CM Siddaramaiah directs officials to cancel BPL ration cards held by ineligible people
Bengaluru, Jul 8: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday directed officials to cancel 'Below Poverty Line' ration cards held by those ineligible, pointing out that 80 per cent of the state's population have them.
As per the NITI Aayog, the percentage of people below the poverty line in the state should be lesser, he said, adding the 'Below Poverty Line' (BPL) cards should be provided only to those who are eligible.
The Chief Minister issued the direction while addressing a meeting of district Deputy Commissioners (DCs), Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), and in-charge secretaries at 'Vidhana Soudha' here.
"Eighty per cent of the state's population has BPL cards, compared to 40 per cent in Tamil Nadu. According to NITI Aayog, the percentage of people below the poverty line in the state should be lesser. But we have given BPL cards to 1.27 crore families in the state. Ineligible BPL cards should be cancelled and BPL cards should be provided to only those who are eligible," Siddaramaiah said.
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Amid a spike in dengue cases, he asked officials to work for its control on a war-footing, and directed DCs and District Health Officers (DHOs) to hold regular meetings with taluklevel officials and work expeditiously.
Stating that development and progress are not possible if the Deputy Commissioners assume that they are "Maharajas," the Chief Minister instructed both politicians and officers to remember that they are public servants and must serve people.
"DCs, SPs, and CEOs should work proactively and in coordination to effectively deliver government programmes and projects to the common people," he said.
Action has been taken against lower-level officers for their indifference, negligence and dereliction of duty until now, Siddaramaiah further said and warned that from today onwards, he will also hold senior officials accountable and take action.
Siddaramaiah instructed the officers to take up and implement permanent relief measures in flood-affected villages.
He directed them to take steps for immediate settlement of compensation as per State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms for those whose houses and crops were damaged due to the rains.
The state has received seven per cent more rainfall this monsoon season, and 225 waterlogged villages have been identified by 1,247 gram panchayats, he said.
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Maldivian military diver dead while searching for bodies of four Italian divers
Colombo (AP): A Maldivian military diver died Saturday while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave.
The group of five Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 metres in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy's Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres.
Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said that Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital.
“The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission,” he said.
Earlier, Shareef said the searchers had prepared a plan based on their progress exploring the cave on Friday. Mahudhee was part of the group that briefed Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on the rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.
Rough weather has repeatedly hampered rescue efforts.
The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home. His ministry stated it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organisation, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.
The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.
Benedetti's body was recovered on Thursday.
Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a statement Friday. However, the scuba diving activity during which the deadly accident occurred was not part of the planned research and was “undertaken privately,” it said.
The statement also said the two other victims — student Sommacal and recent graduate Gualtieri — were not involved in the scientific mission.
Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialised training, equipment and strict safety protocols. Risks increase sharply in environments where divers cannot head straight up and at depth, particularly when conditions are poor.
Experts say it's easy to become disoriented or lost inside caves, particularly as sediment clouds can sharply reduce visibility.
Diving at 50 metres also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by most major established scuba certifying agencies, with depths beyond 40 metres considered technical diving and requiring specialised training and equipment.
Shareef said Benedetti's body was found near the mouth of the cave and authorities believed the remaining four had entered the cave.
Two Italians, a deep-sea rescue expert and a cave diving expert, are expected to join the recovery effort, Shareef said.
Italian officials said that around 20 other Italians on the same expedition aboard the vessel “Duke of York” were safe. Italy's embassy in Colombo was providing assistance to those onboard and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy volunteers to help provide psychological aid.
The Maldives tourism ministry said it has suspended the operating license of the “Duke of York” pending an investigation.
The Italian foreign ministry said the cave is divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Recovery teams explored two of the three chambers on Friday, but the search was limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression.
On Saturday, they will explore the third chamber, the ministry added.
Italian officials and the honourary consul are in contact with the victims' families to provide assistance.
