Latest news with #Swamy
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Thalliki Vandanam, Annadata Sukhibhava, free travel in RTC for women soon: Minister
Kondapi: Social Welfare Minister Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy declared that the coalition government is implementing all promises made to the people during elections. He announced that the Talliki Vandanam, Annadata Sukhibhva, and the free travel in RTC buses for women schemes would be started very soon, while distributing pensions to beneficiaries in a door-to-door campaign. The Minister visited Chilamkuru village in Kondapi constituency's Marripudi mandal on Saturday as part of the 'Pedala Sevalo' government programme, personally distributing pensions to elderly citizens, disabled persons, and widows at their homes. Speaking during the event, Minister Swamy said that the NDA coalition is moving forward with capable leadership while fulfilling election commitments. He highlighted several welfare initiatives being implemented as part of election promises, including increased pensions and four free LPG cylinders. He explained that the free bus travel for women and the Annadaata Sukhibhava program, offering Rs 20000 combined with central government contributions, are to be implemented very soon. Under the Talliki Vandanam scheme, Swamy explained that benefits will be extended to all children in a family based on the number of children. He said that the government plans to sanction houses for all eligible beneficiaries, with SC and BC beneficiaries receiving Rs 3.00 lakh, ST beneficiaries Rs 3.25lakh, and OC beneficiaries Rs 2.50 lakh for house construction. The Minister said that the state government is spending Rs 2,718 crores on pensions statewide. In Prakasam district, Rs 124 crores are being spent, while Kondapi constituency accounts for Rs 18.19 crores, as Marripudi mandal receives Rs 2.38 crores, and Chilankuru village alone receives Rs 10.06 lakh in pension payments. The Minister reaffirmed the state government's commitment to public welfare and development, stating that welfare programs are being implemented at full scale across the state. RDO Keshavardhan Reddy, District Social Welfare Officer Lakshmanaayak, SC Corporation ED ArjunNaik, MPDO Jagadeeshwar Rao, Tahsildar Jwala Narasimha Rao, other officials, and local public representatives attended the programme.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Unseasonal rain hits fruit, vegetable yield in Karnataka
Bengaluru: A prolonged delay in flowering and setting of fruit due to extreme temperature already cost mango farmers dearly. At a time when farmers were hoping to recover their expenses, incessant pre-monsoon showers, along with hailstorms and gusty winds, wreaked havoc not just on mango cultivation but also on other fruit and vegetable crops across Karnataka. As per a joint assessment of the crop losses carried out by horticulture and revenue departments between March and May 26, Karnataka lost fruits and vegetable crops worth Rs 42 crore cultivated on 2,005 hectares of area due to erratic pre-monsoon showers. "Almost all horticulture crops suffered damage due to unseasonal rain. The worst-hit crops include mango, banana and papaya among fruits, and cabbage and tomato among vegetable crops," explained a senior horticulture official at Lalbagh. "All the top mango-producing districts suffered losses due to rain. Kolar saw the worst damage, with heavy showers affecting mango production on 598 hectares, followed by Koppal and Bidar districts," a joint director of horticulture explained. Siddarama Swamy, a progressive mango farmer in Kolar's Malur taluk, said, "The summer affected us badly, and now rain is inflicting even more damage. About 50% of our mango crop was lost. Due to strong winds and hailstorms, fruits fell, and whatever was left on the trees failed to develop properly due to lack of sunshine. We used to deliver our mango varieties in late May and early June. But with severe crop damage and short supply, price of fruits will go up in coming days," Swamy said. Banana plantations were also badly impacted by the rain and strong winds. In Chamarajanagar, a district known for banana cultivation, the crop on 130 hectares perished. Across Karnataka, banana crop on 522 hectares was lost due to rain. Several major vegetable crops also rotted on fields due to excess moisture and pounding rain. "Cabbage crop on 15 hectares and tomato on 80 hectares in Kolar district were affected," the official explained. Among the districts, Koppal suffered huge losses to the tune of Rs 7.3 crore, and Kolar sustained losses worth Rs 4.7 crore. Ranganath, a retail vegetable trader from Kanakapura who sells cabbage and leafy vegetables in Bengaluru, acknowledged the losses. "Despite the demand, there is hardly any supply from districts like Kolar and Chikkaballapur. If you increase the price due to short supply, people won't buy vegetables, and you cannot keep them for more than two days." Munireddy, a tomato farmer from Kolar, said, "Unlike previous years, bulk prices crashed and traders bought tomatoes at Rs 2-3 per kg. But in retail, they have been selling them at Rs 10-15. We are unable to recover even labour expenses, let alone earn a profit." — Hamsa G & Sutapa Dey
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
BJP leader admits downing of five Indian jets
Listen to article Subramanian Swamy, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, has admitted that Pakistan downed five Indian fighter jets, including Rafale aircraft, during the four-day military confrontation between the two neighbouring countries earlier this month. Swamy, a known critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fired a broadside against his own party's government, denouncing the failure of the authorities in apprehending the perpetrators of April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 tourists were killed. Tensions between the two countries escalated after the attack in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) tourist resort. It turned into a full scale military confrontation, when India fired missiles at mosques and civilian targets in six Pakistani cities in the wee hours of May 7. