belagavi l Sunday l December 08, 2024 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION DEcember 21 to be observed as World meditation day, says U.N. A draft resolution co-sponsored by India was unanimously adopted by all member countries in the UN to observe Dec 21 as World Meditation Day India guides adoption of resolution Dec 21 marks the beginning of uttarayana India’s UN ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said on social media, “A day for comprehensive well-being and inner transformation! Glad that India along with other nations of the core group guided the unanimous adoption of the resolution on the declaration of December 21 as World Meditation Day @UN General Assembly today (Friday).” ■ ■ Dec 21 marks the beginning of Uttarayana, which is considered as an auspicious time of the year, especially for meditation and inner reflection to fully harness the human potential, Harish added The other members who co-sponsored the resolution include Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mexico and Andorra Six months after Yoga day comes meditation day 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 US rejects BJP’s allegations y e s h i s e l i @ New Delhi In its pushback to the BJP’s charges, the US embassy in Delhi said it was disappointing that the ruling party would make accusations that ‘deep state’ elements and the US government wwere trying to destabilise India. “The US government works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity building training for journalists. This programming does not influence the editorial decisions or direction of these organisations,” according to a s p o ke s p e r s o n o f t h e U S embassy . It was responding to the BJP’s accusation on Thursday BIMS tragedy Lokayukta takes up suo motu case E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Considering the maternal deaths in Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) Hospital as a serious matter, the Karnataka Lokayukta has taken up a suo motu case under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act. Justice BS Patil directed the officials to register a case against the principal secretaries of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education departments, the drugs controller, managing director of the Karnataka Medical Supplies Corporation, and officials of BIMS. Justice Patil also ordered the officials to register a case against the deputy commissioners and district health officers of all districts and directed them to furnish details of steps taken to avoid possible administration of the life-saving drugs in question in their districts. He ordered the police wing of the Lokayukta in Ballari to inspect the BIMS Hospital and its drugs store and submit a report. He sought reports from the principal secretary of the Health Department on the officials to be held responsible for the tragedy in BIMS, details of compensation given to the families of the deceased, and on the functioning of the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation. ‘sOROS, rockefeller, U.S. AId fund OCCRP’ BJP said French media group Mediapart revealed that Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project was funded by US AID, George Soros and Rockefeller Foundation that US government and deep state elements were trying to destabilise the country The ruling party . alleged that the investigative journalism portal, Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), was providing ammunition to the Congress to target India and the BJP . “The US has long been a champion of media freedom around the world. A free and independent press is an essen- tial component of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable,” the US embassy spokesperson added. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had said that elements in the US deep state have colluded with a group of journalists and with India’s Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, to put a spoke in the wheel of India’s growth story using unsubstantiated allegations and malicious reports without a “shred of evidence.” “In fact, 50% of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the US State Department. OCCRP, therefore, functions as a media tool for carrying out deep state agendas,” the party said in a series of posts on social media. foreign secy’s visit Yunus press secy cagey on Hasina issue in talks with Misri. In August, Hasina’s Bangladesh wants to 15-year-regime was ousted “normalise ties with its big by a student movement. She neighbour India,” said fled her country and took Shafiqul Alam, press secre- refuge in India. tary to Bangladesh’s Chief “We have an extradition Adviser Prof Muhammad treaty with India, and have Yunus. pressed for her extradition, Speaking to this newspa- but we will have to wait till per from Dhaka, Alam said all the legal formalities are they are keenly awaiting the completed. She has been invisit of India’s Foreign Sec- dicted by a tribunal here for retary Vikram Mismurder. She is also Temple ri to Dhaka on Dec accused of forced set on fire 9. “This is the first disappearances of high profile visit of thousands of people A group of the highest ranking people set fire to and rampant corofficer from India ruption. She is acan ISKCON after the August cused of mass extemple in a revolution and we Dhaka district on trajudicial killings look forward to during the August Saturday. The meeting him. There attack in Dhour revolution,” Alam are multiple issues alleged. village took of mutual interests place in the early On attacks on mibetween the two hours, Police are norities and their countries which places of worship searching for will feature in the in Bangladesh, culprits | P7 discussion. India is Alam acknowledged a big neighbour and a world that there have been “isolatplayer. We would like to con- ed” incidents, including Fritinue with our good rela- day night’s torching of a tions,” said Alam. Hindu temple outside Dhaka He refused to comment on by unidentified people and whether an extradition re- said that the interim governquest of the ousted Awami ment regrets communal vioLeague leader and former lence and is committed to prime minister Sheikh Hasi- protecting the rights of the na will feature in the talks minorities. B a l a C h a u h a n @ Bengaluru Will take stern action: CM Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that the state government will act tough against