Top stories from Karnataka: 96 taluks declared drought hit in the state
1. Ninty-eight taluks in 26 districts in the state have been declared drought-hit as these regions have experienced dry spell for nearly one-and-half months since the commencement of south-west monsoon. Ten out of the 16 worst affected districts are in North-Karnataka due to which farmers have been unable to resume sowing for the kharif crop. season Read details here.
2. Mysuru pilot Rajeev Hoskote was one of the two missing occupants of the Pawan Hans helicopter, the wreckage of which was traced in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday. The IAF team will resume search operations on Wednesday to retrieve the body of the two pilots. Hoskote, who joined Pawan Hans as a pilot a few years ago, was engaged to be married. Read more.
3. Three months after the state government handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the investigating agency took up the lottery scam probe on Monday. A criminal case has been filed against Pari Rajan, alleged to be the kingpin of the racket, according to a CBI official.
4. The Karnataka High Court refused to interfere with the orders passed by the authorities in connection with declining permission to All India Mijlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) to hold a rally at Shivajinagar in Bengaluru. The Returning officer reversed its order on Monday after the police refused to allow a political rally led by Asauddin Owaisi citing law and order problems.
5. The Special Investigation Team will seek the custody of Y Ashwin, son of Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, in connection with the third FIR lodged against him in the alleged extortion racket. The Lokayukta special court has reserved its orders on the bail application filed by Ashwin, to August 17.