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.
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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.
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If INDIA bloc was only for parliamentary polls, better wind it up: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Asserting that there was no time limit attached to the INDIA bloc, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday expressed dismay over the lack of clarity regarding its leadership and agenda, saying the alliance should be wound up if it was meant only for the parliamentary elections.
Abdullah said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and other political parties on the ground will decide how to effectively compete with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"After the Assembly elections in Delhi, they should call all the alliance members for a meeting. If this alliance was only for the parliamentary elections, it should be wound up, and we will work separately. But if it is meant for Assembly elections as well, we will have to sit together and work collectively," Abdullah told reporters here.
The National Conference leader was replying to a question about an RJD leader's statement that the INDIA bloc was meant only for Lok Sabha elections.
"As far as I remember, no time limit was set for this. The issue is that no meeting of the INDIA bloc is being convened," he said.
Claiming that there is no clarity regarding the main leadership, the party, or the agenda for future strategy (in the INDIA bloc), he said, "Whether this alliance will continue is also unclear."
Abdullah also said that perhaps the members of the INDIA bloc will be called for a meeting after the Delhi elections, and a clarity would emerge.
Replying to another query on increasing support for AAP ahead of next month's Delhi elections, Abdullah said, "I cannot say anything about this at the moment because we have no involvement with Delhi polls. The Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, and other political parties on the ground will decide how to compete with the BJP strongly."
Stating that AAP succeeded twice in Delhi previously, Abdullah said, "This time, we will have to wait and see what the people of Delhi decide."
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is convening an orientation programme here on Thursday for the newly-elected legislators.
"Many of us have been members of this House before, but that was when Jammu and Kashmir was a state. The system is different today. We need to understand how we are going to work and what the powers of this Assembly are," Abdullah said.
The chief minister also said that to familiarise everyone with the procedures of this system, the speaker has organised the orientation programme.
"The deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha also participated in this exercise. I believe the experience of the senior members will prove beneficial. In the upcoming sessions, the MLAs will represent the people better and raise their issues effectively," he added.
