Mysore/Mysuru: Amid widespread protests advocating for the preservation of Government Schools across the State, a notable Government Kannada medium school in Nazarbad here is facing severe neglect and decay.

Established in 1925, the school is on the verge of celebrating its centenary next year, but concerns are rising that the building might collapse before the milestone is reached, owing to official negligence.

The infrastructure of the school is in a state of disrepair, characterised by damaged walls, tiles, leaking roofs and overgrown creepers. Basic amenities are lacking and students and teachers alike are grappling with the deteriorating conditions. The compromised structural integrity of the building poses a tangible risk, with students fearing injuries from falling roof tiles.

Currently, only 18 students are pursuing their education at the institution, and astonishingly, there is only one teacher responsible for teaching all six subjects from Class 1 to Class 7. The school’s lone cook prepares the midday meal for the students.

Despite the State Government providing free lunch and uniforms, there has been a stark neglect of the building’s restoration, jeopardising the safety of both students and teachers.

Over the years, the school has experienced a decline in admission rates, and teachers attribute this to parental preferences for English medium private schools.

Parents have expressed concerns about the school environment as well.

The school will complete 100 years in 2025 and given this illustrious history, it is imperative for concerned authorities to prioritise the restoration and maintenance of the institution to uphold its legacy and continue imparting knowledge to  future generations.

The teachers have cited a lack of funds as a major hindrance, specifically for the removal of weeds. Despite approaching Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) officials for assistance in cleaning efforts, the teachers have faced roadblocks due to purported budget constraints.

Furthermore, desperate appeals from the teachers for the restoration of the school have been met with responses from officials indicating plans for construction of a new building.

Despite years of waiting, no concrete steps have been taken to address the urgent need for restoration.

The post Ahead of centenary, Government Kannada School in shambles appeared first on Star of Mysore.

A replay of 2022’s pattern of back-and-forth transfers and reinstatements within MUDA

Mysore/Mysuru: The State Government, which initially transferred G.T. Dinesh Kumar, the Commissioner of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), has reversed its decision and instructed him to continue in his current position.

This volte-face by the Government occurred within 24 hours of the initial transfer order. The sudden decision to transfer a KAS Officer, especially in the Chief Minister’s home district, without careful consideration, has raised brows.

On Wednesday evening, the Government had transferred Arul Kumar, who was serving as Deputy Secretary, Department of Finance, as the MUDA Commissioner. However, in an order issued last evening, Undersecretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) Umadevi issued a notification saying that Dinesh Kumar’s transfer order has been withdrawn in the interests of administration.

Predicting that Dinesh Kumar’s transfer will be put on hold, Star of Mysore had published a report yesterday under the title ‘MUDA Commissioner’s transfer put on hold?’ and now, this newspaper’s prediction has proven accurate.

In 2021 also

This episode of a transfer and subsequent reinstatement at MUDA echoes a similar occurrence in 2022. At that time, the then MUDA Commissioner and KAS Officer, Dr. D.B. Natesh was abruptly transferred, leading to the appointment of the current Commissioner, G.T. Dinesh Kumar, in his place. Prior to joining MUDA, Dinesh Kumar had served as the Administrative Officer of Ghataprabha Command Area Development Authority in Belagavi.

Following the transfer order, Dr. Natesh approached the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) as the Government had transferred him before completing his two-year term. In a favourable decision for Dr. Natesh, the KAT ruled in his favour.

Armed with the KAT order, Dr. Natesh returned to assume the position of MUDA Commissioner, even though Dinesh had already served in that capacity for over 15 days. Subsequently, Dr. Natesh was transferred to a different post, leading to the Government’s reappointment of Dinesh Kumar as MUDA Commissioner.

Before Dr. Natesh’s 2022 transfer drama and the subsequent reinstatement, in June 2021, the Government transferred Dr. Natesh to the Veterinary Department in Bengaluru and appointed Sheelavanth M. Shivakumar as the MUDA Commissioner.

However, the Government conveyed an oral instruction to both Dr. Natesh and Shivakumar, advising them not to hand over charge of their respective posts. Remarkably, within a day, the Government reversed the transfer and cancelled the decision altogether.

