QBengaluru: Lone BSP Minister Quits Coalition, & More
The latest news updates from Bengaluru.
1. Lone BSP Minister in Congress-JDS Coalition in Karnataka Quits
In a blow to the Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka, the lone BSP Minister N Mahesh today quit his post citing personal reasons, but said he would continue to support the ruling coalition.
His surprise move came days after BSP chief Mayawati announced that her party would not forge an alliance with the Congress "at any cost" for the Assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, in a setback to efforts to forge opposition unity.
Speaking to reporters after submitting his resignation to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Mahesh said he quit to focus more on his assembly constituency Kollegal and to strengthen his party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Source: The Economic Times
2. 18 Karnataka Fishermen With UAE Employer Enter Iranian Water, Held
A total of 18 fishermen from Karnataka are being confined by Iranian security personnel from July for allegedly entering Iranian waters while fishing off the Dubai coast. While 17 of the arrested are from Uttara Kannada, one is from Udupi district of the state.
Along with a Dubai boat owner Sheikh Marwan, 18 fishermen who hail from Karnataka, went for fishing in three boats off Dubai coast in July end. Unknowingly, they entered Iranian waters for fishing on July 27 and they were confined by Iranian security near Kish Island.
Six out of 18 fishermen are said to be sent to jail in Iran and the remaining 12 along with boat owner Sheikh Marwan are confined at their boats. From the last two and a half months, they have been struggling to get released, but their efforts are futile.
Source: The New Indian Express
3. Karnataka Police to Teach Self-defence to School, College Girls
Now, Karnataka State Police will be teaching self-defence to young girls studying in schools and colleges across the state. This initiative will be done in association with the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Women and Child Welfare along with the State police department.
The training, in the form of a module, will be funded by the Nirbhaya fund provided by the Union government.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Bhaskar Rao, Additional Director-General of Police (KSRP) said police personnel who are experts in martial arts, will go to the schools to teach self-defence to young girls. “It will be a capsule model. We are customising and designing it for young girls studying in schools, both private and government schools across the state.
Source: The New Indian Express
4. IKEA to Invest Rs 2,000 Crore in its Bengaluru Store
Swedish furniture, kitchen appliances and home accessories retailer IKEA would invest Rs 2,000 crore in setting up and expanding its store in this tech hub in 2020, a top official said on Thursday.
“As Karnataka is a priority for us, we are investing Rs 1,000 crore in setting up our popular store and another Rs 1,000 crore in expanding it later,” IKEA India Chief Executive Peter Betzel told reporters at its ground-laying ceremony in the city’s northwest suburb.
The European behemoth, which opened its first store in the country at Hyderabad in August, will employ about 1,000 co-workers directly and engage 1,500 indirectly in services at the 5-lakh square feet Bengaluru store.
Source: Financial Express
5. ED Freezes Bank Accounts of Greenpeace, Linked Entity; Searches Offices in Bengaluru
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen over a dozen bank accounts of environmental NGO Greenpeace and its linked entity after it conducted searches at their premises in Bengaluru on charges of alleged forex violations, officials said Thursday. The NGO said in a statement that it strongly denies all allegations against it and that the ED action was "part of a larger design to muzzle democratic dissent in the country".
Official sources in the central probe agency said the searches, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), were conducted on October 5 in Bengaluru as it was detected that it incorporated a commercial entity called DDIIPL in 2016 after the Union Home Ministry cancelled Greenpeace India Society's (Chennai) FCRA registration the previous year for alleged violation of norms.
"Every rupee that goes into Greenpeace India's environmental work is a donation made by ecologically conscious people in the country.”
Source: The Economic Times
6. Uber Rolls Out 'Movement' for Bengaluru
After successful launches in Delhi and Mumbai, US-based ride-sharing giant Uber on Wednesday rolled out "Movement" for Bengaluru.
"Movement" is a free urban planning tool accessible through movement..uber.com.
It allows people access to data on traffic patterns and travel times for any time-period and across all possible lengths of the city.
"Through sustained efforts by our mapping team, we have been able to gather large amounts of traffic and congestion data for Bengaluru," Christian Freese, Uber, spokesperson, said in a statement.
"We are excited to launch this platform and its benefits for Bengalureans to encourage better infrastructure, city planning and data driven policy solutions that will utilize technology to make the city more efficient," Freese added.
Source: Business Standard
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