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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Ratlam: Madhya Pradesh police have reportedly arrested a 17-year-old boy for allegedly assaulting three Muslim minors and forcing them to chant Jai Shri Ram, a purported video claiming to be of the incident is doing rounds on social media.

An FIR was lodged at the Manak Police station in Ratlam district here against two minor suspects under BNS sections 296, 115(2), 126(2), 351(2), 196, and 3(5) after the video went viral, while one was arrested another is on the run.

According to a report by Newslaundry, Surendra Singh Garadiya, SHO of Manak police station has stated that the accused who leaked the video is absconding, and confirmed the arrest of one minor. The offer said, “We have produced him in a juvenile court and sent him to a remand home. Our team is searching for the other accused and we will arrest him soon.”

The three victims, aged seven, 11, and 13, are students of classes 2, 5, and 6, respectively. According to the 13-year-old complainant, the assault occurred over a month ago near Amrit Sagar Talab. He recounted in his police statement:

“I, along with my two friends, went for an outing near Amrit Sagar Talab around one and a half months ago. Two people approached us and asked for our names. Then they began abusing us, assaulting us, and forcing us to chant 'Jai Shri Ram.' They also threatened to kill us if we spoke about the incident,” the 13-year-old minor said in the complaint to the police.

Imran Khokhar, an activist assisting the victims’ families, stated that the children had kept the incident secret out of fear until the video was leaked by one of the suspects, reportedly while he was intoxicated.

“The victims were terrified, but once the video came out, we helped them approach the police,” said Khokhar.

One of the victims, a six-year-old orphan living with his grandmother and aunt, locked himself in a room upon learning of the video's leak. “He was so traumatized that we had to involve the police to get him out,” Khokhar added.

Speaking to the Newslaundry, the father of the 13-year-old complainant revealed how his son’s behavior had drastically changed since the incident. “He avoided school and stopped playing outside. At the time, I didn’t understand why, but seeing the video was deeply disturbing,” he said, demanding strict punishment for the perpetrators.

Another victim’s father expressed his concern about the rising hatred in society, lamenting how even children are not spared from such toxic behavior. “I asked my son why he hadn’t told anyone about it. He seemed to be behaving normally, but perhaps he was too scared to speak up. The atmosphere in our country has become so toxic that even young children are falling victim to hatred, ” he added.