Rescue operation near the wreckage of the crashed IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. (PTI)Bangalore Highlights: Indian Air Force’s Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Coonoor military chopper crash, airlifted to Command Hospital, Bengaluru for further treatment. He was being treated for injuries at the Military Hospital in Wellington.
IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 12 others, is being shifted to Bengaluru from the Army hospital at Wellington in Tamil Nadu, his father said on Thursday. The crash took place near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
In Covid-related news, a decision on Covid-19 management and guidelines would be decided at the cabinet meeting to be held on Thursday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said. Earlier on Wednesday, the CM hinted that new Covid-19 guidelines could be brought out in view of the infections appearing in clusters
Meanwhile, Karnataka recorded 399 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, as per the bulletin issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare. As many as six deaths were also reported. There are 7255 active cases in the state and the total number of cases and deaths stand at 29,99,098 and 38,249, respectively.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai visited the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru, where Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Coonoor chopper crash, in which CDS Bipin Rawat and 12 others died, is undergoing treatment.
Singh was airlifted on Thursday to Bengaluru from the Military Hospital in Wellington.
A project to build Tunga Arathi mantaps in the south on the lines of Ganga Arathi in Kashi at a cost of Rs30cr would be launched on January 14,15 as part of Hara Jathre, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said
Speaking after releasing the Logo, audio record and T-shirt of Hara Jathre being organised by Panchamasali Gurupeetha based in Harihar, he said, Hara in spiritual domain means power, in regular life it means the almighty God who resolves all the problems in the world. Those who have faith in Hara will get all their problems resolved.
Panchamasali community has a long history. It is predominantly agrarian community. But according to the needs of 21st century they need to get highly educated, excel in all the fields. The pontif of the community has shown the path in this regard, Bommai said.
Indian Air Force’s Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Coonoor military chopper crash, has been shifted to Command Hospital, Bengaluru for further treatment, ANI reported.
Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar Thursday said that the state has moved up to the “first position among major states in the country” in terms of first-dose vaccination coverage against Covid-19.
He explained that the state surpassed Gujarat on December 8 (Wednesday) with 94.38 per cent of its adult population being confirmed to receive the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. “While 4,89,16,000 is the adult population in Karnataka, 4,61,69,277 first doses of the vaccine have been administered as in December 8,” he stated to conclude at the said share of vaccination coverage.
Later, in a tweet, Sudhakar shared statistics to indicate Gujarat (94.37 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (93.77 per cent) trailing behind the state in second and third positions respectively.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Thursday said that there was “nothing to worry about” on the pandemic situation in the state following detection of cases with the new Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting in Bengaluru, Bommai said that the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) had apprised the government about the situation. “TAC Chairman Dr Sudarshan (M K ) told us there is nothing to worry about that,” he told in response to questions on Omicron concerns in the state. CM Bommai added that Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar suggested to continue special vaccination drives to enhance coverage among those from the eligible population.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat was a strong votary for Atma Nirbhar in Defence Production and was instrumental in starting indigenous production of many arms and equipment within the country, CM Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha he said, Gen. Rawat had a big role in inspiring DRDO and other organisations to excel in their achievements in defence production. Apart from innovation and development of modern weapon systems and equipment, he pushed for transfer of technology to encourage participation of private sector also in defence production.
The nation is shocked at the tragic accident that snatched the life of Gen.Rawat who was the head of all the three wings of armed forces. IAF is conducting an inquiry into the mishap. Gen Rawat always led from the front, Bommai said.
The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (UAS-B) has been ranked best among south Indian agricultural universities by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for 2020-21. Nationally, UAS-B has been ranked third, among 67 state-run varsities in the same sector.
According to ICAR, factors such as faculty-student ratio, students’ performance, percentage of students qualifying in NET, and research excellence (patents granted, varieties released, technologies developed), were looked into for the rankings, among other parameters.
While ICAR rankings are expected to assist universities to assess themselves on quality, it also allows students to make informed choices to pursue studies in their relevant areas of interest.
IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 12 others, is being shifted to Bengaluru from the Army hospital at Wellington in Tamil Nadu, his father said on Thursday.
