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Civil contractor Santosh Patil took his life in an Udupi lodge, accusing Karnataka Rural Development Minister KS Eshwarappa of driving him to suicide. An FIR was lodged naming Eshwarappa as the prime accused. The “Others” included all his lackeys. But the gallows joke doing the rounds was that if pressed to resign, Eshwarappa would demand a 40 percent commission. That is how pathetic the Karnataka situation is.

What has been happening in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand now is a clear indication that the fire of hatred is spreading faster than we can douse. It has become a political tool and the major beneficiary is the BJP which is not only ruling these states but also the country. Action is seldom taken against the hate mongers. Inaction on the part of the police and administration has become the general characteristics until they are compelled to take action after general condemnation of the incidents from across the country. What proof one need to believe that some sort of structural changes based on hatred have already been carried out in governance?

Dr. B R Ambedkar’s apprehensions that minorities would be tyrannised have come true. His remedy that Hindus should come forward to solve it needs urgent attention in our times. “Minority communities may be crushed. If not crushed they may be tyrannized and oppressed. They are sure to be discriminated against and denied equality before law and equal opportunity in public life.” These prescient lines were written by Dr B R Ambedkar in the chapter “Majorities and Minorities” in his book “Thoughts on Linguistic States”. He authored those lines in the context of elections and observed voting taking place on communal lines and in the process candidates of the majority community usually getting elected.

Attorney General K K Venugopal has been a strong advocate of raising the retirement of judges as he feels 65 years is too early an age for anyone to retire. Serving as India’s AG at the age of 90, there is no one else who can speak so authoritatively as Venugopal on this issue. He points out that when advocates appear in the courts and argue effectively at the age of 70-75, there is no reason why judges, or anyone for that matter, cannot perform as effectively.

On Tuesday, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Ajith Nivard Cabraal announced that the country would default on international debt payments until it receives a $3 billion bailout package it has asked for from the IMF. Sri Lanka’s external borrowings amount to $51 billion and roughly half of them are market borrowings through international sovereign bonds, one of which is worth $1 billion maturing on July 25. There are some other urgent debt repayments due in the next few months. In all, Sri Lanka needs $7 billion to service its debts this year while it had $1.9 billion of forex reserves at the end of March.

Healthcare today is faced with several challenges right from medical education, primary prevention of disease, delivery of healthcare, funding for healthcare, scientific inputs, drug pricing etc. In the ancient times promotion of good health was learnt through day-to-day experience, so developed the concept of developing resistance to diseases through healthy nutrition or through specific methods like the use of herbs or other natural products. Modern scientific medicine carried forward that knowledge through extensive research to find normal functioning of the body, the causation of disease and methods of management of the disease and promotion of good health.

The erosion of about one per cent of value of rupee in the consumer market within a month was too great a shock for people to absorb. It was felt by everyone in March 2022, and the workers, senior citizens, women and children were among the hardest hit.

BOSTON: The American constitution in its 1st amendment adheres the principle of separation of Church and the State. It says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise there off." The delegates to the 17 87 Constitutional Convention blocked the establishment of Christianity as a national religion. The declaration that India is a secular state in Indian Constitution drafted by the Indian Constituent Assembly was a direct fallout of the 1st amendment of US constitution.

For an. unlikely Chief Minister, Basavraj Bommai, 61, got off to a good start. In the second month of his tenure, on September 2, 2021, he got a leg up when Union Home Minister Amit Shah—on his first visit to Karnataka after Bommai took over— endorsed him as the man to lead the BJP in the 2023 assembly elections in Karnataka. “Bommai has focused on small things. He has not embraced the VVIP culture—in Delhi, those who observe Karnataka closely are of the view that the BJP has strengthened itself after making Basavraj Bommai the Chief Minister,” Shah had said.

It took 58 years for the CPI(M) to change its ideological compassion to induct a dalit leader Ramchandra Dome into its politburo the highest political and ideological decision making forum of the party. Besides Dome, the party also admitted four tribal leaders into the central committee.