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Karnataka cabinet expanded with 8 Congress ministers (Second Lead)
Bengaluru, Dec 22 (IANS) Karnataka’s seven-month-old coalition government was expanded on Saturday with the induction of eight Congress legislators as cabinet ministers.
State Governor Vajubhai R. Vala administered the oath of office to the legislators at a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan here. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of the ruling alliance partner Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara of the Congress and others, including officials, were present on the occasion.
Those sworn-in are M.B. Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, R.B. Thimmapur, C.S. Shivalli, P.T. Parameshwar Naik, E. Tukaram, Rahim Khan and M.T.B. Nagaraj.
Khan from Bidar (North) Assembly segment in the state’s northern district took oath in English in the name of Allah, while the remaining seven lawmakers did in Kannada in the order of their seniority.
Congress’ state unit President Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters earlier that Satish replaced his elder brother and Municipal Administration Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi and Nagaraj came in place of Forests Minister R. Shankar.
“The party’s high command dropped Ramesh and Shankar from the Ministry,” Rao added but did not give reasons for their ouster.
Satish was elected from Yemakanmaradi in Belagavi district in the May 12 Assembly elections and Nagaraj from Hoskote in Bengaluru Rural district.
Ramesh represents Gokak segment in Belagavi district and Shankar was elected as Independent from Ranebennur in Haveri district but joined the Congress later.
Patil from Babaleshwar in Vijayapura district was the Water Resources Minister in the previous Congress government.
Timmapur is a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) from Mudhol in Bagalkot district, while Shivalli was elected from Kundgol in Dharwad district, and Naik and Tukaram from Hadagalli and Sandur in Ballari district.
Congress Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier in the day sent the names of eight lawmakers to Kumaraswamy for filling up the six vacancies from its cabinet quota of 22 and replacing the two dropped.
The names were approved by party President Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday at a meeting with state unit leaders, including Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara, Rao and party’s state unit in-charge K.C. Venugopal.
Though the JD-S has two vacancies to fill from its quota of 12 cabinet posts in the 34-member Ministry, Kumaraswamy did not include any of its legislators.
A JD-S source told IANS that party’s supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and PWD Minister H.D. Revanna were against induction of its legislators this time as the cabinet expansion was being held during the “inauspicious” month (Shunya Masa) as per the Hindu lunar calendar.
Kumaraswamy thanked the Governor for agreeing to swear-in the Congress legislators as ministers at a short notice as he received their names only on Saturday morning.
This is the second cabinet expansion of the coalition ministry after the first on June 6 when 24 ministers, including 14 from the Congress and 10 from the JD-S, were inducted.
In the 125-member Legislative Assembly, including one nominated, the Congress has 80 legislators, JD-S 36 and the BJP 104, while the remaining are Independents and from other parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
“Kumaraswamy will soon allocate the portfolios for the new ministers in consultation with Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara,” an official told IANS.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.