
Karnataka High Court orders CBI probe into Valmiki Corporation irregularities
The development marks a setback for the Congress-led government in Karnataka, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as it brings further scrutiny to alleged financial misconduct under its administration.The alleged scam emerged after corporation accounts superintendent Chandrasekharan P was found dead on May 21, 2024. His suicide note alleged an unauthorised transfer of Rs 187 crore from the corporation, with Rs 88.62 crore illegally deposited into IT company accounts and a Hyderabad cooperative bank. Following the incident, two officials were suspended and Karnataka Tribal Welfare and Sports Minister Nagendra resigned, who was later arrested by the ED in connection with the alleged scam.advertisementOn June 11, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted searches at eight locations in Karnataka, linked to Congress leader and Ballari Lok Sabha MP E Tukaram and other Congress leaders and MLAs in the state, sources said.The raids were in connection with the investigation into the alleged embezzlement of funds from the Karnataka Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited (KVSTDCL). The alleged siphoned money was then reportedly used to fund the Lok Sabha election campaign.- Ends
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Hindustan Times
34 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Difficult to find a chair': DK Shivakumar's remark sparks buzz in Karnataka amid Siddaramaiah's full-term pledge
A day after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah firmly ruled out any possibility of a leadership change, his deputy D K Shivakumar made a cryptic comment that has reignited political chatter around the Congress's power-sharing dynamics in the state. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.(PTI) Also Read - Bengaluru DCP buys flat from bank, then another lender shows up to seize it. Here's what happened Speaking at the Kempegowda Jayanti celebrations hosted by the Bangalore Bar Association on Friday, Shivakumar made a statement loaded with metaphor, 'There are so many chairs, come and sit. It is difficult to find a chair. When you find a chair, you have to come and sit on the raft. If you look at yourself, you look like tyagis.' Siddaramaiah denies any changes in CM post Though directed at lawyers attending the event, the remark has been widely interpreted as a subtle political message, given its timing and context. This comes on the heels of CM Siddaramaiah's strong rebuttal on Thursday in New Delhi, where he dismissed all rumours of a leadership transition. 'I am still the Chief Minister of Karnataka. Where is the vacancy? D K Shivakumar himself has said there is no change in leadership. I'm reiterating the same,' Siddaramaiah told reporters, firmly shutting down the ongoing buzz about him stepping aside mid-term. The talk of a power-sharing agreement, allegedly to transfer the reins to Shivakumar halfway through the government's five-year term, has been circulating since the Congress returned to power in 2023. With the government completing 2.5 years in November 2025, the speculation has gained momentum in recent months. Also Read - Russian woman with expired business-visa found living in Gokarna cave with kids, rescued However, both leaders have repeatedly denied that any such deal exists. Siddaramaiah maintains he will complete his full term, while Shivakumar has so far publicly toed the party line, even as remarks like the one on Friday hint at underlying tensions or future aspirations. The party maintained despite these occasional flare-ups, the Congress high command has not initiated any formal discussion on altering the leadership in Karnataka. (With ANI inputs)

Hindustan Times
35 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ukraine says 4 killed in massive Russian drone, missile attack
Russia fired more than 620 drones and long-range missiles overnight killing four people, Ukraine said Saturday, calling for fresh sanctions on Moscow to halt its record barrages. Firefighters and a police officer work at the site of an apartment building damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes(REUTERS) Kyiv and Moscow have stepped up aerial strikes over recent months and US-led ceasefire talks aimed at pausing the over three-year war have stalled. "Twenty-six cruise missiles and 597 attack drones were launched, of which more than half were 'Shaheds'," , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, referring to Iranian-made drones. The Ukrainian air force said it had downed 319 Shahed drones and 25 missiles, adding that one missile and about 20 drones hit "five locations". It did not elaborate. Zelensky said the strikes had killed at least two people and wounded 20 in Chernvsty in the west, far from the front lines of the east and south. Six people were wounded in Lviv, also in the west, while in the east, two people died in Dnipropetrovsk and three were wounded in Kharkiv, local authorities said. The Russian defence ministry said it had targeted companies in Ukraine's military-industrial ccomplex in Lviv, Kharkiv and Lutsk and a military aerodrome. On Friday, Ukrainian drone and shelling attacks killed three people in Russia. US special envoy Keith