Bengaluru, May 8 (PTI): Karnataka Waqf and Minority affairs Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan on Thursday said that special prayers will be offered at mosques across the state for the well being of Indian soldiers who took part in 'Operation Sindoor' carried out to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack.

Mosques that come under the jurisdiction of the Waqf Board, as well as other mosques will offer this special Friday prayers for the strength of the country's brave soldiers, Khan said in a statement.

He has written to the Chief Executive Officer of the Waqf Board in this regard.

Meanwhile, special prayers are also being organised in all temples that come under the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department, for the well-being of the Indian Armed Forces, on the instructions of Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy.

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New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.

The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.

Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.

“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.

Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”

Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.

In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”

"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added. 

According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.

Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.