Yediyurappa to visit Delhi to finalise cabinet expansion
Bengaluru, Aug 15: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday said he will be in Delhi for the next two days during which he would hold talks with party president Amit Shah and finalise the much awaited expansion of his cabinet.
The Chief Minister, who will leave for the national capital tonight, would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of union ministers during his visit.
Yediyurappa said he would also discuss several developmental works concerning the state and central relief to flood and ravaged districts.
"Tomorrow morning at 10 am, meeting has been fixed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and on certain developmental works relating to the state I will be meeting several ministers, including the Railway Minister among others," Yediyurappa said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I will be in Delhi tomorrow and the day after...I will also talk to Amit Shah regarding cabinet and come to final decision before coming back."
Yediyurappa, who took oath as the Chief Minister on July 26 and proved his government's majority on the floor of the assembly on July 29, is yet to induct any ministers into his cabinet.
With Yediyurappa heading a "one-man" Cabinet and with no Ministers, other than Bengaluru City in all other districts, sub-divisions and taluks, respective Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners and Tahsildhars had to hoist the national flag during Independence day celebrations on Thursday.
In the normal course, ministers do the honours at district headquarters.
According to party sources, only 10 to 12 members are likely to be inducted into the Ministry in the first round.
Opposition parties, the Congress and JD(S), have hit out at the BJP over the delay in cabinet expansion, and had even raised questions about government's existence.
They had even said Yediyurappas one man cabinet administration "resembled President's rule."
Meanwhile, lobbying has also started within the BJP for ministership with supporters of former Minister Baburao Chinchansur, who left Congress and joined the saffron party last year and defeated Mallikarjun Kharge from Kalburgi in the Lok Sabha polls, meeting Yediyurappa with a demand to induct him into the Ministry.
According to the chief minister's schedule, Yediyurappa will meet Union Railway Minister and Minister of State for Civil Aviation on Friday evening.
On Saturday too he would meet several union ministers.
According to sources, Yediyurappa during the meeting with the prime minister and central ministers will seek central aid for the flood ravaged state, where relief and rehabilitation work is under progress.
Responding to a question about alleged delay by the centre in releasing flood relief, Yediyurappa said, "Why delay...there is a calamity in Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka also, they will consider everything..."
Karnataka had recently requested the centre to release Rs 3,000 crore as interim relief immediately.
According to the government, 103 taluks in 22 districts have been affected by floods and incessant rains in the past few days.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SC directs states, UTs to furnish updated details on prisons, including overcrowding
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has directed all the states and Union territories to furnish updated details relating to jails, including the sanctioned capacity of each prison and steps taken to check overcrowding, by May 18.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta also asked the states and UTs to provide details about the number of women’s prisons within their jurisdictions and the facilities available in them, including the measures taken to ensure education and overall welfare of children living with the female inmates.
The bench noted that senior advocate Gaurav Agrawal, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in a suo motu matter concerning inhuman conditions in jails, has drawn its attention to the fact that the statistics placed on record by the states and UTs pertain to 2023.
ALSO READ: Three-year-old girl killed in Bengaluru after being run over by container truck
The bench said that, having regard to the nature of issues involved and the necessity of an informed adjudicatory exercise, the availability of updated contemporaneous data was indispensable for the effective consideration of the proceedings.
“Accordingly, we deem it appropriate to direct all the states and Union territories to place on record updated and comprehensive statistics relating to all prisons situated within their respective jurisdictions,” the bench said in its order passed on March 17.
It said the data shall include jail-wise capacity of each prison, total number of prisoners, percentage of overcrowding in each jail, steps proposed to address overcrowding, details of women’s jails, facilities provided to women prisoners and children accompanying them (including educational and medical facilities), sanctioned strength of prison staff, existing vacancies, steps taken to fill them, along with all ancillary aspects relating to prison administration.
The bench directed the states and UTs to furnish complete particulars indicating the sanctioned capacity of each prison and the total number of prisoners lodged as on March 1, 2026, along with jail-wise details reflecting the extent of occupancy.
The apex court said the states and UTs would file comprehensive affidavits, duly sworn by the home secretary, providing the requisite details by May 18.
It said the top court registry would forward copies of the affidavits received from the states and UTs to the amicus, who would prepare a comprehensive note detailing the statistics and information provided by them.
It posted the matter for hearing on May 26.
