Over Rs 108 cr diverted from CM's Nagarothana scheme: CAG report
Belagavi (PTI): In contravention of guidelines, the city corporations of Ballari, Tumakuru and Vijayapura have "diverted" Rs 108.75 crore of funds, meant for the 'Chief Minister's Nagarothana scheme', towards other projects, the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) has said.
The CAG's performance audit on the 'Mukhyamantrigala Nagarothana scheme (phase-3) for city corporations' was tabled in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Friday.
The Nagarothana scheme (phase-3) at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore was launched to upgrade infrastructure in 10 city corporations, with each one getting Rs 100 crore.
The performance audit covered the period 2014-15 to 2020-21 in Ballari, Mysuru, Tumakuru and Vijayapura.
According to the CAG findings, "In contravention of the scheme guidelines, the test checked city corporations diverted Rs 108.75 crore (40 per cent of the total expenditure of Rs 269.28 crore) towards work taken up under other schemes."
It was towards "paying their contribution amounts for other schemes- AMRUT, Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana and 24x7 water supply- or on works being executed under other grants," it said.
This deprived the city corporations of the full benefit which was to be accrued from the scheme, the CAG said, as it rejected the government's claim that this was not diversion but utilisation of funds towards other schemes.
"Scheme guidelines specifically prohibited funding of works taken up under other schemes. Reply was also silent regarding utilisation of scheme funds for ineligible components such as payment of land compensation, construction of building etc," it added.
Further pointing out that appointment of three project management consultants (PMC) for Belagavi, Davangere, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Tumakuru and Vijayapura were "incorrect", the CAG said, "undue favour led to works worth Rs 14.63 crore being awarded to these ineligible consultants."
"They did not meet the selection criteria and were liable to be rejected," it said.
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
