Two persons die in Karnataka after drinking contaminated water
Tumakuru (Karnataka) (PTI): At least two people have died after drinking contaminated water at Chinnenahalli village in Madhugiri taluk of the district, Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday.
According to officials, the deceased - Chikkadasappa (76) and Peddanna (72) - who died at a hospital here on Wednesday, were among the nearly hundred people, who fell ill on June 10, after drinking water supplied from an overhead tank and a drinking water unit during the village fair.
Parameshwara, who is also the district in-charge Minister, today visited the hospital and enquired about the health condition of those undergoing treatment.
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"A temple fair was organised at Chinnenahalli, and there are reports that due to consumption of contaminated water, over hundred people suffered from vomiting and loose motion. Some of them admitted themselves to private hospitals in Madhugiri, Koratagere and Tumakuru, and the district administration also shifted those affected to Tumakuru hospital," he told reporters.
He said two people have died at the hospital here.
On reports that more people, including a three-year-old girl, have died at a private hospital, he sought to know the details from officials and said: "we will gather information about deaths in the private hospital and try to find out about overall deaths due to this incident."
The Minister said the village PDO (Panchayat Development Officer) and waterman have been suspended, as they did not take the precautionary measures.
"As per the inquiry done, water connection work was on, and due to damages in the water pipes caused by a JCB (construction equipment), contaminated water got mixed. Some test reports have come, a few more are awaited, from which we will get more information," he said.
More people are still undergoing treatment at the hospital, including children, Parameshwara said.
Taking this as a "lesson", he said he has called a meeting of senior officers and will review the water supply system in the district.
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Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates Gems and Jewellery Institute campus in Udupi
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday inaugurated the premises of the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery here, praising the centre for providing professional training and promoting entrepreneurship among youth.
Speaking at the event, Sitharaman said the centre, established in 2016 with support from the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council and the district administration, has grown steadily despite disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We started in a very small place, unsure of the response. Today, advanced facilities including CAD and 3D printing are available, enabling students to gain industry-relevant skills,” she said.
Sitharaman highlighted the centre’s reach across Karnataka and beyond.
“Students have come from Karwar, Chitradurga, Raichur, and Tamil Nadu. Some had no prior experience but are now running successful jewellery businesses,” she said, citing examples of trainees who returned to their hometowns to start enterprises.
Emphasising affordability, she noted, “Training abroad is expensive, but here the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery offers professional courses at accessible costs, making skill development widely available.”
The minister also underlined the centre’s contribution to India’s jewellery export sector.
“This region, from Ratnagiri to Kerala, has a rich jewellery tradition serving the Indian diaspora. Skilled manpower from such centres strengthens our exports and creates livelihood opportunities,” she said.
Sitharaman commended the collaboration between the government, GJEPC, and local jewellers, noting that around 600 students were trained last year.
She urged greater awareness to attract more youth to the institute, describing it as a model public-private partnership that fosters entrepreneurship and skill development.
The minister also witnessed the signing of an MoU between the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery and IIT Madras under the InCent LGD platform for a specialised, industry-oriented certification programme in lab-grown diamond technologies.
The office of the minister said in a post on X that the programme will help bridge critical skill gaps, create job-ready professionals, boost value-added manufacturing, and strengthen India’s position in the global LGD (lab-grown diamond) value chain, aligned with Make in India, Skill India, and the goal of a self-reliant, globally competitive LGD ecosystem.
It further said that the Rs 242 crore grant announced in the Union Budget 2023–24 for lab-grown diamond research at IIT Madras is helping build a world-class ecosystem.
Under the InCent initiative, India’s first indigenously designed scaled prototype of a High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) LGD machine has been developed and installed at IIT Madras, while imported commercial HPHT machines have also been installed for benchmarking.
Sitharaman also witnessed a demonstration of the ‘Design to Manufacturing’ process by students at IIGJ Udupi and interacted with trainees of the institute and entrepreneurs from the gems and jewellery industry, the minister’s office said in another post.
