IMD downgrades rainfall alert in south interior Karnataka from ‘very heavy’ to ‘heavy’
Bengaluru, May 21 (PTI): After days of relentless rain, Bengaluru experienced mostly overcast skies on Wednesday. In a related development, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) downgraded its forecast for Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Dakshina Kannada from "very heavy" to "heavy" rainfall.
These three southern interior Karnataka districts were among the seven that were issued a red alert on May 20. A red alert indicates extremely heavy rainfall of over 204.5 mm within 24 hours
"Now, the red alert remains only for Uttara Kannada. Although a couple of places may still see very heavy rainfall, the alert is more about the impact. Due to continuous heavy rainfall, the soil is saturated and may lead to landslides," said Latha Sridhar, D-category scientist at the IMD Bengaluru Centre.
Although both Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural recorded no rain, a yellow warning remains in place for the IT hub, primarily because the city is still reeling from the impact of continuous rain over the past few days.
According to the IMD, a yellow alert indicates heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.
“Bengaluru may witness light rain in a few places at night. But for the next two to three days, we expect only cloudy skies,” Sridhar added.
She said the department would decide tomorrow on issuing alerts to various regions of Karnataka.
“The two low-pressure systems over the Arabian Sea, which had caused heavy rainfall along the north Karnataka and Goa coasts, are moving northwards. Tomorrow, we will have a clearer picture,” said Sridhar.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
