Congress starts 'flower on ear' campaign against ruling BJP in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Intensifying its election campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, the Congress on Saturday launched a 'poster war' against the BJP by pasting 'Kivi Mele Hoova' (flower on the ear) on BJP posters in Bengaluru and Dakshina Kannada districts.
The campaign was pursued aggressively a day after Congress MLAs tucked flowers on their ears inside the assembly floor to show their protest against the unfulfilled promises made by the ruling BJP.
The Congress stepped up the 'Kivi Mele Hoova' campaign by taking it to the streets now, the party said in a statement.
"Posters of 'Kivi Mele Hoova' are seen on the top of the BJP 'Achievement Wall' paintings and posters in many parts of the Bengaluru city and Mangalore this morning," it added.
Karnataka Congress on Friday had attacked the BJP government for failing to fulfil 90 per cent of its 2018 manifesto promises and also for utilising only 56 per cent of allocated funds of the 2022-2023 budget, the statement said.
Former chief minister and Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah, Congress state president D K Shivakumar and other Congress MLAs sported flowers on their ears to highlight that BJP was making people 'phool' out of people, it added.
The 'Kivi Mele Hoova' is a pamphlet showing flowers tucked on the ear pasted on BJP posters.
The Congress poster appeared on BJP posters showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president J P Nadda, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, his predecessor B S Yediyurappa and BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel.
These posters were seen on Jayamahal Road in Bengaluru and Kankanadi in Dakshina Kannada district, a Congress activist said.
The BJP in reaction started a Twitter campaign "Thatt Antha Heli" (Reply Quickly) to portray Congress as a corrupt party.
The Congress in the past had started 'PayCM' campaign alleging that the BJP government charges 40 per cent commission on all public works.
A wordplay on digital payments firm PayTM, the PayCM campaign had a QR code showing Bommai's face in the middle.
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.
FM Sitharaman launches 'VijAIpatha' labs in govt schools in Karnataka
Hampi (PTI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday launched Cyient AI Labs (CyAILS) -- 'VijAIpatha', aimed at democratising access to Artificial Intelligence, STEM and Robotics education in government schools here.
In a series of posts on 'X', the minister's office shared pictures of the initiative launched at a girl's government school in Hosapete taluk and said that under the pilot phase, five world-class AI, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Robotics laboratories are being established in government schools.
Each lab will be equipped with high-performance computers, AI-ready software, robotics kits, IoT devices, sensors and secure broadband connectivity.
ALSO READ: B'desh to hold funeral of slain youth leader amid tight security
"Aligned with NEP 2020, Digital India and Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi's mission of Viksit Bharat 2047, the programme integrates CBSE's AI curriculum and strengthens technology-enabled learning in public education," it said.
Focusing on rural and semi-urban India, the initiative introduces future technologies at the school level, helping build early digital fluency, computational thinking and innovation capacity among students, the minister's office said.
"Benefiting over 2,000 students and training more than 200 teachers, 'VijAIpatha' is a scalable CSR model fostering innovation, career readiness and grassroots digital empowerment," it added.
According to the office, the initiative has been designed as a scalable, replicable and sustainable model that can be adopted across districts and states in collaboration with government education departments, positioning it as a benchmark CSR model for a national AI education rollout.
