BRS party IT cell employee held over malicious campaign against Karnataka govt
Bengaluru: The city police have arrested an IT cell employee of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party for allegedly carrying out a malicious campaign against the Karnataka government on social media platform during the recent Telangana Assembly election.
The campaign against the state government and Energy Minister KJ George was carried out on X account @ TeluguScribe during Telangana State Assembly elections, officials said on Friday.
According to an official statement, the Cyber, Economic Offences and Narcotics (CEN) police arrested Ravi Kanti Sharma, (33), a resident of Karimnagara on Wednesday.
The accused is an active worker of the BRS party and works in the party’s IT cell. His father and mother are also ex-corporators of the BRS party.
"Using artificial intelligence, the accused had circulated a fake audio clip of the Minister on social media platform X regarding power situation and implementation of the Gruha Jyothi scheme in Karnataka. After taking inputs from the law enforcement wing of X, police started the investigation and found that the mobile number used for X account was in the name of Ravi Kanti Sharma’s father," the statement said.
Regarding the malicious campaign against the Energy Minister on the @TelaguScribe X account, the BESCOM General Manager (A and HR) filed a complaint with the police on November 28, 2023.
The city police arrested the accused and produced him before the Court. Later, he was released on bail, it added.
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Maharashtra government considers tweaks to Ladki Bahin scheme amid fiscal strain: Reports
Mumbai: A day after the Mahayuti coalition secured a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, attention has turned to the Ladki Bahin Yojana, a flagship welfare scheme that played a pivotal role in attracting women voters.
The scheme, launched in July 2024, offers ₹1,500 per month to economically disadvantaged women aged 18 to 65. The Mahayuti, in its election manifesto, pledged to increase the amount to ₹2,100 per month, a promise now under scrutiny due to fiscal concerns. With the scheme projected to cost the exchequer ₹33,300 crore from July 2024 to March 2025, bureaucrats are exploring ways to revise its provisions to prevent a financial imbalance.
Finance Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar hinted at the challenges, stressing the need for "financial discipline." A senior bureaucrat confirmed that plans are underway to prune the list of beneficiaries, citing the inclusion of ineligible individuals due to incomplete Aadhaar seeding and lack of required ration cards. According to the finance department, nearly one crore women out of the 2.43 crore registered beneficiaries may not qualify for the scheme.
The state’s debt burden is already projected to reach ₹7.82 lakh crore for the fiscal year 2024-25. Officials warn that continuing the scheme in its current form could impact the government’s ability to pay salaries by January. Despite these concerns, the ruling coalition is hesitant to reduce the beneficiary list, likely due to the upcoming civic elections.
Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik is expected to present renegotiation proposals to the new chief minister soon. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde credited the scheme for increasing the number of women voters and boosting the coalition’s vote share. NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar also acknowledged the scheme’s role in mobilising women voters.
Other welfare measures introduced by the government include an electricity bill waiver for farmers and three free LPG cylinders annually for six million households. However, the financial viability of such initiatives remains a pressing concern.
