Mangaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Mangaluru division’s special Dasara tour packages have received an exceptional response, setting a new record for passenger participation. On Sunday, the KSRTC operated 24 buses under these packages, surpassing the previous record of 22 buses in a single day set during the program's inaugural year in 2022.

The Mangaluru-Madikeri package covered popular tourist spots such as Madikeri, Raja Seat, Abbey Falls, Nisargadhama, and the Golden Temple. The Mangaluru-Kollur package included visits to the Uchila Shri Mahalakshmi Temple, Kamashile Shri Bramhi Durgaparameshwari Temple (where lunch was provided), Kolluru Mookambika Temple, and Maranakatte Shri Bramhalingeshwara Temple.

The Mangaluru-Murdeshwar package featured stops at the Murudeshwara Temple, Chandika Durgaparameshwari Temple Kumbashi, Anegudde Ganapathi Temple, and Uchila Mahalakshmi Temple. Meanwhile, the Mangaluru-Navadurga package took pilgrims to several prominent temples, including Shri Mangaladevi Temple, Kateel Shri Durgaparameshwari Temple, Bappanadu Shri Durgaparameshwari Temple, and Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple.

According to Rajesh Shetty, KSRTC Mangaluru Divisional Controller, a total of 1,119 passengers utilized the service to various destinations across Karnataka.

The Mangaluru-Madikeri package, which operated seven buses, attracted 350 passengers, while eight buses running the Mangaluru-Kollur route carried 400 passengers. The Mangaluru-Murdeshwar package saw 150 passengers across three buses, and four buses under the Mangaluru-Navadurga package transported 120 passengers.

Other routes also saw significant ridership, with 46 passengers traveling on the Udupi-Kollur package and 53 on the Udupi-Idagunji package.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress will hold protests across the country on Wednesday against the Centre's rural employment bill VB-G RAM G that seeks to replace MGNREGA, claiming it was a "BJP-RSS conspiracy" to dismantle a rights-based welfare scheme and attack Mahatma Gandhi's legacy, workers' rights and federal responsibility.

The opposition party's general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, in a letter to all state Congress presidents, urged them to organise protests at all district headquarters.

These protests must be held with portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, symbolising resistance to the erasure of his name and values, and highlight how the proposed law will impact the crores of beneficiaries of MGNREGA, he said in the letter.

"The combined attack on Gandhiji's legacy, workers' rights and federal responsibility exposes a larger BJP-RSS conspiracy to dismantle rights-based welfare and replace it with charity controlled from the Centre," Venugopal said.

The opposition has strongly objected to the introduction of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, when it was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday.

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The Congress and other opposition MPs also staged a protest in Parliament House complex over the Centre's move.

In the letter to the Congress state unit chief, Venugopal said that on December 28, the party's Foundation Day, programmes should be organised at all blocks and villages, with Mahatma Gandhi's portraits, reaffirming the party's commitment to the dignity of labour, social justice and the right to work.

"This is both a political and moral struggle. The Congress must lead from the front to defend MGNREGA, Gandhiji's legacy and the constitutional promise of justice for the poorest," Venugopal said in a post on X.

In his letter, he said the BJP government has taken an alarming and deliberate step by introducing a bill to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

"This is not a routine legislative exercise. It is a calculated political move to weaken a historical, rights-based people's law and to erase Mahatma Gandhi's name and values from India's most recognisable welfare legislation.

"This combined attack on Gandhiji's legacy, rights and federal responsibility exposes a larger BJP-RSS conspiracy to dismantle rights-based welfare and replace it with charity controlled from the Centre," he noted.