The curfew will be imposed from 10 pm to 5 am every night for a period of 10 days. (PTI Photo)Bengaluru Live Highlights: Karnataka on Tuesday recorded 356 new Covid-19 infections out of which 269 cases were from Bengaluru Urban. The Karnataka health department recorded two deaths from Bengaluru and Hassan.
In total Karnataka has 7,456 active cases, out of that 6,122 are from Bengaluru urban. The state health bulletin informed that there were 347 recoveries.
A night curfew has been imposed in Karnataka in the interest of public health, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Monday. People would have to strictly follow Covid norms at tourist spots, he added. The curfew will begin today and will be imposed from 10 pm to 5 am every night for a period of 10 days.
In other news, the Congress party will repeal the proposed contentious anti-conversion legislations immediately after coming to power following the 2023 Assembly polls in Karnataka, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah said on Monday.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has “unconditionally withdrawn” his comments that Muslims or Christians, who have undergone religious conversion, should be brought back into the fold of Hinduism. The video clip of his comments had caused a huge controversy at a time when a series of divisive speeches have been made from public platforms.
"Night Curfew" announced by the Karnataka government for ten days as part of its containment measures to control further COVID spread, has come into effect from 10 PM across the state on Tuesday.
The night curfew is from 10 PM to 5 AM every day till January 7 morning, during which no activities will be allowed. There has been a steady increase in the number of COVID-19 clusters in the state and in the number of Omicron variant's infections, with its tally in Karnataka now standing at 38.
The government has said that it is imposing additional containment measures proactively to break the chain of transmission in the state. Stating that the night curfew has been decided following experts' advice, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra in a statement today has appealed to public to cooperate with authorities and police, by following the rules, for larger public good. (PTI)
Medical experts here have supported the proposed rollout of vaccines for children in the age group of 15-18. They said that vaccinating children was imperative to reduce the transmission of the novel coronavirus. Notably, the Union health ministry on Tuesday issued guidelines for the vaccination of children to be held nationwide from January 3, 2022.
Dr BS Ajaikumar, the executive chairman of Healthcare Global Enterprises Ltd and a member of the state expert panel to tackle the anticipated third wave, said that vaccination of children was essential considering the threat posed by the Omicron variant. “This will reduce the worries of parents whose kids are going to schools and colleges. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has received approval for use among children. Vaccinating teenagers will reduce the transmission of the virus from them to older adults. Trials have also been conducted in the US with no side effects. The government should adopt strategies to make the registration process hassle-free,” he said.
Dr Jagdish Chinnappa, consultant paediatrics at Manipal Hospitals and another member of the expert panel, said that though few cases of Omicron have been reported in India, it was a matter of time before it rapidly spread across the country. Read more
A pro-Kannada outfit staged a protest here at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to demand action against the recent torching of a Kannada flag in Maharashtra's Kolhapur. Some miscreants reportedly burnt a Kannada flag in Kolhapur on December 14 when the Karnataka legislature was in session in Belagavi, which shares border with Maharashtra.
Maharashtra has been demanding merger of Belagavi and some other border areas with it claiming that a substantial number of Marathi-speaking people reside there. The outfit, Jaya Karnataka Janapara Vedike, said in a statement that the central government should immediately intervene and take strict action against those involved.
"The Union government should immediately intervene, and take strict action against those who are attempting to foment unrest between the people of the two states, by calling the meeting of chief ministers and leaders of all parties of both Karnataka and Maharashtra," the group said in a statement. It added that the government should ban such organisations who are "trying to poison the relationship of the two states against the spirit of our Constitution". (PTI)
Ruling out health issues, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that he has the strength to work tirelessly for 365 days without any rest, and his target was to bring BJP back to power after the 2023 polls.
The Chief Minister's statement came amidst speculations that he was suffering from a serious knee ailment and was likely to fly overseas soon for a treatment.
