Shivakumar to meet K'taka MPs in Delhi on Mar 17 over AP objections to Upper Krishna project
Bagalkote (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday said he will meet the state MPs in New Delhi on March 17 to discuss objections raised by Andhra Pradesh to the Upper Krishna Project, and to pressure the Centre to intervene.
Also, the state's Water Resources Minister, Shivakumar said, Ministers H K Patil, M B Patil, and Boseraju will accompany him to the national capital to attend the meeting with MPs at the Karnataka Bhavan there, during the ongoing Parliament session.
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Speaking to reporters, he said, "Andhra Pradesh has written to the Centre objecting to the land acquisition for the Upper Krishna Project. The Centre has written to us seeking our clarification. We have prepared to start the project as per the Tribunal order on our land to increase dam (Alammati dam) height (from 519 meters to 524 meters), and we have already spent Rs 26,000 crore.
Shivakumar said that Karnataka is only preparing to utilise its share of water as per the Tribunal order of 2010, but Andhra Pradesh has objected to this project.
Besides, Andhra Pradesh is also not cooperating with the state for the proposed balancing reservoir on Tungabhadra river, he said.
"We (Karnataka) are losing 30 TMC of water due to silting (at Tungabhadra reservoir)," he added.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
