HUBBALLI  WEDNESDAY  MAY 31, 2023  `9.00  PAGES 12  CITY EDITION AFTER JIO-BP, NAYARA ENERGY SELLS PETROL, DIESEL AT `1 LESS THAN PSUS While OMCs continue to hold prices despite a drop in international rates, private fuel retailers have started passing on the benefit to consumers DISCOUNT OFFER TO CONTINUE TILL END OF JUNE RUSSIA’S ROSNEFT IS A MAJOR SHAREHOLDER “To further stimulate domestic consumption and cater to local customers better, we have introduced a `1 discount in our retail outlets until the end of June 2023,” said a spokesperson for Nayara Energy, which owns 7% of India’s 86,925 petrol pumps. Earlier this month, Jio-bp started selling superior grade diesel at `1 cheaper than regular grade diesel sold by state-owned outlets both diesel and petrol at rates below state-owned firms ■ IOC, BPCL and HPCL had frozen retail prices when international oil prices climbed in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year ■ Russian firm Rosneft is Nayara’s single-largest shareholder with 49% stake ■ While Jio-bp has priced only diesel less than that of PSUs, Nayara is selling $75.30/barrel GLOBAL OIL BENCHMARK BRENT CRUDE PRICE DECLINED BY 2.3% ON TUESDAY CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI DA for state govt staff hiked from 31% to 35% EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru THE state government on Tuesday increased the Dearness Allowance (DA) for its employees and pensioners from 31% to 35%. The Finance Department, in its order, stated that the DA hike is payable with effect from January 1, 2023. The hike is applicable to pensioners/family pensioners as well as pensioners/family pensioners of aided educational institutions. The department stated that the hike is applicable to UGC/ AICTE and ICAR pensioners. It is applicable to full-time government employees, employees of zilla panchayats, work-charged employees on regular pay scales, full-time employees of aided educational institutions and universities who are on regular pay scales. The department stated that separate orders will be issued in respect of employees on UGC/AICTE/ICAR/NJPC p ay s c a l e s a n d N J P C pensioners. The DA admissible under this order is payable in cash. The payment of DA arrears will not be made before the date of disbursement of salary for May 2023. FAKE `500 NOTES UP 14% IN FY23 Volume of fake `500 notes swelled 14% in 2022-23 to 91,110 pieces compared with 79,669 in 2021-22 | P10 Medal point to put police on the mat Wrestlers put off decision to drop medals in the Ganga NARENDRA SETHI AND UJWAL J A L A L I @ Haridwar/New Delhi INDIA’S top wrestlers on Tuesday raised the pitch of their ongoing protest up a notch — against the delay in arresting sidelined Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — by threatening to let their hard-earned medals wash away in the Ganga but put it off by five days to give the police time to act. The five-day deadline for Singh’s arrest came after the intervention of farmer leader Naresh Tikait. Rough police action to evict them from the Jantar Mantar protest site on Sunday also weighed on their minds as they reached Haridwar with their medals on Tuesday evening. The United World Wrestling, the international wrestling body, on Tuesday condemned the treatment meted out to the protesting wrestlers and their detention following a scuffle with the police on Sunday . Earlier in the day, the grapplers had announced their intention to sit on an indefinite hunger strike at India Gate in Delhi after returning from Haridwar. However, sources in the Delhi Police told this newspaper they would not allow any demonstration at India Gate as it is a national monument. At Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar, top wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sangeeta Phogat and Sakshi Malik said, “When the government is not ready to take action against the Singh, who is also a BJP MP, what is the use of these medals EXPRESS READ Sankey protest: HC stays probe, cops file ‘B’ report Bengaluru: Based on the Karnataka High Court order on Monday to stay all further investigations in connection with the protest against the previous BJP government’s plan to widen Sankey Road and flyover, the Halsuru Gate police station on Tuesday filed a ‘B’ report. FIRs were filed against 70 protestors by Sadashivanagar police | P5 Protesting wrestlers at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar | PTI we won for the country?” After taking a seat by the riverbank, clutching their medals, the grapplers broke down in tears as their numerous supporters formed a protective circle. Singh is facing grave charges of sexual harassment of grapplers, including that of a minor. Though he has also been booked under the POCSO Act, he is yet to be arrested. At Har Ki Pauri, Nitin Gautam, president of the Shri Ganga Sabha, advised them against dropping their medals in the Ganga. “Har ki Pauri is a sacred pilgrimage site. Wrestlers can take holy baths, do charity , but medals will not be allowed to be dropped there. Har Ki Pauri will not be allowed to become an arena of politics.” The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has given a call for a nationwide agitation on June 1 to secure the democratic right of protest for the wrestlers. Khaps back grapplers Haryana’s khaps and farmer forums were among the outfits that appealed to the protesting wrestlers not to immerse their medals in the Ganga These hardearned medals are our lives, our soul. We will have no reason to live after throwing them into the Ganga - Statement issued by wrestlers SENIOR IPS officer B Dayananda has been appointed as new Bengaluru City Police Commissioner. Dayananda, a 1994-batch IPS officer, who was serving as Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP), Intelligence, was transferred on Tuesday Along with him, 3 oth. er IPS officers, including Special Commissioner (Traffic) MA Saleem, have been promoted and transferred. Saleem has been promoted as Director-General of Police and transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Special Units and Economic Offences, Bengaluru. