Karnataka govt makes U-turn, to resume spl trains for migrant workers
Bengaluru/New Delhi: In a U-turn, the Karnataka government on Thursday decided to resume special trains to send back stranded migrant workers to their home states, two days after it stopped the services that drew flak from opposition parties.
As the Yediyurappa government sought the approval of nine states receiving their natives, the Railways said it has operated 163 Shramik Special' trains since May 1 and ferried home over 1.60 lakh migrant workers stranded in various parts of the country due to the coronavirus lockdown.
On Tuesday, the state government withdrew its request to the Railways to run more special trains for the migrants within hours of doing so, sparking accusations from the opposition parties it was treating the migrant workers worse than bonded labourers . Six trains had earlier originated from places in the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The withdrawal had followed an appeal by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to the workers on the same day to stay back in the state assuring them they would be provided jobs with the easing of the lockdown curbs. However, most workers were reported to be keen on returning home and created a ruckus on Monday in Bengaluru city.
The state government on Thursday wrote to the administrations in Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Odisha conveying its decision and seeking their consent for receving the workers, official sources said in Bengaluru.
In separate letters, state Principal Revenue Secretary N Manjunatha Prasad, who is also the Nodal Officer for Migrant labourers movement, asked his counterparts to give in-principle approval for movement of special trains every day, starting from Friday.
Prasad informed his Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal counterparts that Karnataka intends to run two trains to the states a day till May 15 for transporting thousands of migrant workers stranded in the Bengaluru and other districts due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
The state planned to run one train each a day to Manipur and Tripura.
in the national capital, 1,200 migrant workers carrying their belongings in bags of all shapes and sizes left by the first special train to Chattarpur in Madhya Pradesh after they reached the New Delhi railway station in over 70 buses arranged by the Delhi government
The Railways said it operated 56 special trains on Wednesday and 14 so far on Thursday, taking the total tally to 163.
Till May 7, 50 trains were enroute to their destination while 113 have reached the deboarding points. The first train was launched on May 1 coinciding with the Labour day.
Every special train has 24 coaches, each with a capacity of 72 seats. But the national transporter is allowing only 54 people in a coach to maintain social distancing norms by not allotting the middle berth to any passenger.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said nearly three lakh people from his state, mostly labourers, stranded in various states due to the lockdown have registered to return home, and asserted they will be brought back without any "ifs and buts".
Jharkhand is the only state which has made advance payments for receiving its people coming from other states through 'Shramik Special' trains, according to railway sources.
In an interview to PTI, the chief minister said about 20,000 migrant labourers and students stranded in other states have already returned to the state since the Centre allowed the movement.
"About three lakh people have registered for returning home since we started the online process about four-five days ago. And the registration is still on," Soren said.
The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, meanwhile, has directed for deployment of police at all government hospitals in Mumbai where migrant workers gather to get medical certificates before travelling to their native places, and ensure that physical distancing norms are followed.
Justice Anil Kilor issued the order on Tuesday after hearing a petition filed by city resident C H Sharma, raising concerns over migrants gathering at government hospitals and not following the social distancing norms.
In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sought a list of migrant labourers from the state stranded in other state and held out an assurance they will all be brought back home.
Adityanath said, till now, 37 trains have arrived in the state carrying over 30,000 migrant labourers.
Besides them, last week over 30,000 labourers from Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh arrived in buses, he said.
"The Uttar Pradesh government intends to bring back all its migrant labourers from other states and for this district-wise list has been sought from them," Adityanath said.
"From the states, which are giving lists, we are immediately taking measures to bring them (migrants) back," he said.
The chief minister said on Thursday, 20 trains are due to arrive in Uttar Pradesh from other states with migrant labourers while on Friday 25 to 30 trains will come.
"Over 10,000 buses of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation(UPSRTC) have been deployed to take them to their homes," he said.
He said arrangements for medical examination and quarantine centres have been made for all those coming from other states, and they will be provided food packets and Rs 1,000.
The state is also preparing "skilling data" of the labourers so that after they complete home quarantine, they can be given jobs accordingly, Adityanath said.
"The capacity of quarantine centres in the state has now gone up to 12 lakh. For check-up of migrant labourers 50,000 medical teams have been constituted," he said, adding that district administrations have been asked to take care of all those coming from other states.
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Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
