Senior IAS officer L K Atheeq conferred 'Great Son of Karnataka Award'
Atheeq started his administrative career in Mangaluru
Bengaluru: Senior IAS officer L K Atheeq, who has a close connection with coastal city of Mangaluru, has been conferred the 'Great Son of Karnataka Award' instituted by All India Conference of Intellectuals, in recognition of his contribution to the society and to the development of the state in various capacities over the course of his career.
The award was presented at a ceremony held at Hotel Radisson Blu Atria in Bengaluru on April 12 in the presence of former Supreme Court judge and chairman of the Press Council of India Justice Chandramouli Kumar Prasad as Chief Guest. A conference on the theme 'The freedom of expression - The Constitution' was also organised on the occasion.
In his current position as Secretary of Rural Development in Government of Karnataka has brought in several changes and has initiated various projects for the Rural Karnataka. His tenure has seen drinking water, sanitation and other basic amenities accessible to people in rural Karnataka.
Atheeq, who is now serving as the Principal Secretary of Rural Development and Panchayath Raj for Government of Karnataka, has previously worked as the Director at Prime Minister’s Office and also as Joint Secretary to Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Atheeq has also served as the executive director of World Bank for three years’ tenure in Washington DC, USA during the course of his glorious career. Upon his return from the US, he was appointed principal secretary to the then Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah.
An upright officer known for his integrity, work ethics and people-friendly approach to bureaucracy, Atheeq hails from a agricultural family from Pavagada, Tumakuru, and is married into a Mangalorean family. He also began his administrative career as assistant commissioner of Mangaluru.
About the Award
All India Conference of Intellectuals is an organization championing the cause of humanism, and was inaugurated in the year 1980 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Former Election Commissioner of India Dr G V G Krishnamurthy is the president of the organization.
Previous winners of the award include eminent personalities such as former Chief Justice of India Padma Vibhushan Justice M N Venkatachalaiah, Kapil Sibal, former governor Justice Anshuman Singh and others.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
