CM Siddaramaiah to meet PM Modi in New Delhi on Monday
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday.
According to the CM’s travel plan shared with the media, he is expected to land in Delhi at 1:30 pm.
The meeting is likely to take place at 5 pm, according to official sources.
Siddaramaiah is scheduled to depart for Bengaluru at 7 pm.
During the meeting with the Prime Minister, the CM is likely to discuss the sugarcane farmers' issue and pending approvals for Mahadayi and Mekedatu water projects, official sources said.
Siddaramaiah, on November 6, had written to the PM, seeking an appointment to discuss the sugarcane farmers' issue, amid their protest demanding a higher price of Rs 3,500 per tonne for their produce.
In the letter, he had claimed that the root of the problem lies in central policy levers: the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) formula, the stagnating Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugar, export curbs, and the under-utilised ethanol off take from sugar-based feedstock.
Though it is not officially mentioned in the schedule, according to sources, Siddaramaiah may meet the Congress high command, including AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, amid speculations about CM change and cabinet reshuffle in Karnataka.
There have been talks about the chief minister change in the state when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November, which is being referred to by some as the "November revolution".
This, even as Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also in New Delhi, has met Kharge.
There have been talks in the state's political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, for some time now about the chief minister change, citing "power-sharing" agreement involving CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President.
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Karnataka: Home Department asks motorists to drive on highways with caution to avoid robbery
Belagavi: The Home Department has advised motorists to stay alert while travelling on national and state highways, warning that gangs involved in robbery and extortion have been active in several stretches. It said people should be extra cautious if anyone tries to stop their vehicle in isolated areas.
Replying to an unstarred question on Thursday, the department said Karnataka has recorded 403 highway robbery cases in the past three years. According to the data, national highways saw 81 extortion and 23 robbery cases in 2023, followed by 66 extortion and 16 robbery cases in 2024. Until November 15 this year, 51 extortion and 14 robbery cases have been reported.
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On state highways, 39 extortion and 17 robberies were reported in 2023, while 2024 saw 35 extortion and 22 robbery cases. In 2025 so far, 20 extortion and 19 robbery cases have taken place. The department noted that curbing highway robberies remains a major challenge for the police.
To tackle the issue, police stations have been directed to set up regular checkpoints on stretches of highways passing through their limits. Suspicious individuals and vehicles are being checked. Two-wheelers have been allocated to every station for night patrol, and staff have been instructed to conduct night rounds using vehicles fitted with sirens and red lights.
