1. Poor Turnout at BJP Rally, Shah Targets CM Over Tipu Fete
The BJP's Nava Karnataka Parivarthana Rath Yatra, kicked off by party national president Amit Shah on Thursday here as a precursor to state unit president BS Yeddyurappa's statewide tour, was a chaotic event which left the party red-faced. Empty seats greeted Shah as he took on the Siddaramaiah government.
Accusing the CM of vote-bank politics, Shah said his government's grand preparations for Tipu Jayanti outdid the Rajyotsava celebrations. He sought a reply from Siddaramaiah on the killings of RSS and BJP workers in Karnataka.
The rally at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre on Tumakuru Road was to be a convention of 3 lakh workers from across the state, with party men riding up on bikes from other districts. Though arrangements were made for 1 lakh workers, about 20,000 turned up, leaving the organisers cutting a sorry figure before Shah.
(Source: Times of India)
2. Private Hospitals to Shut OPDs Today
The outpatient departments (OPD) at all private hospitals are likely to remain closed on Friday to protest against the state government’s decision to implement the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (Amendment) Bill 2017. The protest is being backed by the Karnataka Chapter of Indian Medical Association.
The medical practitioners are up in arms against the proposed amendments, which will empower the government to regulate private medical services by fixing the prices for various services and prescribing punishment, including imprisonment, for doctors in case of irregularities in pricing-related matters.
Dr Ravindra, president-elect of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Karnataka, said, “The state government is only targeting private medical establishments through KPME Bill that was tabled in June this year. If they want to pass the Bill, then government hospitals should also be included in it.”
(Source: Bangalore Mirror)
3. Former Judge, 2 Advocates File PIL on Court Vacancies
A retired Karnataka high court judge, along with two advocates, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking immediate appointment of judges to the vacant posts in the court where he had served. The PIL came up before a bench headed by acting Chief Justice HG Ramesh on Thursday. Justice Ramesh observed that since the Karnataka high court has been made a party , it would not be proper for him to hear the petition and said he will post it before another bench.
In their petition, retired high court judge Justice AN Venugopala Gowda and advocates S Basavaraj and BM Arun have sought a directive to the Union government to expeditiously appoint judges to the Karnataka high court.
(Source: Times of India)
4. Martial Arts Trainer 'Uses Hypnosis to Rape Colleague for 18 Months'
A martial arts trainer is accused of raping a 39-year-old married colleague for almost one-and-a-half years by hypnotising her. Police said the case came to light lately.
The woman, a resident of Yeshwantpur, learnt martial arts at the institute in Amarjyothi Nagar and landed a job there. She came in touch with a colleague named Debabrata Dutta. In a complaint to the police, the woman said Dutta used hypnosis to sexually assault her for almost 18 months. When she realised what had happened, he threatened to kill her if she disclosed the matter to anyone, she added.
Police said they had opened a case and were looking for Dutta who is also married and has two children. The woman also has two children.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
5. Startup Seed Funding Sees a Big Drop in 2017
The total funding to startups (companies launched in the past five years) has seen a 14 percent decline to $1.8 billion in the first six months of 2017, compared to the same period of 2016. Much of this was fuelled by a 53 percent drop in seed (or, the earliest stage of) funding to $49 million, says a report on India's startup ecosystem prepared by IT industry body Nasscom and consulting firm Zinnov. One reason for this is the general shift in investor focus from early-stage startups to more mature ones.
Investors want to put their moneys into ventures that have achieved a level of success, instead of spreading their resources thin. This is supported by the large amounts of funds raised by industry leaders and unicorns (those with an over $1-billion valuation) like Flipkart and Paytm. Total funding in the startup ecosystem grew by 167 percent to $6.4 billion, thanks to such funding.
(Source: Times of India)
6. Debate Rages Over Throwing Open Roads Within Gated Communities
The recent protest by residents of Manyata Residency – located within Manyata Tech Park – by restricting entry of four-wheelers into the colony during peak hours has once again brought to the fore the debate over whether or not roads within gated communities are really private.
However, multiple town planning experts and officials argue that any area, once declared a road, is public, and that the concept of a private road, even that of gated communities, is non-existent.
SB Honnur, retired director of Town Planning, said Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961 does not even mention gated communities and thus they are not recognised. “There is no concept of a private road in the country. All roads are public,” he said.
(Source: The Hindu)
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