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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Surat LS candidate Nilesh Kumbhani whose nomination form was rejected suspended from Congress
Ahmedabad, Apr 25: The Gujarat Congress on Friday suspended from the party for six years its Surat Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to the BJP's Mukesh Dalal getting elected unopposed.
A statement from the Congress said the party's disciplinary committee decided to suspend Kumbhani after thorough discussion, adding it had come to the conclusion that the nomination form was rejected due to gross negligence on his part or "in connivance with the BJP".
"To be fair to you we have given time to you to explain your case but instead of coming before the party disciplinary committee you have gone incommunicado. After your form was rejected by the authorities, BJP went ahead and got form of other eight candidates withdrawn. This has deprived people of Surat their voting rights," the Congress disciplinary committee headed by Balu Patel said.
"People of Surat and party workers have become very angry due to your action and are expressing their anger in different ways. The Congress party has decided to suspend you for six years from the party," the press note said.
Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected on April 21 after his three proposers submitted affidavits to the district returning officer claiming the signatures on the document was not theirs.
The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated on the same grounds.
In his order, Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi said the three nomination forms submitted by Kumbhani and Padsala were rejected after prima facie discrepancy was found in the signatures of the proposers and they did not appear to be genuine.
Kumbhani, a former corporator from Surat, had unsuccessfully fought the 2022 Assembly polls from Kamrej there.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha constituency on April 22 after all other nominees, including one from BSP, withdrew from the fray one by one on the last day of withdrawing papers.