Talking to PTI over phone, Group Captain Varun Singh's father Colonel K P Singh (retired), who is a resident of Bhopal, said, "He is being shifted to Bengaluru. I have reached Wellington." Asked about his son's condition, he said, "I can't say anything about that...I am not sure."
Lt Colonel Ishan R (retired), who lives next door to Col K P Singh's residence at Sun City on the Airport Road in Bhopal, said he was hopeful that Group Captain Varun Singh will recover. He said Col K P Singh and his wife Uma were in Mumbai at the place of their younger son Tanuj, who is Lt Commander in the Navy, when they got the unfortunate news on Wednesday.
"I spoke to Colonel K P Singh this morning. He said his son was a fighter and will come out victorious (from the tragedy)," he said. (PTI)
Protests held by students of colleges affiliated to the Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) against the varsity’s decision to hold offline exams spread to Bengaluru on Thursday.
The protests —held with support from the state chapters of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — had begun outside KSLU in Hubballi on Monday (December 6).
Agitated students have suggested options such as open book, assignment-based or online examinations as an alternative.
KSLU is yet to respond to the protests.
The Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) in Karnataka has put in place all measures to implement Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s latest Covid-19 guidelines for international passengers arriving in India.
The airport authority has set up a waiting area that can accommodate 123 passengers, four registration counters and four sampling booths, including one stand-by, and 70 RT-PCR machines that will give the report in 30 minutes, according to a statement by the MIA.
Sanitisation and cleaning are being carried out at regular intervals in the testing areas. Seating arrangements have been made for the passengers on arrival, airport spokesperson said in the statement. Passengers will also be able to register for their test using the QR codes displayed at strategic locations in the arrival corridor. MIA will also start facility of online booking of the RT-PCR test soon.
According to a release from his office, the Minister said this after meeting with newly appointed Consul General of France for Bengaluru, Thierry Berthelot, in the city.The French delegation had been suggested to set up the intended campus in the Bengaluru City University, Narayan said.
Further noting that France is interested to provide courses under Health Category which include Biotech to Artificial Intelligence, Drugs & Health Products, Pharmaceutical Management, Advanced Pharmaceutical Engineering, he said under the 'Industry 4.0' category, it wishes to commence courses of Cyber Security, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, etc, and under Ecology category it wants to commence courses of Biodiversity, Climate Change, Greener Economy. Those who study the above courses will be awarded Joint Degrees (Indo-French Degrees), he added. (PTI)
NSE Academy and Karnataka Higher Education Council on Wednesday said they have decided to enter into an MoU (memorandum of understanding) to provide financial awareness for holistic well-being of college students.
According to State's Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, NSE Academy has already introduced this program in seven States of the country and about 70 lakh students have been trained. (PTI)
With the Karnataka government implementing a policy of mandatory RT-PCR testing of all foreign arrivals in Bengaluru – even those from the US who transit via Europe – one of the problems passengers are facing on arrival in Bengaluru, apart from long waits, is data connectivity that will enable them to go through the process of testing and receiving their reports on their devices.
Several passengers who have landed in Bengaluru since the mandatory RT-PCR testing norms came into force - after the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the Covid 19 virus last week – have found themselves in a spot at the airport since much of the testing process involves usage of mobile phones with a working net connection on arrival. Read More
Bengaluru, December 8: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has been running only 200 air-conditioned (AC) buses in the last few months, whereas the remaining 660 units of its 860-strong AC bus fleet have not been operated since the imposition of the pandemic-induced lockdown in March last year, sources said.
When asked why all the buses are not being put into service, a BMTC officer said there was hardly any demand for the buses on most routes. “During pre-Covid times, these buses used to cater to people employed in the Information Technology sector. But as many now work from home, there is no demand for these buses,” the BMTC officer told indianexpress.com. Darshan Devaiah BP reports
The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department Wednesday officially notified two dedicated hospitals to treat Omicron cases, if more international passengers test positive for the infection.
As per a circular issued by State Health Commissioner D Randeep, Bowring & Lady Curzon Hospital (in Bengaluru) and Wenlock Hospital (in Mangaluru) will serve as dedicated Covid19 hospitals (including Omicron cases) if international returnees from 'at risk' countries test positive on arrival at the respective airports.