Nanjangud Dy.SP

Recently, the Government transferred Nanjangud Dy.SP Govindaraju, replacing him with Sumith, who was awaiting a transfer order from State Intelligence. Surprisingly, even before Sumith could assume charge as Nanjangud Dy.SP, the Government rescinded the transfer and appointed him as Dy.SP of the Nagamangala Subdivision.

Adding to the complexity, Police Officer Raghu, initially waiting for a posting to State Intelligence, was then assigned as Nanjangud Dy.SP. Subsequently, Raghu assumed office in Nanjangud.

The apparent lack of awareness among senior officials at the DPAR regarding transfer rules and the KAT orders has raised questions among the public. Clear communication and understanding of KAT’s decisions could have averted the confusion surrounding these appointments. However, the cancellation of Sumith’s appointment and the subsequent appointment of Raghu as Nanjangud Dy.SP have triggered considerable debate.

The post MUDA Commissioner’s transfer order cancelled appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government on Thursday declared 12th century social reformer Basavanna as the ‘Cultural Leader’ of the State. The announcement has come just a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Cabinet decision is seen as the direct attack on BJP to woo the Lingayat voters in the State ahead of LS polls

In a social media post, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said pontiffs of various Lingayat Mutts had requested the Government to declare Basavanna as the ‘Cultural Leader’ of the State and he too was personally interested in declaring the 12th century social reformer as the  ‘Cultural Leader’.

“I am satisfied that our Government has fulfilled the demands of the pontiffs and I pray them to shower blessings on our Government,” the statement added.

Terming Basavanna as his ‘ideological guru’, Siddaramaiah recalled that it was on Basava Jayanti in 2013 that he took oath as the CM for the first time.

The post Basavanna declared as ‘Cultural Leader’ of the State appeared first on Star of Mysore.

200 such outlets to be opened across State, says MSIL MD Manoj Kumar

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government has opened a premium liquor boutique at Basaveshwara Nagar on West of Chord Road in Bengaluru on par with high-end private outlets. This is an upgraded version of the existing State-owned Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL) outlets.

The outlet has been designed keeping in mind the contemporary trends to provide a better customer experience. Manoj Kumar, Managing Director (MD) of MSIL, said: “This liquor boutique will have all brands under one roof. This is part of the plan to expand the market share by reaching out more customers and providing premium brand liquor at the retail outlets.” The Government has plans to open 200 such outlets across the State, including 20 in Bengaluru. “The ambience gives a sense of luxury liquor outlet with trained staff to attend to customers,” he said.

Kumar added that 200 out of the 1,029 MSIL outlets will be upgraded, 20 of which are in Bengaluru. The upgrade has been planned under the guidance of Industry Minister M.B. Patil, who is also the MSIL Chairman.

“This is part of MSIL’s plan to expand its market share by reaching out to a wider range of customers by making available premium liquor brands at its retail outlets,” he said. He said MSIL aims to increase its transactions by around 40 percent to touch Rs. 4,000 crore during the current year. In addition to refurbishing the liquor outlets, MSIL aims to achieve a target of Rs 10,000 crore transactions through chit fund. It also has plans to open franchise outlets to sell stationery items and launch 10 mega pharmacy stores.

The post Government opens premium liquor boutique in Bengaluru appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Belagavi: Bowing to demand from various quarters, the State Government has decided to postpone the re-exam for PSI (Police Sub-Inspector) recruitment by a month and accordingly the exam will be held only at Bengaluru centres on Jan.23, 2024.

The Government decided to conduct re-exam following a recent High Court order in the wake of recruitment scam last year.

Announcing the fresh date of re-exam on the first day of the winter session of the State Legislature at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on Monday, Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara said that  following the demand from candidates and Opposition parties, it has been decided to postpone the re-exam for recruitment of 545 PSIs by a month. Earlier, the re-exam was scheduled to take place on Dec.23, he noted.

Pointing out that all the candidates who were eligible to write the earlier exam, will be allowed for the re-exam, he  highlighted that this time, the written exam will be held only at Bengaluru centres as a security measure and there will be no centres in any other places of the State.

It may be mentioned here that the High Court had recently ordered re-exam after the papers were leaked in the recruitment exam held last year. An ADGP and a host of other Police officers were allegedly involved in the question paper leak, with the Congress, then in the Opposition, charging the then BJP Government in power of corruption and scam.

