Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Milk Federation, the state-owned dairy cooperative federation with brand name 'Nandini', will sponsor Scotland and Ireland cricket teams in the 2024 T20 World Cup -- a move which has come under criticism in some quarters.

"Yes, we are sponsoring them. They are going to display our brand during the matches," KMF Managing Director M K Jagadish told PTI on Sunday.

He said the decision was taken to make Nandini a global brand.

"We already have stores in the Middle East. Our presence is in Singapore as well. We are selling our sweets in America," Jagadish explained.

Information technology industry veteran and former Chief Financial Officer of Infosys T V Mohandas Pai criticised the move.

In a post on 'X', he said: "What a big shame!Why are they using the money belonging to the farmers of Karnataka, paid by consumers who are kannadigas, to sponsor foreign teams? What value will it deliver? Pay poor farmers better. @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar this is a waste for a largely Karnataka based co/op!"

Responding to this, Jagadish said: "85 percent of our revenues goes to the farmers only. We are sponsoring it for the promotion of our product.

"We need to go global," he said.

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.

It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.

"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.

"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.

The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.

Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.