Meanwhile, Karnataka recorded 399 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, as per the bulletin issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare. As many as six deaths were also reported. There are 7255 active cases in the state and the total number of cases and deaths stand at 29,99,098 and 38,249, respectively.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has expressed his grief on the death of Chief of Defence Staff, Gen.Bipin Rawat.
"The death of Gen.Rawat, his wife, and other defence personnel in the helicopter crash is most shocking and unfortunate. I pray to the almighty to give the strength to his family to withstand this loss," Bommai said in his condolence message.
Decision on Covid management and guidelines would be decided at the cabinet meeting to be held tomorrow, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.
Details were obtained on Covid situation in various districts and clusters; primary and secondary contacts of new Omicron patients, the standard protocol being followed for management, and treatment of Omicron cases in various countries, he said after a meeting with officials.
Terming the IAF helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu as an "unfortunate incident", Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Wednesday said he hoped that everyone on board the chopper, including Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, are safe.
An IAF chopper crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday in which CDS General Bipin Rawat was travelling along with 14 others.
"I am in shock after receiving the news about the chopper crash. This is a very unfortunate accident," Bommai said in Bengaluru.
The IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter was airborne from Sulur for Wellington, where Gen Rawat, along with Chief of Army Staff MM Naravane, was slated to participate in an event at the Defence Staff College.
More than 1,77,997 acres of forest land has been encroached across Karnataka, as per a state forest department report. The report, accessed by The Indian Express, states that there are 1,01,017 instances of forest land encroachment in the state, categorised into two; those below three acres and those above three acres.
It is leant that no action has been taken against these encroachments. Forest officials say that due to political pressure, not even an inch of land has been retrieved from the encroachers over the years. (Read more)
A family of 4 have been found dead and police suspect that the member died by suicide in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
The incident came to light on Wednesday morning. The deceased have been identified as Nagesh Sheriguppi (30), his wife Vijaya Lakshmi (26), and their children Sapna (8) and Samarth (4). Nagesh was working as driver and Vijaya Lakshmi worked as security staff.
Help is a call away. Helpline numbers: Asra (9820466726); Snehi (9582208181); Fortis MentalHealth (8376804102); Connecting NGO (9922004305); Vandrevala Foundation (19602662345)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday hinted that new Covid-19 guidelines could be brought out in view of the infections appearing in clusters and the possible scenario this month and in January next year.
"Today I will collect details pertaining to Covid-19 in November from our officials, which would be presented before the cabinet tomorrow. Whatever is happening with regard to the Omicron variant and the developments taking place in Covid-19 clusters will be placed before the cabinet and accordingly a decision will be taken on issuing a fresh set of guidelines," the Chief Minister told reporters.
Asked whether the he was mulling a new set of guidelines, Bommai said he has to keep the current situation in mind because Covid-19 cases are seen in only a few districts whereas it is in control in other places. (PTI)
The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department stated that none of the 354 passengers who arrived Wednesday at the Bengaluru airport from at-risk countries tested positive for Covid-19.
Data shared to the government indicated that 271 of them were tested using Rapid PCR method while 43 others chose the conventional RT-PCR method for testing. “While none who were tested on December 7 tested positive, 40 passengers who were aged below 5 years were not tested, as per the guidelines by the Centre,” an official said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Health Department had stated that as many as 4,225 passengers (including children) landed who at the Airport from December 1 to 6 in 17 flights from at-risk countries tested negative upon testing on arrival.
Nestle S.A. announced that the company has set up Nestle Global Services India (NGSI) in Bengaluru to provide IT services to its entities in over 45 countries across Asia, Oceania and Africa and to complement its network of IT hubs around the globe.
The company said that it expects the IT center to be fully operational by the end of next year and will have a specialised IT team of about 150 people at the center.
NGSI will be housed as a separate division of Nestlé R&D Centre India Pvt Ltd, the statement added.
Several students from second-year pre-university (equivalent to Class 12) colleges in Bengaluru have demanded the Karnataka Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE) to cancel offline midterm exams scheduled to be held from Thursday.
