Qazi visits people with disabilities in a path-breaking gesture, distributes financial aid

February 9, 2012

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Mangalore, February 8: Mangalore Qazi Twaqa Ahmed Musliyar visited several families which have people with disabilities in and around Dakshina Kannada to get a first hand information about their living conditions.

The Qazi was particularly moved by the plight of a destitute family in Chennar Palthad of Puttur taluk which has five members with various disabilities. Sharief (34), Ishaq (32), Reshma (30), Saleem (28) and Haneef (25) are living in a crammed house and are being cared for by their mother Bibi Jahn. She ekes out her the expenses of livelihood by running a petty shop, which she has been able to set up with the help of Muslim Central Committee and the Kolya Swamiji.

Mohammed of Surikumer is also living a life of misery and penury. He is suffering from paralysis for the past six years. He is confined to his bed and feels more helpless whenever he thinks about his two grown up daughters, who are waiting to get married. In Kukkaje Pathmudu, two mentally challenged youngsters live in a dingy house of Mohammed Rafeeq Maulavi. His two grown up children, the 22-year-old Balkees and 19-year-old Sheikh Abdullah, present a picture of agony and pain. Qazi felt completely gutted after visiting them.

Speaking on the occasion, Qazi reminded the local jamaths, the khateebs and the presidents of the respective jamaths of their responsibility to attend to the needs of these destitute families. He said, the responsibility of the Jamath does not end with making provision of the salaries and perks of the Qateeb, imam and the mudarris. “You also have a responsibility towards the helpless destitute families living under your jamaths,” he said.

He also pointed out that a special institution will come up at Malabar Islami Complext exclusively for children with disabilities. “The residential school will start functioning very soon. This will be a unique opportunity for people with disabilities,” he said. He also informed that plans are afoot to start a special school under the auspices of Shamsul Ulema Islamic Academy in Todar in Dakshina Kannada.

He also congratulated a middle-aged man, who quit the habit of drinking after attending de-addiction programme and asked him to remain steadfast in his conviction. He also prayed for him.

Abdul Khader Darimi Kukkila, B. Basheer, Mangalore Marketing, Abdul Khader Haji Evergreen, Sulaiman Belvai, Mohammed Haneef Alangar, Naushad Faizi Kannur, Rahim B.C. Road, and volunteers of Talent Research Foundation, Riyaz Kannur, Abdul Hameed Kannur, Yahya Mubarak, Mohammed U.B., Asif Kannur, Mohammed Bellacharu and Rafeeq Master were present in the delegation.

The philanthropists also gave monetary assistance to the families and promised them of sustained help. TRF has already drawn up a programme of financial aid by identifying 138 families which have destitute members.

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News Network
February 3,2026

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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.

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News Network
February 4,2026

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An Indian resident who won the Dh20 million (approximately Rs 50 crore) jackpot in Abu Dhabi's Big Ticket draw has told of his joy at sharing his life-changing fortune with a friend.

Shanthanu Shettigar, a shop manager in Muscat, regularly buys tickets for the monthly grand prize draw with one of his closest friends – and the pair won on February 3.

Mr Shettigar, 33, who is from Udyavar in Udupi district of the southern state of Karnataka and has lived in the Omani capital for eight years, said he was left speechless after learning of his success.

“When I first moved to Muscat, many of my colleagues were purchasing Big Ticket, which encouraged me to give it a try,” he said.

“I started buying tickets on my own, and later began sharing tickets with a close friend. The ticket that brought me this win was one we purchased together.”

“Like most people, I receive a lot of spam calls, and I was fully absorbed in my work as well. I knew the live draw was taking place tonight, but I never imagined my name would be announced,” he said.

“When I realised it was real and that I had won, I was honestly speechless. It still hasn’t fully sunk in, but I’m extremely happy.”

Mr Shettigar is not sure how he will spend his share of the money, but encouraged others to take part.

“This win was completely unexpected, so I want to take some time to think things through before deciding what to do next,” he said.

“I would definitely encourage others to participate with Big Ticket, whether with family or friends – you never know when your moment might come.”

The Big Ticket was established in 1992 with an initial first prize of Dh1 million. It is one of the most popular monthly raffles in the UAE.

It has transformed the lives of many people across the Emirates and beyond.

Entry to the Big Ticket Millionaire is Dh500. Tickets can be bought online or at counters at Zayed International Airport and Al Ain Airport.

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News Network
January 23,2026

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot read only three lines from the 122-paragraph address prepared by the Congress-led state government while addressing the joint session of the Legislature on Thursday, effectively bypassing large sections critical of the BJP-led Union government.

The omitted portions of the customary Governor’s address outlined what the state government described as a “suppressive situation in economic and policy matters” under India’s federal framework. The speech also sharply criticised the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, commonly referred to as the VB-GRAM (G) Act.

Governor Gehlot had earlier conveyed his objection to several paragraphs that were explicitly critical of the Union government. On Thursday, he confined himself to the opening lines — “I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the joint session of the State legislature. I am extremely pleased to address this august House” — before jumping directly to the concluding sentence of the final paragraph.

He ended the address by reading the last line of paragraph 122: “Overall, my government is firmly committed to doubling the pace of the State’s economic, social and physical development. Jai Hind — Jai Karnataka.”

According to the prepared speech, the Karnataka government demanded the scrapping of the VB-GRAM (G) Act, describing it as “contractor-centric” and detrimental to rural livelihoods, and called for the full restoration of MGNREGA. The state government argued that the new law undermines decentralisation, weakens labour protections, and centralises decision-making in violation of constitutional norms.

Key points from the unread sections of the speech:

•    Karnataka facing a “suppressive” economic and policy environment within the federal system

•    Repeal of MGNREGA described as a blow to rural livelihoods

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of protecting corporate and contractor interests

•    New law alleged to weaken decentralised governance

•    Decision-making said to be imposed by the Centre without consulting states

•    Rights of Adivasis, women, backward classes and agrarian communities curtailed

•    Labourers allegedly placed under contractor control

•    States facing mounting fiscal stress due to central policies

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of enabling large-scale corruption

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