Latest news with #Manjunath
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Support from Hindu outfits boosts DK Shivakumar's Cauvery Aarti project
Mandya: The government's ambitious Cauvery Aarti and KRS Amusement Park project, spearheaded by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, continues to face stiff resistance from farmer groups, progressive activists, and sections of the opposition. However, in a significant turn of events, prominent leaders of Hindu organizations have now thrown their weight behind the initiative. While protests erupted recently after the government began groundwork on the Cauvery riverfront development, the latest endorsement from Hindu leaders has shifted the narrative, offering political backing to Shivakumar's dream project. Speaking to the media, Manjunath, State Vice-President of a federation of pro-Hindu groups, lauded DK Shivakumar and Minister Cheluvarayaswamy for conceptualizing the Cauvery Aarti. 'We stand by the Congress government on this issue. We want a unique and culturally significant Cauvery Aarti, different from the Ganga Aarti,' he said. Interestingly, the same Hindu groups have warned the government against abandoning the project due to pressure from farmer unions and progressive activists. 'If the government backs down due to protests by fake, self-serving activists, we will launch a counter-movement,' Manjunath cautioned. Despite opposition from leaders like HD Kumaraswamy—who publicly criticized the proposed Rs100 crore expenditure for the project—the Hindu leaders argue that the initiative promotes cultural heritage, boosts tourism, generates employment, and uplifts the local economy. 'Even if the cost exceeds Rs200 crore, the Cauvery Aarti must be executed. This is a symbol of our tradition and pride,' Manjunath insisted, urging the government to ignore opposition and proceed with the plan.
Deccan Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
Poornachandra students perform eco-theatre on streets
Students of Poornachandra Public School, Channarayapatna, marked World Environment Day with a dramatic public awareness campaign. Dressed as the earth, sky, rivers, wild animals, and trees, students took to the streets in a symbolic march, warning of the dangers of deforestation, pollution, and unchecked urbanisation. They staged a street play at the town bus stop, urging citizens to grow trees and protect nature for future generations. Their metaphor-driven performance portrayed a planet suffering from plastic overload and vanishing greenery, and received heartfelt appreciation from the public. School heads Dhanalakshmi and Manjunath spoke about the urgent need to preserve the environment.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Consul General urges diaspora youth to become 'natural diplomats' for India-US partnership
Live Events Consul General of India in Houston, D. C. Manjunath, has urged the next generation of the Indian diaspora to become "natural diplomats" for the India-US partnership Delivering the keynote address at the 2025 NextGen Hindu Youth Leadership Convention, held at Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, Texas, on Saturday, Manjunath said, "You are the bridge between ancient wisdom and modern innovation."Highlighting India's growing impact on the global economy - from technology and pharmaceuticals to space and digital infrastructure - he encouraged the next generation to remain rooted in their cultural identity while playing a vital role in deepening India-US also praised the Hindu American community for serving as a living bridge between the world's two largest democracies.(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)The event brought together more than 600 attendees - including nearly 300 youth - for a day devoted to leadership, cultural identity and civic by the Sri Meenakshi Temple Society in collaboration with national Hindu organisations, the day-long convention embraced the theme "Resilience Through Dharma: Shaping Leaders for Tomorrow."The Indian Consulate curated a special exhibition on 75 Years of the Indian Constitution, reinforcing India's democratic values and the importance of civic awareness.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Citizens' report card examines performance of Bengaluru MPs and MLAs
