Oscar Fernandes was gifted leader, will be remembered for his services to country: Manmohan Singh
New Delhi, Sep 13: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh Monday expressed shock at the demise of Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, describing him as a pleasant personality, a gifted leader and an efficient administrator who will be remembered for his services to the country.
Fernandes, a former Union minister and a sitting Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, died in Mangaluru this morning. He was 80.
"I was deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the sudden and untimely demise of our beloved Shri Oscar Fernandes today," Singh said in his letter to Fernandes' wife Blossom.
His popularity among the common people of Karnataka is evident from the fact that he was elected five times to Lok Sabha and two times to the Rajya Sabha, Singh said.
"With his hard work, pleasant nature and popularity he became one of the tallest leaders of the Congress Party from Karnataka who helped the Congress Party in making many important decisions," he said.
Singh said, "He was a gifted leader and an efficient administrator who served as a Minister in the Central Government in the UPA Government. His services to the country, especially, to the state of Karnataka, will always be remembered by the people of our country."
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
