Karnataka HC notice to minister Muniratna over illegal construction on Malathalli lake
Bengaluru, Feb 20: The High Court of Karnataka on Monday ordered issuance of notice to state Minister Muniratna and others over the issue of alleged illegal construction of a Lord Shiva statue and a concrete structure in the form of an open air theatre.
The court issued the order on a PIL filed by Geetha Mishra alleging illegal construction and encroachment of lakes. In an application filed in the PIL today, the issue of the illegal construction was placed before the Court.
It is alleged that "with the help of the MLA of RR Nagar Assembly Constituency, Muniratna, M Govindaraju, BJP President of RR Nagar Assembly Constituency have sought permission to erect a 35 feet tall idol of Lord Shiva on 19/02/2023 on the occasion of Shivaratri and to conduct recreational and entertainment activities on the lake bed of Malathalli lake."
The application further stated that “Govindaraju in connivance with the BBMP and the Lake Development Authority CEO has constructed a huge circular concrete structure in the form of an open air theatre.” Advocate G R Mohan, representing the petitioner, informed the court that no work order or sanction plan was issued by any authority for this illegal structure. Due to the illegal construction and filling up of the lake with debris, the boundary is further reduced.
According to the petitioner, four acres and seven guntas of the 72 acre 22 gunta lake is already encroached upon.
The application sought to make Muniratna Naidu, M Govindaraju, the Joint Commissioner, Executive Engineer of RR Nagar, Executive Engineer, BBMP, and other officers respondents in the case.
The HC allowed for issuing of notices to all the proposed respondents.
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FM Sitharaman launches 'VijAIpatha' labs in govt schools in Karnataka
Hampi (PTI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday launched Cyient AI Labs (CyAILS) -- 'VijAIpatha', aimed at democratising access to Artificial Intelligence, STEM and Robotics education in government schools here.
In a series of posts on 'X', the minister's office shared pictures of the initiative launched at a girl's government school in Hosapete taluk and said that under the pilot phase, five world-class AI, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Robotics laboratories are being established in government schools.
Each lab will be equipped with high-performance computers, AI-ready software, robotics kits, IoT devices, sensors and secure broadband connectivity.
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"Aligned with NEP 2020, Digital India and Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi's mission of Viksit Bharat 2047, the programme integrates CBSE's AI curriculum and strengthens technology-enabled learning in public education," it said.
Focusing on rural and semi-urban India, the initiative introduces future technologies at the school level, helping build early digital fluency, computational thinking and innovation capacity among students, the minister's office said.
"Benefiting over 2,000 students and training more than 200 teachers, 'VijAIpatha' is a scalable CSR model fostering innovation, career readiness and grassroots digital empowerment," it added.
According to the office, the initiative has been designed as a scalable, replicable and sustainable model that can be adopted across districts and states in collaboration with government education departments, positioning it as a benchmark CSR model for a national AI education rollout.