".....I have the strength to work tirelessly for 365 without any rest. I have decided to work a minimum of 15 hours a day. Bringing BJP back to power in the 2023 polls is my target and I will begin preparations for it in 2022," Bommai said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said BJP leaders will collectively work as a team for the polls. To a question on BJP National General Secretary in-charge of the state Arun Singh's recent statement that the party will contest assembly polls under his leadership, Bommai said, "He is a Delhi level leader.. he has kept that confidence in me. I thank him. We in the BJP work as a team together and collectively, it's team work, as I'm the Chief Minister he has said that." (PTI)
The Dharwad bench of Karnataka High Court has imposed a fine of Rs one lakh each on a police inspector and a rehabilitation centre for forcefully confining a married woman and her three-year-old daughter at the centre. Terming the act as “moral policing”, the court expressed its displeasure and said that the inspector cannot intervene in the married life of a person.
A bench headed by justice NS Sanjay Gowda ordered the court registrar to deposit the fine amount as a fixed deposit in the name of the girl child. Her mother, the petitioner in the case, can draw interest from the fixed deposit, the court said.
On May 3 this year, the petitioner moved out of her husband’s house along with their kid due to domestic issues. Read more
A 49-year-old man was arrested on Sunday by the Surathkal police in Mangaluru for allegedly sexually harassing a 27-year-old Christian woman after her mother had sought the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) help citing alleged police inaction.
The accused has been identified as Mohammed Sharief Siddique, a resident of Chokkabettu.
The woman had earlier written a letter to the VHP seeking their intervention and stated that the police and her community leaders were not helping her. Read more
A 42-year-old woman was hacked to death in the outskirts of Bengaluru in front of her son, allegedly by her ex-husband and his aides, late on Monday night when she was returning in a car after casting her vote in Anekal for the gram panchayat election. The police are yet to make arrests in the case.
The woman, identified as Archana Reddy, is a resident of Bellandur. The police suspect her husband Naveen and his friend Santosh killed her. A case has been registered at the Electronic City police station.
According to police sources, the incident took place around 10:30 pm when Archana, who got divorced with Naveen around five to six years back, was traveling back home in a car. Read more
The Karnataka government's e-Governance department has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and State Bank of India (SBI) for enabling and implementing 'e-RUPI', a cashless and contactless payment solution to students under its scholarship programme.
e-RUPI will be used to ensure a leak-proof delivery of education fees of eligible students by paying digitally to the college or institute by the Karnataka government. The Karnataka government will get e-vouchers delivered to the mobiles of eligible students. The voucher code can be received on the feature phone also. The students will be able to redeem e-RUPI at the identified colleges or institutes for the intended purpose of fees payment, NCPI said in a release.
For redeeming e-RUPI, the identified institutes will scan the QR code or SMS string displayed by the students using an Application or POS machine, and this process will remove the requirement of any physical token delivery for the students to avail of the scholarship, it said. (PTI)
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday said the state government should take serious note of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's remark that 40 villages from Jat tehsil in the border district of Sangli were welcome to join the southern state. Speaking on a point of information in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Patole said the state government needs to understand what problems these villages are facing.
"Bommai has spoken about it in the Karnataka Assembly and we need to take it seriously. He also said Karnataka will not part with even an inch of Belagavi and other Marathi-dominated areas in that state," the Congress leader said. ---PTI
A 26-year-old hacker, who managed to gain access to funds of the Karnataka government’s e-procurement cell in July 2019 to steal Rs 11.5 crore, used the internet connection of a five star-hotel he was staying at the time to carry out the hack, a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Karnataka police has revealed.
In a chargesheet filed on December 15 into the July 2019 hacking at the e-procurement cell, the CID has linked the 26-year-old hacker Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki to the crime by showing that an Internet Protocol address allocated to a hotel in Bengaluru where the hacker was staying between May and July 2019 was used to access the e-procurement portal. Read more
The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the ‘precautionary’ shots to those engaged in the trade and industry sector, irrespective of the age limit.
In his address to the nation on Saturday night, the Prime Minister did not use the expression “booster”; he said three priority groups — healthcare workers, frontline workers, and those above 60 with associated comorbidities — would get a “precautionary dose” of the vaccine. The prioritization and sequencing of the second dose would be based on the completion of 9 months from the date of administration of the second dose. Read more
The Dharwad bench of Karnataka High Court has imposed a fine of Rs one lakh each on a police inspector and a rehabilitation centre for forcefully confining a married woman and her three-year-old daughter at the centre. Terming the act as “moral policing”, the court expressed its displeasure and said that the inspector cannot intervene in the married life of a person.
A bench headed by justice NS Sanjay Gowda ordered the court registrar to deposit the fine amount as a fixed deposit in the name of the girl child. Her mother, the petitioner in the case, can draw interest from the fixed deposit, the court said. Read more
A 49-year-old man was arrested on Sunday by the Surathkal police in Mangaluru for allegedly sexually harassing a 27-year-old Christian woman after her mother had sought the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) help citing alleged police inaction.
The accused has been identified as Mohammed Sharief Siddique, a resident of Chokkabettu.
The woman had earlier written a letter to the VHP seeking their intervention and stated that the police and her community leaders were not helping her. Read more
With the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) barring vehicles on the Dr Shivakumara Swamiji Flyover, popularly known as Goraguntepalya Flyover, traffic has increased manifold on Tumakuru Road, the traffic police said.
The NHAI has shut the flyover till January 3, 2022 after the authorities discovered that two cables had rusted at the 8th Mile of the flyover during an inspection conducted on Saturday. Read more
Ahead of the Karnataka BJP executive committee meeting on Tuesday in Hubballi, Arun Singh, BJP national general secretary and in charge BJP Karnataka, has ruled out a change in leadership in the State.
"Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is doing a job and there will be no change of Chief Minister. The party will go to the next Assembly polls under his leadership," Singh said. He further praised Bommai as one of the most honest and humble politicians against whom there are no charges of corruption. Read more
The Congress party will repeal the proposed contentious anti-conversion legislations immediately after coming to power following the 2023 Assembly polls in Karnataka, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah said on Monday.
Calling the “Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021” popularly known as the anti-conversion Bill as “anti-constitution” and “draconian”, he said the Congress too is opposed to religious conversion by force or through inducement. Read more
1. A night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am will be imposed for the next 10 days, until January 7, 2022.
2. From 30 January 2021 to 2 January 2022, all restaurants/cafes/clubs/bars will be allowed to have 50 percent capacity. All staff members will be required to have a negative RT-PCR report and a double vaccination certificate.
3. No more than 300 people will be allowed to attend weddings, meetings, ceremonies from 28 January 2021 onwards.
With the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) barring vehicles on the Dr Shivakumara Swamiji Flyover, popularly known as Goraguntepalya Flyover, traffic has increased manifold on Tumakuru Road, the traffic police said.
The NHAI has shut the flyover till January 3, 2022 after the authorities discovered that two cables had rusted at the 8th Mile of the flyover during an inspection conducted on Saturday. Read More
Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines of India chaired a review meeting at Rail Soudha, Head Quarter of SWR today along with Halappa Achar Minister of Mines & Geology, Minister of Women & Child Development and Disabled & Senior Citizens empowerment, Government of Karnataka.
Joshi reviewed the progress of important projects undertaken by SWR in Karnataka namely Hubballi-Ankola New Line project, Tumkur-Chitradurga New Line project, Dharwad-Belgaum New Line project, Hubballi-Chikajajur Doubling project, Hosapete-Vasco Da Gama electrification and Road Over Bridge in lieu of LC No.299,300 & 18 in Dharwad district.
A brief presentation on the achievements of SWR in new-line, doubling, electrification related developments and Parcel and Freight performance in 2021, was given to the ministers.
Joshi instructed to complete railway developmental projects expeditiously. He assured all possible support in early resolution of bottle necks (if any) with regard to these projects. To benefit the public of the area, he advised to have a Rajdhani Express to connect Hubli with New-Delhi, directly and a proposal will be sent to Railway Board, to the effect.