The post PSI recruitment re-exam at Bengaluru on Jan. 23 appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Bengaluru: Coming as a big relief to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar (DKS), the State Cabinet yesterday held the approval by the previous BJP Government to CBI to investigate a Dis-proportionate Assets (DA) case against Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar was ‘Unlawful,’ thereby paving way for the Government to withdraw the permission granted by the previous BJP Government, to the Central Agency. Sources said that with this decision, the Government will withdraw the permission accorded to the CBI in this case.

Briefing reporters after the State Cabinet meeting here yesterday, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil said “The sanction to handover the case to the CBI was taken after an oral direction from the then BJP Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in  Sept. 2019. However, the then Assembly Speaker’s sanction, that is mandatory , was not taken”.

He reiterated that the then Government had not fulfilled its legal obligation of obtaining permission from the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, of which D.K. Shivakumar was a member. Now, the Cabinet found the sanction unlawful and the procedure to withdraw the same will follow by way of Government orders in this regard, he added. 

Incidentally, Shivakumar was not present at the Cabinet meeting when the issue came up. The CBI is currently investigating DKS for possessing assets worth Rs. 74.93 crore, which is disproportionate to his known sources of income, during 2013-2018.

It may noted that recently, the Karnataka High Court refused to quash the CBI case registered against D.K. Shivakumar.

The post Karnataka Government to withdraw approval for CBI probe against DKS appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Bengaluru: The State cabinet has approved ‘Karnataka Public Examinations Bill (Measures for Prevention of Corruption and Unfair Practises)-2023 which facilitates a provision of 12 years imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs.10 crore for those who indulge in irregularities in Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) and other examinations held by the State Government to fill the vacant or additional posts.

This Act is being brought out by the Government following continuous reports of alleged corruption and malpractices during examinations held for the post of Police Sub-Inspectors, Asst. Professors and the recently held examinations for First Division Assistants. The Bill is being brought to prevent such irregularities in future. The State Cabinet has given its assent to the Bill at its meeting held in Bengaluru, last week.

“Resorting to copying during examinations, leaking of question papers, overwriting answer and OMR sheets, using of written information, electronic and mechanical devices, trespassing into examination hall, writing of answers at unauthorised places and many others will all be considered as punishable offense under the proposed Bill. The Bill also under Section 10 (1) has a provision to punish a candidate  with an imprisonment of 5 years and also a fine of Rs.10 lakh if he is caught writing the examination either by copying or getting assistance from outside the examination hall.

Any act of leaking questions, writing in the name of others, trying to leak questions, storing of question papers illegally, writing answers illegally or helping to write exams illegally and helping directly or indirectly to commit any irregularity in the examination process by the candidate or anyone else, will attract imprisonment  of 8-12 years or a fine ranging from Rs.15 lakh to Rs.1 crore under Section 10 (2).

Also, Section 11 (2) bars any candidate who commits any irregularity while writing competitive examinations from appearing for any Government job examinations for a period of 2 years and Section 13 provides the recovery of entire examination process from any organisation or administrative board in case they are found to be involved in any examination irregularities.

The post Examination irregularities to invite 12 years jail and Rs. 10 crore fine appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Mysore/Mysuru: Bhagwanth Khuba, Union Minister of State for Chemicals, Fertilisers, New and Renewable Energy, said: “The only State Government which has lost popularity within one month of coming to power is of Karnataka State.”

He was speaking to media persons on the sidelines of International Tuberculosis Conclave 2023, organised by the Departments of Community Medicine and Respiratory Medicine, JSS Medical College, JSS AHER, at Shivarathreeshwara Nagar, Bannimantap, here this morning.

Khuba said: “The H. Kantharaj Commission’s Report on Caste Census after conducting Socio-Economic and Educational Survey has been deliberately turned into a controversy only to gain mileage in the forthcoming Lok Sabha Polls. Be it any matter, there will be mixed opinions, but how far it is right to take advantage of such matters. As a party, BJP opposes this attitude of the Government.”

Referring to former Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Panauti’ (Bad Omen) attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Indian cricket team losing the recent World Cup finals against Australia, Khuba said: “When he (Rahul Gandhi) has emerged as world leader, he has been making such low remarks merely for the sake of power.”

“There is no anti-incumbency against the Central Government and will return to power in the next Parliamentary Elections. For drought relief, the State Government should send a proposal and the relief will be provided as per National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reforms,” said Khuba.

