Bengaluru (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in poll bound Karnataka's northern districts of Yadgiri and Kalaburagi on Thursday to lay foundation stone and inaugurate projects worth more than Rs 10,800 crores.

This will be the second such visit by the Prime Minister to Karnataka this month. He was in Hubballi on January 12 to inaugurate the National Youth Festival, during which he had held a massive road show.

According to an official release, at around 12 noon, in Kodekal, Yadgiri district, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various developmental projects related to irrigation, drinking water besides a National Highway development project.

Later, at around 2:15 PM, Modi will reach Malkhed, Kalaburagi District, where he will distribute title deeds (hakku patra) to the eligible beneficiaries of newly declared revenue villages and also lay the foundation stone for a National Highway project.

The visit also gains significance, as the ruling BJP prepares for assembly polls in Karnataka and has set a target of winning a minimum of 150 out of total 224 seats which will go for polls by May.

Aimed at providing safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections to all households, Modi will lay the foundation stone for Yadgir multi-village drinking water supply scheme under Jal Jeevan Mission at Kodekal in Yadgiri District, also a Water Treatment Plant of 117 MLD will be built under the scheme.

The project, which costs more than Rs 2,050 crore, will provide potable water to about 2.3 lakh households of more than 700 rural habitations and three towns of Yadgiri district.

During the programme, the PM will also inaugurate Narayanpur Left Bank Canal Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project (NLBC ERM).

The project, with a canal carrying capacity of 10,000 cusecs, can irrigate 4.5 lakh hectares of command area. It will benefit more than three lakh farmers in 560 villages of Kalaburgi, Yadagir and Vijaypur districts. The total cost of the project is about Rs 4,700 crores.

Later, he will also lay the foundation stone of the 65.5 km section of NH-150C. This 6-lane Greenfield road project is part of Surat Chennai Expressway. It is being built at a cost of about Rs 2,000 crore.

Further pointing out that about 1,475 unrecorded habitations have been declared as New Revenue villages in five districts of Kalaburagi, Yadgiri, Raichur, Bidar and Vijayapura, the release said, at Malkhed village of Sedam Taluka of Kalaburagi district, the Prime Minister will distribute title deeds (hakku patra) to the eligible beneficiaries of these newly declared revenue villages.

The issuance of title deeds to more than 50,000 beneficiaries, who are largely from the marginalised and vulnerable communities from the SC, ST and OBC, is a step to provide a formal recognition from the government for their land, and will make them eligible for receiving government services like drinking water, electricity, roads etc.

During the programme, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the 71 km section of NH-150C. This 6 lane Greenfield road project is also part of Surat Chennai Expressway. It is being built at a cost of more than Rs 2,100 crore.

Surat Chennai Expressway will pass through six states- Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. It will reduce the existing route from 1,600 Kms to 1,270 Kms.

The PM after finishing with his engagements in Karnataka will leave for Mumbai.

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Bengaluru: The Karnataka Lokayukta has launched a suo motu investigation into six maternal deaths at the Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) Hospital, allegedly caused by substandard intravenous (IV) fluids. Justice B.S. Patil, the Lokayukta, has directed the registration of a case under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, targeting senior officials from the Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education departments, the Karnataka Medical Supplies Corporation, and BIMS.

Police have been instructed to inspect the hospital and its drug store, with a detailed report to be submitted. District health officers and deputy commissioners across Karnataka have been asked to provide updates on measures to prevent similar incidents and to report on compensation for victims’ families and the accountability of officials involved.

The tragedy has drawn widespread criticism of the Congress-led Karnataka government. The latest victim, Sumaya (25), succumbed to multiple organ failure on December 5 at the Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS). Five other new mothers—Rojamma, Nandini, Muskaan, Mahalaxmi, and Lalitamma—died after undergoing caesarean surgeries at the hospital in November.

Preliminary investigations attribute the deaths to complications arising from the use of substandard IV fluids. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao termed the deaths “unacceptable” and assured swift corrective measures. "If a healthy woman dies due to negligence or faulty medicines, it is unacceptable. The public must not tolerate such failures and should protest," he stated while announcing compensation for the victims’ families.

The IV fluids, supplied by a West Bengal-based pharmaceutical company, were flagged as "Not of Standard Quality" (NSQ) by the Karnataka State Drug Testing Laboratory in March 2023. However, the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) in Kolkata later cleared them, raising questions about regulatory discrepancies. The Karnataka government has urged the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to address these contradictions and take legal action against the manufacturer.

In response, the Karnataka Drug Controller has been suspended, legal proceedings against the pharmaceutical company have been initiated, and the use of its products has been halted. Inspections of the company’s manufacturing facilities are underway to determine any lapses.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP has demanded a judicial probe and accused the Congress government of gross negligence and collusion. "This tragedy reflects a catastrophic failure of the Congress-led government in Karnataka. The gross negligence is coupled with active collusion to hide the truth," the BJP alleged.