The Congress government in Karnataka led by Chief Minister K. Siddaramaiah, which is often being accused of indulging in appeasement politics, on Friday lent credence to the opposition's oft-repeated claims further when it allocated Rs 200 crore for the development of Christian community and Rs 100 crore for "the protection and development of Waqf properties".
Presenting his 15th state budget, Siddaramaiah said: "An allocation of Rs 100 crore will be made for development of Waqf properties. There will be a special focus on protection and conservation of protected monuments which are maintained by the ASI."
He also proposed workshops on current affairs for Moulvis and muttavalis registered with the State Waqf Board.
"Programmes at a cost of Rs 393 crore will be formulated and implemented during 2024-25 through Minorities Development Corporations," he said.
Other decisions included: Establishment of 50 Morarji Desai Residential schools with 50 students each; 100 Post-matric boys/girls hostels with a capacity of 100 students each; 100 new Maulana Azad schools; pre-university colleges in 25 schools which have its own buildings.
The government also announced restarting of free reimbursement scheme for students of minority communities studying Bsc, Nursing/GNM Nursing courses in government and private colleges.
Allocation of Rs 10 crore for minority communities women who take up self employment activities.
The chief minister said Tripitikas, the sacred texts of Buddhist community, will be translated into Kannada. Necessary grants would be provided.
The state government also allocated Rs 1 crore for the development of famous Shri Nanak Jhira Saheb Gurudwara in Bidar.
Crew on seized cargo ship to be released soon, assures Iran Foreign Minister
The 16 remaining Indian crew members on board a cargo ship seized by Iran are set to be released soon, Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian assured his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel in a telephonic conversation on Saturday.
1,500 Sikhs join BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Punjab
In a significant development, 1,500 members from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, along with Singh Sabha and other Sikh organisations, joined BJP on Saturday, just weeks ahead of Lok Sabha elections in Delhi and Punjab.
TMC writes to ECI complaining about CBI, NSG ops at Sandeshkhali during second phase of polls
The Trinamool Congress on Saturday wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) opposing the CBI and National Security Guard (NSG) raids at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas District on Friday and expressed apprehensions that the central agencies might have 'planted' weapons at the search site to 'defame it' when the second phase of Lok Sabha polls were underway.
2 CRPF personnel killed in attack by armed group in Manipur
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including a Sub Inspector, were killed and two others have been injured after armed groups attacked a camp of security forces in Manipur’s Bishnupur district early on Saturday, police said.
Land subsidence leaves 350 people homeless in J&K’s Ramban District
Over 350 people in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K’s) Ramban District abandoned their homes on Saturday after destruction of the houses due to land subsidence.
Houthi leader vows to continue maritime attacks, calls Indian Ocean 'new theatre of confrontation'
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi group, has vowed to continue its naval operations in the Red Sea, rejecting media reports suggesting a decrease in Houthi maritime attacks, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
Second phase of Lok Sabha polls sees enthusiastic voter turnout from Jammu to Kerala, Maharashtra to Tripura
The BJP, holding a significant number of seats in this phase, considers these elections crucial for maintaining and expanding its influence to secure a substantial majority in the Lok Sabha.
EC suspends 26 Tripura govt staff for taking part in political events, violation of poll code
The Election Commission (EC) has so far suspended 26 Tripura government employees, including security personnel, for participating in political events, election campaigns, and violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC),