Not upset with Rajanna's removal from cabinet: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Aug 12 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said he was not upset with the sacking of K N Rajanna from the cabinet and that any notion in this regard was the opposition's "imagination".
During a discussion in the assembly, the opposition BJP took a swipe at the CM for "losing his ardent supporter" in his cabinet.
"K N Rajanna was your only supporter in the entire cabinet. We know that you are disturbed after his removal," Ashoka told Siddaramaiah.
In reply, the Chief Minister said, "I am not upset. It’s all your imagination."
Rajanna, a staunch Siddaramaiah supporter, was sacked as Cooperation Minister for his statement that the Karnataka government was responsible for the presence of alleged bogus and duplicate voters in the electoral roll.
The statement came as a big embarrassment to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha who has been alleging that the BJP came to power at the Centre with the help of bogus voters in the 2024 polls.
He had cited an example of alleged bogus voting in Mahadevapura assembly segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the Bengaluru Central parliamentary constituency.
"Rajanna’s statement has almost punctured Rahul’s tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP," a Congress leader told PTI requesting anonymity.
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Separate nodal officer in all districts to prevent female foeticides in Karnataka: Minister
Belagavi (PTI): Accepting that the female foeticide has not stopped in the state, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday said that the government is taking strict measures to prevent it.
The minister said the government is appointing separate nodal officers in all districts and tightening measures to prevent foeticide, which he called a "social evil".
He also assured that the government will consider strengthening legislation to control such activities.
The minister was responding to a question by BJP MLC C T Ravi in the Legislative Council.
"Female foeticides have certainly not stopped. If you look at the sex ratio, there is a lot of difference. I accept that this is happening," Rao said.
"Foeticides are not happening under pressure; voluntarily, it is happening, for not wanting a girl child. These things are happening based on the sex determination of the foetus at some hospitals. Sex determination is illegal, but with the advancement in technology, portable ultrasound machines have been developed, which can be easily carried anywhere, and scans and tests can be done. This needs to be controlled. We will bring it to the notice of the central government," he said.
In some districts and in a few hospitals, a higher number of male child births is happening. It is found with the help of intelligence input, the minister said.
"Information is being gathered on the taluk in which the male-female ratio is worsening, what is happening in which hospital, and appropriate action is being taken to crack down on such a network, after proper evaluation."
Decoy operations have been done at seven places in the last two years, to identify those involved in illegal activities linked to female foeticides, and actions have been taken against officials and hospitals involved, he said, adding that more needs to be done on priority.
Responding to a question by Ravi about whether any stringent legislation is being brought, Rao said, the government will consider strengthening the legislation and making it stricter to control this.
"Some amendments have been made to the existing laws in the last two years....advanced technology and the internet is being used to carry out such things, also oral medicines for abortions are available over the counter.
We need to look into bringing legislation to control them. The Food and Drug Administration has issued instructions to pharmacists that the sale of such drugs should be documented."
The minister also said that measures are also being taken for the effective implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, and awareness is being created against the identification of female foetuses and female foeticide.
