Cabinet decides to rechristen Mumbai-Karnataka region comprising 7 districts as 'Kittur Karnataka'
Bengaluru, Nov 8: The Karnataka Cabinet on Monday decided to rechristen "Mumbai-Karnataka" region consisting of seven districts as "Kittur Karnataka"
"The Cabinet has decided to rechristen the Mumbai-Karnataka region consisting of Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Dharwad, Vijayapura, Bagalkote, Gadag and Haveri districts as Kittur Karnataka," said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Maduswamy.
"It was decided to rechristen as we didn't want to refer to the region as Bombay-Karnataka or Mumbai-Karnataka," he said.
Renaming the region that was under the erstwhile Bombay presidency before Independence has been a long-standing demand of the pro-Kannada organisations.
The name Kittur is after a historical taluk in Belagavi district that was ruled by Rani Chennamma (1778 1829), who had fought against the British before Jhansi Rani Laxmibai did.
The previous B S Yediyurappa government in 2019 renamed Hyderabad-Karnataka region that was previously ruled by Nizams of Hyderabad as Kalyana-Karnataka.
Also, the Cabinet today gave its approval to the new sand policy.
"In the policy, we have made stages like gram panchayat, riverbed, sea... Also, we have mentioned who are all permitted under the policy to extract sand," said Madhuswamy.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting here, he said under the policy, sand in gram panchayat would be sold at Rs 300 per metric tonne, while riverbed sand is fixed at Rs 700 per metric tonne to be sold at urban, inter-districts and other areas, and a separate authority would be constituted with enforcement and monitoring authorities.
"The policy is aimed at making sand easily available in the State at lesser prices," he said. The traditional method of extracting sand by diving into the sea would be allowed on small scale in the non-SEZ area, but there is restriction on usage of machinery because it is against the law of the country.
Gram panchayats have been authorised to give sand at discounted rate for rural housing and government sponsored schemes, he added.
The Cabinet has also approved amendments to Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1994, under which the lease period for both minor and major minerals mined in a particular area would be the same, which is about 50 years.
"Along with major minerals, some minor minerals are also being mined in the same areas in several parts of the State. The Centre gives a 50-year lease for major minerals, but for minor minerals the State used to give for 20 or 30 years. So we are now changing it... whatever mining is done in a particular area, it will be for 50 years in line with with the major mining policy," said the Minister.
The other Cabinet decisions include: To constitute a committee headed by a retired High Court Judge and consisting of two technical experts; and to examine pre-tender notification of government tenders worth more than Rs 50 crore.
"Only after committee's approvals, the tenders can be floated...this is mainly aimed at maintaining transparency. We request the committee to scrutinise and give nod to the works in 15 days," said Madhuswamy.
The other decisions include: Approval for Rs 399.8-crore KSAFE-II action plan by the fire department that includes fire infrastructure, increasing fire stations among others; administrative approval for constructing vented dams for west flowing rivers; bifurcating Dharwad Milk Union to create a separate milk union for Haveri, and to bifurcate Kolar; and Chikkaballapur Milk Unions.
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.
CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
