Latest news with #Patil
New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Post stampede, Karnataka proposes Bill on crowd management
BENGALURU: In the wake of public backlash over the June 4 Bengaluru stampede that claimed the lives of 11 people, the Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday proposed bringing the Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering) Bill, 2025. According to the proposed bill, once passed in the Karnataka legislature and becoming an Act, whoever does not obey the orders of the police or violates the provisions of the Act or rules shall be punished with imprisonment for a term that may extend to three years or with a fine of up to Rs 5,000 or both. There will be a provision to penalise event planners who gather the crowd for commercial purposes, like sports or circuses, etc. If the event planner does not apply to authorities before conducting the event, or fails to control the crowd gathered, or fails to give compensation, or violates the provisions of the Act, they shall be punished with imprisonment for a term that may extend to three years or with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh or both. The Bill is to effectively manage and control crowds at sponsored events and venues of mass gathering pertaining to political rallies, jatra, and conferences. The event planner is responsible for paying the compensation to the victims or to the family of the deceased. In case the event planner does not pay the compensation, the government may collect the amount as arrears of land revenue. The event planner's property can be auctioned by the government. Briefing the press after the cabinet meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said that four bills—the Karnataka Crowd Control, Managing Crowd at Events and Venue of Mass Gathering Bill, 2025; Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, 2025; Karnataka Misinformation, Fake News Prohibition Bill, 2025; Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Prevention Bill, 2025—were being proposed. 'There needs to be a detailed discussion by the ministers concerned, following which the Bills will be tabled before the next cabinet meeting,' Patil said. As per the Bill, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act 45 of 2023) or the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act 46 of 2023) shall apply. The Act shall not apply to jatra, rathotsava, pallakki utsava, teppada teru, urus, or any religious event.
Hans India
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Reservation for minorities under housing schemes hiked to 15%
Bengaluru: The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to enhance the reservation for minorities under various housing schemes in the state from 10 to 15 per cent. According to the government, this enhanced quota will benefit all minorities including Muslims, Christians, and Jains. The move follows a recent government initiative to introduce a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts, which has come under criticism from opposition BJP. The saffron party has accused the Congress dispensation of 'undermining' the Constitution through religion-based reservations. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar defended the decision, saying its primary objective is to help poorer sections of the society. Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said, 'Under various housing schemes being implemented by the Housing Department across the state, in both urban and rural areas, it has been decided to enhance the reservation for minorities from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.' 'The decision was taken-- as the central government observing the inadequate housing among them (minorities) has given certain instructions, and the state government too has observed the high number of homeless among minorities in the state,' he said. Responding to a question about scientific basis for the increased reservation, the Minister said there are reports on the total number of homeless among SC/STs, general category, and others. 'On all that count, we have increased the percentage of reservation (for minorities),' he added. Asked if similar enhancements will be extended to all communities, based on population, Patil said it will be given wherever the number of homeless is high. 'There were also certain instructions from the Centre while allocating certain housing schemes to states, certain instructions are being given by the Centre based on the Sachar Committee report, keeping all this and social justice in mind, this decision has been taken,' he said, adding that this move does not require any amendments to rules and law. Noting that there has been a demand for such an enhancement in quota for housing, especially in urban areas, Patil said hence this decision has been taken unanimously by the cabinet. To a query if this decision will lead to a perception that it is aimed at benefiting Muslims, as other minorities are not in big numbers across the state, he said, 'we cannot respond to those building perceptions and those trying to politicise providing houses for the poor. I can only say that the government's intention is to provide social justice and more benefits to the communities where the homeless are high in is only for housing.' The Minister clarified that this reservation is not applicable to specified housing schemes for SC/STs and others. Criticising the decision, Karnataka BJP alleged that the Congress government is always ready to 'dishonour the Constitution'. 'Although the Constitution clearly states that reservations should not be given on the basis of religion, the Congress government in Karnataka is repeatedly violating it. Providing 15 per cent reservation separately for Muslims under the housing schemes is completely unconstitutional. The Congress, which has been reprimanded by the court for giving reservation to Muslims in contracts, will also be reprimanded in this matter,' it said in a post on 'X'. Defending the cabinet decision, Shivakumar told media that many houses built under housing schemes are vacant. As the minority population is more in urban areas compared to other parts, opportunity is being given to them to utilise. 'Urban areas have a higher population of minorities and their quota under various housing schemes was 10 per cent. Many houses were empty and not occupied, some percentage money has to be paid for these houses,' he said. Noting that the central government's funds for some of these schemes are less, he said, 'So, we (state government) have contributed to the remaining part and built these houses. As in many places the buildings (houses) built are not occupied, as the minority population is more in some areas, to give them an opportunity to utilise (the houses), the quota has been enhanced from 10 to 15 per cent,' he said. Rejecting BJP's allegations, the Deputy CM said, 'Let anyone say anything, we want to help poorer sections, when there are no applicants (for houses) what can you do? Can I keep the buildings vacant? We can't do that.'