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was swift to respond to Indian aggression, downing six enemy aircraft. On May 10, Pakistan launched operation Bunaynum Marsoos, hitting dozens of Indian military targets and forcing New Delhi to request for the ceasefire, which Pakistan accepted. Though the international media confirmed that Pakistan had shot down Indian warplanes, including its prized Rafales, but the Indian government kept mum to officially concede to the Pakistan's claims. Swamy is the first senior BJP leader to finally admit that Pakistani was right. "Pakistan shot down five of our aircraft using Chinese fighter jets. Their performance was commendable, whereas our French Rafale jets were underwhelming," Swamy said, while speaking on a podcast. "Insufficient," he replied, when asked about the French-made Rafale jets. Swamy also levelled serious allegations regarding the controversial Rafale deal, claiming that there was widespread corruption in the procurement process. "This will never be investigated as long as Modi is the prime minister, because he won't allow it," he asserted. Swamy denounced the Indian government's failure in apprehending those, who perpetrated "a grave crime" in Pahalgam. "We should have avenged it, but we failed to do so," lamented Swamy, who served in the Rajya Sabha – upper house of Indian parliament – from 2016 to 2022. In response to another question about Modi's public rapport with US President Donald Trump, he dismissed the relationship as "superficial". He said: "Modi is a master manipulator, deceiving the public. But Indians living abroad know the truth — he has no real stature in USA. He is, in essence, a servant." Swamy also accused Modi of caving under international pressure during the crisis. "The United States asked for a ceasefire, and you submitted. Who authorised that decision? Was it the military? No. It was your fear of the United States, and especially Donald Trump. Modi's cowardice has been exposed." He repeated his call for Modi's resignation. "We need a new course of action in the coming months," he said. "Modi must step down. He has failed to uphold the founding principles of our republic so he has to go. It's not just my opinion — many others agree, though they are afraid to say it publicly," he added.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
BJP leader admits Pakistan downed five Indian jets in recent conflict
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy admitted that Pakistan downed five Indian fighter jets, including Rafale aircraft, during the recent military confrontation between the two neighbouring countries. Tensions escalated on May 7, when India launched missile strikes at what it described as 'terrorist infrastructure' across the border. Pakistan responded with retaliatory measures, prompting a sharp military buildup on both sides of the frontier. The confrontation lasted four days and involved the use of fighter jets, drones, missiles, and artillery — marking the worst military engagement between the two nations in decades before a ceasefire was declared. Read more: PM confirms downing of sixth Indian jet, hails PAF's combat excellence Pakistan confirmed shooting down six Indian jets, including the much-hyped Rafale, but India has continued to deny the allegations despite international media reports supporting Pakistan's claims. However, a senior BJP leader has now acknowledged the losses in the recent skirmish. Speaking on a podcast, Swamy expressed strong criticism of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Pahalgam attack. He denounced the failure to apprehend the perpetrators as 'a grave crime,' lamenting, 'We should have avenged it, but we failed to do so.' When asked how many Indian fighter jets were downed in the skirmishes, he said, 'Pakistan shot down five of our aircraft using Chinese fighter jets. Their performance was commendable, whereas our French Rafale jets were underwhelming.' He went on to describe the Rafales as 'insufficient' for India's defence needs. Swamy, who served in the Rajya Sabha from 2016 to 2022, also levelled serious allegations regarding the controversial Rafale deal, claiming there was widespread corruption in the procurement process. 'This will never be investigated as long as Modi is prime minister, because he won't allow it,' he asserted. In response to a question about Modi's public rapport with former US President Donald Trump, he dismissed the relationship as superficial. He said, 'Modi is a master manipulator, deceiving the public. But Indians living abroad know the truth — he has no real stature in USA. He is, in essence, a servant.' Read more: Locations of downed Indian aircraft disclosed by security sources Swamy also accused Modi of caving under international pressure during the crisis. 'The United States asked for a ceasefire, and you submitted. Who authorised that decision? Was it the military? No. It was your fear of the United States, and especially Donald Trump. Modi's cowardice has been exposed. We need a new course of action in the coming months,' he said. When asked about the path forward, he was unequivocal. 'Modi must step down. He has failed to uphold the founding principles of our republic so he has to go. It's not just my opinion — many others agree, though they are afraid to say it publicly,' he added. The clash erupted following a deadly attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, located in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which killed 26 tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on elements backed by Pakistan, though it offered no public evidence to support the claim. Islamabad strongly denied the accusation and called for an independent investigation.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
State govt. urged to revive industries founded by Mysore Maharajas
Former mayor and BJP leader Sandesh Swamy has urged the State government to take immediate steps to revive the historic industries established by the erstwhile Mysore Maharajas, many of which are now facing neglect or closure. In a statement issued here, Mr. Swamy said the rulers of the former Mysore State set up several landmark industries across the region. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), established in Bengaluru in 1940, is one of the most prominent ones. However, reports of HAL being relocated to Andhra Pradesh are alarming. The State government must act to retain the facility in Karnataka instead of shifting blame to the Centre, he said. Mr. Swamy underscored the significance of other iconic institutions such as the Karnataka Silk Factory, Sandalwood Oil Factory, Mysore Sandal Soap Factory, Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant. He noted that these establishments once brought national and international recognition to Karnataka but they are now struggling. He highlighted the closure of the K.R. Mill in Mysuru, founded by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar to generate local employment, which has remained shut for over three decades. The former mayor appealed to the Minister for Labour to prioritise the revival of heritage industries and implement measures to prevent further closures.
