
Parag, who has not had the best of times with the bat this IPL, was seen inhaling an e-cigarette, also known as vaping, in the dressing room during the live broadcast of their game against Punjab Kings. Royals won the game to end Kings' unbeaten run in the tournament.
This is not the first controversy to hit the Royals this season. Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs one lakh for breaching PMOA protocol after being found using his phone in the dugout.
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the IPL termed it as a careless act in the age of social media and prying TV cameras.
Royals next host Delhi Capitals at home on Friday night.
