28 Naxalites surrender in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur; 22 of them carry Rs 89 lakh collective bounty
Narayanpur (PTI): Twenty-eight Naxalites, 22 of them collectively carrying a reward of Rs 89 lakh on their heads, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Tuesday, officials said.
The cadres, including 19 women, turned themselves in before senior police officials here citing they were impressed by the 'Niyad Nellanar' (your good village) scheme of the state government, new surrender and rehabilitation policy and "Poona Margham (rehabilitation for social reintegration), Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bastar Range Sundarraj Pattilingam said.
While Niyad Nellanar scheme is aimed at facilitating development works in remote villages, Poona Margham is a rehabilitation initiative launched by Bastar Range police.
Of the surrendered, four hardcore cadres - Pandi Dhruv alias Dinesh (33), a Divisional Committee member; Dule Mandavi alias Munni (26), Chhattis Poyam (18), and Padni Oyam (30), all three members of military company no. 6 of East Bastar division of Maoists - carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each, he said.
Among others, Lakhmu Usendi (20), Sukmati Nureti (25), Sakila Kashyap (35), Shambatti Shori (35), Chaite alias Rajita (30) and Budhra Rava (28), all area committee members, carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, he said.
Dinesh, Lakhmu and Sukmatri handed over one Self Loading Rifle (SLR), Insas rifle and one.303 rifle, respectively to police, he said.
The rehabilitation of 28 Maoist cadres in Narayanpur indicates that the end of the violent and anti-people Maoist ideology is near. People are reposing faith in the "Poona Margham" (Rehabilitation for Social Reintegration) initiative and choosing the path of peace and dignity, Pattilingam said.
In the last 50 days, more than 512 Maoist cadres have quit the path of violence and joined the mainstream in the Bastar range, comprising seven districts, including Narayanpur, he said.
Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Robinson Guria said with this surrender, a total of 287 Maoist cadres have quit violence and joined the mainstream in the district so far this year.
The remaining senior Maoist cadres, including politburo member Devji, Central Committee member Ramdar, Dandakaranya special zonal committee members Pappa Rao, Barse Deva and others, have no option but to renounce violence and join the mainstream, he said.
Around 2200 Naxalites, including top cadres, have surrendered in Chhattisgarh in the last 23 months, police said.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
