Efforts on to bring 200 students stuck in Ukraine: CM Bommai
Hubballi, Mar 6: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said efforts are on to airlift nearly 200 students from Karnataka who are stranded in the bunkers in Kharkiv in war-torn Ukraine.
"There are 200 students from Karnataka stuck in the bunkers in Kharkiv. The Indian Embassy in Ukraine is working hard to bring them to India. We are also in constant touch with the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the rescue operation and efforts are on to bring students to India," Bommai told reporters here.
The Chief Minister welcomed Chaithra Gangadhar Saunshi from village Yaraguppi in Kundakol in Dharwad district, who returned from Kharkiv.
According to the Chief Minister's office, Saunshi was studying in Kharkiv Ukraine when the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine and Kharkiv was among the worst affected places.
The CMO said Saunshi was holed up in a bunker for a week and then she walked for nine kilometres and reached Poland.
After crossing the Ukraine border the Indian embassy authorities helped her fly to India. After reaching New Delhi she arrived in Karnataka.
Saunshi's parents have thanked the Indian government for bringing their daughter back to the country.
The Chief Minister said there were four people from Dharwad stranded in Ukraine of which two have returned while the remaining two have crossed the Ukraine border.
Regarding bringing back S G Naveen's body, a fourth year medical student in Kharkiv who died in the shelling in Kharkiv on March 1, Bommai said the Indian Embassy in Ukraine has been working there.
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Padma awardees in Odisha to receive monthly honorarium of Rs 30,000
Bhubaneswar, Jan 16 (PTI): The Odisha government will provide a monthly honorarium of Rs 30,000 to each of the Padma awardees of the state from the current month.
The Odia Language Literature and Culture Department issued a notification to this effect on Thursday.
In view of their outstanding contribution to society in various fields, the state government has decided to provide an honorarium of Rs 30,000 to the Padma awardees, the notification said.
All the Padma awardees of the state, who are alive, will receive the honorarium through direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode from January 2025, it said.
The government has asked collectors and culture officers of all districts to submit details of the Padma award winners (who are alive) including the district collector's certificate, bank account details, IFSC code to the Directorate of Odia, Language, Literature and Culture as soon as possible.
In March last year, the previous BJD government had announced a monthly honorarium of Rs 25,000 for the Padma awardees from Odisha. However, it was not implemented yet, an official of the department said.
In November last year, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had decided to provide Rs 30,000 to the Padma awardees of the state. Accordingly, the formal notification was published on Thursday, he said.
The Padma Award was introduced in 1954. The award is given to personalities for their outstanding contribution in the fields of arts, education, science, sports, social work, public service, medicine, literature, etc.
As per the Padma Awards website of the Ministry of Home Affairs, till now, the President has conferred Padma awards on 105 eminent personalities from Odisha, which includes 90 Padma Shri, 11 Padma Bhushan and four Padma Vibhushan.
