Vishweshwar Bhat pays Rs 1L fine, apologizes to ex-head of Raichur Kannada Sahitya Parishat
Fake news case
Raichur: Journalist and editor of the Kannada daily Vishwavani, Vishveshwar Bhat, has reportedly paid a fine of Rs 1 lakh and apologized to former chairperson of Kannada Sahitya Parishat District Unit Dr. Basava Prabhu Patil Bettadoor who had accused Bhat of publishing a defamatory and fake news about him.
M Veeranagouda Potnal, advocate for Bettadoor, said at a press meet here on Monday that Bhat, as ordered by court, paid the fine amount and issued a confessional statement, following which, the defamatory report case was concluded.
Speaking on the case, the advocate said that the 9th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana was organized in Potnal village of Manvi taluk in Raichur district on January 19-20, 2018. A report by Vishwavani correspondent from Manvi taluk, Anandaswamy Hiremath, asking if organizing the event was the unitlateral decision of Bettadoor, was published in the newspaper on January 17, 2018, reminisced Potnal, adding that the information was false.
He added that Vishwavani also published a report on March 3, 2018, alleging that the Parishat had not submitted account sheets but was extorting funds.
The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike District President Ashok Kumar Jain had supported the news published by Vishwavani, due to which, Bettadoor was severely upset and filed the defamation case against the editor of the journal, said the advocate.
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Budget allocation to AYUSH Ministry sees 20% rise
New Delhi (PTI): Budget allocation for the AYUSH ministry saw 20 per cent increase, from Rs 3,671.82 crore (revised estimates) in FY 2025-26 to Rs 4,408.93 crore in FY 2026-27.
The government has also announced the setting up of three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda to strengthen research in the field.
Presenting the Union Budget 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "Ancient Indian Yoga, already respected in several parts of the world, was given a mass global recognition when the Prime Minister took it to the United Nations."
Stating that post-Covid Ayurveda has gained similar global acceptance and recognition, Sitharaman said exporting quality Ayurvedic products could help farmers who grow the herbs and the youth who process them.
To meet the global demand, she proposed setting up of three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda, upgrading AYUSH pharmacies and drug-testing labs for higher standards of certification ecosystem, making available more skilled personnel, and upgrading the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar to bolster evidence-based research, training and awareness on traditional medicine.
Among the Centrally sponsored schemes, the allocation for the National AYUSH Mission has been increased from Rs 780.96 crore in FY 2025-26 to Rs 1,300 crore in FY 2026-27, registering 66.5 per cent hike.
The allocation for the All India Institute of Ayurveda has been reduced by 12 per cent.
Funding for the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda has also declined from 279.24 crore to 219.05 crore.