Kellogg is due on Monday to begin his latest visit to Ukraine as a Washington-led peace effort flounders. On Friday, the Kremlin restated its opposition to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, after French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv's allies had a plan "ready to go... in the hours after a ceasefire". US President Donald Trump called Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday but said afterwards there had been no progress towards ending the war. The Kremlin said Putin would not give up on Russia's war goals but would nonetheless continue to take part in negotiations. Moscow says its aim in Ukraine is to get rid of the "root causes" of the conflict and has demanded that Kyiv give up its NATO ambitions. Weapons, sanctions Zelensky said on Thursday Trump had given him firm dates for the resumption of US weapons shipments and planned to make a statement on Russia on Monday. Washington's announcement earlier this month that it would pause some armament deliveries to Ukraine was a blow to Kyiv, which is reliant on Western military support. On Saturday, Zelensky urged his Western allies to send "more than just signals" to stop the war launched by Russia in February 2022. "The pace of Russian air strikes requires swift decisions and it can be curbed right now through sanctions," he said. Zelensky specifically demanded penalties for those who "help Russia produce drones and profit from oil". Oil exports are important for the Russian economy especially in the face of existing Western sanctions. Sanctions imposed on Russia -- the world's largest fertiliser producer -- after the invasion spared its grain and fertiliser exports. But prices skyrocketed, fuelling fears of food insecurity. The United Nations signed a deal with Russia in July 2022 to facilitate exports of food and fertiliser to limit global price increases. But on Friday, it said the accord would not be renewed when it expires on July 22. Russia has repeatedly complained the agreement does little to protect it from secondary sanction effects.
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Business Standard
38 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Govt to boost rare earth magnet output via PLI scheme, private sector push
Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said that the government has introduced Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes to encourage participation of private players in rare earth permanent magnets production. The Centre has initiated PLI schemes, which offer financial incentives tied directly to measurable outcomes and have been designed to boost domestic manufacturing. While talking to ANI, the Union Minister said, "For this, the Indian government has also started some PLI schemes to encourage it. We are paying attention to this subject. The Prime Minister has continuously discussed this subject. Recently, during his visit to 5 countries, discussions were held with different countries on this subject. The raw material of rare earth is also available in smaller quantities in India. Importing raw materials, processing them, and manufacturing permanent magnets for various applications, including cell phones, space technology, and defence, creates a huge demand. The Indian government is working seriously for this. This scheme has also been brought under it." Additionally, the Minister also highlighted India's shift in sourcing strategy, noting that India was previously entirely dependent on China for rare-earth permanent magnets. India, earlier, relied entirely on imports from China for the permanent magnets, the Minister said. He added that the Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC), supported by the Ministry of Mining in Hyderabad, has successfully prepared a permanent magnet processing unit equipped with the necessary machinery. The central government plans to provide the technology developed by NFTDC to private factories for manufacturing. "We used to be 100 per cent dependent on China for permanent magnets of the rare earths. But recently, China has refused to supply. With this view, the Indian government is making efforts for permanent magnet manufacturing. Our mining ministry's institute in Hyderabad has made efforts and prepared a permanent magnet processing unit with equipment. After three to four months, we will try to manufacture permanent magnets by giving the technology to different private factories," Reddy told ANI. In April 2024, China announced that it would impose export controls on certain rare earth-related items, triggering a global supply shortage, including in India. In the light of rare earth magnet production, on Friday, Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), welcomed the central government initiatives to ramp up rare earth magnet production in India, particularly the incentives the latter is earmarking for. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the setting up of the Critical Mineral Mission in the Union Budget for 2024-25 on July 23, 2024. The Union Cabinet in January 2025 approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with an expenditure of Rs 16,300 crore and an expected investment of Rs 18,000 crore by Public Sector Undertakings. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)