Finance Bills passed in Karnataka Assembly amid din over sex scandal

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

Ghaziabad: In a tragic incident, three sisters aged 12, 14 and 16 died after jumping from the ninth floor of their apartment in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad in the early hours of Wednesday. The girls allegedly took the extreme step after becoming deeply obsessed with an online Korean task-based game.

The incident occurred around 2.15 am at a high-rise apartment complex in Bharat City. Before jumping, the sisters — Pakhi (12), Prachi (14) and Vishika (16) — left behind a handwritten note that read, “Sorry, Papa.”

According to police, the girls went to the balcony, bolted the door from inside and jumped one after another. Their screams and the sound alerted their parents, neighbours and security guards. By the time the parents broke open the balcony door, all three had died.

“When we reached the spot, we confirmed that three minor girls, daughters of Chetan Kumar, had died after jumping from the building,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Atul Kumar Singh.

Visuals from the scene on Wednesday morning showed the bodies lying on the ground, their mother wailing in grief, and stunned neighbours gathering at the complex.

Police said the sisters were heavily influenced by Korean culture and were addicted to an online “Korean love game”, though no specific game has been identified so far. Investigators are examining an eight-page suicide note written in a pocket diary, detailing the girls’ mobile and gaming activities.

“Read everything written in this diary because all of it is true. I’m really sorry. Sorry, Papa,” the note said, accompanied by a hand-drawn crying emoji.

Their father, Chetan Kumar, told police that the girls had even adopted Korean names and had gradually withdrawn from school and daily activities. “They used to say, ‘Korea is our life, Korea is our biggest love. We cannot give it up,’” he said, breaking down.

Police said the parents had recently restricted the girls’ mobile phone usage, which may have triggered distress. “The investigation has not revealed the name of any particular game, but it is evident that the girls were deeply influenced by Korean culture, as mentioned in the suicide note,” said senior police officer Nimish Patel.

The sisters reportedly did everything together, including eating and bathing. Their gaming addiction is believed to have begun during the COVID-19 pandemic, after which they became irregular at school and eventually stopped attending altogether.

Police also revealed that Chetan Kumar is married to two sisters and lives with both wives and their children, all daughters. Two of the deceased girls were daughters of one wife, while the third was their half-sister.

Further investigation is underway.

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.