Rs 100 cr compensation to Kodagu in first phase: CM
Madikeri, July 19: Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy declared Rs 100 crore financial assistance to Kodagu district in the first phase to take up flood relief measures as the district incurred loss worth over Rs 329 crore in the rains in the last one month.
Holding review meeting on rain damage and progress of various programmes in the district at the DC office here on Thursday, he told media persons that the government has never neglected Kodagu district. The state government was committed for the development of the entire state. He would release Rs 100 crore to take up relief works in the district, he said.
Till now, the owners would have got just Rs 5000 compensation if their houses were damaged. But now, the compensation was increased to Rs 95,000 if the house is completely damaged and one Ashraya house would be given. Free paddy seeds would also be distributed to the farmers who lost their paddy crop. Already, the PWD Minister had directed the officials to prepare an action plan to repair the damaged PWD roads in the state and call for the tender within 15 days, he said.
The PWD department has incurred a loss of Rs 139 crore due to damage of its properties. In the first phase, there was a demand for Rs 12 crore and the zilla panchayat has placed demand for Rs 48 crore. So, total Rs 329 crore worth properties were damaged in the district and the government would respond to it positively, he promised.
More than 2000 electric poles were also damaged in the district. Additional staff would be deputed from Hassan and Mysuru districts to Kodagu in order to restore the power supply as early as possible. “As the district has suffered a lot in this rainy season, I have personally come here to have first hand information. Shortly, I would convene a special meeting of the MLAs and officials of the district to find permanent solutions to the problems. Steps would also be taken to fill the vacant posts in various departments”, he said.
MLA KG Bopaiah urged the Chief Minister to release the funds as early as possible.
Later, the Chief Minister received memorandums from the associations and general public on the occasion.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
