Rahul Gandhi meets family of Haryana IPS officer Puran Kumar
Chandigarh (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met the family of Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly committed suicide.
After landing at the airport here, Gandhi reached Kumar's residence in Sector 24 at 11:08 am to offer his condolences.
Gandhi paid floral tribute to the late IPS officer and spoke with the bereaved family.
The former Congress president's visit came amid stepped up attack by the opposition on the Haryana government over Kumar's alleged suicide.
A 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Kumar allegedly shot himself dead on October 7.
In an eight-page final note purportedly left behind by Kumar, the 52-year-old accused eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and now-transferred Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, of "blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities."
The IPS officer's wife -- senior IAS officer Amneet P Kumar -- has demanded that Kapur and Bijarniya be named in the FIR for allegedly abetting her husband's suicide.
The officer's family, which is also seeking their arrest, has refused to give consent for a postmortem and cremation until its demands are addressed.
Various political leaders cutting across party lines have been visiting Kumar's family in Chandigarh to express their condolences.
Gandhi was accompanied by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Congress chief Rao Narender Singh, party leaders Kumari Selja, B K Hariprasad, Deepender Singh Hooda and Varun Chaudhry.
Various political leaders cutting across party lines have been visiting Kumar's family to express their condolences.
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Minister Patil chairs industry meetings to chart growth for key sectors in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Tuesday chaired meetings with industry representatives from the aerospace and defence, machine tools, auto/EV, and green energy sectors to discuss sector growth and government support measures.
The meetings were attended by leading industrialists and their representatives, with some participating virtually.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister for Large and Medium Industries said Karnataka is at the forefront of the country’s aerospace and defence sectors.
He noted that Suzuki and Toyota plan to launch aerial taxi services in Japan by 2028, with Bengaluru-based Sasmos supplying electrical equipment for the project.
Industrialists suggested introducing similar “fly-taxi” services in Karnataka through an appropriate policy, which Patil said would be examined seriously.
The minister highlighted the need to establish testing centres and Common Facility Centres for the aerospace and defence industries and assured that these facilities would be provided.
Suggestions were also made to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for sector growth.
Karnataka has urged the Central Government to approve Defence Corridor projects in the Bengaluru North–Kolar–Chikkaballapur and Dharawada–Vijayapura–Belagavi regions.
Industrialists also suggested a corridor between Bengaluru and Mysuru, Patil said.
He said Karnataka aims to become a hub for defence electronics manufacturing, with plans to establish a 200-acre Defence Electronics Park and a 100-acre Avionics and Sensor Park.
These projects will be implemented once the Special Investment Region is operational, and land availability will not be an issue.
On the machine tools sector, Patil said the industry has recorded an annual turnover of Rs 36,500 crore and is witnessing steady growth.
Large-scale exhibitions have increased demand, and the state must strengthen its capabilities to develop control systems for heavy machinery. One testing unit is already operational in Bengaluru, with another planned for Tumakuru. Expansion of vocational training institutes in industrial areas is also underway.
In the Auto and EV sector, Vision Group members highlighted the need for a network of dry ports and more EV charging stations across the state.
Patil noted that the Tata Group is manufacturing EV buses in Dharawada for nationwide supply. Plans for mini excavator production and export facilitation were also discussed, along with the establishment of a testing facility for two-wheeler EVs.
For the Green Energy sector, the group emphasised the need for a suitable policy on battery-based energy storage and the establishment of data centres.
Patil assured that the government will seriously consider all suggestions and respond positively.
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