Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Congress begins deliberations on 2025 roadmap at Belagavi CWC meeting, and more

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting named “Nav Satyagraha Baithak” began in Belagavi on December 26, 2024, as the party marks the 100th anniversary of its Belgaum session that was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi and chalks out a plan for the political and electoral challenges in 2025. Top party leaders, including AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D.K. Shivakaumar, Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, among others, are at the meeting.

In a bid to get battle-ready for the challenges ahead, the Congress will decide on an action plan for the next year at the CWC meeting. The Congress said it will re-dedicate itself to protect, preserve and promote Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, which is facing a “systematic assault by the ideological brotherhood that fought him bitterly”. Meanwhile, a controversy erupted over the alleged misrepresentation of India’s map on the posters displayed to commemorate the centenary, with the BJP dubbing it “vote bank” politics.

Two among the nine Ayyappa devotees who were being treated at KMC-RI Hospital in Hubballi after being injured in a fire mishap, succumbed to their injuries on December 26. The doctors of KMC-RI Hospital gave the names of the deceased as Nijalingappa Bepuri (58) of Ingalahalli and Sanjay Savadatti (18) of Hubballi.

On getting the news, Karnataka’s Labour and district in-charge Minister Santosh Lad, who was in Belagavi for the AICC event in Belagavi, rushed to Hubballi to console the family members. The Minister met the family members, consoled them and informed them that the Chief Minister had announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

On December 18, India Post decided to withdraw its long-term Book Packet service, which had helped many independent book publishers send books to their customers with its nominal postage charge. With the alternative options costing almost 50% more than the Book Packet service, publishers in Karnataka are worried if their customers will be okay with the added postage charges. 

While Speed Post is cheaper for publishers within a 200-kilometre radius (around ₹36 - ₹37), it becomes expensive beyond that. In this case, publishers choose Registered Post, which costs around ₹45. These changes in postal services are due to the Post Office Act of 2023, which replaced the Indian Post Office Act of 1898. The new Act came into effect on June 18.