ACB raids properties of KAS officer Dr B Sudha in Udupi, Bengaluru, other places; cash, gold, SUV seized

coastaldigest.com news network

November 7, 2020

Bengaluru/Udupi, Nov 7: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday raided the properties of a civil servant over complaints that the bureaucrat has amassed wealth disproportionate to known source of income.

The search was conducted simultaneously at six properties in the name of Dr B Sudha, Head of Information and Biotechnology department, Karnataka. She was earlier working as a land acquisition officer.

The ACB sleuths raided her house in Koramangala, flat at Yelahanka, Bytarayanapura, office in Shantinagar and Hebrik Tankbatti House in Udupi district.

According to sources, the ACB seized significant quantities of gold, Rs 10 lakh in cash, and an SUV in the raids. The ACB officials who raided her house in Bengaluru said that gold jewellery, and gold coins were found in her residence.

The ACB alleged that Dr Sudha and her husband accepted bribes while settling various land acquisition deals via middlemen.

"We are inspecting her financials and prima facie we have reason to believe that she has more than Rs 1 crore of undisclosed income. The assets she has amassed include five bungalows, gold and unaccounted cash. This is obviously more than what her income can generate," an ACB official, who was part of the search operation said. The ACB, however, did not disclose the exact amount of gold found at her residence.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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