Karnataka CM announces slew of sops for minorities in budget 2023-24
Bengaluru, Jul 7: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced establishment of a Christian Development Corporation in the state and development of pilgrimage centres of Jain, Muslim and Sikh communities in the budget for 2023-24.
Besides, Rs 360 crore will be allocated for Chief Ministers' Special Development Programme and Minorities Colony Development Programme in the year, he said.
A grant of Rs 25 crore would be provided for the development of major pilgrimage centres of Jain community while Rs 25 crore for the development of Gurudwara in Halasuru in Bengaluru.
Similarly, Gurudwaras in Mysuru, Ballari, Kalaburgi and Hubballi, would be developed at a cost of Rs 5 crore, Siddaramaiah said adding a monthly honorarium would be provided to the Granthis serving in the Gurudwaras.
"Our government is committed to striving for the upliftment of minority communities of the state. Our priority is to provide education and employment opportunities to these communities," Siddaramaiah said in his budget speech.
A loan of Rs one lakh per annum at a subsidised interest rate of two per cent would be provided to minority students under the Arivu' (Awareness) educational loan scheme.
Eligible beneficiaries will be students obtaining admissions through Common Entrance Test to 28 professional courses such as engineering and medicine. During the current financial year, Rs 75 crore will be allotted for this scheme, the CM said.
Noting that there are more than 40,000 Wakf properties in the state, Siddaramaiah said they would be protected and developed with Rs 50 crore.
A 10-month residential coaching programme for IAS, KAS and other competitive exams will be offered to the minority aspirants in Haj Bhavan, Bengaluru, in collaboration with reputed coaching institutions, he added.
Meanwhile, Archbishop of Bengaluru Rev Dr Peter Machado hailed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's decision to elevate the Christian Development Council to the status of Christian Development Board.
In a statement, he said the decision "is a praiseworthy stride in bolstering the comprehensive development of the Christian community in the state."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
