Karnataka cabinet approves proposal to declare 21 more taluks as drought hit
Bengaluru, (PTI): The Karnataka cabinet has given its consent to declare 21 more taluks as drought hit, taking the total number of such taluks to 216. As such, it has claimed a total relief of Rs 5,326.87 crore from the Centre, the state's Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs H K Patil said on Thursday.
Karnataka has a total of 236 taluks in 31 districts.
"The cabinet today gave its approval to declare 21 more taluks as drought hit. These are in addition to 195 already declared as drought affected. Out of 21 taluks, 10 are facing severe drought," Patil said.
Briefing reporters about the cabinet decisions, he said that the total agricultural and horticultural crop loss in the state due to drought is estimated to be about Rs 33,770 crore, and the state has claimed relief of Rs 4,414 from the Centre for this, as per norms.
"Also, Rs 355 crore has been sought for the loss of livestock, and drinking water relief of Rs 554 crore. So the total relief claimed is Rs 5,326.87 crore," he said.
The minister said the cabinet had also expressed concern over central ministers delaying appointments for state ministers seeking to make requests for relief in person. The chief minister has tasked the revenue minister with visiting Delhi to speed things up, he added.
With an aim at ensuring the delivery of justice at the doorstep of citizens in rural areas, the cabinet has given in-principle clearance to establish 100 rural courts across the state.
The minister said that the village courts would be set up for panchayats or a cluster of panchayats and they will be of the same level as courts of the Judicial Magistrate of First Class.
The Central government will provide a one-time grant of Rs 18 lakh per court and Rs 3.5 lakh as recurring expenditure, he said. A proposal granting Rs 100 crore for this has been cleared by the cabinet. "As per initial estimates, it will cost Rs 25-30 crore crore per year for 100 courts," he added.
The law department and high court will work out the implementation of the system, as judges have to be appointed by them, the minister said, adding that details of where and when these courts will start would be shared at the earliest.
In other decisions, the cabinet has given administrative approval for a Rs 20 crore programme to strengthen and equip 11 police training schools in the state.
In a move aimed at providing Piped Natural Gas (PNG) for domestic, commercial and industrial customers, and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for vehicles, the cabinet has given approval to the 'State Policy for the Development of City Gas Distribution Network'.
Sharing the highlights of the policy, Patil said it would promote the adoption of natural gas by the state as a green and clean fuel and ensure faster implementation of City Gas Distribution (CGD) infrastructure.
It would also help city gas distribution entities undertake safe operations and provide reliable uninterrupted supply of natural gas by maintaining the asset.
Permissions and clearances for the city gas distribution entity would also be given in a time-bound manner by providing policy framework and necessary support, as per the policy.
Moreover, it would encourage the use of natural gas for industrial and household purposes as well as commercial transport, which would help India fulfil its commitment to the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to reduce carbon emissions.
The policy would also encourage city gas distribution entities to develop compressed biogas plants in collaboration with the local bodies in the respective geographical areas, and promote the government's initiative under the Swachh Bharath Abhiyan -- "this will address the issue of waste disposal in the district," he added.
The cabinet has also given post-facto clearance for extending the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which grants Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family, to sexual minorities as well.
It has also been decided to continue with the existing system, by providing cash in lieu of the additional five kg of rice to beneficiaries, under the Anna Bhagya scheme.
The cabinet has authorised the Chief Minister to decide on the schedule for calling the legislature session in Belagavi, the minister said.
It has also has given its approval for bringing in an ordinance that will tweak the law on compulsory rural service for doctors.
Till now, everyone who cleared medical exams had to do compulsory rural service. "Now it will be relaxed to the extent of posts available or to the extent of what the government decides...it will now not be mandatory, but the government will select doctors for rural service on merit basis," the minister said, adding that this has been done keeping in mind the unnecessary wastage of human resources.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Netanyahu recommends his Cabinet approve Hezbollah cease-fire proposal
Beirut, Nov 26: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would recommend his cabinet adopt a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah, as Israeli warplanes struck across Lebanon, killing at least 23 people.
The Israeli military also issued a flurry of evacuation warnings — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon's Litani River, a focal point of the emerging deal.
In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire to Cabinet ministers later on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting.
Netanyahu said the vote was expected later Tuesday. It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal does not affect Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending.
The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel.
Lebanese officials have said Hezbollah also supports the deal. If approved by all sides, the deal would be a major step toward ending the Israel-Hezbollah war that has inflamed tensions across the region and raised fears of an even wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah's patron, Iran.
The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides' compliance.
But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted on Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, doesn't provide “effective enforcement” of the deal.
“If you don't act, we will act, and with great force,” Katz said, speaking with UN special envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday that Israel's security concerns had been addressed in the deal also brokered by France.
“There is not an excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart,” Borrell told reporters in Italy on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting. He said France would participate on the ceasefire implementation committee at Lebanon's request.
Bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs continues
Even as Israeli, US, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah's military capabilities.
An Israeli strike on Tuesday levelled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city's downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure.
Earlier, Israeli jets struck at least six buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs. One strike slammed near the country's only airport, sending plumes of smoke into the sky. The airport has continued to function despite its location on the Mediterranean coast next to the densely populated suburbs where many of Hezbollah's operations are based.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in the suburbs, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where UNIFIL is headquartered.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate.
Other strikes hit in the southern city of Tyre, where the Israeli military said it killed a local Hezbollah commander.
The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometres from the Israeli border.
Previous ceasefire hopes were dashed
Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the strongest Iranian-backed force in the region, would likely significantly calm regional tensions that have led to fears of a direct, all-out war between Israel and Iran. It's not clear how the ceasefire will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hezbollah had long insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the war in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition.
Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since.
Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes.
More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members.
Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country's north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon.
After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted there could be last-minute hitches that delay or destroy an agreement.
“Nothing is done until everything is done,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
While the ceasefire proposal is expected to be approved if Netanyahu brings it to a vote in his security Cabinet, one hard-line member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.”
