Meeting of urban development ministers of South India in Bengaluru on Oct 30: D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said that Union Urban Development Minister Manoharlal Khattar has agreed to hold the meeting of Urban development ministers of South Indian states in Benglauru on October 30.
While speaking to reporters, he also said that a memorandum on Bengaluru development will be submitted to Khattar during the meeting.
"We have already submitted our appeals to Union ministers and the PM several times in the past," Shivakumar said while responding to a question about whether they would put pressure on funds for Bengaluru development.
Giving out details of areas that may be included in the GBA (Greater Bengaluru Authority), he said, "I have inspected areas which are likely to be added to GBA in the future. I have called for a meeting of officials to discuss this on Friday. A Committee under the leadership of B S Patil is preparing a report on this."
Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister, said that the government will hold meetings with IT-BT companies after winding up the "Walk with Bengaluru" programme this weekend.
"We will hold the company meetings in K R Pura and Mahadevapura constituencies. There are about 25 lakh people on the periphery of GBA currently and we will need to include them to GBA. We will need to ensure adequate developmental works in these areas. I visited these areas as I wanted to get a first-hand idea," he added.
When asked about the deadline for pothole filling approaching, he said, "The officials have been given responsibilities and they are doing their job. In some places, we are asphalting the entire stretches of roads. Rains are affecting the schedule."
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
