Congress President Kharge welcomes SC verdict upholding 10 per cent reservation to EWS category
Bengaluru, Nov 7: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday welcomed Supreme Court's majority verdict upholding 10 per cent reservation to economically weaker sections (EWS).
He also expressed confidence about Congress unitedly facing and achieving "success", during the 2023 assembly polls in Karnataka.
"It (EWS reservation) was an amendment that was unanimously passed by the Parliament, which has been upheld by the Supreme Court. I welcome it," Kharge said in response to a question.
In a landmark verdict on Monday, the Supreme Court upheld the 10 per cent reservation introduced in 2019 for EWS in admissions and government jobs that excluded the poor among the SC/ST/OBC categories, saying it is not discriminatory or violative of any essential feature of the Constitution.
Stating that all the state Congress leaders are working hard unitedly to build the party and bring success to it during the upcoming assembly polls, Kharge said while replying to a question, "I seek everyone's cooperation to give more strength to the party."
Kharge is a Member of Parliament from Karnataka, and an election win in his home state is important to him after becoming the AICC President.
Assembly polls are expected in Karnataka by April next year, and Congress aims to dislodge the BJP and come back to power.
With Kharge holding the key for major decisions of the party including tickets for assembly polls, several leaders made a beeline to his residence here to meet and greet him.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