Scores of students Tuesday tagged along with NSUI representatives at DPUE raising the demand citing concerns over the current Covid-19 situation in the state.
Following protests by several student organizations and parents in the state, the DPUE in November decided to postpone midterm examinations for second-year pre-university (II PU equivalent to Class 12) students. As per the revised schedule, exams will begin on December 9 and end on December 23. The exams were earlier scheduled to be held from November 29 to December 10.
The government on Tuesday informed Parliament that some farmer-owned dairy cooperatives in the country are protesting against the decision to tax milk cooperatives under Section 194Q of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala, in a written reply to the Lok sabha, said Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma), Karnataka Milk Federations and Punjab Milk Federations have represented against the move to tax dairy cooperatives under Section 194Q of the Income Tax Act. (PTI)
Amid buzz about a possible pact with the ruling BJP for the coming legislative council polls, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said that local leaders have been authorised to take a decision on whom to support in the seats where the party is not contesting, keeping in mind the propects for the 2023 assembly election.
Ruling out any alliance, the former Chief Minister expressed confidence about JD(S) winning all the six council seats it is contesting. The biennial election to the Karnataka Legislative Council from 20 Local Authorities' Constituencies for 25 seats, due to the retirement of sitting members, will be held on December 10. (PTI)
With Covid-19 testing measures enhanced in Kempegowda International Airport for international arrivals in the wake of Omicron cases been diagnosed in the city, the state government Tuesday notified fixed prices for various methods of testing made available there.
While each sample for the conventional RT-PCR method of testing would be tested at the price of Rs 500, the Cepheid Gene Expert test is priced Rs 2,750 per sample. According to State Health Secretary T K Anil Kumar, the availability of variety of tests “ensures faster testing of passengers and better compliance of Covid appropriate behaviour in holding areas of the airport”.
Even as concerns over the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus loom over Karnataka — which reported the country’s first two such cases — the active caseload in the state has seen a rise of over 25 per cent in the first week of December.
According to Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, the state has witnessed a rise of 27.45 per cent in the seven-day moving average of new Covid-19 cases in the first week of December, compared to a week earlier. “After falling for 6 straight months, Covid numbers are seeing an uptick over the last two weeks in Karnataka. Caution is the word! Mask up Karnataka!,” he tweeted.
The Karnataka government will establish a genome sequencing lab in the state, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Tuesday. The health secretary has been instructed to look into the needs of procuring the necessary equipment and experts for the purpose, Bommai said while speaking to the media.
“All the districts have Covid testing labs. Genome sequencing needs expert systems and modern equipment. Spread of Omicron has necessitated sending test samples for genome sequencing. Arrangements would be made to get the test reports quickly,” Bommai said.
Karnataka recorded 299 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, as per the bulletin issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare. As many as six deaths were also reported.
As many as 260 persons were discharged, taking the total number so far to 29,53,327. There are 7,100 active cases in the state and the total number of cases and deaths stand at 29,98,699 and 38,243, respectively. The positivity rate stood at 0.36 per cent against 81,194 tests, while the case fatality rate was at two per cent. On the 335th day since inoculation against the infection began in Karnataka on January 16 this year, 3,54,946 doses were administered till 3:30 pm in the state, the bulletin mentioned.
Nestle S.A. announced that the company has set up Nestle Global Services India (NGSI) in Bengaluru to provide IT services to its entities in over 45 countries across Asia, Oceania and Africa and to complement its network of IT hubs around the globe.
The company said that it expects the IT center to be fully operational by the end of next year and will have a specialised IT team of about 150 people at the center.
NGSI will be housed as a separate division of Nestlé R&D Centre India Pvt Ltd, the statement added.
The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department stated that none of the 354 passengers who arrived Wednesday at the Bengaluru airport from at-risk countries tested positive for Covid-19.
Data shared to the government indicated that 271 of them were tested using Rapid PCR method while 43 others chose the conventional RT-PCR method for testing. “While none who were tested on December 7 tested positive, 40 passengers who were aged below 5 years were not tested, as per the guidelines by the Centre,” an official said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Health Department had stated that as many as 4,225 passengers (including children) landed who at the Airport from December 1 to 6 in 17 flights from at-risk countries tested negative upon testing on arrival.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state convener Prithvi Reddy has submitted a letter of appeal to the Governor demanding a judicial probe regarding the allegation of 40% commission in Government Tenders on Tuesday.
