bangalore news times

Bengaluru : In a bid to plug irregularities in its flagship guarantee schemes and ensure that benefits reach only eligible households, the Karnataka government has launched a statewide verification drive for beneficiaries of the Gruha Jyothi scheme. The door-to-door verification exercise will begin on July 1 and will be carried out by personnel of all Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMs). The Gruha Jyothi scheme, one of the Congress government’s flagship welfare programmes, provides eligible domestic consumers with up to 200 units of free electricity every month. As part of the re-verification process, ESCOM officials and meter readers will visit beneficiaries’ residences to verify their identity and eligibility. Officials will collect updated information, verify documents and complete the beneficiary verification process through a mobile application and a declaration form. The exercise is aimed at identifying ineligible beneficiaries and ensuring that the subsid...

Bengaluru : The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued six fishermen from a distressed fishing vessel in a challenging search and rescue operation off the Mangaluru coast on Monday, June 29, after the boat suffered severe flooding and hull damage due to rough sea conditions. According to the Defence Public Relations Office, the operation was carried out by Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sachet, which responded immediately after receiving a distress call from the Indian Fishing Boat (IFB) Manju Matha , located about 33 nautical miles off the Suratkal coast. The distress message was intercepted over Very High Frequency (VHF) radio at around 4 pm on June 29. The crew of the fishing boat reported that seawater had entered the vessel following hull damage caused by rough weather, placing all six fishermen on board in immediate danger. Responding swiftly, ICGS Sachet was diverted from its assigned task and reached the distressed vessel within 90 minutes. Despite challenging weathe...

Belagavi : Tension prevailed in Bharamyanatti village under the Yamakanmardi Assembly constituency in Belagavi district after a large group of people allegedly vandalised the house of a youth who had reportedly eloped with a married woman. The attackers are also accused of looting valuables, stealing livestock and attempting to assault the youth’s family members. According to the information available, Nagavva had married Basappa Nayak last year. Basappa and Yallappa were close friends and were employed at the same private company in Belagavi. During this period, Yallappa and Nagavva are said to have become acquainted, eventually leading to a relationship. Police said Nagavva allegedly left with Yallappa two days ago, triggering outrage among her family members and relatives from her husband’s side. Enraged over the incident, nearly 200 people allegedly armed with sticks, crowbars, axes and other weapons stormed Yallappa’s residence in Bharamyanatti vi...

Bengaluru : Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday, June 29, announced that the state government will issue permanent residence certificates to facilitate citizens participating in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Chief Minister said eligible residents who require a permanent residence certificate for the voter roll revision process can obtain it through both online and offline modes. He added that the certificates will be made available digitally via the Seva Sindhu portal as well as through designated government offices. Appealing to citizens to actively participate in the revision exercise, Shivakumar urged all eligible voters to complete their enrolment and ensure their names are correctly included in the electoral rolls. “Whoever wants a permanent residence certificate will get it both online and offline. The government will make the process simple and accessible for everyone,” the Chief ...

Hyderabad: The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union ( TGPWU ), Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) and Karnataka App-Based Workers Union (KAWU) on Monday, June 29, strongly condemned the decision to challenge the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025 before the Karnataka High Court . App-based platform companies like Swiggy and Zepto, as well as the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), moved the High Court challenging the Act’s constitutional validity. The writ petition questioned the Karnataka government’s move to frame the Act when the Centre’s Code on Social Security, 2020 (COSS), already exists. COSS consolidates labour welfare legislation by providing a comprehensive identification of gig workers, formulation of welfare schemes, aggregator contributions and the regulatory framework for implementation. According to the petition, the Karnataka Gig Workers Act violates Art...

Bengaluru : The Election Commission of India (ECI) will launch the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls from June 30, with booth-level officers (BLOs) set to conduct door-to-door verification of voters across Karnataka and several other states. The month-long exercise, scheduled to continue till July 29, aims to update electoral rolls by identifying eligible voters, removing duplicate or ineligible entries, and ensuring the accuracy of voter records. Officials will verify voter details during household visits, including matching voter identity cards with Aadhaar and other available records. As part of the revision process, BLOs will visit every household in their respective polling areas. Voters who are unavailable during verification or have permanently shifted to another location may be marked for further verification, and electoral roll updates will be carried out in accordance with the Election Commission’s prescribed procedures. ...

Bengaluru : The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) recorded an impressive start to the National Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme, with more than 11 lakh children under the age of five receiving polio drops on the first day of the campaign. Officials said 11,06,535 children were vaccinated on Sunday, helping the city achieve 96.4% of its target on the opening day itself. The four-day Pulse Polio campaign, being held from June 28 to July 1, aims to vaccinate 11,47,872 children across the GBA limits. Health authorities highlighted that the remarkable first-day achievement was accomplished entirely through vaccination booths, without conducting door-to-door visits. Among the five administrative zones, the West Zone recorded the highest number of vaccinations with 2,81,369 children, followed by the North Zone with 2,78,880, South Zone with 2,13,399, East Zone with 1,73,781, and Central Zone with 1,59,106 children receiving the oral polio vaccine. Officials said 10,27,347 ...