Kalaburagi to be developed into smart city with Rs 1,685 cr investment: CM Siddaramaiah
Kalaburagi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the state government is planning to develop Kalaburagi into a smart city with an estimated investment of Rs 1,685 crore, which will improve the quality of life for its residents and attract investment in backward districts.
Under the Mahatma Gandhi Nagar Vikas Yojana 2.0, Rs 200 crore each is being provided for basic infrastructure development in Kalaburagi and Ballari municipal corporations, he said.
The chief minister delivered his address on the occasion of 'Kalyana Karnataka Amrut Mahotsav' and the 10th anniversary of giving special status to Kalyana Karnataka under Article 371(J) of the Constitution after hoisting the national flag on the Police Parade Ground here.
He noted that though India gained independence in 1947, the districts of Bidar, Kalaburagi, and Raichur, under the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad, secured freedom only a year later, adding, Kalyana Karnataka region joined the country due to the sacrifices of many freedom fighters, the "vision" of Jawaharlal Nehru, and the "strength" of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
"I pay respect to all the great people who fought for the liberation of Kalyana Karnataka," the chief minister said.
A scheme called "Kalyana Patha" has been developed to improve road connectivity and rural development in the Kalyana Karnataka region, he said.
Under this, the state government will build 1,150 km of roads in rural Assembly constituencies at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore.
The government is ready to provide all necessary support to establish an AIIMS institute in Raichur. "We urge the Central government to take immediate steps to start AIIMS here," Siddaramaiah said.
For 2024-25, the State government aims to generate 4.85 crore person-days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the seven districts of this region. So far, 3.43 crore person-days have been generated, providing employment to 13.69 lakh people.
To develop tourism in the famous Anjanadri Hill and surrounding areas of Koppal district, Rs 100 crore will be provided, the chief minister said.
"In Ballari, we will organise unorganised jeans industries and develop a Jeans Apparel Park and Common Facility Centre to upgrade them to world-class standards," Siddaramaiah said.
In the 2024-25 budget, the government has allocated Rs 5,000 crore to the Kalyana Karnataka Development Board.
"This amount has been approved for development projects in the region, and we expect a new phase of progress," the chief minister said.
A committee led by Professor Govind Rao has been formed to study the economic and social changes in the region and suggest ways to reduce inequalities, he added.
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'Go back to your own country': Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in Dublin
London, Aug 5 (PTI): An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault.
Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin.
Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: "Go back to your own country".
"In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen," Singh told ‘Dublin Live’.
"I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared," he said.
A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening.
"Gardaí are investigating an assault reported to have occurred in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11 at approximately 11:45 pm on Friday, 1st August 2025. A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to Beaumont Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injury. Investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson said.
The incident followed an Indian Embassy advisory, also issued on Friday, expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions.
"There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,” states the advisory.
“The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned in Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours," the statement reads, adding emergency embassy contact details as 0899423734 and cons.dublin@mea.gov.in.
It came in the wake of a brutal attack on a 40-year-old Indian man at Parkhill Road in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on July 19, described as “mindless, racist violence” by locals.
The Gardai had opened an investigation into the case and Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was among those who took to social media to express shock over the attack.
“Regarding the recent incident of physical attack on an Indian national that happened in Tallaght, Dublin, the embassy is in touch with the victim and his family. All the requisite assistance is being offered. The embassy is also in touch with the relevant Irish authorities in this regard,” the embassy said in a social media post days after the incident.
A Stand Against Racism protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a "vicious racist attack" and to express solidarity with migrants.
Last week, Dr Santosh Yadav took to LinkedIn to post details of a “brutal, unprovoked racist attack”.
The entrepreneur and AI expert stressed that it was not an isolated incident and called for “concrete measures” from the governments of Ireland and India to ensure Indians feel safe to walk the streets of Dublin.
His post revealed that a group of six teenagers attacked him from behind as he walked to his apartment in Dublin.
“This is not an isolated incident. Racist attacks on Indian men and other minorities are surging across Dublin — on buses, in housing estates, and on public streets. Yet, the government is silent. There is no action being taken against these perpetrators. They run free and are emboldened to attack again,” reads Yadav's post.
Fine Gael party Councillor for Tallaght South, Baby Pereppadan, was among those who expressed concern following last month’s attack.
“People need to understand that many Indian people moving to Ireland are here on work permits, to study and work in the healthcare sector or in IT and so on, providing critical skills,” he said.
Another violent anti-Indian attack in Ireland
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) August 5, 2025
Taxi driver Lakhvir Singh was attacked with glass bottles while doing his job pic.twitter.com/mtkwhLWISx
