Over Rs 90 crore spent on smart cities in Karnataka: Minister U T Khader
Belagavi, Dec 12: Karnataka Minister for Urban Development and Housing U T Khader Wednesday said Rs 91.34 crore has so far been spent on seven cities in the state that have been selected under the Smart City project.
The central and the state governments have each earmarked Rs 886 crore for the project.
Responding to a query from BJP MLA K S Eshwarappa during question hour, the Minister said new guidelines and rules have been framed under the project and creation of a special purpose vehicle for it have been the cause for the delay in its implementation in the seven cities - Belagavi, Davangere, Hubballi-Dharwad, Shivamogga, Mangaluru, Tumkuru and Bengaluru.
Noting that central government had launched the Smart City project in June 2015, Khader said this was different from other projects, as it required introduction of new rules which required more time.
Also, cities were selected for the project in various rounds and consultants have been appointed in all the cities, he said.
Further, detailed reports on the project were underway and work was on in all the cities, but in some of them, the project was at the nascent stage, the Minister said adding that special purpose vehicles have been set up in all the smart cities.
To this, several BJP leaders including opposition leader B S Yeddyurappa, Jagadish Shettar and Eshwarappa stressed the need for a supervisory committee to oversee the implementation of the project.
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Delhi HC directs Tamil magazine to remove defamatory content against Isha Foundation
New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI): The Delhi High Court has directed a Tamil media outlet to remove certain defamatory content published by it against Sadhguru Jagadish Vasudev's Isha Foundation.
Justice Subramonium Prasad passed the interim order on March 19 on a lawsuit the foundation filed in 2024 against the magazine, "Nakkheeran", and its editor, alleging defamation.
The court also rejected the magazine's plea to dismiss the lawsuit at this stage itself.
The lawsuit alleged that "Nakkheeran" published a series of videos containing defamatory, vulgar and obscene content, in an attempt to harm the reputation of the Isha Foundation and Sadhguru.
"Nakkheeran" had accused Isha Foundation of exploitation and brainwashing.
In a statement, the Isha Foundation welcomed the court's decision and affirmed its commitment to large-scale social development and human well-being.
"We wholeheartedly welcome this interim order of the Hon'ble Delhi High Court. It is unfortunate that certain media outlets and individuals continue to propagate false and defamatory allegations without any evidence, as part of a deliberate effort to mislead the public," the statement said.
