Union FM Nirmala Sitharaman conferred ‘Bharata Lakshmi’ title by Sri Krishna Mutt in Udupi
Udupi (Karnataka), Aug 9 (PTI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman received the ‘Bharata Lakshmi’ title from Paryaya Puthige Mutt seer Sugunendra Tirtha Swami at Sri Krishna Mutt here on Saturday.
Sitharaman visited the temple city to inaugurate the special ‘Yali,’ a traditional-style structure that surrounds the mutt.
Sugunendra Tirtha read out the citation, praising Sitharaman for her "integrity and dedication" as Finance Minister.
Visibly moved, Sitharaman recalled her first visit to Udupi in 2005, when she received a Krishna idol, which she continues to worship.
She praised the 'ashta mutts' for their “culture of service” and lauded the 'annabrahma' tradition of feeding thousands of devotees daily as a symbol of "devotion and commitment."
Highlighting the Koti Gita Lekhana Yajna—an initiative by Puthige Swamiji to collect one crore handwritten copies of the Bhagavad Gita—Sitharaman called it a "remarkable effort" to spread Lord Krishna’s message worldwide.
“Serving human beings is serving God,” she said, adding, “May Lord Krishna bless our country, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and all our people.”
The honour was conferred in the presence of Vishwapriya Thirtha Swamiji of Admar Mutt.
Karnataka High Court judge Dinesh Kumar was also honoured at the event.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