P.C. Mohan, Member of Parliament (MP) representing Bengaluru Central, has the highest attendance of 98.51% when it comes to parliamentary sessions among the three MPs of the city, while Bengaluru South MP Tejaswi Surya's attendance is just 77.61%, falling below the national average of 87%, according to Citizens' Report Cards of Bengaluru's Elected Representatives in the current term released by CIVIC Bangalore (a voluntary citizen's initiative) on Saturday. The report card captured key performance metrics for individual elected representatives, which include attendance, number of questions raised, number of committees participated in, number of Bills introduced (Private/Government), and number of debates participated in(only for MPs). It also analysed LAD Fund utilisation numbers for MPs and MLAs and the total criminal cases declared in the last election and net worth growth for repeat MLAs and MPs during their last term. Despite his low attendance, Mr. Surya asked 84 questions in the Parliament and took part in 13 debates, while Mr. Mohan participated only in one debate, where he put a request for e-buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme for Bengaluru. C.N. Manjunath, Bengaluru Rural MP, had an attendance of 94%, asked six questions, and took part in nine debates. Mr. Manjunath also led in terms of Local Area Development Fund (LAD) allocation (₹6.3 crore), including the previous and current year's available funds. Mr. Mohan has utilised only ₹47 lakh out of ₹5 crore made available in the current term, as per the data. Shobha Karandlaje, Bengaluru North MP, has utilised 97.6% of LAD funds. Among the MLAs, N. Shreenivasaiah of Nelamangala constituency attended 100% Assembly sessions, with only 29% MLAs having greater than 90% attendance, while 3 MLAs had less than 70% attendance. With only 53.62%, Priya Krishna, MLA for Govindraj Nagar, held the last spot. The report also noted that the Legislative Assembly had only 69 sittings in 2 years. N.A. Haris, MLA for Shanthinagar, asked 230 unstarred questions (the highest among MLAs), while S. Muniraju from Dasarahalli asked the highest number of starred questions (7). The report further mentioned that only four MLAs have fully utilised the ₹4 crore made available under the Karnataka Legislature Local Area Development (KLLAD) Fund, while almost 1/4th (22%) have allocated more than 90%. 'Overall, ₹40.79 crore of KLLAD Funds currently lie unspent, while potentially ₹4.84 crore may be stuck/forefeited. S. Manjula of Mahadevpura has not allocated any of her ₹4 crore KLLAD funds,' the report said. The report card was developed by citizen volunteers and student interns at CIVIC Bangalore over a period of six months, using publicly available data sources such as the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly websites, LAD scheme dashboards, Right to Information filings and websites of non-governmental organizations such as PRS India and which track legislators nationally. Speaking at the release of the report, Prakash Belwadi, actor and civic activist, accused MLAs and MPs of prioritising business growth over welfare, adding that citizen pressure is the only check on their apathy.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Time of India
Elderly couple loses Rs.4.79 crore in cyber scam
An elderly couple from BTM Layout was subjected to a harrowing two-and-a-half-month ordeal by fraudsters impersonating law enforcement officials, who virtually 'arrested' them and extorted Rs.4.79 crore. The victim, a retired engineer who had returned to Bengaluru after working in Nigeria for 31 years, was targeted by scammers posing as bank representatives and investigating victim, Manjunath, who now resides in BTM Layout with his wife, was contacted in March by fraudsters who claimed that his credit card limit was overdue. Gaining his trust, they extracted his bank details and later escalated the threat by sending him a forged warrant alleging illegal money transfers through his account. They falsely claimed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI had registered a case against him and threatened to jail him in Tihar unless he paid up. The scammers extorted the money in stages and even demanded property documents when Manjunath expressed his inability to pay further. Distressed by continuous harassment, he filed a complaint with the Southeast Division's CEN Police police arrested two accused Narayan Singh Chaudhary and Ishwar Singh in Hyderabad. Interrogation revealed that a portion of the scammed money was spent in a Sri Lankan casino. Police have frozen Rs.1.60 crore in Chaudhary's account and additional funds in Singh's account. Two suspects, Ishwar Singh and Narayan Singh Chaudhary, were arrested in to police, Rs.10 lakh was traced to Ishwar Singh's account and Rs.1.8 lakh to Narayan Singh's. The probe revealed that the duo had visited a casino in Sri Lanka, where some of the scammed money was funneled.
