K'taka govt launches 'Kashi Yatra' scheme
Bengaluru, Jun 27: The Karnataka government on Monday gave its nod to the 'Kashi Yatra' project offering a cash assistance of Rs 5,000 to each of the 30,000 pilgrims willing to take up a pilgrimage to Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
In its order, the government authorised the religious endowment department commissioner to utilise Rs 7 crore sanctioned for the Kashi Yatra', as read out in the budget speech by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai under the accounts head of Assistance to Manasa Sarovara Pilgrims'.
In a statement, the Minister for Religious Endowment, Hajj and Wakf, Shashikala Jolle said those willing to avail themselves of the benefit should be the native of Karnataka and have to furnish proof of their domicile of origin in Karnataka such as their voter ID, Aadhaar Card or ration card.
The applicants should be above 18 years old and have to furnish their age proof, the Minister said.
She added that those who took up pilgrimage from April 1 to June 30 and want to take benefit of the Kashi Yatra' scheme would have to furnish proof that they visited Kashi Vishwanath Temple such as their darshan ticket or waiting list, Pooja Receipt', and submit it to the commissioner of religious endowment department in the prescribed proforma.
Any pilgrim taking up the government-sponsored Kashi Yatra' would get the benefit only once in a life time, Jolle said.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
