Mangaluru: Youth dies of alleged self-immolation after his pregnant wife starts avoiding him

New Delhi, May 19: The Reserve Bank of India has decided to withdraw the Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes from circulation. However, the central bank has said that the currency notes will continue to be legal tender till September 30. RBI has asked banks to provide deposit and/or exchange facility for Rs 2,000 notes until September 30, 2023.

The central bank has also asked banks to stop issuing Rs 2,000 notes with immediate effect. This change has been brought about in pursuance with RBI's “Clean Note Policy”, RBI said in its communique.

Members of the public will be allowed to deposit Rs 2,000 banknotes into their bank accounts and/or exchange them into banknotes of other denominations at any bank branch. 

However, RBI added that exchange of Rs 2000 banknotes into banknotes of other denominations can be made upto a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time at any bank starting from May 23, 2023.

Deposit into bank accounts can be made in the usual manner, that is, without restrictions and subject to extant instructions and other applicable statutory provisions, the central bank added.

The facility to exchange Rs 2,000 banknotes upto the limit of Rs 20,000 at a time will also be provided at the 19 Regional Offices (ROs) of RBI having Issue Departments from May 23, 2023.

RBI said that it had undertaken a similar withdrawal of notes from circulation in 2013-2014.

The High Court of Karnataka has rejected a petition filed by Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) seeking to unseal its properties in Mangaluru which came to be sealed by the authorities following the ban imposed by the Central Government on the organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).

The authorities had sealed nine office premises of SDPI in Mangaluru on September 28, 2022 on the charge of being used for the activities of the PFI, which was banned under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The SDPI had claimed that it was not one of those entities that were declared to be associates of PFI and therefore the very act of the State government in searching and sealing the offices of the SDPI was contrary to law.

The petitioner submitted that it is a political party and has its representation all over India, more particularly, in the Dakshina Kannada district. It was claimed that the political party is in the forefront of empowerment of the deprived sections of the society by divisive forces through its political movement.

A single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna observed that the notifications to seal the premises were issued under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. "Therefore, the petitioner has an alternative remedy which is statutory and necessarily to be availed of, in the peculiar facts of this case, as recording of evidence for the acts of the State is imperative.”

“Merely because all the offices in Mangaluru are sealed and not anywhere else would not mean that evidence would not be required for the petitioner to prove its case in terms of Section 8 of the UAP Act,” said Justice M. Nagaprasanna.

On September 27, 2022, the Central Government declared PFI and its associates or affiliates or Fronts as unlawful associations. It also empowered State Governments and Union territories to exercise powers under Sections 7 (Power to prohibit the use of funds of an unlawful association) and 8 (Power to notify places used for the purpose of an unlawful association) of the Act. Based on the aforesaid notification, several raids took place in the city of Mangaluru. While so doing, certain campuses and places which were being allegedly used by several organisations were sealed and a few such offices of the petitioner/SDPI were also sealed in Mangaluru.

Bengaluru, May 24: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said Ministers in his cabinet will soon be allocated portfolios, after the opposition BJP raised the issue in the state assembly. The CM gave the assurance in the House, in response to a question raised by former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, over the delay in the allocation of portfolios to the Ministers.

Siddaramaiah and state Congress President D K Shivakumar were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively along with eight legislators as Ministers on May 20. Portfolios have not been allocated to the Ministers since then.

As soon as the CM introduced the Ministers of his cabinet in the Assembly, Bommai intervened and said, "Happy that the Chief Minister has introduced Ministers to the House, they have all worked as Ministers in the past. Congratulations to the Chief Minister and all the Ministers, but it would have been appropriate if the Chief Minister had introduced Ministers after allocating portfolios to them saying -- D K Shivakumar is Minister for this, G Parameshwara is Minister for this." "Why has it not happened? It should be done at the earliest, in my opinion, if it is done at the earliest it will be good," he added.

Responding to this, Siddaramaiah, while assuring that portfolios will be allocated to Ministers soon, pointed out that BJP leader B S Yediyurappa in the past had served as the lone member of the cabinet for quite some time, before inducting Ministers. "We will give them the responsibility at the earliest. How long was B S Yediyurappa alone in the cabinet as the Chief Minister? Mr Former Chief Minister (Bommai), you need not have any doubts, they (Ministers) will be given responsibility at the earliest," he said.

Reacting to this, Bommai said, "Yeddyurappa was alone sworn in then, so was alone, but in this case, the Ministers have taken the oath. You make them Minister and don't give them the responsibility, what will the people think? " To this, the CM said, "No one will think anything if you the opposition don't think otherwise it will be enough." As Bommai said, he was speaking on behalf of the Ministers, Siddaramaiah replied by saying, "thank you for your suggestion."

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are separately leaving for New Delhi today, where they are expected to meet the Congress high command and discuss cabinet expansion, and allocation of portfolios to existing Ministers.