K'taka govt mulls over suit against Maharashtra counterpart over "false" ads on ''guarantee'' scheme
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the government was mulling over filing a suit against its counterpart in poll-bound Maharashtra for allegedly issuing false advertisements regarding his administration's flagship 'guarantee' schemes.
He said legal action is being explored against the Mahayuti government.
"It is only to mislead the people of Maharashtra in order to get the votes. He (PM) is telling lies. False advertisement is given by Maharashtra government," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question on PM Narendra Modi targeting Karnataka government's guarantee schemes during Maharashtra poll campaign, and whether government is mulling legal action against alleged misinformation about the schemes.
"I'm getting the issue examined about taking legal action. We are thinking about filing a suit against the Maharashtra government, because they have given false advertisements. We are thinking," he told reporters here.
The Karnataka government is spending Rs 56,000 crore a year on guarantee schemes, the Chief Minister said. "They (BJP) say we don't have money. Why are such schemes not being implemented in other states where BJP is in power?" he asked.
Siddaramaiah on Saturday too had said he was considering taking legal action against the BJP’s Maharashtra unit alleging it 'spread lies' about the five guarantees implemented by his government.
Questioning whether JD(S)' H D Kumaraswamy had given guarantee schemes while in power, Siddaramaiah asked as to what moral rights he has to comment on Congress government's guarantee schemes.
"Let Kumaraswamy (Union Minister and former Chief Minister) speak in Delhi, Karnataka's tax contribution is Rs 4.5 lakh crore per year , but what we get is Rs 59,000-60,000 crore. If we give Rs 1, what we get back is 14 paise. Remaining money is with the centre, let him (Kumaraswamy) get more funds for the state, instead of just speaking," he said.
He asked whether Kumaraswamy and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda have ever questioned the Centre's "injustice" to the State.
Noting that loan given to farmers of the state by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) has come down by 58 per cent this year, the CM asked as to "what are the Union Ministers from the state -- Kumaraswamy and Pralhad Joshi -- doing."
"I have written a letter to Prime Minister and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman not to reduce the amount, stating that it will be unfair to farmers -- don't do it," he said, adding that the state government is giving interest free loan to farmers up to Rs 5 lakh and only 3 per cent interest up to Rs 15 lakh.
Asking the media not to create confusion regarding Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards, the Chief Minister stressed that only ineligible ones will be cancelled.
"We want the poor to get the benefits...who is giving the 'Anna Bhagya' (free rice) scheme? Did BJP or JD(S) ever give? Siddaramaiah did it as the Chief Minister...BJP only speaks....." he added.
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Domestic air passenger traffic hits single-day record of 5.05 lakh on Nov 17
New Delhi (PTI): Marking a new record, domestic air passenger traffic crossed 5 lakh for the first time in a single day on Sunday, reflecting strong travel demand amid festive and wedding seasons.
Airlines carried 5,05,412 passengers on Sunday (November 17) and the number of flight departures was at 3,173, according to the latest data from the civil aviation ministry.
It was the first time that domestic air passenger traffic crossed the 5 lakh-mark in a single day.
"Domestic travel has witnessed strong demand during the festive season. Daily flown pax crossed 5 lakh on 17th Nov.
"The high pax movement is largely backed by robust festive demand and the start of the wedding season. We expect strong demand to continue in the winter season," Gaurav Patwari, Vice President - Air Category - at travel portal Cleartrip, said.
The occupancy of flights operated by the main scheduled carriers on Sunday were above 90 per cent.
However, On Time Performance (OTP) of the airlines have been impacted in recent days due to various factors.
On Sunday, the OTP of IndiGo was at 74.2 per cent, followed by Alliance Air at 71 per cent and Akasa Air at 67.6 per cent. Among other airlines, SpiceJet and Air India's OTP stood at 66.1 per cent and 57.1 per cent, respectively.
In October, aviation watchdog DGCA said Indian airlines will operate 25,007 flights every week to and from 124 airports in the winter schedule that started from October 27.
The number of flights is three per cent higher than 24,275 departures per week from 125 airports in the current summer schedule.
In comparison to the winter schedule 2023, the number of flights has increased by 5.37 per cent.
The winter schedule is from October 27, 2024 till March 29, 2025.