Speaking to the reporters after meeting the Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot at Raj Bhavan Bengaluru, Prithvi Reddy said, “D Kempanna, President of Karnataka State Contractors’ Association, in a letter to the Prime Minister written on July 6, 2021, had fully exposed the corruption and illegalities involved in the Tender Works. He had revealed the percentage details of illegalities in Government departments such as the Public Works Department, Minor Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Major Irrigation Department, Panchayat Raj Department, Health Department, BBMP etc. This is a serious allegation, hence it is necessary to conduct a proper investigation on it and punish the guilty.”
A 36-year-old restaurant employee died and several people were injured after a speeding Mercedes Benz car crashed into a number of vehicles in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar on Tuesday afternoon. The deceased has been identified as Hari Mahanth, who hailed from Assam and was a resident of Doopasandra. He had been working as a valet parking driver for the last 10 years.
Retail prices of drumstick, tomato and beans in Bengaluru have skyrocketed to a high of Rs 80 to Rs 350 per kg as heavy rains in parts of the state have hit supplies.
With the rising demand for drumstick in winter and its non-availability in the market, its price has shot up from Rs 30 to 40 last month to Rs 353 now, according to the Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society. Read more
As concerns of more cases detected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 looms large, Karnataka’s active caseload has seen a rise of nearly 30 per cent in the first week of December.
According to Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, the state witnessed a rise of 27.45 per cent in the seven-day moving average of new Covid-19 cases confirmed daily during the first week of December, in comparison with the same a week earlier.
Meanwhile, data from the State Health Department indicated that the active caseload in the state was 7,067 as on Monday (December 6). The same recorded on November 29 was 6,878. Read more
Karnataka logged 299 fresh COVID-19 cases and six deaths on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections to 29,98,699 and the toll to 38,243. The day also saw 260 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,53,327, a health department bulletin said. Bengaluru Urban continued to head the list of cases (215), as the city saw 97 discharges and three deaths.
The total number of active cases in the state is now 7,100. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.36 per cent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 2.00 per cent. Out of six deaths reported on Tuesday, three were from Bengaluru Urban and one each from Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad and Mysuru. (PTI)
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said that local leaders have been authorised to take a decision on whom to support in the seats where the party is not contesting in the Legislative Council polls. The statement comes in the backdrop of rumours over the possibility of a JD(S)-BJP alliance in the polls to 25 LC seats on December 10.
Ruling out any alliance, Kumaraswamy said the decision was taken keeping in mind the prospects for the 2023 Assembly election. "I have held two to three rounds of discussions with JDS local leaders and taken their opinion regarding the seats where we have not fielded our candidates and the proposed alliance with BJP and I have given instructions to our local leaders to take a decision regarding supporting other party candidates in these seats," Kumaraswamy said.
He also clarified that there is no alliance now or in the future with other parties. "There is no question for any alliance or any internal or external understanding. Our only goal is the 2023 polls and we will win the polls," he added. Read more
The city-based doctor, one of the two earliest cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 to be detected in the country, has tested positive for the virus again, while the other, a South African national who flew out of here without informing the authorities, has been booked by the police.
The South African, of Gujarati origin, who was quarantined here, later flew to Dubai.
"It is true that the doctor who was infected with Omicron variant has once again tested positive for covid-19," a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike official told PTI. Requesting anonymity, the official said the doctor is under isolation, but was asymptomatic.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case against the South African national for flying without informing the authorities in violation of the quarantine norms. (PTI)
Expressing resentment against the recent decision of the Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) to hold offline examinations, several student groups from across the state began protests on Monday that continued overnight, demanding withdrawal of the “anti-student decision.”
KSLU had announced offline exams will be held for previous semesters, including for students who were promoted earlier without having to pass exams due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation. The varsity had, in November, clarified that intermediate semester students who were promoted to the next semester without exams would have to compulsorily appear for them at a later date. Read more
Even as concerns over the Omicron variant of novel coronavirus loom over Karnataka — which reported the country’s first two such cases — the active caseload in the state has seen a rise of over 25 per cent in the first week of December.
