Murthy have misconceptions about Karnataka survey: CM Siddaramaiah
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy and author Sudha Murty have "some misconceptions" about the ongoing social and educational survey being conducted in the state.
"There is a notion that this is a survey for backward castes," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
"It is not a backward classes survey. Let them write whatever they want. People should understand what this survey is about. What can I do if they are unable to understand?" he said.
The chief minister’s remarks came after the Murthys declined to take part in the survey, noting on the pro forma that they do not belong to backward communities.
"Should Infosys (founder) mean ‘Brihaspati’ (intelligent)? We have said 20 times it’s not a backward classes survey but a survey for everyone," Siddaramaiah said.
He said the government had launched welfare schemes such as Shakti, which offers free bus rides to women in non-luxury government buses, and Gruha Lakshmi, which provides Rs 2,000 a month to women heads of families from economically weaker sections.
"Aren’t upper-caste women and those above the poverty line availing the Shakti scheme? Aren’t upper-caste people among the Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries?" he asked.
The chief minister said that despite repeated clarifications from ministers, there were still misconceptions about the exercise. "Now the Centre is also coming up with a caste census. What answer will they (Murthys) give then? I feel they have the wrong information," he said.
"I am making it very, very clear — this is not a survey for backward classes but a socio-economic and educational survey of seven crore people of Karnataka," he asserted.
On speculation about a possible leadership change in the state, dubbed ‘November Kranti’, Siddaramaiah said, "It’s not a Kranti. What is Kranti? Kranti is revolution. Change is not revolution."
He also said the issue keeps surfacing without reason and should simply be ignored.
Clarifying the cabinet’s recent decision banning activities on government land and in government schools and colleges — widely described as a move against RSS programmes — Siddaramaiah said, "It’s not just about the RSS. Any organisation conducting activities without government permission is not allowed. This rule was actually brought in by the BJP under Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar."
On the upcoming Bihar elections, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would perform well. "People want change. Rahul Gandhi’s march received an overwhelming response. Chances are high for us to win," he said, adding that he would attend the campaign if invited.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
