Bring amendment to law for cancelling licenses of shops selling drugs: CM Siddaramaiah to officials
Bengaluru, May 31 (PTI): Asserting that his government will make Karnataka a drug-free state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday instructed the officials to bring an amendment to the law regarding cancellation of licenses of shops and other centers selling drugs.
Speaking at the review meeting with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of all districts and CEOs of all Zilla Panchayats here, he asked for strict action to be continued against drugs.
"As many as 6,767 cases were registered in 2023 and 4,188 cases in 2024. So far this year, 1,793 cases have been registered. DCs and SP should take effective steps to curb drug trafficking in the districts," Siddaramaiah was quoted as telling officers, his office said in a release.
If necessary, the government is committed to implementing stricter laws, he said, as he called for continuous monitoring of drug activities in schools and colleges.
Questioning as to why no action is being taken against hate speech in the districts, despite the Supreme Court's clear directions in this regard, the CM said a complaint should be filed immediately and action should be taken as per the law.
Similarly, immediate action should be taken in cases of spreading false news and information about government schemes and measures taken, he said.
The DCs should provide all cooperation to the police department to curb criminal activities. All pending cases under the Goonda Act should be disposed of expeditiously, he said.
Meanwhile, Minister Santosh Lad suggested "honey fencing" to prevent elephants from destroying agricultural fields or plantations, during the discussion on increasing incidents of human-animal conflicts in the state.
"A serious discussion was held in the meeting about the loss of lives due to human-animal conflict in many places in the state and to provide a scientific solution to this. At this time, Minister Santosh Lad explained to the Chief Minister about 'honey fencing, honey farming'," the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.
Pointing out that elephants do not come to the area where there are bees, the minister said that therefore, if honey farming is done along the elephant barricade, it will benefit the farmers and the elephant menace can also be avoided.
Siddarmaiah urged officials to take appropriate measures to prevent human-elephant conflict.
"Elephant task forces should work actively. Proper food should be made available to elephants in the forest itself. In addition to this, work should be done to remove lantana weeds. Also, the availability of drinking water should be ensured in sufficient quantities in the forest," he said.
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Karnataka govt to strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy, after HC directive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors at the earliest, following the High Court directive.
The High Court of Karnataka had recently directed the state government to "strictly and faithfully" implement the menstrual leave policy, pending formal enactment of the proposed legislation.
"I welcome the directive issued by the Karnataka High Court in support of our state government's ambitious menstrual leave policy," Lad said.
The state government has taken firm steps to implement the menstrual leave policy comprehensively, and as a model to the country, he said in a post on 'X' on Thursday.
"In line with the court's opinion that menstrual leave is a matter of women's dignity, justice, and humane recognition of their lived realities, we will strictly implement the paid menstrual leave policy--equivalent to one day per month, or 12 days per year--across all sectors at the earliest," he added.
The court had said that in the interregnum, it shall be incumbent upon the state to ensure effective operationalisation of the policy through the issuance of suitable guidelines, circulars, and administrative instructions, as may be necessary to secure its uniform, consistent, and rigorous implementation across all sectors.
The court issued the directive while hearing on a petition filed by 41-year-old Chandravva Hanumant Gokavi, who works in a hotel in Mudalgi of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district, before the Dharwad bench, seeking implementation of the November 20, 2025, order of the government providing one-day menstrual leave for all working women.
