S M Krishna, Narayana Murthy & Prakash Padukone conferred Kempegowda Int'l Award
Bengaluru, Jun 27: Former Chief Minister S M Krishna, Infosys founder N R Narayan Murthy, and Badminton legend Prakash Padukone were conferred the maiden Kempegowda International Award on Monday.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai handed them the award, instituted by the state government in honour of Kempegowda, founder of Bengaluru, for their contribution to the growth of the city.
Sudha Murty on behalf of Narayan Murthy and Badminton coach U Vimal Kumar on behalf of Padukone received the award which carries a purse of Rs five lakh.
Speaking on the occasion, marking the 513th birth anniversary of Kempegowda, Bommai said a good tradition has been started to remember the person who founded Bengaluru city.
I consider that today is the day to introspect how we have shaped the city. Kempegowda brought together many villages and helped communities to grow here. This is the sign of a person with farsightedness, the Chief Minister said.
Karnataka ministers R Ashoka, C N Ashwath Narayan, V Sunil Kumar, K Gopalaiah and Muniratha, Lok Sabha member Tejaswi Surya and the pontiff of Adichunchanagiri Math, Nirmalananda Swamiji were among those present.
Took part in the Naadaprabhu #KempegowdaJayanti held at Vidhana Soudha.
— Rizwan Arshad (@ArshadRizwan) June 27, 2022
Hearty Congratulations to former CM Shri SM Krishna, Shri NR Narayana Murthy and former badminton player Shri Prakash Padukone for being awarded the maiden Kempegowda International Award.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
