Karnataka News Live Updates: 8 task forces formed to monitor development work in Bengaluru

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday hailed the state for attracting the highest Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the last quarter. Bommai said, "India has drawn the highest Foreign Direct Investments in the last quarter and among the states, Karnataka tops the list. We are proud of it."

Addressing the media before leaving for Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum Summit, he hoped that Karnataka will get a positive response at the forum from the global investors.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday constituted a task force headed by a Minister for all the eight zones in the city to monitor developmental work and take necessary decisions in their respective jurisdictions whenever there is any emergency like heavy rains.The decision comes in the backdrop of flooding witnessed in several areas following the torrential rain that lashed Bengaluru on Tuesday night and incessant rains thereafter.

To resolve flooding along Old Madras Road, BBMP has decided to remodel drains there. Inspecting the stretch on Saturday, BBMP commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said: “The shoulder drains are a major problem here. They are slightly above the road surface , blocking the flow of water into them. I have directed engineers to remodel the drains.

Holding that the incident occurred on account of "sudden provocation and without any premeditation", the high court modified the sentence of life imprisonment imposed on a software engineer for murdering his wife.

Sidharth Chowdhary will have to undergo 10-year imprisonment and pay Rs 3 lakh fine, which will be equally shared between his in-laws (parents of his wife) and daughter. Siddarth's wife Ruchi was also a software engineer.

- Petrol now costs Rs 101.13/ litre as against the previous rate of Rs 110.29/ litre- Diesel is priced Rs 87.13/ litre as against the previous rate of Rs 94.03/ litre

The four-month-old cabinet expansion proposal continues to hang in the balance with the party leadership yet to approve it despite chief minister Basavaraj Bommai dashing to Delhi to obtain clearance for the exercise.His unscheduled visit to Delhi on Friday evening raised hopes of MLA aspirants of a cabinet expansion.

"This is Bommai's fourth visit to Delhi to seek permission, but he still hasn’t received a positive response. This has triggered talk in party circles about the high command’s plans for the state,” said a senior BJP functionary.

The abrupt cancellation of a KSRTC bus they were scheduled to travel in caused a family to sue Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) in a consumer court. And in a verdict pronounced after more than five years, the KSRTC general manager has been asked to pay the family the cancellation fee of Rs 532 within 45 days. READ MORE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations in Mysuru on June 21. Rajesh Kumar Kotecha, secretary of the ministry of Ayush, informed Karnataka chief secretary P Ravi Kumar that the main event of this year's IDY will be held in Mysuru and Prime Minister Modi will be participating in it. He sent an official communication to state authorities.

The department of public instruction (DPI) has removed the cap of 30 students per section. This follows the demand for admission to English-medium sections in government schools. READ MORE

A college girl died after she accidentally fell off a window on the second floor of a shopping complex on the busy Brigade Road in central Bengaluru on Saturday afternoon. Her male classmate, who fell along with her and suffered fractures in the leg, has been hospitalised.

The deceased, 20-year-old Leah Regina, was pursuing second-year BCom at St Joseph’s College of Commerce along with Chris Peter, who was injured. Regina, whose father works with a travel company in Dubai, was staying with her mother in Fraser Town. Peter, who is from Hyderabad, stays in a PG accommodation in HSR Layout.

Nine people, including three children, of a marriage party died and 12 others were injured after their vehicle hit a tree near Baad village on the Dharwad-Haliyal road, 15 km from Dharwad, late on Friday night.

The overloaded Cruiser tempo had 21 passengers. They were returning to their village Nigadi after attending the pre-wedding ritual of a relative in Mansur when the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed a roadside tree.

Seven of the passengers died on the spot while two succumbed to injuries at the hospital, said police.