Karnataka govt to take up cloud seeding, amid monsoon worries
Bengaluru, May 15: The Karnataka government Wednesday said it would take up cloud seeding by the end of June, amid reports forecasting deficit rainfall.
The government has already called for tenders for two years and will spend an estimated Rs 88 crore for the purpose.
"In newspapers we are seeing that in 2019 there is a possibility of deficit rainfall.
We have already taken precautionary measures regarding this- for 2019-20 and 2020-21-for two years we have decided to implement cloud seeding,"Rural Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said.
He said the government would award the tender in a week to 10 days.
"By June end, we will begin the cloud seeding process in the state. The tender has been called for two years together.
An expert committee had also given similar recommendation," he said.
For two years together, the estimated cost would be Rs 88 crore, he said, briefing media persons after Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's video conferencing with Deputy Commissioners of districts and CEO of Zilla Panchayats on drought in the state.
Pointing out that cloud seeding earlier used to be done by August, by which time the monsoon would have almost ended, Gowda said that to avoid it, the government decided this time to go for the exercise at the onset of the monsoon.
There will be two centres at Bengaluru and Hubballi for cloud seeding, with two aircraft, he said.
"If there is good rain in one region, the centre there can be shifted as additional centre to where there is lack of rain. It will also be based on cloud cover," he said.
Revenue Minister R V Deshpande said the government was taking steps to manage drought on a "war footing" and that he has directed all Deputy Commissioners and CEOs to tour the districts to assess the situation.
Tahsildars have also been asked to travel to villages, panchayat headquarters and urban areas to understand the ground reality and work effectively, he said.
He also termed as 'far from the truth,' Opposition leader B S Yeddyurappa's criticism of the government's management of drought and pointed out that due to the model code of conduct in force, the Chief Minister and Ministers had no powers to hold review meetings until recently, when they were permitted by the Election Commission to do so.
The ministers said the government has taken steps to provide drinking water through tankers, wherever there was shortage.
In most places there was fodder stock for 12 weeks and corrective measures were being taken in areas facing shortage.
Gowda said a total of 2,999 villages in the state faced acute drinking water shortage.
Among them in 1632 villages, 2322 tankers are being used to supply water and 1873 borewells have been taken on rent to provide water to 1367 villages.
Of the total of 6,428 urban wards, 451 wards are being provided water through tankers, he added.
"DCs have Rs 713 crore, it should be used for borewell and tanker payments.
Wherever new borewells are needed task forces have been given Rs 200 crore by RDPR department," they said, adding that call centres have been started at every taluk, district and also state level to address drinking water shortage.
Jobs were also being provided under MNREGA to stop migration of people from affected areas, they said.
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Trump rushed out of dinner event after shots fired; one arrested
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump and other top White House officials were evacuated unharmed from the annual dinner of White House correspondents after a man armed with multiple weapons fired shots outside the ballroom of the hotel.
The incident took place at around 8:34 PM local time when dinner was served. At that time, Trump was seen having a conversation with Weijia Jiang, the President of the White House Correspondents' Association, and mentalist Oz Pearlman, who was scheduled to present a show at the marquee event at the Washington Hilton here.
Secret Service officials and other security personnel covered the President, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J D Vance, and the Second Lady Usha Vance, who were seated at the head table, and escorted them out of the ballroom.
Several guests at the dinner, including leaders across the political spectrum, journalists and other invitees, ducked under the table, apparently as a reflex reaction.
Putting up a brave face, President Trump later announced on Truth Social that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom is all that I heard, and many guests ducked under the table,” a C-SPAN reporter at the dinner said.
Hours later, Trump addressed a press conference at the White House and announced that the security personnel had captured one person who hails from California.
“I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray going down. I've heard that many times. It was a pretty loud noise, and it was from quite far away. He (the attacker) hadn't reached the area at all. They really got him,” Trump told reporters, recalling the incident.
Trump said one security officer was shot at but saved as he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Several protestors had lined up on the road outside the hotel, raising slogans against the Trump administration and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A CNN reporter who was outside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton said he saw a gunman opening fire just a few feet away. He was among the dozens of attendees who took cover as law enforcement swarmed the venue.
The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California.
Asked how Saturday’s incident impacts him as the US president, Trump told reporters he is in a dangerous job but that he is no “basket case.”
“I like not to think about it. I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it’s a dangerous life. I think I handle it as well as it can be handled,” Trump said.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts over the past two years – first at a presidential election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and later in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
“I will say you had Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives...everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting crowd,” he said.
“We had some great work done by law enforcement, but in light of this evening's events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our differences peacefully,” Trump said.