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
After Bengaluru stampede, Karnataka cabinet to discuss new bills on crowd control, fake news
The Karnataka cabinet is expected to discuss key bills, including the one on crowd control and management with penal provisions upto three years imprisonment, in its next meeting. The Bill gains significance in the wake of the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru that killed 11 people Also, likely to be discussed are bills against misinformation or fake news, and hate speeches and crimes, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said on Thursday after the cabinet meeting. "Four bills were proposed today -- Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering) Bill, 2025; Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, 2025; Karnataka misinformation, fake news prohibition Bill, 2025; Karnataka hate speech and hate crimes prevention Bill, 2025," Patil told reporters. He said, "These Bills were proposed at the meeting today. I mentioned that there is a need for a detailed discussion on some Bills. It has been decided that before the next cabinet meeting, concerned ministers will meet and discuss and bring the Bills before the cabinet." According to sources, the draft of Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering) Bill states that whoever does not obey the orders of the Police, or violates its provisions or rules, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine up to ₹5,000 or both. Further, if the event planner does not apply before conducting the event or fails to control the crowd gathered and fails to give compensation or violates the provisions of the Bill or rules, he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine up to ₹5 lakhs or both. Noting that the event planner is responsible for paying the compensation to the person who is severely injured or to the family member of the deceased in stampede-like incidents, the draft Bill says, in case of the event planner not providing the compensation, the government may collect the amount as arrears of land revenue, and the event planner's property can be auctioned by the government. It states that the provisions of the Bill shall not apply to Jatra, Rathotsava, Pallakki Utsava, Teppada Teru, urus, or any religious event pertaining to any religion, caste or creed. The stampede occurred on June 4 evening in front of the Chinnaswamy stadium here, where a large number of people thronged to participate in the RCB team's IPL victory celebrations. Eleven people died and 56 were injured in the incident. The draft of the Rohith Vemula Bill, reportedly proposes compensation of up to ₹1 lakh for students who face caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions, and jail term of one year and a fine of ₹10,000 for guilty. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in April urging the Karnataka government to enact 'Rohith Vemula Act' to ensure that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system. Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, allegedly died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination in Hyderabad, in 2016.
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
100 per cent fee waiver for EWS girls: Chandrakant Patil
In a move aimed at empowering female students from economically weaker sections, Maharashtra's higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil has issued strict directives to ensure 100 per cent tuition and examination fee concession is effectively implemented in all government, aided, partially aided, and permanently unaided colleges and polytechnic institutes, as well as in public and government-affiliated universities across the state. During a meeting held on Thursday, Patil said all educational institutions must take serious note of these directives. Patil made it clear that no fees should be collected at the time of admission from eligible female students enrolled in professional courses through the Centralized Admission Process (CAP). Referring to past lapses, Patil warned institutions that if any fees were collected during the previous academic year, they must be refunded immediately. 'The tuition fee scholarship amount under the scheme is directly deposited into the institution's bank account, whereas the examination fee is transferred to the student's Aadhaar-linked bank account, ensuring transparency and timely benefit delivery. To address grievances effectively, the directorate of technical education has set up a dedicated helpline and support desk, with a special nodal officer to be appointed for expediting the resolution of complaints, particularly those related to unauthorised fee collection,' said Patil. 'Under the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Education Fee Scholarship Scheme, as of June 16, 2025, the technical education department has disbursed a total of ₹784.46 crore directly benefiting 1,03,615 female students. In addition, the higher education department has received 1,32,188 applications, out of which ₹55.83 crore has already been distributed to 61,526 students. The remaining applications are currently undergoing final verification,' said Patil. The scheme is not limited to diploma-level courses, but also extends to postgraduate professional programs such as MBA, MCA, and thereby widening the scope of higher education opportunities for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Godavari-Banakacherla row: Revanth Reddy hints at moving SC; Centre may call Apex Council meet soon with him & Chandrababu Naidu
HYDERABAD: With tensions escalating between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the proposed Godavari-Banakacherla link project, the Centre is likely to convene an Apex Council meeting soon, bringing both chief ministers to the table to resolve the contentious water sharing dispute. The Apex Council-last convened in Oct 2020-is headed by Union jal shakti minister CR Patil. CM A Revanth Reddy and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who met Patil in Delhi on Thursday, said the Union minister had assured them that the meeting would be held soon. During the hour-long meeting, Revanth made it clear that Telangana would not compromise on its water interests under any circumstances. He conveyed to the minister that while the state was open to resolving disputes through dialogue, it would approach the Supreme Court if the Centre's actions were not in Telangana's favour. Revanth proposed an alternative plan, stating that if AP truly believed surplus water was available in the Godavari, the Centre could consider linking the Icchampally-Nagarjuna Sagar route to lift water to the Penna basin, instead of Polavaram-Banakacherla. This, he said, could be centrally funded. The CM also urged the Centre to expedite the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II verdict. The CM urged Patil to intervene and halt all works initiated by the AP govt on the Banakacherla project, and to reject the pre-feasibility report submitted by AP on the link project. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Scam Exposed: What They Won't Tell You about zero trust! Expertinspector Click Here Undo Revanth and Uttam argued that the Banakacherla project violates the interests of Telangana, as well as the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (1980) and the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. They expressed concern over how the Union finance ministry and environment ministry appeared to be fast-tracking approvals for AP's projects while neglecting Telangana's. Revanth said AP's claim of basing the Banakacherla project on Godavari floodwaters had no legal or technical standing. "There is no mention of floodwaters or surplus waters in the GWDT-1980," he said, arguing that the entire project lacks regulatory grounding. Revanth reminded the Union minister that as per the Reorganisation Act, new inter-state projects must first be cleared by the Godavari River Management Board, Central Water Commission, and the Apex Council. "The AP govt violated mandatory procedures and is going ahead with project. Their claim that project is based on floodwaters is not only misleading but has no statutory support," he said. Uttam said Patil responded positively and confirmed that his ministry had not received any detailed project report related to Banakacherla from AP so far.
