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Bengaluru, Nov 20: As his government completed six months in office on Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said his administration has taken decisive steps to reduce corruption and initiated thorough investigations in various cases.

He said his government is committed to building a state that not only meets the immediate needs of its people, but also lays the foundation for a prosperous future.

In the elections to the 224-member Assembly held in May this year, the Congress ousted the BJP from power with a landslide victory. The Congress got 135 seats to BJP's 66.

"As the Chief Minister of Karnataka, it brings me immense pride to mark the completion of six months of our government's tenure. In this short span, we have been steadfast in our commitment to empower the people of Karnataka and craft a sustainable and progressive future for our state," Siddaramaiah said in a statement.

"Our governance model, the New Karnataka Model, is a testament to this commitment. It is a model that intertwines the welfare of people with holistic development. We have introduced pioneering guarantee schemes that have directly impacted lives," he added.

Noting that the Shakthi scheme, providing free bus travel for women, is not just a travel subsidy; it's an investment in women's empowerment and mobility, the Chief Minister said, similarly, the Gruha Jyothi (200 units of free power to all households) and Anna Bhagya (additional 5 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household) schemes have lightened the financial burden of countless households, ensuring that basic needs like electricity and food are not a luxury but a right.

Moreover, the Gruha Lakshmi scheme (Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family) has been a groundbreaking step in supporting women who head BPL families, ensuring they have the financial resources to lead their families with dignity, he said, adding that, the Yuva Nidhi scheme, (Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders) offering unemployment allowances, is a safety net for our youth, sustaining their dreams and ambitions during challenging times.

"Central to our governance is our unwavering stand against corruption. We have taken decisive steps to reduce corruption and initiated thorough investigations in various cases," Siddaramaiah further said. This commitment to transparency and accountability is reshaping the government's relationship with its people, fostering trust and confidence.

"As we step into the future, our focus remains steadfast on creating a Karnataka that is inclusive, progressive, and a beacon of development. We are committed to building a state that not only meets the immediate needs of its people but also lays the foundation for a prosperous future," he said.

"I thank the people of Karnataka for their unwavering faith in our vision and promise to continue working tirelessly to make Karnataka a model state in India," the CM added. 

Naseem, Nasir, Firoz, Irshad, Munna, Monu, Wakeel, Rashid, Ankur, Saurabh, Devendra and Jatin. These 12 ‘rat-miners’ from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh had asked for 36 hours to dig their way to the 41 men stuck inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi since November 12. Ultimately, they did the job within 27 hours, leading to triumph for the human spirit in the long tunnel rescue operation.

But there were other heroes too. One was the six-inch pipe that reached the labourers on November 20, bringing them the much-needed communication line and solid food, which improved their morale and did not let the spirits down. The other key factor was that two of the stuck labourers, Gabbar Singh and Shaba Ahmed, took the leadership role inside the tunnel and motivated other workers and ensured that the team-spirit and morale remained high.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Singh and Ahmed during his 15-minute long phone-call to the 41 labourers last night and praised the duo for showing their leadership. “Some university should do a case-study on the leadership showed by you both village men. You motivated your fellow labourers,” the PM said. Singh and Ahmed told Modi how labourers kept themselves busy by hearing songs, doing Yoga and taking long walks inside the tunnel.

Prolonged effort

When the debris collapse in the Silkyara tunnel was reported at 5:30 am on November 12, the Centre had immediately swung into action. The Auger drilling machine was air-lifted to the site and drilling began to get to the labourers. Things were tough till November 20 as only a four-inch pipe was the bridge to the stuck labourers and they had to survive only on dry fruits. But on November 20, a six-inch pipe could reach the labourers in a breakthrough.

This proved to be a lifeline as a communication line could be then established by BSNL with the workers and a camera was sent to get videos of the workers. Solid food was also sent in along with medicines and phone chargers to keep the workers healthy and in high spirits. The workers could use the phone line to speak to the authorities, psychologists deputed at the tunnel as well as their families. This improved the morale of the stuck labourers, authorities said.

This softened the blow that was suffered in the rescue after the Auger machine broke down on November 17. The authorities went by expert advice and the 12 rat-hole miners were called in earlier this week from a Delhi-based firm to carry out manual digging at the site since Monday. The rat-miners had apparently asked for 36 hours to complete the job as two of them manually dug into the debris while the rest of the rat-miners took the debris out of the tunnel.

The rat-miners achieved the breakthrough within 27 hours, ahead of their own target, and finally a welded pipe was inserted last evening to pull the 41 workers out. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) men went in to the bring the workers out of the pipe and the entire process was completed within 45 minutes after the youngest worker came out at 7:50 pm. Ultimately, the ‘whole of government’ approach from the central and state in mission mode, and the rat-hole miners did wonders.

New Delhi: New challenges are emerging from the incidents in West Asia and it is time for the countries of the Global South to talk in one voice for greater global good, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday amid ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza.

In his address at the second edition of the India-hosted virtual Voice of Global South Summit, Modi said New Delhi has emphasised on dialogue and diplomacy along with restraint to deal with the situation arising out of the Hamas-Israel conflict.

India condemned the barbaric October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, he said At the same time, the prime minister said India strongly condemned death of civilians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

'We are seeing that new challenges are emerging from developments in West Asia,' he said.

India hosted the first edition of the 'Voice of Global South Summit' in January to flag concerns and challenges facing the developing countries.

'The Voice of Global South is the most unique platform reflecting the changing world of the 21st century,' Modi said.

The prime minister also called for cooperation under the framework of 'five Cs' -- consultation, communication, cooperation, creativity, capacity building.

'I cannot forget that historic moment, when African Union was inducted into G20 as a permanent member with India's efforts,' he said.

In a significant milestone under India's G20 presidency, the African Union in September became the new permanent member of the grouping of the largest economies of the world in the first expansion of the influential bloc since its inception in 1999.

Listing achievements for the Global South under India's G20 presidency, Modi said significant seriousness was shown this time on climate finance.There was consensus at G20 on providing finance and technology in easy terms to countries of the Global South for climate transition, he said.

India considers that new technology should not increase distance between Global South and North, he said.