Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar has said that he is in favour of death penalty for rapists.
He was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Karnataka Journalists’ Cooperative Society here on Sunday.
After inaugurating the celebrations, he said local editions of newspapers were depriving readers of news from other parts of the State. By seeing TV news channels, however, people, even those living in remote areas, get to know what was happening elsewhere, he said, and added that there was a growing competition between newspapers and TV channels.
Cooperative movement
He recalled his brief stint as a journalist in Vishvavani , a Kannada daily in Hubli edited by veteran journalist Patil Puttappa. He said the cooperative movement, which was started in 1906 in Gadag, helped improve the economic condition of residents of villages, particularly in north Karnataka region.
Referring to the demands put forth by society’s internal auditor K.V. Prabhakar — extending Yeshasvini health insurance scheme to all journalists, allotting a site for a community hall in the city, sanctioning Rs. 10 crore for constructing the hall and Rs. 5 crore for a health programme, Mr. Shettar said they would be included in the budget proposals.
Felicitated
Deputy Chief Ministers K.S. Eshwarappa and R. Ashok and Minister for Water Resources Basavaraj Bommai felicitated veteran cooperatives, including S.V. Jayasheela Rao, H.S. Doreswamy, N.V. Joshi, M.B. Singh, M.P. Susheela and Nagaraju.
The dignitaries presented prizes to meritorious children of journalists.
Mr. Eshwarappa released a souvenir and Mr. Ashok released a calendar and launched a website. Society president B.N. Sridhara and executive director Sudarshan Channangihally were present.
