Heavy rainfall alert issued for Uttara Kannada district
Karwar: The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) of Uttara Kannada has issued a warning in light of heavy rainfall predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department and the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre. The coastal part of the state is expected to experience severe weather conditions over the next four days.
A Red Alert has been announced for today, July 14, 2024, and tomorrow, July 15, 2024
Precautionary Measures for the Public:
1. Avoid water bodies: The public and fishermen are advised to stay away from rivers, water bodies, and the sea.
2. Electrical hazards: Children and the public should avoid going near electric poles and stay clear of severed electric wires.
3. Structural safety: Avoid standing near or under trees, and stay away from fragile or old buildings.
4. Evacuation advisory: Residents in low-lying areas or those living in buildings at risk of collapsing due to the weather are advised to move to safe locations. Designated care centers identified by the concerned Tahsildar are available for shelter.
Emergency Contact:
In case of any emergency, residents are urged to contact the District Disaster Emergency Helpline at 1077 or 9483511015.
The DDMA stresses that these precautions must be followed diligently throughout the rainy season to ensure public safety.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
