Journalists must abide by Constitution only: KBG

Mysore/Mysuru: Founder-Editor of Star of Mysore and Mysuru Mithra K.B. Ganapathy (KBG) said “Journalists have to abide by the Constitution only, as the King and Rajadharma (duty of king) have lost recognition with the advent of Democracy.”

Addressing a gathering of journalists this morning after being felicitated by Mysuru District Journalists Association (MDJA) at Patrakarthara Bhavan on receiving Honorary Doctorate from University of Mysore during its recent Convocation, KBG said “When I was conferred Honorary Doctorate, I remembered stalwarts of journalism like Krishna Vattam, Ramanna and several others. Mysuru is not just my janmabhoomi (birth place) but also my karmabhoomi (land of work) and gaurava needida bhoomi (land of honour). Hence I am bestowed with many awards and recognitions.”

Continuing, KBG said “Nowadays journalists are caught in a situation where they have to maintain a balance in their profession. On one hand they have to keep the interest of the management in mind and on the other hand they have to maintain professional ethics. In this wake, they undergo several challenges, while presenting whatever they see or hear in the form of a news. By upholding professional integrity, they have to also work in the interest of the people. Though we witness and hear many happenings, not all can be reported in the interest of social harmony.”

Former MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev, who was the chief guest, lauded journalists of Mysuru for maintaining professional integrity, especially the photo-journalists who have been proving their mettle in wildlife photography too.

Former District Minister and MLA S.T. Somashekar conferred Netra Raju Endowment Award on Star of Mysore and Mysuru Mithra photographer M.N. Lakshminarayana Yadav and Niranjan Nikam Endowment Award on senior journalist Rajkumar Bhavasar.

Newspaper Distributor Javarappa, also the maiden recipient of State-level Kannada Rajyotsava Award, was also felicitated by MDJA.

Following journalists, who are the recipients of District Kannada Rajyotsava honour and Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Award were also felicitated by MDJA on the occasion:

District Kannada Rajyotsava honour —  Doddanahundi Rajanna, S. Udayshankar, Nagesh Panathale, Suttur Nanjunda Nayak and Mahesh Kebbepura.

Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Award — K.B. Ramesh Nayak and Muguru                                       Nanjundaswamy.

The post MDJA presents Awards, fetes Awardees appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Bengaluru: Amidst ongoing speculation of a Congress leadership change in Karnataka, fuelled by a power struggle between Chief Minister Siddharamaiah and his Deputy, D.K. Shivakumar, the ruling Congress party is actively engaging with leaders from both the BJP and JD(S) as part of its preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

This development underscores the Congress party’s strategic advantage over the BJP, which is yet to name its leader in the State Legislative Assembly and its State Unit President. The Congress appears to be countering the BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ by pursuing its own ‘Operation Hasta’. In this operation, the Congress is both preventing the migration of its leaders to the BJP and actively poaching MLAs from the saffron party.

According to sources, several BJP MLAs, including S.T. Somashekar, Shivaram Hebbar and six others, are set to resign from the BJP and relinquish their MLA positions to join the Congress on Nov. 10. 

It’s worth noting that a group of MLAs, including S.T. Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, played a role in the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) Government led by H.D. Kumaraswamy. Now, in a replay of the past some members of that group are expected to rejoin the Congress.

The post S.T. Somashekar, Shivaram Hebbar, six other MLAs to join Congress?  appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Mysore/Mysuru: Cooperation and District Minister  S.T. Somashekar, who was in city yesterday, said that the tickets have been announced after doing much homework and BJP will win over 140 seats in the elections on May 10.

Speaking to media persons after seeking the blessings of Suttur Seer Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji, he said “I came to Swamiji to seek the blessings, as I have filed nomination paper from Yeshwanthpur Constituency. I have also offered puja to Goddess Chamundeshwari at Chamundi Hill.”

Reacting to the developments after the announcement of tickets, Somashekar said “It is common for leaders to vent their disappointment during the announcement of ticket. The party top brass will hold talks with disgruntled leaders and everything will be normal in a day or two. However, in our party the ticket has been announced after much deliberations and hence the BJP will score victory in over 140 seats this time.”

