Freedom, equality and fraternity must be upheld by all: CM Siddaramaiah in Puttur
Puttur: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah emphasised the importance of upholding the constitutional values of freedom, equality, and fraternity, urging citizens to contribute towards building an inclusive and just society.
Addressing a large gathering at the Ashoka Janamana–2025 programme held at the Kombettu Grounds in Puttur, Siddaramaiah said, “Every individual must follow the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution. We will soon bring a law to act against those spreading false information in the state.”
The event was organized by the Rai Estate Education and Charitable Trust under the leadership of MLA Ashok Kumar Rai to mark the 13th annual Diwali celebration and distribution of clothes.
Speaking further, Siddaramaiah said that people who earn must share a portion of their wealth for the welfare of others. “A society based on equality can exist only when the privileged extend support to the underprivileged. Basavanna called this Kayaka Dasoha — work and share. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar rightly said that when inequality persists, the edifice of liberty begins to crumble,” he noted.
The Chief Minister stressed that no religion teaches hatred. “Every faith advocates love and compassion. As Kuvempu said, our society should become a garden of peace for all communities,” he remarked.
Highlighting the government’s welfare initiatives, Siddaramaiah said the Anna Bhagya Guarantee Scheme aims to ensure that “no person in Karnataka should have to beg for food.” He also noted that after the introduction of guarantee schemes, Karnataka has achieved the highest per capita income in the country.
“We are committed to ensuring that every district has a medical college and at least one super-speciality hospital. As of now, 22 districts have government medical colleges. A full-fledged government medical college will also be established in Puttur,” he assured.
District-in-Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who also spoke at the event, described the programme as “historic” and said it fosters love and trust among people. “Politics is not merely about enjoying power; it is about repaying the people’s debt through meaningful service,” he said.
MLA Ashok Kumar Rai mentioned that the Janamana initiative has been distributing clothes during Diwali for the past 12 years and that this year, one lakh people would benefit. He also expressed his commitment to pursuing tourism and employment opportunities for the development of Puttur.
The ceremony saw participation from several dignitaries, including MLC Dr. Manjunath Bhandari, Ivan D’Souza, former ministers Abhaychandra Jain, B. Ramanath Rai, and Vinay Kumar Sorake, Manila Shrimohan Das Paramahamsa Swamiji, religious leaders Fr. Lawrence Mascarenhas and scholar S.B. Dharimi, and former MLA Shakuntala Shetty.
Congress leaders Mithun Rai, Padmaraj, Inayat Ali, Kanachur Monu, Harish Kumar, M.A. Gafoor, Mamatha Gatti, and others were also present.
Ashok Kumar Rai welcomed the gathering, Muhammad Badagannur compered the event, and Nihal Shetty delivered the vote of thanks.
On the occasion of Diwali, clothes and household essentials were distributed to thousands, and 20 achievers from various fields were felicitated on stage.
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
