Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said when democracy is at stake, secularism is in an "endangered situation", and federalism is "being bulldozed", people must protect the valuable guidance that the Constitution provides.

Banerjee said the Constitution is the backbone of the nation, masterfully weaving together the diversity of India's cultures, languages, and communities.

"Today, on this Constitution Day, I pay my deepest respect and tribute to the great Constitution that we have, to the great document that binds us in India. I also pay my tribute today to the visionary framers of our Constitution, especially Dr BR Ambedkar, its principal architect," she said in a post on X.

Banerjee also paid her tributes to the members of the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, who "played a crucial role in shaping the Constitution".

"I believe, our Constitution is the backbone of our nation that masterfully weaves together the immense diversity of our cultures, languages, and communities into an integrated, federal whole. On this sacred day, we re-affirm our commitment to the core democratic values enshrined in our Constitution and commit to vigilantly safeguard the sacred principles that define and sustain us as a nation," she said.

"Now, when democracy is at stake, when secularism is in an endangered situation, when federalism is being bulldozed, at this critical time, we must protect the valuable guidance that our Constitution provides," she added.

Constitution Day or Samvidhan Divas commemorates the official adoption of the Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949. The government of India declared November 26 as Constitution Day in 2015.

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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.