One killed, many injured in Ludhiana district court blast

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

An Indian resident who won the Dh20 million (approximately Rs 50 crore) jackpot in Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw has told of his joy at sharing his life-changing fortune with a friend.

Shanthanu Shettigar, a shop manager in Muscat, regularly buys tickets for the monthly grand prize draw with one of his closest friends – and the pair won on February 3.

Mr Shettigar, 33, who is from Udyavar in Udupi district of the southern state of Karnataka and has lived in the Omani capital for eight years, said he was left speechless after learning of his success.

“When I first moved to Muscat, many of my colleagues were purchasing Big Ticket, which encouraged me to give it a try,” he said.

“I started buying tickets on my own, and later began sharing tickets with a close friend. The ticket that brought me this win was one we purchased together.”

“Like most people, I receive a lot of spam calls, and I was fully absorbed in my work as well. I knew the live draw was taking place tonight, but I never imagined my name would be announced,” he said.

“When I realised it was real and that I had won, I was honestly speechless. It still hasn’t fully sunk in, but I’m extremely happy.”

Mr Shettigar is not sure how he will spend his share of the money, but encouraged others to take part.

“This win was completely unexpected, so I want to take some time to think things through before deciding what to do next,” he said.

“I would definitely encourage others to participate with Big Ticket, whether with family or friends – you never know when your moment might come.”

The Big Ticket was established in 1992 with an initial first prize of Dh1 million. It is one of the most popular monthly raffles in the UAE.

It has transformed the lives of many people across the Emirates and beyond.

Entry to the Big Ticket Millionaire is Dh500. Tickets can be bought online or at counters at Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport.

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed grave concern over digital frauds, noting that more than ₹54,000 crore has been siphoned off through cyber crimes, and described the scale of the fraud as “absolutely robbery or dacoity”.

A bench of the apex court sought swift and coordinated action from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks and other agencies to curb the rising menace of digital fraud. Observing that such large-scale losses could not occur without serious lapses, the court said the frauds “may be due to collusion or negligence of bank officials”.

The bench directed inter-departmental agencies to prepare a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) within four weeks to strengthen coordination and effectively tackle digital frauds.

Taking note of an existing standard operating procedure (SOP) framed by the RBI, which prescribes immediate steps such as temporarily blocking debit cards to prevent cyber-enabled fraud, the court directed the Centre to formally adopt and implement the RBI’s SOP across the country.

“We direct the Centre to ensure pan-India implementation of the RBI SOP for inter-agency coordination in dealing with digital frauds. We also direct the CBI to identify cases of so-called ‘digital arrest’,” the bench said.

The Supreme Court further asked the Gujarat and Delhi governments to grant sanction for investigation in identified cases. It also directed the RBI, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and other concerned authorities to jointly hold a meeting to evolve a framework for compensation to victims of digital arrest frauds.

Emphasising victim relief, the court said a “pragmatic and liberal approach” is required while considering compensation for those affected by digital arrest scams.

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