Karnataka bans practice of giving garland, shawls, memorabilia at govt events
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday banned the practice of giving garland, shawls, flower bouquets, and memorabilia at government events, terming it as an 'unnecessary expenditure'.
The government in a circular said Kannada books can be given instead.
Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar issued a circular to this effect on the directions from Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister who chaired a meeting of senior police officials refused to accept a flower bouquet, and said that the practice of giving garland, shawls and bouquets in the name of protocol should be done away with, terming it as unnecessary expenditure .
Subsequently, the Chief Secretary issued a circular directing not to give garland, shawls, flower bouquets, fruit baskets and memorabilia at meetings and events by the state government and the government-run-institutions.
All department heads and government undertakings have been asked to comply with the directions, it said.
Recently, the newly sworn-in Energy and Kannada & Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar had appealed to those coming to greet him not to give garlands and gifts and asked for Kannada books instead, which he would donate to a library in his Karkala constituency.
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India describes attack on Fujairah 'unacceptable'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday described the wounding of three Indians in an attack on the United Arab Emirates' port city of Fujairah as "unacceptable" and pressed for an immediate cessation of hostilities targeting innocent civilians.
New Delhi's reaction came a day after the Indians were injured after a drone attack caused a fire at a major oil industry zone in Fujairah. The UAE had accused Iran of carrying out the strike.
"The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said India continued to stand for dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation so that peace and stability could be restored across West Asia.
"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues," he said.
The attack on Fujairah city came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas pass, remains a major sticking point in the talks. Shipping through the narrow Gulf waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict, triggering a sharp increase in oil prices and energy shortages in several countries.
The UAE's defence ministry on Monday said its air defence systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
The ministry affirmed that it "remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country."
