Udupi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman meets families of missing fishermen
Udupi: Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday visited the houses of fishermen of Suvarna Tribhuja boat which went missing on December 15 last year after starting it sail for fishing from Malpe on December 13. Sitharaman visited the homes of Chandrashekar Kotian and Tandel Damodar Salian the owners of the boat.
The minister informed the family members that the government is trying everything in order to find clues about the boat that went missing with seven fishermen onboard. She further informed that Indian Navy has also been deployed in the operation.
The minister first visited the house of owner of the boat Chandrashekhar and consoled his wife Shyamala and his mother. Shyamala and other family members of Chandrashekar started crying during the minister’s visit after which the minister comforted them and assured them of finding the missing boat soon.
Sitharaman then went to Damodar Salian’s house and met his parents. The minister discussed the issue with them, while the parents of Damodar also spoke their heart out with tears rolling down their eyes.
Shobha Karandlaje, MLAs K. Raghupathi Bhat, Lalaji Mendon, BJP leaders, Malpe Fishermen's Association president Satish Kunder and others were present along with Sitharaman during the visit.
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BESCOM to organise EV expo for Secretariat employees in Jan 2025
Bengaluru (PTI): To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) announced on Friday that a special EV fair will be organised for the Secretariat employees in January 2025.
During a meeting at the BESCOM office, Managing Director Mahantesh Bilagi said, "The fair is being organised following a directive of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and will be conducted under the supervision of Energy Minister K J George and Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta."
According to him, the event aims to educate attendees about the benefits of environmentally friendly EVs and to encourage the adoption of two-wheeled EVs.
"During the fair, dealer discounts to government employees, particularly those in the Secretariat will also be offered. There will also be opportunities for practical demonstrations of the vehicles at the exhibition site," added Bilagi.
He said the Secretariat employees will also benefit from no down payment and low-interest loans to purchase the EV vehicles.
"EV companies are eager to participate and the sales will extend beyond the exhibition, continuing in the future," the Managing Director said.
The state, particularly Bengaluru, has the highest electric vehicle (EV) users, said Bilagi, adding that to support this, the Energy Department has provided essential infrastructure.
"BESCOM's efforts in promoting EV usage have been recognised with the 'Charge India 2024 Excellence' award. This award is a testament to our commitment to establishing excellent charging facilities. Karnataka has the country's most public electric vehicle charging stations, with a total of 5,765 stations, of which 4,462 are located in the Bengaluru Urban district," said Bilagi.
The Secretariat Employees' Association president Ramesh Sanga and other office-bearers, BESCOM Technical Director H J Ramesh as well as senior officials attended the meeting.
