1. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar are in New Delhi to meet Congress central leaders to discuss the Lok Sabha polls. The issue of appointments to boards and corporations may also come up.
2. BJP continues to demand release of arrested Hindutva activist and kar sevak Srikanth Poojari. The saffron party has set a 48-hour deadline while the government has said that action has been taken against him as a matter of procedure and he is named in 16 cases, including illicit sale of liquor and matka (gambling). Chief Minister has called him a ‘miscreant who is using the shield of religion’ and urged BJP not to politicise his arrest.
3. National Federation of the Blind is celebrating World Braille Day today. B. Nagendra, Minister for Youth Services and Sports, will be the chief guest. The programme will be held in Kondajji Basappa Auditorium, Bharath Scouts and Guides premises on Palace Road, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
4. Bahuvachana and Rujuvathu, in collaboration with Bangalore International Centre, will organise the annual U.R. Ananthamurthy memorial lecture on “Receding horizons of shared spaces” today. The lecture will be delivered by Magsaysay award winner Aruna Roy at Bangalore International Centre in Domlur, at 6.30 p.m.
5. Avarebela Mela 2024, Bengaluru’s favourite food festival which features delicacies made with avare kayi (a variety of beans), begins on January 5. A pre-launch party has been organised today at National College ground in Basavanagudi at 5 p.m.
From coastal Karnataka
1. Unseasonal rain lashes coastal belt and surrounding areas. It is due to a low pressure area over southeast Arabian Sea. Rains likely to continue for the next five days, says KSNDMC.
2. An inscription in Kannada and Sanskrit was found on the premises of Mahadeva temple at Cacoda in southern Goa. T. Murugeshi, a retired associate professor of ancient history and archaeology in Udupi, who studied it says it belongs to Kadambas of Goa who ruled during the 10th century A.D.
3. Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner M.P. Mullai Muhilan approves closure of Mahakalipadpu railway level crossing gate on the road which linked National Highway 66 with the central business district of Mangaluru. It is because the Southern Railway is building twin RuBs near the railway gate for seamless movement of road traffic.
From south Karnataka
University of Mysore and US Consul General Christopher Hodges will reveal details on restoration of the 120-year-old Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion, which houses a folklore museum. The heritage building is on the verge of collapse. Hence, a major restoration exercise will be taken up with funding by the US mission in India, and implemented by Deccan Heritage Foundation.
From north Karnataka
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre will inaugurate State Level Forest Sports 2023 at Chandrasekhar Patil Stadium in Kalaburagi at 10 am.
