Students will get pure gold medals only if they pay for them:?Minister

February 11, 2017

Bengaluru, Feb 11: Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy said it is not possible to present pure gold medals to rank students of Bangalore University.

BASAVARAJ
If people, including students pay for them, then they will get pure gold medals, he added.

He was replying to Lakshminarayana (BJP) who raised a question in this regard on behalf of K?C?Kondaiah (Cong) in the Legislative Council on Friday.

The minister said the university presents 203 ‘gold medals’ every year.’ Students who secure first rank get a 20 gm silver medal with gold cover. Gold used is 1.30 gm for each medal. Medals are instituted under endowments which fetch more than Rs 4,000 bank interest.

The minister said many endowment awards were instituted three to four decades ago. Those days, it was easy to buy gold medals with the limited money but not anymore because of the high cost of gold.

JD(S) MLC?Saravana, who is into gold business, said, “Instead of insulting students, it is better to tell them they are being given silver medals.”

The minister hit back saying, “You must be saving a lot of gold in your business. Give that to us. We will present gold medals in your name.”

Permission must

Rayareddy said state universities must get the higher education department’s permission to take up civil work worth more than Rs 1 crore.

Replying to Congress member M?Narayanaswamy and BJP’s Mahantesh Kavatagimath, the minister said it has come to his notice that large-scale financial irregularities have taken place in the execution of civil works. It has been decided to put an end to this. If the cost of work is more than Rs 10 crore, then the state Cabinet’s approval is compulsory. Piece contract is not allowed if the cost is more than Rs 1 crore, he added.

He pointed out that Sahyadri College of Kuvempu University had taken up Rs 4.70 crore civil work. But finally it ended up paying the contractor Rs 11.65 crore. Similar cases have were reported in other universities too, he added.

The minister said committees have been formed under the chairmanship of deputy commissioners to probe irregularities in the universities. The reports would reach the government in a month’s time.

“We need to bring transparency in administration of universities. At present, the governor has the authority over the universities. It is planned to bring a comprehensive law to improve the system,” he added.

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News Network
April 29,2024

JDSBJP.jpg

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday, April 29, shared a letter purportedly written by BJP leader Devaraj Gowda to the Karnataka state president of the saffron party expressing concern about the pendrive containing sleazy videos of JD(S) leader and Lok Sabha MP Prajwal Revanna.

The letter was apparently written on December 8, 2023.

The letter, written in Kannada by the Hassan BJP leader states that 2,976 clips were already with Congress leaders and would be ammo for the grand old party during the Lok Sabha elections. The letter also states that if Revanna is allowed to contest under the NDA banner, it is likely to negatively impact the BJP's image in the state.

Sharing this letter, Khera launched an attack on the BJP, asking why the party had chosen to enter into an alliance with JD(S) despite knowing about the pendrive. He also questioned the lack of action, sharing the stage with Prajwal Revanna, and asked who helped him 'escape to Germany'.

Khera also questioned PM Narendra Modi's silence on the matter. Notably, the PM has been vocal about women suffering sexual abuse elsewhere in the country, when a leader of the opposition party has been involved. Modi attacked the TMC government over Sheikh Shahjahan's actions in Sandeshkhali, which allegedly involve sexual harassment and illegal land grabbing.

The Congress leader, however, remained confident that Modi would stay mum on the Hassan sex scandal issue.

"Modi ji will be in Karnataka the entire day today. I can guarantee that he won’t find the courage to utter even a single word on this horrific case in the state wherein his alliance’s politician went around recording thousands of sex videos of several women in his pen drive, and has now absconded abroad!," Khera said on X (formerly Twitter).

While Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has ordered a special probe into the incident, the JD(S) has distanced itself from Prajwal with H D Kumaraswamy saying that while he wanted to wait for facts to come out after the probe, there was no question of forgiving someone who had committed a crime as per the law.

A sexual harassment and stalking case has been filed against former Karnataka Minister H D Revanna and his son Prajwal, who is at the centre of the Hassan scandal.

A woman complainant said that she worked in Revanna's house from 2019 for three and a half years. During her time there, Revenna allegedly misbehaved with her, as did Prajwal, according to the woman's claims. She also claimed Prajwal sexually assaulted her repeatedly.

She also claimed the MP had used obscene language with her daughter during video calls, forcing her to block the number and quit her job.

H D Revanna is the elder son of JD(S) supremo and former PM H D Deve Gowda, and Prajwal is the party patriarch's grandson.

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News Network
April 25,2024

Bengaluru, Apr 25: Former union minister C M Ibrahim, who was expelled from Janata Dal (Secular) for protesting against party’s alliance with BJP, has stressed on need for a third front not just at the national level, but also in Karnataka. 

Addressing a news conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday, he said he’s planning to form a third front in Karnataka along with Lingayat Seer Dingaleshwar Swami.

Ibrahim said that he will tour the state between April 27 and May 4 and that he would meet Dingaleshwar Swami on April 29. “There is a need for the third front in this country. We will try to establish a third front in association with the seer and we hope we will be successful in those efforts,” he said.

Expressing disappointment with the Congress for not doing enough to gain the full confidence of Muslims, Ibrahim said that Congress is concentrating only on certain communities for votes, and ignoring Muslims. 

“The Congress is not even caring for Muslims and Dalit votes. In some Muslim areas they did not even hold campaigns seeking votes and trying to convince the communities which never vote in their favour. I fear this may lead to low turnout and Congress may lose its vote base,” he opined.

Mentioning about guarantees on which Congress is strongly relying during this election, Ibrahim said, such things won’t work all the time. “Guarantees will not work anymore. Every election you need to give something new to the voters,” he added.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that Congress is trying to appease minorities for votes, Ibrahim requested both Congress and BJP parties not bring Muslims between them. “I request both parties. Leave us alone. Don’t make us sandwiches for your political sake. We are living with peace and hope even the Prime Minister will understand this,” Ibrahim added.

Launching a broadside against Prime Minister Deve Gowda, Ibrahim said, “Deve Gowda has sold his personality itself. Whatever I have told about JD(S) has come true. I pity, a former Prime Minister should not have come to this stage,” he said. 

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News Network
May 2,2024

Bengaluru, May 2: Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, was issued fresh summons on Thursday by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is investigating the case of obscene videos involving the former JD(S) member, several news outlets reported.

The SIT also junked his appeal which sought seven days time to join the probe, as per these reports.

Prajwal and his father, H D Revanna, have sexual harassment and stalking cases filed against them over the matter. Gowda's son, H D Revanna, however, said that what took place '4-5 years ago' is now being turned into a legal case.

JD(S) in its core committee meeting suspended Prajwal from the party till the end of the probe. Prajwal, meanwhile, took to X to state he would join the probe in seven days time, asserting 'truth will prevail'.

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