Hassan Ganesha procession accident toll rises to 10; CM, PM condole
Hassan (PTI): The toll in the Ganesha procession accident in Hassan district has gone up to 10 on Saturday, police sources said.
Tragedy struck on Friday night at Mosale Hosahalli village in the district when a group of youths were taking out a Ganesha procession.
According to police, the driver lost control of the vehicle and ploughed it into the crowd, killing four people instantaneously, while four others died in the hospital on Friday night.
The toll went up to 10 on Saturday as two more injured succumbed to their injuries.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy.
Condoling the deaths, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh from Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000, he said.
The opposition BJP demanded that the compensation given by the state government be enhanced somewhere between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, saying Rs 5 lakh was way too less.
JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda announced a compensation of Rs one lakh to the families of those killed in a road accident at a village in Hassan district.
Deve Gowda further announced that Rs 25,000 would be given as compensation to those who were seriously injured and Rs 20,000 to those with minor injuries.
He urged the state government to enhance the compensation to Rs 10 lakh to next to the kin of the deceased.
The former PM said he would write to the Chief Minister in this regard.
Reacting to the opposition's demand, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his government gives an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each deceased in Hassan accident to express condolence, not in a bid to equate the value of human life with the compensation.
"The government giving compensation to the families of the deceased does not mean it is equal to the value of life. The compensation is given to express condolence to the bereaved families," Siddaramaiah told reporters at Mysuru airport.
Referring to Friday's tragic accident in Hassan, he said, "We have formulated the Road Safety Act. If an accident happens due to the mistake of truck drivers, how can the government be held accountable? I offer my respect to those killed in the accident."
Siddaramaiah also said that he has asked district in-charge minister Krishna Byre Gowda to visit the families of the victims and announce the ex gratia.
"He went there and consoled the families," Siddaramaiah said.
Rejecting BJP's demand to enhance the compensation to Rs 10 lakh, Siddaramaiah asked, "How much did they give during their tenure in government? If they had given then, we too would have considered it."
"We give compensation keeping in mind the financial condition of the economically weaker sections. It must be given equally in all such cases," he added.
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India intensifying engagement with global partners from position of strength: Jaishankar
Mumbai (PTI): India is engaging with international partners more intensively and from a "position of strength", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, citing a string of recent trade agreements as evidence of the country's growing economic clout.
In an address at the Global Economic Cooperation conference, Jaishankar highlighted the successful negotiation of several high-profile deals, including a significant trade pact with the United States.
The Global Economic Cooperation is an event organised by the Future Economic Cooperation Council in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of Maharashtra.
Describing the current international landscape as perhaps the most turbulent in living memory, the minister warned that the world is witnessing the "weaponisation" of production and finance, alongside tightening export controls and volatile market shifts.
"The established global order is clearly changing. Replacements are hard to create, and we appear to be headed to a long twilight zone. This will be messy, risky, unpredictable, perhaps even dangerous," he said.
Long-standing assumptions and expectations have now become questionable, the minister pointed out.
Key dimensions are transforming simultaneously, be it strategic, political, economic or technological. Solutions lie in derisking and diversifying across multiple domains. This approach is increasingly visible in the policy of nations, the EAM said.
Jaishankar stressed that the "reform express" will continue to roll on.
"From a position of strength, India is engaging international partners more intensively. This is demonstrated in the recently concluded trade deals," he said.
Economic security is best served through stronger self-reliance and more trusted partners, the minister added.
Following a phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, both sides recently announced a reduction of US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50 per cent.
However, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has alleged that the government "sold Bharat Mata" through the trade deal with the US, saying it was a "wholesale surrender", with India's energy security handed over to America and farmers' interests compromised.
Last month, India and the European Union (EU) concluded negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA), which will help boost two-way commerce and strengthen economic ties between the two sides. Over the last year, India has also finalised trade deals with the UK, New Zealand and Oman.
Jaishankar said that the world has entered a volatile and uncertain era, possibly the most turbulent in living memory.
He emphasised that India will also be more salient in the global calculus of production, on services, technology, skills and knowledge.
Economics will give way to politics and security when it comes to making choices and technology in the age of AI (Artificial Intelligence), he noted.
The minister further said that the US is determined to reindustrialise at any cost, and this is central to its tech future.
China's manufacturing and export focus continues unabated and may even expand, he added.
Technology competition is intensifying and polarising. Energy trade flows are being significantly redefined. New mindsets are encouraging greater risk-taking, including through military means. Migration and even mobility are getting contentious, he pointed out.
"Each nation and each society will respond as per their interests and calculations," Jaishankar said.
