BJP demands white paper on Karnataka's financial condition
Bengaluru(PTI): The BJP on Wednesday demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah present a white paper on Karnataka’s financial condition before tabling the state budget on March 7.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra alleged that Karnataka was heading towards "bankruptcy" due to the financial burden of the five guarantee schemes introduced by the Congress government.
These schemes include 'Gruha Jyothi', which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household, and 'Gruha Lakshmi', which promises Rs 2,000 per month to every woman heading a family. Under 'Anna Bhagya', every member of a BPL family receives 10 kg of rice per month.
Meanwhile, 'Yuva Nidhi' offers a financial allowance of Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders for two years, specifically for those aged 18-25. The 'Shakti' scheme allows women in Karnataka to travel for free on government-run non-luxury buses within the state.
Vijayendra also claimed that the state-owned Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was on the verge of closure due to financial mismanagement.
"The people of Karnataka are paying a heavy price for the free guarantees promised by the Congress government over the past two years," he said at a press conference.
Vijayendra claimed that the property guidance value had increased by 30 per cent, property registration fees had risen by 600 per cent, Bangalore Metro Rail fares had gone up by 50 per cent, and milk prices had surged by 15 per cent.
The Shikaripura MLA alleged that the state government was yet to clear dues amounting to Rs 7,000 crore owed to KSRTC.
"Because of their (Shakti) guarantee, the state government which is responsible for paying Rs 7,000 crore to KSRTC has not yet cleared the dues. As a result, KSRTC is on the verge of closure. This is the harsh reality," Vijayendra claimed.
"The financial situation of Karnataka is going from bad to worse, despite the state government having taken loans amounting to Rs 1.19 lakh crore in the past two years," he alleged.
He further claimed that state Energy Minister K J George had stated that the Public Works Department, the Irrigation Department, and other government departments in Karnataka had not paid their electricity bills, with total dues reaching around Rs 6,000 crore.
"Because of the decisions taken by the state government, Karnataka is clearly heading for bankruptcy," he charged.
He further alleged that never in Karnataka’s history had the state been in such a dire financial condition.
"The Chief Minister, who will be presenting his 16th budget on March 7 should explain to the people of Karnataka the true financial situation of the state. We demand that Siddaramaiah release a white paper on Karnataka’s financial condition," Vijayendra said.
He criticised the Chief Minister for blaming the Centre for the recent hike in Metro Rail fares.
Vijayendra alleged that no other Metro Rail Corporation in the country had implemented such a hike, making Bangalore Metro Rail the "costliest metro ride in India".
Asked about the action taken against dissident Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, he said the central leadership had already served him a notice, to which he had responded.
"The senior party leaders will decide the next course of action. The central leadership is aware of the situation and will address it," Vijayendra said.
He added that the party needed to present a united front, setting aside differences to take on the ruling Congress in the state.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
