ADR report reveals 36 ministers in India hold billionaire assets, Karnataka tops the list
New Delhi: A new analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) says that 36 ministers across India have declared assets worth over ₹100 crore, making them billionaires. The report was released on Wednesday and it examined the financial disclosures of 643 ministers from state governments, Union Territories and the Union Council of Ministers.
According to a report published by Deccan Herald, collectively, these ministers declared assets worth ₹23,929 crore. Billionaire ministers account for nearly 6% of the total.
Party-wise, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leads the list with 14 billionaire ministers, making up 4% of its ministerial strength. The Congress follows with 11 out of 61 ministers (18%) falling into the billionaire category. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ranks third, with six of its 23 ministers (26%) reporting assets above the ₹100 crore mark. Ministers from the Aam Aadmi Party, Janasena Party, JD(S), NCP and Shiv Sena also feature in the list.
The richest minister in the country is Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani of the TDP from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, with his assets exceeding ₹5,705 crore. Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is second on the list, with assets worth over ₹1,413 crore. With assets valued at over ₹931 crore, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu ranks third, who is also knows as the "richest Chief Minister."
Others named in the top ten include Narayana Ponguru and Nara Lokesh (Andhra Pradesh), Gaddam Vivekanand and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy (Telangana), Suresha B S (Karnataka), Mangal Prabhat Lodha (Maharashtra) and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Karnataka has the highest number of billionaire ministers at eight. Andhra Pradesh stands second (six). While Maharashtra has four, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Telangana all have two. The states with one billionaire minister are Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
