Minister Priyank Kharge slams Centre over denial of permission for US visit
Bengaluru, Jun 19 (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday criticised the Centre for denying him permission to travel to the US to interact with multinational companies to attract investments to the state.
According to sources, Kharge was slated to lead a delegation to Boston for Bio 2025 and San Francisco for Design Automation Conference.
However, due to denial of permission, he was forced to cut short his ongoing trip and returned from Paris to Bengaluru on Wednesday night.
Kharge vowed to raise the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs and seek its response for denying him permission.
“It seems that somewhere Centre is trying to curtail the fame of Karnataka,” the Minister, who holds Information Technology and Biotechnology portfolio, told reporters here.
He acknowledged the union government's authority to decline permission but stressed the need for a justification for the decision.
“Rejecting my official tour is improper,” Kharge added.
The minister said he would take it up with the Centre.
“We will not leave it just like that. I am going to write to the MEA seeking a valid explanation on why there was a denial of our delegation and a support from the Government of India,” Kharge said.
He also requested the Chief Minister to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kharge also said that he was visiting the US not to discuss politics but to attract investments.
“People in the USA have no time to listen to our politics. We are going there to invite them to invest in Karnataka. The investment that comes to Karnataka will not only benefit the state but also the Centre,” the Minister insisted.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
