Winter session of state legislature to be held in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sept 17: The winter session of the Karnataka legislature will be held here at 'Vidhana Soudha', the state secretariat and not in Belagavi, as is the practice, as most parts of the district have been ravaged by floods, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said here on Tuesday.
He said the Belagavi Deputy Commissioner and the district administration had informed him that they were not in a position to hold the session there this time as the district has been ravaged by floods and people are in distress.
"So we will have to conduct the session at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru itself, after which it will be held in Belagavi," Yediyurappa said in Kalaburagi.
It has been a practice hold the winter session of the state legislature at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in the border district of Belagavi.
Belagavi in north Karnataka has been hosting the legislature session once a year since 2006 when the move was initiated by the JD(S)-BJP coalition government, with Kumaraswamy as its Chief Minister.
This was followed by construction of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, modeled on the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, by the then BJP government as an assertion that Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka.
Maharashtra claims Belagavi should belong to it.
Belagavi is one among the most affected districts in Karnataka, where as many as 103 taluks of 22 districts were affected by the recent floods.
The BJP government may present a supplementary budget during the winter session that is likely next month.
Soon after proving his government's majority on the floor of the assembly on July 29, Yediyurappa, who also holds the Finance portfolio, had sought a vote on account to spend for the next three months - from August 1 till October 31.
The Congress had recently said the government's plan not to conduct the winter session in Belagavi was out of fear that they may have to face ire of flood affected people in the district.
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31 students test positive during anti-drug screening drive in educational institutions in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Thirty-one students tested positive during an anti-drug screening drive conducted in educational institutions in Vijayanagar area of the city, police said on Thursday.
The drive was conducted as part of Karnataka State Police department's newly introduced initiative called "Sanmitra" aimed to address the serious issue of drug addiction, which has been severely impacting the youth across the state, they said.
This initiative aims to adopt a transformative approach to find solutions and take compassionate steps towards building a drug-free society, police said.
According to police, as part of this directive, on March 4, under the leadership of DCP West Division Yatheesh N, inspections related to drug consumption were conducted within the limits of Vijayanagar Sub-Division police stations under Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate.
With the consent and no-objection certificates obtained from the management of six educational institutions and two hostels, inspections and checks were carried out.
"Urine samples were collected from more than 1,200 students, out of which 585 samples were randomly tested, and 31 samples were found to be positive," police said in a statement.
The operation was conducted with the full cooperation of officers and staff of local police stations, along with doctors, technicians, and staff from nearby hospitals, police said.
Necessary arrangements will be made to provide counseling with mental health professionals and to ensure required medical support for those in need, they said.
The identity and family details of individuals tested will be kept strictly confidential, police assured.
