Modi government's 3 ministers increase assets; Sadananda Gowda highest

October 24, 2014

New Delhi, Oct 24: The assets of at least three union ministers have increased since they assumed office five months ago, a joint statement by the National Election Watch and Association of Democratic Reforms said Friday.

The highest increase in assets in five months was shown by Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda.

"His assets have shown an increase of Rs.10.46 crores, from Rs.9.88 crores as declared in Lok Sabha 2014 elections to Rs.20.35 crores in the 2014 declarations of the Union Council of Ministers to the PMO," the statement said.

Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Radhakrishnan P was a distant second. His assets showed an increase of Rs.2.98 crores, while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley showed an increase of Rs.1.01 crores.

The watchdogs said 41 or 91 percent of the union ministers are crorepatis as per their declarations to the Prime Minister's Office.

Jaitely was the richest at Rs.114.03 crore, followed by Harsimrat Kaur Badal at Rs.108.31 crores and Piyush Goyal at Rs. 94.66 crores. The statement said that 16 ministers have shown a decrease in assets.

"External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj showed a decrease of Rs.3.89 crores (from Rs.17.55 crores declared in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections). She is followed by Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region V.K. Singh who declared a decrease of Rs.3.13 crores (from 4.11 crores declared in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections). He is followed by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan who declared a decrease of Rs.1.28 crores," the statement said.

The statement said that upon analysis it was found that the cause of changes in assets was largely due to the lack of any standardised format for ministers' asset declarations.

"Many ministers have not given the value of many assets declared. Not declaring the value of assets in the ministers' declaration is akin to not making a disclosure at all," the statement said.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

Comments