When asked about CM Siddharamaiah’s opposition to Centre’s Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, Khuba said: “It is their habit to oppose all, like in the case of National Education Policy (NEP) – 2020 which was introduced on the basis of opinions of several lakhs of people.”

The post State Govt. became unpopular within a month: Khuba appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Bengaluru: Even as pressure is mounting on the Karnataka Government to make the State’s Socio-economic and Educational Census, popularly known as the ‘caste census’, public, in a narrative resembling a suspense thriller, it has now come to light that the original copy of the survey report has mysteriously disappeared, raising eyebrows and legal concerns.

The original report, crafted by H. Kantharaj, former Chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, is reportedly missing from the Commission’s strong room. Although scanned copies exist, lacking authorisation renders them unacceptable to the Government. The current Commission, led by Chairman K. Jayaprakash Hegde, is now crafting a new report based on the same data obtained from Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) systems.

Jayaprakash Hegde has written a letter to the State Government and has asserted that the original caste census data is missing. He stated that the caste census report was kept in the Commission’s Office on August 26, 2021.

The data collected, including the sealed boxes containing original documents and other details, was presented before the Commission members and the Secretary in a sealed envelope on Oct. 5, 2021. However, the main report with the Secretary’s signature is not present in the printed main report, he said.

Rs. 158.47 crore spent

The circumstances leading to the disappearance of the report remain unclear. The original survey was initiated by the then CM Siddharamaiah in 2015. The missing original report, containing crucial caste and community percentage data, had been prepared after an extensive survey at a cost  of Rs. 158.47 crore.

The Karnataka Government, eager to implement the survey findings, plans to accept the new caste census ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, potential legal challenges loom, with concerns about the sanctity of the report and why the original      was not submitted.

Meanwhile, In a hurried move this morning, Siddharamaiah Government has extended the tenure of Chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Jayaprakash Hegde by one month. His term was to end on Nov. 26 and now it will end on Dec. 26. He has been granted time to rectify ‘errors and discrepancies’ in the report and collate the actual data that was compiled during the census. 

Divisions within Congress

The differences in the State Government over the release of the census report continues to haunt the Congress, with Chief Minister Siddharamaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar taking a diametrically opposite stand over making the caste census report public.

While Siddharamaiah has supported accepting the caste census report, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar has opposed it. Shivakumar, along with some Ministers from the Vokkaliga community, even signed a memorandum submitted by the State Vokkaligara Sangha against making the report public.

Siddharamaiah has cited his high command Rahul Gandhi, who asserted that the Congress would conduct a caste survey if voted to power at the Centre. Siddharamaiah has become more vocal about making the report public and implementing its recommendations.

To avoid controversies, the report will first be presented to a newly-constituted Cabinet Sub-Committee led by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, which will assess the pros and cons of the caste census report. With the formation of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, the Government aims to mitigate immediate backlash from dominant communities and projected dominant communities if the report is made public.

The post Missing! Original copy of Karnataka caste census appeared first on Star of Mysore.

Bengaluru: In a major shake-up at the mid-level in Police Department, the Government on Friday transferred 40  Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy.SPs) and 71 Police Inspectors across the State.

As per the transfer order, Mysuru (Rural) Dy.SP Poornachandra Tejaswi has been transferred to Karnataka Lokayukta. He is replaced by Abdul Karim Ravutar, who was serving in the CID.

Mysuru DCRB Dy.SP A.R. Sumit has been posted to State Intelligence. Nazarbad Police Inspector K. Jeevan has been transferred to Lokayukta. He has been replaced by M. Mahadevaswamy, who was serving as CESC Vigilance Inspector at Madikeri.

Vivekananda, who was earlier posted to State Intelligence, has now been posted as V.V. Puram Police Inspector, replacing Mohan Kumar, who has been transferred to Lokayukta. N. Muniyappa, who was awaiting posting, has been appointed as Hunsur (Rural) Police Inspector, while C. Shivananjashetty, who was earlier transferred to Mysuru city SB, has now been posted as Mysuru Rural Police Inspector, in place of G.S. Swarna, who has been transferred to Basavanahalli Circle in                                              Chikkamagalur district.

The post 40 Dy.SPs and 71 Inspectors transferred appeared first on Star of Mysore.