Ballari, Oct 15: The Congress presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday joined Rahul Gandhi and other leaders in the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in the district.

Kharge, who had served as the union minister and as the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, also took part in the mega public meeting here to celebrate the yatra reaching the 1,000-km milestone.

He took part in the march for the first time today in his home state.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Karnataka on September 30 and will make a final exit on October 20 after covering 511 km in 21 days.

The veteran Congress leader is contesting the Congress presidential election and is pitted against senior party leader Shashi Tharoor.

The 80-year-old leader had been into the electoral politics since 1972.

Earned the reputation of Solillada Sardara' (invincible leader), Kharge was an MLA from 1972 to 2008 winning the assembly elections for a record 10 times before becoming Lok Sabha MP from 2009 to 2019.

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Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government will come up with new regulations aimed at reducing the influence of smartphones and social media on children.

A meeting on the issue was chaired by state Education Minister Praful Panseriya with senior officials on Thursday, during which he highlighted the adverse effects of excessive social media use on children. He emphasised that new rules would be implemented to reduce mobile phone usage and encourage greater focus on sports.

“Teachers will be banned from using mobile phones in the classroom, and strict measures will be taken to ensure that primary school children do not come to school with mobile phones,” the statement read under the new rules.

Panseriya said that their aim is to keep the kids away from the devices and bring them to playgrounds and study tables.

The minister further stated that a circular outlining these changes would be issued for children, parents, and teachers. The initiative will be developed in consultation with Children’s University, Teacher's University, and practicing psychiatrists.

Additionally, teachers will be encouraged to engage students in productive activities such as reading and sports instead of allowing smartphone use for social media. Parents will also be urged to limit their own social media use in front of children and and ensure the latter are not using smartphones.

The minister expressed hope that other states will follow Gujarat's lead and adopt similar measures.