President lauds Karnataka people for giving back to society
Bengaluru: Lauding Karnataka for its rich legacy of culture and knowledge, President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said the people of the southern state are public-spirited citizens and known for giving back to society.
"The attributes of serving the cause of education and giving back to society are typical of the people of this state," Kovind said at the centenary celebrations of the National Education Society in the city.
Noting that the Society's National High School had gifted distinguished citizens to the country, the President said its alumni included ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar, former Chief Justice of India M.N. Venkatachalaiah, eminent cricketer Anil Kumble and former state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, among others.
"The century-old Society, set up by freedom fighter Annie Besant, runs several educational institutions, including the National High School," said Kovind in his address to the students and faculty on the occasion.
Eminent scientist Bharat Ratna C.N.R. Rao and Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind are among the alumni of the illustrious school.
Mahatma Gandhi had visited the school in 1936 and praised its student H. Narasimhaiah for translating his Hindi speeches into Kannada for the local audience.
The President also praised the Adamya Chetana Foundation for providing mid-day meals to about 100,000 children daily across the state through its Annapurna project.
"Mid-day meal promotes education because less well-off make an effort to send their children to school. It's the most nutritious and wholesome meal a child from a poor family gets," said Kovind.
He also unveiled the Adamya Chetana Seva Utsav 2018 on the occasion.
The President later visited the new campus of Amruta Institute of Engineering and Management Sciences (AIEMS) in Bidadi in Ramanagara district, about 40km southwest of Bengaluru.
The AIEMS is an institute of the Basaveshwara Veerashyva Vidyavardaka (B.V.V.) Sangha Bagalkot, which is celebrating its 111th year.
Speaking to the student gathering, Kovind advised them to seek a wider and enlightened understanding of the value of education.
"Education is not simply about reading textbooks, but the true measure of education is in how a student can give back to the society," Kovind reiterated.
Calling present times an "era of entrepreneurship", the President said the students must not just be job-seekers but also job creators.
"Students and graduates must take forward our country's and Karnataka's innovation and start-up culture," he said.
Earlier in the day, the President also took part in the 22nd convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in the city.
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Two held for EV sales fraud in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men involved in the sale of electric vehicles in the city have been arrested for allegedly defrauding several people by offering two-wheelers at subsidised rates, claiming the benefit was under a central government scheme, police said on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Hanumantha Bilkar and Rakesh, they said.
Police said an investigation was initiated after receiving two complaints against at the Peenya and Bagalagunte police stations last month.
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According to police, the accused convinced people to buy electric two-wheelers by claiming that they were available at subsidised rates under a central government scheme.
"However, no such scheme exists. The accused allegedly arranged loans in the names of the buyers and had the loan amounts credited to their companies, as per the complaints," a senior police officer said.
Police said the accused got loans sanctioned for nearly double the price of the vehicles and told buyers they only needed to pay the last three to four EMIs, while the 'companies' would pay the remaining instalments.
Initially, the 'companies' paid the EMIs but later stopped doing so, after which banks and finance firms began demanding payments from the buyers, they said.
The officer said the accused sourced parts of electric two-wheelers from Delhi, assembled them in Bengaluru and sold the vehicles through their showrooms.
He added that loans were taken in the names of several people and the investigation is ongoing.
"While vehicles were delivered to many buyers, the companies allegedly stopped paying the EMIs as promised. An investigation is underway to ascertain how many more people were cheated through this fake scheme," he added.
