Umesh Katti laid to rest with full state honours, K'taka govt announces 3-day state mourning
Belagavi/Bengaluru, Sep 7: Karnataka Minister Umesh Katti, who died due to heart attack, was laid to rest with full state honours, and the state government has declared state mourning till September 9, across the state, as a mark of respect to the departed leader.
Hundreds of people took part in the final journey of the 61-year-old minister for food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, and forest, from Belagavi to his native Belladbagewadi in Hukkeri taluk, where last rites were performed as per Veerashaiva-Lingayat traditions, on Wednesday.
The state government had declared a holiday today to all schools and colleges, along with government offices in Belagavi district, as a mark of respect to Katti, who was an eight-time MLA from Hukkeri assembly constituency.
Katti had died due to heart attack at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday night. He is survived by wife, son and daughter.
According to sources, Katti collapsed in the bathroom of his 'Dollar's Colony' residence here and was rushed to the hospital.
Earlier in the day, his mortal remains were flown by air to Belagavi, from where it was taken in a decked up military vehicle to his native village of Belladbagewadi, where the last rites were performed late in the evening.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa and Siddaramaiah, several of Bommai's cabinet colleagues, legislators and BJP leaders were present.
The government had earlier announced one-day state mourning across Karnataka, but it was later extended till September 9.
During the period of state mourning, no official entertainment programmes will be conducted and the national flag will be flown at half mast on all official buildings and places, the notification said.
Bommai in Belagavi said the state government has decided to observe three days of state mourning from today. Other than works related to the management of floods and other emergencies, there will be no official functions on these days.
Also BJP's 'Janotsava' rally to mark the completion of the party being in power for three years and his government's one year in office, in Doddaballapura scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed to September 11, he said, as he emotionally recalled his long association with Katti, calling him a "close friend and brother".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet said, "Shri Umesh Katti Ji was an experienced leader who made rich contributions to Karnataka's development. Pained by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this tragic hour. Om Shanti."
Katti had entered politics following the death of his father Vishwanath Katti in 1985, and went on to become MLA from Hukkeri eight times and also served as Minister in various governments.
Before joining the BJP in 2008, he was with the Janata Party, Janata Dal, JD(U) and JD(S), and had served as a minister in the Cabinet headed by J H Patel, B S Yediyurappa, D V Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar.
Katti was a dominant figure in politics of Belagavi, considered to be one of the most politically significant districts in the state.
He was often in news for his statements demanding statehood for the north Karnataka region and also for openly expressing his chief ministerial ambitions.
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ISRO's analogue space mission kicks off at Leh
Bengaluru, Nov 1: ISRO on Friday said its analogue space mission has taken off at Leh in Ladakh, where it will simulate life in an interplanetary habitat as India prepares to send a human to the moon.
The initiative is a collaborative effort of the Human Spaceflight Centre, ISRO, AAKA Space Studio, University of Ladakh, IIT Bombay, and supported by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.
The month-long mission, kicked off mid-October, comes in the wake of India's plans to set up lunar habitats, which could provide a base to launch inter-planetary missions.
The geographical features of Ladakh are considered to closely resemble Martian and lunar landscapes and are an ideal training ground for scientific missions aimed at exploring planets "India's first analog space mission kicks off in Leh...this mission will simulate life in an interplanetary habitat to tackle the challenges of a base station beyond Earth," ISRO said in a post on X.
The team of AAKA Space Studio is testing environment suits and conducting geological studies in Leh's low-oxygen environment, simulating space-like conditions, studies that could be crucial for future space missions.
The team is also studying how the human body adapts to the harsh weather conditions in Ladakh that could be useful in understanding how astronauts could get used to space like conditions.
🚀 India’s first analog space mission kicks off in Leh! 🇮🇳✨ A collaborative effort by Human Spaceflight Centre, ISRO, AAKA Space Studio, University of Ladakh, IIT Bombay, and supported by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, this mission will simulate life in an… pic.twitter.com/LoDTHzWNq8
— ISRO (@isro) November 1, 2024