Campaigning in 4 districts

“The party has instructed me to campaign in four districts. I will start campaigning from Apr.24 in Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Hassan districts. At Yeshwanthpur in Bengaluru, I was in favour of development 365 days of the year. I have been at the service of the people of my Constituency for the last 10 years. The voters will bless me this time too,” said Somashekar.

BJP candidate for T. Narasipur Constituency Dr. Revanna too sought the blessings of Suttur Seer on the occasion.

The post BJP will win 140-plus seats: District Minister appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Bengaluru: Co-operation Minister S.T. Somashekar has clarified that there are no plans to merge KMF with Amul and Nandini products will not be produced in collaboration with Amul.

The Minister made these statements during a press conference held at the BJP Office in Bengaluru on Sunday. He also accused Congress and the JD(S) of spreading falsehoods about the merger keeping elections in mind. He added that KMF is doing business across the world and already has a strong presence in the market. The Minister mentioned that during a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah last December, the latter had suggested that KMF take the assistance of Amul in market expansion and adopting the latest technology.

Somashekar compared the prices of Amul and Nandini milk, stating that Nandini is sold at Rs.39 per litre while Amul sells at Rs.57 per litre online. He also mentioned that Nandini products are dispatched to many States including Tamil Nadu and emphasised that if developed on the lines of Amul, Nandini can grow even further.

The post Nandini has formidable presence in many States: Co-operation Minister appeared first on Star of Mysore.

• Rs. 169 crore Property Tax
• Rs. 93.10 crore Water Tax
• Rs. 14.40 cr. plan approval fee
• Rs. 6.68 cr. trade licence fee

By S.T. Ravikumar

Mysore/Mysuru: Usually any meeting to discuss the finances of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) attended by people’s representatives, citizens, NGOs and representatives of organisations turns into a platform for the participants to hit out at the officials for poor tax recovery and shoddy revenue generation.

But belying the negativity, the MCC has collected a record Rs. 310.49 crore taxes in the last financial year till March 31, 2023. As a continued incentive to the taxpayers, the MCC has announced the annual tax rebate of five percent if the payment is made in the month of April.

Money sanctioned by the Government is not regular and in financially constrained years, not a single rupee comes from the Government and there are years when the State Government has left MCC high and dry, impacting local development works.

However, with the record tax collection in the last financial year, the Civic Body is slowly moving towards self-reliance.

Of the Rs. 310.49 crore taxes collected, Rs. 169 crore has been collected as property tax, Rs. 93.1 crore as water tax, Rs. 14.4 crore as approval fee, Rs. 6.68 crore as trade licence fee, Rs. 3.52 crore as rent from commercial complexes, Rs. 64 lakh as fee from advertisement hoarding and Rs. 23.13 lakh from other income sources.

Streamlining tax collection

As part of the tax collection strategy, officials from all the nine Zonal Offices of the MCC were tasked with targets and a regular follow-up by the respective Revenue Officers, Zonal Assistant Commissioners and finally the MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy. The targets were met most of the time and if not, the real problems or glitches in tax collection were identified and rectified.

This streamlining of the tax collection, fixing targets, effective monitoring by the senior officers and the co-operation from the Corporators and other elected representatives including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor has resulted in the record collection. Every elected representative was taken into confidence and these efforts paid off, MCC officers told Star of Mysore.

Loopholes plugged

Though the MCC has been carrying out regular civic works earlier also, the tax collection targets had remained low despite efforts and there were many loopholes. And due to the huge revenue deficit, the Civic Body used to keep the bills of the contractors pending, leading to protests. Now with a comfortable revenue position, the MCC has been clearing pending bills on seniority basis.

In the 2021-22 financial year, the MCC had collected a tax of Rs. 280.69 crore from all sources and in 2020-21, due to the worst COVID-19 pandemic, the MCC had to satiate itself with a revenue collection of Rs. 204.96 crore. When compared to the tax data of 2016-2017 financial year where Rs. 175.97 crore was collected, the last financial year (2022-2023) saw a double collection of Rs. 310.49 crore.

The MCC has already begun the tax collection for the next financial year and has plans to collect Rs. 100 crore in April as property tax and water tax.

‘Online payments helped’

There was a huge dent in the MCC revenue during COVID and even after the pandemic situation eased, people were scared of crowds and were reluctant to stand in queues to pay their taxes. Later, we introduced and streamlined tax collection through online mediums where people could pay taxes from the comforts of their homes. The Revenue Officers, Vani Vilas Water Works (VVWW) officers and staff, elected representatives and the public have co-operated so that we can carry out development works.”