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner CH Pratap Reddy has been transferred and posted as DGP, Internal Security Division. KV Sharath Chandra, who is serving as ADGP, CID, has been posted as ADGP, Intelligence, in place CONTINUED ON : P3 of Dayananda. Man-animal conflict: Kodagu may go for Corbett’s e-Eye surveillance module P R A J N A G R @ Madikeri FOREST officials from Karnataka are in Uttarakhand to study the newly installed e-Eye surveillance system at Jim Corbett National Park there. The pilot project at Corbett Tiger Reserve is likely to be implemented in Kodagu, which is the epicentre of man-animal conflict. The forest department in Kodagu is facing a severe shortage of staff and surveillance in the reserve forests has taken a backseat. The hostile weather conditions also hamper surveillance and tracking of wild animals. The e-Eye surveillance sys- tem comes with infra-red thermal and motion sensor cameras mounted atop solar powered towers with a height of around 50 metres. Several inter-connected cameras as part of the system make surveillance easy . The system is weather-proof and functions uninterrupted A day after conceding that the guarantee of free bus ride will be challenging to implement, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Tuesday said all women will be able to travel for free on buses. A final decision will be taken during the cabinet meeting on June 1. Reddy held a high-level meeting with top officials of all the four bus corporations. However, KSRTC sources maintained that the guarantee can only be implemented if the government reimburses the cost as bus corporations are reeling under heavy losses. They also said the guarantee will only be applicable to ordinary buses. They are mulling if bus passes can be given to women or just tickets when they board the bus to FULL REPORT: P4 keep a track of their free trips. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru A SNAG AND CRASH E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru Fund misuse in Kalyan K’taka board, probe on B Dayananda new top cop of B’luru A trainer aircraft of Redbird Aviation made an emergency crash landing on a field near Sambra Airport in Belagavi Tuesday morning after developing a technical snag. No casualty was reported. However, the pilot suffered minor injuires. The flying school authorities and the police have launched separate investigations | EXPRESS Bus rides free for all women: Ramalinga in the dark and foggy environment. “Forest personnel can easily monitor the happenings on the field from the office. The system can be installed in inaccessible or hard-to-access areas. We are conducting a study of its success at Corbett. The system will likely be implemented in Kodagu on a trial basis,” according to BN Murthy, CCF of Kodagu, who is on a field visit in Uttarakhand. APCCF Kumar Pushkar and Nagarahole Wildlife Sanctuary Director Harsha Kumar are also part of the study team. Murthy said the project is likely to be sponsored (partly) by TVS Company . Forest personnel can easily monitor the happenings on the field from office. The system can be installed in inaccessible or remote areas. We are conducting a study of its success at Corbett. The system will likely be implemented in Kodagu BN Murthy, CCF, Kodagu THE state government has ordered a probe into the alleged mismanagement of grants released to Kalyan Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) and Kalyan Karnataka Human Resources, Agriculture and Cultural Society during the BJP rule. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the probe following allegations of irregularities and misappropriation of funds released to KKRDB during 2022-23 under the `3,000-crore grant. RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge had written to the CM alleging mis- appropriation of funds released to KKRDB and sought an inquiry . Siddaramaiah directed the Chief Secretary to order a departmental inquiry into the alleged mismanagement of funds, allegations of misuse of `300 crore released to Kalyan Karnataka Human Resources, Agriculture and Cultural Society , and also into the alleged violation of Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act in spending `4 crore as against `3.5 crore approved for Kalyan Karnataka Liberation Day celebrations. The Chief Secretary will submit reports within 15 days with details of those responsible for the misuse. Kharge alleged `45 crore meant for purchase of new buses for Kalyan Karnataka Road Transport Corporation was used for other purposes without approval. He alleged that Kalyan Karnataka Human Resources, Agriculture and Cultural Society misappropriated funds, claiming that it had planted one crore saplings in six districts by spending `310.59 crore. The society claimed that it spent `327.40 crore on promotion of indigenous cow breeds. But funds were given to a few who already had cows and also to a institutes in violation of rules. Ex-CM Basavaraj Bommai said, “We are ready to face any probe.”