According to Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, the state has witnessed a rise of 27.45 per cent in the seven-day moving average of new Covid-19 cases in the first week of December, compared to a week earlier. “After falling for 6 straight months, Covid numbers are seeing an uptick over the last two weeks in Karnataka. Caution is the word! Mask up Karnataka!” he tweeted. Read more
The Karnataka government will establish a genome sequencing lab in the state, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday. The health secretary has been instructed to look into the needs of procuring the necessary equipment and experts for the purpose, Bommai said while speaking to media persons.
"All the districts have Covid testing labs. Genome sequencing needs expert systems and modern equipment. Spread of Omicron has necessitated sending test samples for genome sequencing. Arrangements would be made to get the test reports quickly," Bommai said.
Retail prices of vegetables in Bengaluru continued to climb as supplies were hit due to heavy rains in parts of Karnataka. For instance, the price per kg of drumstick skyrocketed from Rs 30-40 to Rs 350 per kg.
Law students, with leaders of National Students Union of India, Karnataka, began overnight protests in front of Karnataka State Law University in Hubballi seeking withdrawal of the varsity’s decision to hold offline examinations.
The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department Tuesday clarified that no international arrival, including those from “at-risk countries” have tested positive on arrival at the Bengaluru airport this month.
According to data collated from the airport by the government, as many as 4,225 passengers (including children) landed at the Airport from December 1 to 6 in 17 flights from at-risk countries.
While 4,021 of them were subjected to Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT), 309 samples were collected for RT-PCR testing, with all results returning negative.
Meanwhile, 9889 passengers arrived from other countries during the same timeframe after which tests on arrival indicated all were negative for Covid-19.
Earlier, as per guidelines issued by the Centre, the Karnataka government had made testing on arrival mandatory for all passengers arriving at-risk countries with 2 per cent random testing stipulated for those arriving from other countries.
Future of the state is decided by policy of those in power, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said in Haveri on Monday.
"The state is strengthened if the people are economically empowered. But there is no guarantee of people getting empowered if the state is empowered. During the Congress regime people's income did not rise though the revenue of the state government increased. Living standard of the people did not improve,' Bommai said in his address at the Legislative Council election campaign rally organised by BJP at Kaginele in Haveri district.
The Bengaluru city police has suspended a police sub-inspector for allegedly assaulting a 23-year-old Muslim youth in a police station and forcing him to drink urine.
Tausif Pasha (23) was taken to the police station on Thursday at around 1 am over a quarrel with a neighbour. Tausif’s father Aslam Pasha said his son was assaulted, and the cops demanded money for Tausif’s release. “But we never knew that Tausif was subject to brutal torture till he came out of the police station,” said the father.
Tausif said Harish and two other police constables, including one from the crime team, hit him in the abdomen with a bat, forcibly cut his beard and forced him to drink urine. “They hit me with cricket bat at least 30 times and when I asked them for water to drink, they made me drink urine. They also cut my beard. I begged them not to do so as it was part of my faith, but they said this (police station) was not a religious centre. They also made me clean the police station,” he said. (Read more)
Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru will offer enhances measures for passengers arriving from at-risk countries, according to a statement. This includes 50 new express PCR test machines, dedicated testing booths and seating measures, priority for senior citizens, mothers with infants and passengers with reduced mobility, and free WiFi upto 4 hours.
The title teaser of Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar's film "Gandhada Gudi" was unveiled by the makers on Monday, two months after the actor passed away.
The teaser was launched on the birth anniversary of the actor's mother Parvathamma Rajkumar. Billed as a full length film, "Gandhada Gudi" is backed by the actor's home banner PRK Productions. It features Puneeth and Amoghavarsha, who has also directed the project. The film is reportedly a documentary on the wildlife of Karnataka and is set to release theatrically next year.
Retail prices of tomato have skyrocketed to a high of Rs 140 per kg in some parts of southern India as supplies have been hit due to heavy rains, according to the government data.
