Arnab’s arrest is beginning of the end of Maha coalition govt: Pralhad Joshi

News Network

November 5, 2020

Mangaluru, Nov 5: Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi on Thursday said that the arrest of Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami in Mumbai is the “beginning of an end” of the Maharashtra coalition government.

Speaking to mediapersons at the Airport here last night, he said that the Maharashtra government should release him immediately. He condemned the arrest of the editor.

There may be ideological differences. But the way the government arrested and treated the Editor is shocking, he added.

The Minister said that Mr Goswami had even spoken against the BJP many times. When Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat and after he became the Prime Minister, many television channels spoke badly against Mr Modi. But the BJP governments did not conduct themselves the way the Maharashtra government conducted itself on Wednesday.

“Why Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi silent now?,” Mr. Joshi asked. He said that many who had earlier raised their voice in the name of threat to the freedom of speech and expression and resorted to “award wapsi”, are not speaking against the arrest of the editor.

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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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