Hotels, restaurants in Bengaluru to soon start operations round the clock
Bengaluru: In a bid to bolster Bengaluru city’s reputation as a thriving tech hub, the city is set to allow hotels and restaurants to operate 24 hours a day. The decision came after a meeting between Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and representatives from the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels' Association. According to a report from The News Minute, the association had long been waiting for this change, and now their proposal has received a positive response from Deputy CM Shivakumar. An order allowing round-the-clock operations for hotels and restaurants is expected to be issued within a week or so.
The move is expected to benefit several groups, including employees working in night shifts, as well as auto and cab drivers who do services during unconventional hours. The move also is a step toward the ambitious Brand Bengaluru initiative, which aims to enhance the city's image and appeal.
According to the report, Bengaluru is currently home to more than 24,000 small and large hotels, with around 10% of them ready to operate 24/7. The association members have also revealed that there is considerable interest among establishments to open new hotels and restaurants exclusively during nighttime hours.
In addition, addressing concerns raised by the police regarding security issues, Association President PC Rao explained that Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar believes that allowing hotels to remain open round-the-clock will have a positive impact on various segments of the workforce and will support the Brand Bengaluru initiative, reported The News Minute.
During the meeting, the association members also urged Shivakumar to consider granting "industrial status" to the hotel sector. A proposal has been made to streamline operations in hotels and restaurants by implementing a simple licensing process. The suggestion is to replace multiple licenses, such as trade licenses and Food and Safety Standards Authority of India licenses, with a single license.
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Women''s Bill: Stalin says proposal amid polls raises suspicion; backs 33 per cent reservation
Chennai (PTI): Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday alleged that the proposed amendment to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the midst of polls in states including Tamil Nadu appeared to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives.
Stalin alleged the timing for the proposed amendment led to serious suspicion.
"Why push such a far-reaching decision in the middle of state elections. This appears to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives, much like earlier attempts to influence women voters ahead of the 2024 Parliament elections," he alleged in a statement titled "This is not reform, this is reengineering power."
Further, he said: "Let me be unequivocal: we strongly support 33 per cent reservation for women. Our support is absolute. But it must be implemented without increasing seats and without punishing states that acted responsibly. If the intent is genuine, nothing prevents immediate implementation within the existing framework."
Demanding fair delimitation, he alleged there was complete opacity on the basis for delimitation and asked would the exercise rely on 1971 figures from a pre–population control era or the 2021 Census. "Conflicting signals and vague assurances only deepen suspicion." This move would also impose a massive financial burden on states, forcing them to expand or rebuild Legislative Assemblies, all without proper consultation.
"This is a direct assault on cooperative federalism. This is not reform, it is a unilateral, politically driven exercise designed to concentrate power, weaken Parliament, marginalise the South, and undermine social justice," he alleged. "The nation deserves answers: why this undue haste, why shift the goalposts, and who truly stands to benefit."
The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is systematically eroding the very foundations of Parliament, he alleged.
The Dravidian party chief claimed: "What should be a vibrant forum for debate and accountability is being reduced to a hollow ritual, a stage where members may not even get fair time to speak or represent their people. This proposal to increase seats is a direct contradiction of their own slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. It will only inflate expenditure, burden taxpayers, and dilute the quality of parliamentary functioning."
This also went against the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines India as a Union of States. Ignoring the voices of states and bypassing meaningful consultation is not democratic - it is unitary overreach that undermines the country's federal and plural character.
More alarmingly, this exercise will blatantly skew representation and tilt the balance of power in favour of northern states dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while silencing the voice of south India, he claimed.
"As forcefully pointed out by veteran leader Siddaramaiah (Karnataka CM), this is not a neutral exercise; it is a calculated political restructuring. Northern states stand to gain nearly double the (Parliamentary) seats, while the South’s share stagnates at around 24 per cent. This is nothing short of penalising states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Keralam and Telangana for their success in population control."
Chief Ministers across the South, including Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan and A Revanth Reddy have rightly warned that this move will distort federalism and concentrate power in a few regions, the DMK president alleged.
PM Modi said on Thursday that the proposed amendments to the Women Reservation Act are not just a legislative exercise but a reflection of the aspirations of crores of women across India and urged all MPs to come together to support this significant move.
He had last week announced an extension of the Budget session of Parliament by three days, from April 16 to 18, so that the Women's Reservation Act can be amended for its implementation from 2029.