In Karnataka, the retail price of the key kitchen vegetable was ruling at Rs 100 per kg in Mangalore and Tumakuru, Rs 75 per kg in Dharward, Rs 74 per kg in Mysore, Rs 67 per kg in Shivamoga, Rs 64 per kg in Davanagere and Rs 57 per kg in Bengaluru.
Tomato prices are ruling high since September-end in most retail markets of the country but there has been a sharp rise is southern states of late due to continuous rains. Delayed arrivals from north Indian states was followed by heavy rains in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, which disrupted the supply and also resulted in crop damage. (PTI)
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Monday termed both BJP and Congress as equal enemies of his party, as he tried to clarify that the saffron party leader BS Yediyurappa has only sought "cooperation" and not an alliance during the upcoming legislative council polls in Karnataka.
Stating that he would reveal JD(S)' stand on Yediyurappa's request for support to BJP candidates in the seats, where the regional party is not contesting, on Tuesday, the former Chief Minister said there has been no official request in this regard from the saffron party itself. (PTI)
Karnataka on Monday reported 301 new cases of Covid-19 and 7 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 29,98,400 and death toll to 38,237, the health department said. The day also saw 359 discharges, pushing the total number of recoveries to 29,53,067.
Bengaluru Urban logged 162 new cases, as the city saw 116 discharges and 3 deaths. Total number of active cases is at 7,067. (PTI)
Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai on Monday accused the Congress of betraying people by saying that the grand old party is known for making tall promises but poor in delivering them.
The previous Congress government had announced seven kg rice per head and reduced the offer to four kg within a few days, but the truth is that only four kg was distributed for three years of their five-year tenure, Bommai said addressing an election rally in Gadag. He added that the rice quantity was raised to seven kg when just one year was left for the general Assembly election. (PTI)
Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on Monday claimed he was sent to Tihar jail as he did not support or go with the BJP. He even called the BJP government in the State as the most corrupt in the country.
I went to Tihar jail because they (BJP) sent me. You (BJP) sent me, as I did not support you, didn't come along with you," Shivakumar said in response to a statement by senior BJP leader and Minister KS Eshwarappa, questioning as to why he went to Tihar jail. Asked whether he wouldn't have gone to jail had he joined the BJP, he said, "everything is known, there are records..."
Shivakumar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on September 3, 2019 in a money laundering case, and was lodged in Tihar jail from where he was released on October 23 that year following the Delhi High Court granting him bail. (PTI)
City police have suspended a police sub-inspector for allegedly for assaulting a 23-year-old Muslim youth in the police station and forcing him to drink urine.
The suspended police sub-inspector is Harish KN attached to Byatarayanapura police station. Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Sanjeev M Patil told Indian Express that an interim report was submitted on Monday and based on that, Harish has been suspended for dereliction of duty, not reporting to the police station and for not registering the case. A departmental inquiry has also been ordered to probe the allegations made by the victim's family.
Officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Monday seized the entry to the Mantri Mall in the city over non-payment of taxes.
The BBMP officials shut down the popular mall in Malleswaram as its owners had not paid property taxes from 2018-19.
The total outstanding amount of property tax owed by Mantri Square Mall, owned by Abhishek Developers, is Rs 39.49 crore which includes property tax arrears of Rs 27.22 crore and interest of Rs 12.26 crore, according to the BBMP.
Around 130 contractual employees of the Indian Telephone Industries Limited (ITI) have been agitating against the company after they were terminated from service on Wednesday morning, said union leaders here.
The ITI is a public sector undertaking (PSU) company headquartered in Bengaluru under the Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Communication, Government of India. The terminated employees have been staging protests in front of the main gate of the company in KR Puram.
BBMP marshals, health officials and Police ask citizens to wear a mask amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
Officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had a meeting with mall owners Monday in which the latter were directed to comply with the government’s directions on checking vaccination certificates and setting up immunisation sites. The BBMP has already set up vaccination sites at various malls.
BBMP Special Commissioner (Health), K V Thrilok Chandra told The Indian Express, “In Mahadevapura zone, the vaccination teams are already present at the malls. We had a meeting with the mall owners on Monday evening in this regard. Vaccination certificates will be checked and health officers will oversee if the directions are being complied with. More such sites will come up at malls.”