Over 500 organizations to commemorate Gauri Lankesh on Sept 5, mark third anniversary of her murder
'If We Do Not Rise' campaign to protest against injustice, attacks on Constitutional rights
Bengaluru: Over 500 organizations that include women’s groups, civil rights organizations, and others from across the country will come together and launch a national campaign to commemorate slain journalist Gauri Lankesh on September 5, which marks the third anniversary of her murder.
The campaign will be launched against injustice and targeted attacks on people’s constitutional rights. The campaign has been named ‘Hum Agar Uthe Nahin Toh (If We Do Not Rise). The launch of the campaign was announced in a press conference on August 27, where activists and representatives of several organizations added that it would include both ground and online protests.
“The growth of fascist and neo-liberal forces in the country, and the resulting rise in violence in society, has deeply impacted the lives of women and members of the LGBTQIA communities. Attacks on religious minorities have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity” the organizers of the campaign stated in a press release.
In the press release, the organizers also added that in the wake of anti-CAA protests and subsequent riots in Delhi, instead of arresting leaders who made hate speeches inciting violence, women, and people who worked for the unity and peace were being arrested and incarcerated.
“These are urgent times so we have to come together and protect India’s Constitution and democracy,” said Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association and CPI-ML senior leader.
“The government is moving fast to change the India we know. If we look at the National Education Policy, it is bringing graded inequality,” Krishnan added.
“There have been moves to dilute laws to protect women in the name of mitigating COVID-19 revealing the anti-women attitude of the regime,” the organizers stated.
Speakers observed that women and queers had been at the forefront of the movement to protect the Constitution of India. This campaign too was an initiative to safeguard constitutional principles and values.
The program will circulate videos on various issues and conduct live sessions on social media, exhibit artwork online, and also submit citizens’ memoranda to local authorities on the issues faced by the people of the country.
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge met a high-level delegation from Chile, led by Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday to discuss collaboration in emerging technologies, clean energy, and startup ecosystems, officials said.
The delegation’s visit to Bengaluru, as part of its India engagements, underscores Karnataka’s growing prominence as a preferred partner for global collaborations in technology, innovation, and startup ecosystems, officials added.
The discussions reflected strong alignment between Chile’s evolving technology-focused growth strategy and Karnataka’s established leadership in innovation and deep-tech ecosystems, according to a statement.
Both sides explored opportunities to build partnerships that move beyond traditional sectors and focus on innovation-led growth, talent exchange, and market access.
The meeting focused on opportunities in renewable energy, including green hydrogen and sustainable industrial innovation.
Other potential areas of collaboration included marine biotechnology, aquaculture technologies, and AI applications across traditional industries.
According to the state IT minister, Karnataka is now a global hub for deep-tech, AI, biotech, aerospace, and advanced research, backed by one of the world’s strongest talent pipelines.
“As partners under the global innovation alliance, we must move beyond agreements on paper to actionable collaboration,” Kharge said.
“We are keen to work with Chile on startup exchanges, market access programmes, and building joint innovation corridors, including R&D centres, incubators, and accelerators. Chile’s position as a gateway to Latin America presents a significant opportunity for our startups to scale globally,” he added.
Officials said the engagement builds on the Letter of Intent signed between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of Chile during the Bengaluru Tech Summit, which established a framework for collaboration in startups, emerging technologies, research, and skill development under the Global Innovation Alliance.
Mackenna, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the country is actively advancing its transition toward a knowledge- and technology-driven economy.
“Our engagement with Karnataka reflects our interest in building strong innovation partnerships that enable technology exchange, talent collaboration, and access to dynamic startup ecosystems,” he added.
“We see significant potential to work together in sectors such as clean energy, digital technologies, and emerging industries, while also strengthening Chile’s role as a bridge between India and Latin America,” he said.