those responsible for maternal deaths at Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) Hospital. He said a committee is probing the matter. Based on its report, stern action will be taken against all those responsible for the maternal deaths, he added. Security has been beefed up outside the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala on Saturday, after its security was breached | pti First day, first boycott by Aghadi lawmakers SP threatens to exit the MVA over Uddhav Sena’s Babri glorification CM: Home for double-engine coordination Sud h i r Su r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and others pay tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in Mumbai | PTI jid. “We will talk with our leaders and take the call on the MVA,” he said. As for the EVM issue, Ajit Pawar said that MVA was doing injustice to their voters. He said when the MVA did well in the Lok Sabha elections, they had no problems with the EVM. “Now, the Opposition is blaming the EVM This is nothing but cheating,” he said, adding they will have to take their oath on Sunday, else they will lose their assembly membership. Uddhav Sena’s MLA Aditya Thackeray said he suspected EVM rigging gave the Mahayuti the mandate. “We did not take oath in protest against the EVM rigging. We are raising our concern at the appropriate platform of the Election Commission of India. When the Markhadwadi village tried to conduct a mock poll to verify their voting through paper ballot, the local administration and the police disallowed it. Something is fishy he alleged. ,” Sud h i r Su r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra on Saturday refused to take part in the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected MLAs in protest against the alleged rigging of electronic voting machines (EVM) in the recent assembly elections. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and others took their oath as MLAs. There was turbulence in the MVA, as the Samajwadi Party that has two MLAs in Maharashtra, threatened to walk out of the alliance. SP MLA Abu Azmi said the MVA was taking decisions without consulting them, including the boycott of the oath ceremony . Another SP MLA Rais Sheikh said his party was not comfortable with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena lauding the demolition of the Babri Mas- Tunnel road: EOI invited for loan E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) from banks and other financial institutions, seeking a loan of Rs 19,000 crore for its proposed 18-km tunnel road project from Hebbal to Silk Board Junction. Referred to as “Bengaluru Twin-Tunnel Project”, it aims at enhancing mobility, easing traffic congestion and fostering sustainable growth in Bengaluru. “ financial institutions, including multiAll lateral development banks, bilateral development banks, Indian development financing institutions, and scheduled public and private commercial banks, can participate in the EOI process. The institutions should be registered with the RBI or other relevant authorities and have a minimum five years of lending experience,” notified the palike. An engineer with the palike’s project department said those interested in taking part in the EOI process will get the state government’s guarantee. “The BBMP can clear the loan part by part or at one go anytime, and has the right to draw the loan amount based on its requirement from April 1, 2025. It will use the loan amount before December 31, 2027,” the engineer said. home to Boswellia serrata ‘Mining proposal a threat to medicinal plants in Sandur’ B o s k y K h a nn a @ Bengaluru Protecting the Devadari Hills and forests in Sandur taluk is imperative to ensure availability of Olibanum gum used in medicines for arthritis and joint pains. Olibanum gum, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, is used in ointments for pain relief. It is extracted from Boswellia serrata plants found in the forests of Sandur taluk and in the Devadari Hills. Noted environmentalist and retired forest official AN Yellappa Reddy told TNSE that the forests and the native medicinal plant species of the region are in danger because of a proposal for mining there. “If need be, the forest department and the state government should move courts to protect the region that houses such endemic and native medicinal plant species,” he said. Reddy was speaking on the Forest dept and govt should move courts to protect the region that houses endemic medicinal plant species sidelines of a function to mark 60 years of ‘My Forests’ in the city on Saturday. Forest, envi- ronment and ecology minister AN Yellappa Eshwar B Khandre participat- Reddy, ed in the function. P5 Environmentalist Amid continuing wrangling for plum portfolios in the ruling alliance, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday justified his claim on the home ministry, saying it would enhance coordination with the Centre. Both the BJP and the Shiv Sena are yet to thrash out a consensus on portfolio allocation, specifically home, which Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is keen on holding. Shinde’s argument is that finance and home are portfolios worthy of a deputy chief minister. If NCP’s Ajit Pawar can get finance with 41 MLAs, why can’t the Sena with 57 MLAs have home, he reasoned. Fadnavis said, “we feel the home ministry should remain with us for coordinating with the Centre on issues like Naxalism. Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde can also do coordination, but we strongly feel the home ministry should be with us.” He further added that as leader of the BJP in the state, he is always in contact with the party and its leadership in Delhi, one more reason why he should have the home ministry . In the outgoing Mahayuti government, Fadnavis as deputy chief minister was in-charge of the home portfolio. Of the 43 ministries, BJP wants to keep as many as 60% of them. express read India issues Syria travel advisory New Delhi: As rebels continue to make further advances in Syria, India has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to the country and urged those staying in that country to exercise “utmost precaution”. P7 India at 128/5, trail Australia by 29 runs Adelaide: India tottered to 128 for 5 in their second innings, trailing Australia by 29 runs at stumps on day two of the pink ball Test here on Saturday. P11 Playing by the Roles WITH THIS ISSUE PLUS 12 PAGES