K'taka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti to join BJP, meets Amit Shah
Bengaluru (PTI): Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here, and said he would join the BJP soon.
He is likely to be the BJP's candidate for the upcoming MLC polls from West Teachers' constituency.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, Minister Kota Shrinivas Poojari, who is also the leader of the House in the legislative council, were present during the meeting.
"I will be resigning soon as Chairman of the Legislative Council. After that, a date will be fixed (for joining BJP) and I will be contesting the upcoming polls from BJP. Shah expressed happiness about my decision to join the party and said with people like me joining, it will benefit the party," Horatti said after meeting Shah.
Speaking to reporters, the senior politician said there are some technical issues for him to resign immediately as the Deputy Chairman post remains vacant, and after clearing them, he will resign as Chairman and join the BJP soon.
With this, Horatti, who was elected as MLC seven successive times from 1980, has ended his long association with the JD(S).
Asked about the reason for him to join the BJP by quitting JD(S), Horatti said, "It is nothing but politics...I still have the same affection and good opinion towards the JD(S), but as the voters' preferences and system changes, we too have to take certain decisions suddenly and I have taken it. I had been in JD(S) for a long period..."
To a question on ideological differences in both parties, he said, "Please don't ask about ideology in politics."
Considered to be among the senior-most MLCs, 76-year-old Horatti was seen as a prominent Lingayat face of the JD(S) from north Karnataka.
He had been education minister in the state, and was elected as the Chairman of the Legislative Council in February 2021.
The MLC polls from graduates' and teachers' constituencies are expected in June or July this year.
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Govt to set up Bureau of Port Security to boost port, vessel security
New Delhi (PTI): To beef up the security infrastructure of ports, the government will set up a statutory body -- the Bureau of Port Security -- that will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information of ports and vessels, officials said on Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened a meeting for the constitution of the dedicated body, the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), which was attended by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, an official statement said.
Emphasising that there is a need to establish a country-wide robust port security framework, Shah directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.
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The meeting also noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework shall be replicated in the aviation security domain, the statement said.
The new body, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will be constituted as a statutory body under the new Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, and will work under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), it said.
Headed by a senior IPS officer as its director general, the BoPS will be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities.
"During the transition period of one year, the director general of shipping shall function as the director general of BoPS," the statement said.
"The BoPS will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats," it said.
The government has designated the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a recognised security organisation (RSO), responsible for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for port facilities.
The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will train and build the capacities of private security agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.
"These agencies shall be certified and appropriate regulatory measures shall be introduced to ensure that only the licensed PSAs operate in this sector," the statement said.
