CM Siddaramaiah urges Centre to import LPG from other nations to address shortage
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said he has written to the Centre urging it to explore alternative measures, including importing LPG from other countries, to address the shortage of cooking gas being reported in parts of the state.
Speaking to reporters here, the Chief Minister said the state government had already responded to the issue in the legislature and had taken up the matter with the Union government to ensure the uninterrupted supply of LPG.
“The government has already given replies twice, both in the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. I have also written a letter. Regarding this shortage, I have said that efforts should be made to explore alternatives, such as bringing LPG from other countries to avoid the shortage. Even now, I am urging the central government,” Siddaramaiah said.
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He noted that a large section of the population depends on hotels for food and warned that disruption in LPG supply could affect daily life.
The CM said Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has assured that steps would be taken to ensure there is no disruption in supply.
“There are many people who depend on hotels for food. If hotels stop functioning, it will cause great difficulty and the entire public life will be disrupted,” he said, adding that he had urged the Union government to act immediately to resolve the issue.
Responding to criticism from state BJP leaders that the LPG shortage was not being reported in other states, Siddaramaiah said, “Let them supply it then. Maybe they are showing a stepmotherly attitude towards Karnataka. Let them supply it to Karnataka. What will we do by keeping it with us?”
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India is going to do this more and more often: Sanju Samson
New Delhi (PTI): Sanju Samson, whose exploits fuelled India's recent T20 World Cup triumph, on Sunday asserted that the country is poised to rule global cricket for years to come.
Speaking on the sidelines of the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 in the capital, Samson also likened his exploits during India's triumphal march to the title to a movie, and said it was yet to sink in.
"Not yet, I am still like, actually, when I get up in the morning I'm like 'has it really happened'. So honestly, that's the feeling," Samson said when asked about last Sunday's triumph.
He added, "But I feel that in the coming years with the quality of players we have in our country, this is going to be repeated. It's not going to be, okay, it has happened once in a while. The amount of players which are coming up and definitely India is going to do this more and more often."
Samson was named Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup after a historic campaign, scoring 321 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200 in just five innings to lead India to the title.
Despite not playing initially, he delivered 80-plus scores in the must-win Super Eights match against the West Indies, the semi-final against England, and in the final against New Zealand.
Samson further said he has been dreaming to help India win a World Cup.
"Absolutely, I think you can only dream where you want to go, but you can't definitely ride the path towards it. So my life or my career has been one of the best examples. I definitely wanted to do this a couple of years ago.
"I want to win a World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So, but more like a movie. I enjoyed it," Samson said.
The unassuming star from Kerala has been toiling for years to leave an impact on the game, and the T20 World Cup was his finest moment.
"As I said before, I wanted to do something like this, then I got pulled out of my journey, and then suddenly, the team wanted me to come and contribute, and that's when I actually mentally flipped a bit... I think, before that, in the New Zealand series, the focus was all about myself.
"But in the World Cup, the focus is all about the team. I think what does a team require. And in the Zimbabwe game, right from that moment, everyone wanted me to contribute to it. I had a role to play.
"So that's when the shift happened and the confidence that, okay, 'the team needs you, Sanju', and let's do what you can the best. So that's where everything started from.
"And then I had the experience, I was working mentally. I was working physically, so I knew that I'm ready, and I knew that this is meant for me, so I just had to do what I know best.
"So, I've been playing this format for a very long time and then it was just about planning and going out there and executing it," Samson said.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj described the triumph as a "miracle" from a personal point of view as he was not even part of the initial squad for the tournament and was included only as a replacement for an injured Harshit Rana.
"I was not in the initial squad, then I got it, played a game, and now I have been part of two World Cup-winning squads. I would say it's a miracle for me," Siraj said.
