CM Siddaramaiah hints at free bus passes for journalists in rural areas
Davanagere: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that the demand for free bus passes for journalists in rural areas will be seriously considered in the upcoming budget and an appropriate decision will be taken.
Speaking at the 38th state journalists conference orgsnised by the Karnataka Working Journalists' Union, Siddaramaiah said his government is always with the journalists to assist them.
''There's a demand for free passes for reporters working in rural areas to travel on government buses. We will consider this demand in the upcoming budget and take appropriate action that favours it,'' he said.
He said that the government has increased the family pension for journalists from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000. Also, newspaper hawkers were honoured with the Rajyotsava Award, he added. The chief minister appealed to the journalists not to lose objectivity, truth and commitment while reporting, and try to become the voice of the voiceless.
ALSO READ: Kuruba community seer alleges temple was cleaned after his visit
He also asked the scribes not to give credence to superstitions.
Siddaramaiah recalled that when a crow sat on his car sometime in 2016, the news anchors debated in their studios how this bad omen of an inauspicious bird sitting on his car would impact his political career.
''Some said I would not complete my term (due to crow) while some other channels predicted that I would go soon after tabling the budget. However, I completed an uninterrupted five-year term. I was the only chief minister after Devaraj Urs who completed the full term,'' the chief minister noted.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
New application filed in SC against Adani group over US indictment
New Delhi: A fresh application has been submitted to the Supreme Court of India, seeking the inclusion of key documents related to the recent US indictment of the Adani Group. Filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, the petition aims to introduce two critical pieces of evidence into an ongoing case related to the Adani Group's financial practices.
The first document is a formal US court indictment accusing Gautam Adani, his relative Sagar Adani, and other company executives of orchestrating a massive bribery scheme to secure solar energy contracts worth billions of dollars in India. The indictment alleges that over $250 million in bribes were paid to Indian government officials to obtain these lucrative contracts.
The second document is a complaint from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which accuses the Adani Group of securities fraud. The SEC alleges that Adani executives misled investors to raise funds for these solar projects, despite knowing that part of the capital was linked to corrupt activities.
This development follows the US Attorney's Office's recent charges against the Adani executives, who are accused of masterminding a bribery scheme to secure power supply contracts with state-run utilities in India. The contracts were expected to yield up to $2 billion in profits over two decades.
These charges come amid an ongoing investigation by India's Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) into the Adani Group, after allegations of stock manipulation and market irregularities surfaced, particularly following the release of the Hindenburg Report in early 2023. The new US legal documents could play a crucial role in strengthening the investigation into the Adani Group's business operations.