— G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, MCC Commissioner

‘Make use of 5% rebate’ 

I appeal to the taxpayers to make use of the five percent rebate announced by the MCC for tax payment in the month of April.  In the last financial year, I had conducted a series of meetings at all the nine Zonal Offices of the MCC and took the officers and elected representatives into confidence. Targets were set with the help of senior officers and the Commissioner and the collections were regularly monitored. The efforts paid off and we are planning to maintain the same tempo in the next financial year too. — Shivakumar, Mayor

The post MCC collects record Rs. 310.49 crore taxes appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Narendra Modi to walk for over 50 metres along with people, folk and cultural troupes

Mandya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway project at Gejjalagere near Mandya on Sunday (Mar. 12) and also dedicate the Cauvery drinking water scheme for the Sugar Town.

Sharing details of the Prime Minister’s itinerary, Mysuru district Minister S.T. Somashekar and Mysuru MP Pratap Simha said in Mandya yesterday that PM Modi will arrive at the Mysore Airport in Mandakalli on Mysuru-Nanjangud National Highway at 11.10 am on a special flight from New Delhi.

The PM will fly in a MI helicopter to PES College of Engineering campus in Mandya where the chopper will land at Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Grounds.

After reaching Mandya at 11.35 am, the PM will hold a roadshow from the Inspection Bungalow (IB) Circle to Nanda Theatre Circle, covering a distance of 1.75 km. The Prime Minister will be greeted by over 40,000 people who will stand behind barricades laid on both sides of the road. The cavalcade will enter the new Expressway from Amaravati Hotel.

The Prime Minister will then alight from the vehicle and walk for over 50 metres along with people, folk and cultural troupes. Modi will view the Expressway project and later reach Gejjalagere Colony where a giant stage has been set up for the inauguration. He will address a public meeting of beneficiaries of various Government programmes which will commence at 12.05 pm.

Apart from inaugurating the Expressway project, the PM will also lay the foundation stone for the greenfield Mysuru-Kushalnagar four-lane highway project to be taken up at a cost of Rs. 3,530 crore. He will also dedicate the Cauvery drinking water project for Mandya apart from a hospital.

After concluding his public engagements in Mandya, the PM will return to Mysore Airport in the chopper and fly to Hubballi where he is inaugurating a series of development works.

SPG meeting

Yesterday, as part of the PM’s visit, the Special Protection Group (SPG) Officers held a meeting with senior officers including Mysuru Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr. K.V. Rajendra and Mysore Airport authorities, to review security arrangements at the Mysore Airport. SPG Officer Ambarish Upadhyay asked the officials to identify a full-fledged hospital near the Airport and to keep on stand-by three ambulances at the Airport.

 The Chief Minister, his ministerial colleagues and the Union Ministers will be allowed to welcome the PM as per protocol. The SPG has asked the Mysuru District Administration to make preparations for the VIP to travel to Mandya by road in case the situation arises. 

 The BJP is expecting nearly 2 to 3 lakh people to attend the public function and Pratap Simha ridiculed the inspection of the Expressway by Congress leaders. He said such an exercise should have been conducted during the construction phase but they did not do so. Now such an inspection will amount to a jolly ride, he said.

The post Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway inauguration on Mar. 12 : PM Modi will land in Mysuru before heading to Mandya appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Mysore/Mysuru: District Minister S.T. Somashekar presided over a preliminary meeting this morning on the arrangements made for distribution of benefits to various beneficiaries, at Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s programme on Mar. 7 at 11 am at Maharaja’s College Grounds in city.

The Minister, who reviewed preparations at the meeting held at ZP Hall, directed Tahsildars and Executive Officers of Taluk Panchayats in the district, to make arrangements to ferry beneficiaries in KSRTC buses to the venue.

There are about 57,000 beneficiaries of State and Central Governments schemes and a selected few among them will be distributed benefits in a symbolic manner, during the CM’s event.

Mayor Shivakumar, MLAs Sa. Ra. Mahesh and L. Nagendra, MLC C.N. Manjegowda, Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, ZP Chief Executive Officer K.M. Gayathri, SP Seema Latkar, DCP (Law and Order) M. Muthuraj, DCP (Crime and Traffic) S. Jahnavi and other Officers attended the meeting.

