President lauds Karnataka people for giving back to society
Bengaluru: Lauding Karnataka for its rich legacy of culture and knowledge, President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said the people of the southern state are public-spirited citizens and known for giving back to society.
"The attributes of serving the cause of education and giving back to society are typical of the people of this state," Kovind said at the centenary celebrations of the National Education Society in the city.
Noting that the Society's National High School had gifted distinguished citizens to the country, the President said its alumni included ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar, former Chief Justice of India M.N. Venkatachalaiah, eminent cricketer Anil Kumble and former state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, among others.
"The century-old Society, set up by freedom fighter Annie Besant, runs several educational institutions, including the National High School," said Kovind in his address to the students and faculty on the occasion.
Eminent scientist Bharat Ratna C.N.R. Rao and Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind are among the alumni of the illustrious school.
Mahatma Gandhi had visited the school in 1936 and praised its student H. Narasimhaiah for translating his Hindi speeches into Kannada for the local audience.
The President also praised the Adamya Chetana Foundation for providing mid-day meals to about 100,000 children daily across the state through its Annapurna project.
"Mid-day meal promotes education because less well-off make an effort to send their children to school. It's the most nutritious and wholesome meal a child from a poor family gets," said Kovind.
He also unveiled the Adamya Chetana Seva Utsav 2018 on the occasion.
The President later visited the new campus of Amruta Institute of Engineering and Management Sciences (AIEMS) in Bidadi in Ramanagara district, about 40km southwest of Bengaluru.
The AIEMS is an institute of the Basaveshwara Veerashyva Vidyavardaka (B.V.V.) Sangha Bagalkot, which is celebrating its 111th year.
Speaking to the student gathering, Kovind advised them to seek a wider and enlightened understanding of the value of education.
"Education is not simply about reading textbooks, but the true measure of education is in how a student can give back to the society," Kovind reiterated.
Calling present times an "era of entrepreneurship", the President said the students must not just be job-seekers but also job creators.
"Students and graduates must take forward our country's and Karnataka's innovation and start-up culture," he said.
Earlier in the day, the President also took part in the 22nd convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in the city.
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Allu Arjun didn't leave theatre despite being told about woman's death: Hyderabad police
Hyderabad, Dec 22: Top Telugu actor Allu Arjun did not leave the theatre during the screening of 'Pushpa-2' on December 4 despite being told to do so in view of a stampede in which a woman died, police officials claimed on on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference on the annual round-up of 2024, city police commissioner C V Anand showed a video, made by police, on the situation that prevailed when the stampede occurred.
The video was made by collating footage, including from news channels and cell phone clips. It suggests the actor remained in the theatre till the midnight.
Anand did not make any comment on the video, but said the media can draw its own conclusions.
A police official talked about the sequence of events on the fateful night of December 4.
He said that he and other police officials informed a manager of Allu Arjun about the death of the woman and told him that the situation was out of control. He indicated that they were not allowed to meet the actor.
Allu Arjun's staff members told them that they would convey the matter to the actor but did not do so, he said.
The official said he later managed to reach the actor, told him about the woman's death and asked him to leave the theatre so that the fans don't harm each other while trying to catch a glimpse of him.
The official also told the actor that security arrangements would be made for his exit.
However, the actor said he would go only after watching the film, the police official said.
Later, accompanied by a senior officer, the official went inside and brought the actor out, he said.
Amid allegations that bouncers hired by Allu Arjun pushed crowds as well as policemen when the stampede occurred at the cinema hall, the police commissioner warned that stringent action as per law would be taken if THE bouncers indeed misbehaved with the police on duty.
The VIPs would be made responsible for the behaviour of the bouncers hired by them, he said.
Asked if the police would appeal against the interim bail granted to Allu Arjun, the commissioner refused to give a direct response, just saying it is part of the investigation.
What course of action is taken would be known in the days to come, he said.
He also declined to comment when asked if the family of the deceased told him about Allu Arjun's team or film production team allegedly threatening them not to speak on the issue.
Meanwhile, state Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy found fault with Allu Arjun responding on Saturday to the debate in the Legislative Assembly.
The minister, who observed that the actor should have respect for the government and the chief minister, demanded an apology from Allu Arjun to the government and the CM.
"This government is never vindictive. As Cinematography Minister, we allowed benefit shows and hiking ticket prices to promote the film industry," he said.
However, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar found fault with CM Revanth Reddy for his comments on Allu Arjun in the Assembly on Saturday.
The comments of the CM sounded like character assassination of Allu Arjun and hurting the Telugu film industry, he alleged in a statement.
Later in the day, Sanjay Kumar visited a boy who is undergoing treatment in a hospital after being injured in the stampede.
"Consoled his father over the heartbreaking loss of his wife, Revathi. I pray to god that Sritej recovers at the earliest. Assured support to the family in this difficult time," Kumar said on X.
Earlier in the day, state DGP Jitender told reporters in Karimnagar district that film personalities and all others should understand that safety and security of citizens is utmost important, and also conduct themselves accordingly.
