Bengaluru (PTI): Considered to be one of the richest politicians in the country, Karnataka Minister N Nagaraju (MTB) has declared total assets worth Rs 1,609 crore, while filing the nomination for May 10 Assembly polls in the state.

He filed the papers on Monday as the ruling BJP's candidate from the Hoskote Assembly segment, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

In his election affidavit, Nagaraju, who has mentioned his occupation or profession as agriculturist and business, along with his wife M Shanthakumari, a housewife, together own movable assets worth Rs 536 crore.

ALSO READ: SC stays Karnataka HC's direction disqualifying JD(S) MLA, allows him to contest upcoming election

The couple's immovable assets are worth Rs 1,073 crore,

Nagaraju, who is currently a MLC, in June 2020, while contesting the Legislative Council election, had declared assets worth about Rs 1,220 crore, along with his wife.

In the affidavit filed today along with nomination, the couple have declared total liabilities of Rs 98.36 crore.

Nagaraju (72), who has studied up to Class 9, has detailed his source of income as agriculture, house property, business and other sources, and that of his wife also to be house property and other sources.

Nagaraju in the 2018 Assembly polls had won from Hoskote Assembly segments from Congress. He was one of the 17 MLAs who later defected from the party that led to the collapse of Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2019.

In the subsequently held bypolls he lost from Hoskote against independent candidate Sharath Bachegowda, who is now with Congress. Both who have turned out to be bitter rivals, are facing each other once again.

All the latest news from Karnataka, just one click away. CLICK here to read all the important news from Karnataka in a single click.

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.



Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.

In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.

In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.

Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.

He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.

The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.

Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.

The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.

It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.

In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.

He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.

Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.

Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.

The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.

Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.

"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.

The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.

He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.

Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.

During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.

The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.

Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.

The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.