The post District Minister reviews preparations for CM’s meet in city appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Mysore/Mysuru: The three lion cubs that were born to Nirbhaya and Raju were displayed for the public for the first time on Jan. 26 at the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, popular as Mysuru Zoo.

Mysuru District Minister S.T. Somashekar released the cubs for public display in the presence of Mayor Shivakumar, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Chairman M. Shivakumar, Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) Chairman Mirle Srinivas Gowda, former MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev, Zoo Executive Director Ajit M. Kulkarni and others.

Nirbhaya gave birth to the cubs on Aug. 5, 2022 after a gestation period of 103 days and the cubs were displayed along with their mother at the Zoo. With the display, the Zoo, known for its collection, cleanliness and conservation breeding of endangered species, has added another feather to its cap.

The birth of lion cubs in August came after more than eight years, thanks to the captive breeding efforts initiated by the Zoo authorities. They were paired in April 2022 after assessing their compatibility.

Five-year-old Nirbhaya was brought from Nandan Van Zoo and Safari at Raipur in Chhattisgarh under the animal exchange programme in 2021. She was paired with six-year-old Raju that was brought in 2019 from the Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden.

Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden, also known as Sakkarbaug Zoo or Junagadh Zoo, is a 200-hectare (490-acre) zoo that opened in 1863 at Junagadh, Gujarat. The Zoo provides pure-bred Asiatic lions for the Indian and the international endangered species captive breeding programme for the critically endangered species. Wild free ranging Asiatic lions have become extinct over most of Asia and are today found only in the nearby Gir Forest.

Nirbhaya is a first-time mother and she is taking care of the cubs well. Even the cubs are healthy. The Zoo presently has five adult lions, including two males and three females, and three cubs. Of the five adult lions, two are Asiatic lions and three are Afro-Asian lions.

According to Ajit Kulkarni, the cubs are healthy, energetic and active and their behaviour, movements and feeding patterns are closely monitored. “We have CCTV cameras in their enclosures and their keepers and doctors are closely observing them,” he said. 

The Executive Director said that their vision is to become a successful centre for captive breeding. Over 85 percent of the animals housed and displayed at the Zoo have bred successfully. Currently, the Zoo has 150 different species and overall it has 1,450 animals, birds and reptiles.

The post Lion cubs, Nirbhaya star attractions at Mysuru Zoo appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Mysore/Mysuru: District Minister S.T. Somashekar has said that eight Primary Health Centres (PHC) in the district that function amid severe pressure will be upgraded.

The District Minister addressed the gathering after unfurling Tri-colour during 74th Republic Day celebrations organised by the District Administration at Torch Light Parade Grounds in Bannimantap here yesterday.

Somashekar said that “Six Namma Clinics have been sanctioned to the district in 2022-23 to provide full-fledged service at thickly populated areas in the city. While five among them are functioning, the works related to establishment of another are underway. Under Gram Panchayat (GP) Arogya Amrutha Abhiyaana, the basic infrastructural facilities at 25 PHCs have been upgraded at a cost of Rs. 20 lakh each.”

On Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway works, Minister Somashekar said that the works are going on at a brisk pace. “The works on building bypasses at Bidadi, Ramanagara, Channapatna and Maddur have been completed. Once the Expressway works are fully completed, Mysuru can be reached from Bengaluru in 90 minutes,” he said.

The works to build solid waste management units at all GPs have been kickstarted, along with plan to allot housing units, by identifying those without own shelter in rural areas.

Under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), it has been planned to develop 401 lakes. 190 lakes among them are already developed while the works of remaining lakes will be completed by March.

Under Swachh Bharat Mission, 3,95,507 toilets have been built and the target has been set to build 4,373 toilets this year, added the District Minister.

 About improvement of basic infrastructural facilities at schools in the district, he said that 265 Viveka class rooms were sanctioned to 11 Assembly Constituencies in the district for the year 2022-23. “The works have been taken up at a cost of Rs. 15 lakh each, totalling Rs. 39.75 crore. Besides, Rs. 5.20 lakh has been released to build toilets at each of 232 schools in the district and the works are under progress.”

