Bengaluru: Senior IAS officer L K Atheeq, who has a close connection with coastal city of Mangaluru, has been conferred the 'Great Son of Karnataka Award' instituted by All India Conference of Intellectuals, in recognition of his contribution to the society and to the development of the state in various capacities over the course of his career.

The award was presented at a ceremony held at Hotel Radisson Blu Atria in Bengaluru on April 12 in the presence of former Supreme Court judge and chairman of the Press Council of India Justice Chandramouli Kumar Prasad as Chief Guest. A conference on the theme 'The freedom of expression - The Constitution' was also organised on the occasion.

In his current position as Secretary of Rural Development in Government of Karnataka has brought in several changes and has initiated various projects for the Rural Karnataka. His tenure has seen drinking water, sanitation and other basic amenities accessible to people in rural Karnataka.

Atheeq, who is now serving as the Principal Secretary of Rural Development and Panchayath Raj for Government of Karnataka, has previously worked as the Director at Prime Minister’s Office and also as Joint Secretary to Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Atheeq has also served as the executive director of World Bank for three years’ tenure in Washington DC, USA during the course of his glorious career. Upon his return from the US, he was appointed principal secretary to the then Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah.

An upright officer known for his integrity, work ethics and people-friendly approach to bureaucracy, Atheeq hails from a agricultural family from Pavagada, Tumakuru, and is married into a Mangalorean family. He also began his administrative career as assistant commissioner of Mangaluru.

About the Award

All India Conference of Intellectuals is an organization championing the cause of humanism, and was inaugurated in the year 1980 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Former Election Commissioner of India Dr G V G Krishnamurthy is the president of the organization.

Previous winners of the award include eminent personalities such as former Chief Justice of India Padma Vibhushan Justice M N Venkatachalaiah, Kapil Sibal, former governor Justice Anshuman Singh and others.

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Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.

“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.

Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”

Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”

“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.

When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”

The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.