Dinesh Gundu Rao criticizes central govt for denying rice supply to state, calls it cruel
Bengaluru: Dinesh Gundu Rao, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare in Karnataka, has condemned the Central government's decision to withhold the supply of five kilograms of rice per family in the state, describing it as "cruel." In a tweet from his personal account on Tuesday, Rao expressed his disappointment and pledged that the state government would ensure rice is provided to the people, even without the support of the Central government.
Rao accused the Central government of selling rice to private companies through e-auctions at a price lower than the state government's offer. He stated that although Karnataka had proposed to provide rice at Rs 34 per kilogram to the Centre, it was now being sold to private parties through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) e-auction process for only Rs 31.75 per kilogram.
Rao questioned whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Karnataka were aware of the plight faced by the poor and urged them to speak up against this action. He criticized the Central government for not contributing its share of rice to support the welfare of the underprivileged.
Highlighting the state government's stance, Rao emphasized that Karnataka is determined to fight against such political tactics and acts of cruelty by the Central government. He mentioned that the state is already providing financial assistance in lieu of rice. Rao called on the BJP leaders, whom he accused of lacking an understanding of hunger, to demand the Central government to allocate its share of rice to Karnataka.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
