By Express News Service - BANGALORE
Published: 21st February 2014 10:29 AM
Last Updated: 21st February 2014 10:33 AM
The government on Thursday announced that it had withdrawn two criteria, including possession of Aadhaar cards, it had imposed on students to avail of scholarships following Opposition protests in the Assembly.
The government had recently issued a circular listing the eligibility for scholarships, and this included possession of Aadhaar cards and non-participation in strikes and protests.
BJP, JD(S) and BSR Congress members had strongly opposed the two conditions on the grounds that it would affect the higher education prospects of students from backward communities. They staged a dharna in the well of the House. “The conditions imposed are draconian, anti-democratic and tramples on the right of students to protest any injustice to them,” the members said.
‘Don’t Hike Babus’ Salaries for 10 Yrs’
Expressing concern that 6.5 lakh State government employees consumed a lion’s share of Karnataka’s revenues by way of salaries even though they were only one per cent of the population, JD(S) leader M C Nanaiah urged the Chief Minister not to hike salaries and allowances of such staff for another 10 years.
Intervening in a debate on a reply to BJP’s Ramachandra Gowda, during Question Hour in the Legislative Council, Nanaiah said the State’s revenue is pegged at `68,000 crore for the coming fiscal year. “Of this, over `41,000 crore goes into paying salaries and allowances of government employees,” he said.
Probe Foreign Funds to NGO: MLA
Alleging that the NGO run by social activist S R Hiremath was receiving foreign donations and violating the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act 2010, Congress MLA Ramesh Kumar on Thursday demanded a CBI probe into the issue.
Kumar was participating in a debate on the State Budget on Thursday.
Kumar said donations of more than $1 lakh had been received from overseas by the Samaja Parivarthana Samudaya, the NGO headed by Hiremath.