Quoting Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Minister Somashekar said, ‘Justice means freedom, equality and harmony,’ and it is in our hands to realise the concept of justice. With this, we are of the firm belief that the roots of democracy will be strengthened, he added.

The parade by various troops including Police, school and college students, led by Chief Commander and ACP of Mounted Police K.N. Suresh was the highlight of the event. Earlier, District Minister inspected the parade in an open jeep and received the guard of honour.

Following troops won prizes in various categories:

Armed Forces: Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) led by Rudramuni- first prize, Devaraja Sub-division led by Praveen Kumar- second prize and KSRP led by Chetan – third prize.

Non-armed Wing: NCC Air wing led by T.V. Kushi – first prize, NCC Navy led by K. R. Aniruddha – second prize and NCC Army led by Lekhana – third prize.

School: Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Girls team led by Geetha – first prize, Bharatiya Seva Dal Girls led by Ashwini (second prize) and Amrita Vidyalaya team led by M. Pratheeksha- third prize.

Special prizes were given to Police Bands of District Armed Reserve (DAR) Police, Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and City Armed Reserve (CAR) Police on the occasion.

Mayor Shivakumar, Deputy Mayor Dr. G. Roopa, MLCs Marithibbegowda and C.N. Manjegowda, Chairman of Karnataka State Safai Karmachari Commission M. Shivanna (Kote), Chairman of Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd., (MPVL) R. Raghu Kautilya, Chairman of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Yashaswi Somashekar, Chairman of Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) M. Shivakumar, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, Zilla Panchayat Chief  Executive Officer (CEO) B. R. Poornima, Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, SP Seema Latkar, City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh  and others were present during the Republic Day celebrations at the Bannimantap Grounds.

The post 74th Republic Day celebrations in Mysuru – Eight busy PHCs in district to be upgraded: Minister Somashekar appeared first on Star of Mysore.

To ease burden on existing healthcare facilities in Urban and Semi-Urban areas

Mysore/Mysuru: In yet another health care initiative of the State Government, ‘Namma Clinic’, modelled on the Union Government’s Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), was inaugurated at Madhuvana Layout, Srirampura in the city this morning.

Speaking after inaugurating the Clinic, District Minister S.T. Somashekar said that ‘Namma Clinics’ are being set up across the State and this is the first one in Mysuru city.

Explaining the salient features of the Clinics, Somashekar said these are aimed at providing basic healthcare services to the urban poor, slum dwellers and lower income groups.

Pointing out that the objective of the Clinics is to ease the burden on existing healthcare facilities in Urban and Semi-Urban areas, he said Doctors and Nursing staff have been roped in on contract basis for running the ‘Namma Clinic’, where free primary healthcare is provided. If necessary, the Clinics would refer to specialist treatment in Government Hospitals, he added.

Referring to the welfare of differently-abled children, Somashekar lauded the efforts of MLA S.A. Ramdas in coming to the aid of such children.

K.R. MLA Ramdas, in his address, said that ‘Namma Clinic’ is not just a temporary healthcare facility, but a permanent one, working throughout the year.

Asserting that this healthcare facility was opened on the day marking the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Ramdas said that it was Vajpayee who first launched welfare schemes for the differently-abled under the provisions of the Constitution.

Highlighting the achievements of the Vajpayee Government in various sectors, the MLA said that ‘Namma Clinic’ sends out a message for the public to have a perception that ‘It is my Clinic and my Doctor’. The Clinic, apart from medical consultation, will also provide the prescribed medicines, he added.

Water beds, Wheel chairs, Air beds, M.R. Kits, Crutches, C.P. Chairs and other prosthetic equipment were distributed to over 160 differently-abled beneficiaries on the occasion.

Mayor Shivakumar and others were present.

It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had launched 114 ‘Namma Clinics’ located across the State recently at Bengaluru. There are 438 such sanctioned Clinics in the State, out of which 6 will be in Mysuru district, including three in Mysuru city — at Srirampura, which was inaugurated today;  at Hootagalli on Hunsur road and at Yaraganahalli, which are due to be inaugurated shortly. The three other Clinics in the district will come up at H.D. Kote Handpost in H.D. Kote taluk, T. Narasipur and K.R. Nagar towns.

The post District Minister opens city’s first ‘Namma Clinic’ appeared first on Star of Mysore.