General Manager Sanjeev Kishore assured the Minister that his advice and instructions will be pursued in the right earnest and full efforts will be put by SWR team to ensure speedy completion of railway developmental projects.
In order to ensure proper functioning of all PSA plants and preparedness for anticipated third wave, mock drill of all commissioned PSA plants in the state is scheduled for December 29 on the directions of the Union Ministry of Health.
Totally, 264 Oxygen generation plants have been allocated (PM cares : 50, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas : 31, State initiative : 40, CSR: 132, Railway Board : 3, Ministry of Coal: 6 & through Foreign Aid :2) Of the 264 plants allocated 192 plants have been commissioned and operational.
192 plants commissioned account for 199 MT/day oxygen production at facility level. The mock drill will be taken under the leadership of State Health Department.
A 26-year-old hacker, who managed to gain access to funds of the Karnataka government’s e-procurement cell in July 2019 to steal Rs 11.5 crore, used the internet connection of a five star-hotel he was staying at the time to carry out the hack, a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Karnataka police has revealed.
In a chargesheet filed on December 15 into the July 2019 hacking at the e-procurement cell, the CID has linked the 26-year-old hacker Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki to the crime by showing that an Internet Protocol address allocated to a hotel in Bengaluru where the hacker was staying between May and July 2019 was used to access the e-procurement portal.
In key evidence placed in the chargesheet to link Srikrishna alias Sriki to the theft of Rs 11.5 crore of funds from the e-procurement cell, the CID has cited an e-mail communication of October 18, 2019, from the internet service provider D-Vois Communications Pvt Ltd stating that an IP address 1.186.34.100 was allotted to the hotel Gokulam Grand and Spa in Bengaluru. Read More
Residents of Koramangala along with Congress workers protested Monday against the inordinate delay in the construction of the elevated corridor from Ejipura to Kendriya Sadan.
While Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya lambasted the civic agency Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) over the delay in the construction, BTM layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy demanded appointing a special official in charge to monitor the project.
In a letter to BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta, the MLA requested him to apprise him about the progress of the project with regular updates. Read More
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday flagged off the state's first ever rollout of electric buses for public transportation.
JBM Auto Ltd., will supply 90 electric buses to Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) for its first electric bus project.
"The JBM ECO-LIFE electric buses will be running under the metro feeder services in the Smart City initiative. Earlier this year, JBM Auto had received an order of 90 non-AC electric buses for the city of Bengaluru," JBM said in a release. Stating that 25 buses have been flagged off today out of the first batch of 40 electric buses delivered by the company to BMTC, it said the remaining 50 e-buses will be delivered in the coming months. (PTI)
Karnataka reported 289 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday of which 172 were in Bengaluru Urban. The state health department said there were four deaths of which two were in Bengaluru, one each in Kodagu and Uttara Kannada. The active cases in the state now stand at 7,449.
There were 254 recoveries.
The positivity rate for the day was 0.49 percent while the case fatality rate is 1.38 percent. Other districts like Dakshina Kannada registered 12 cases, Mysuru (07), Kodagu (37), Tumakaru (15) Udupi (7), Uttara Kannada (8).
Meanwhile, Covid tests witnessed a sharp dip to 58,495 compared to more than a lakh last week. Read More
If we come to power, we will remove anti conversion law ( it is yet to be law) within a week after coming to power: CLP leader Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru Metro train frequency will be reduced after 10 pm from December 28 to January 7 due to the night curfew imposed in the state, said an official release. However, there is no change in operating hours, it added.
The booster dose set to be rolled out for eligible citizens from Jan 10 onwards may be extended to employers and employees in Industry, Trade & Services sector, irrespective of whether they come under the prescribed eligibility criteria of 60 years of age and having co-morbidities, said Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) in an appeal to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Night curfew has been imposed in the state in the interest of public health, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said speaking to media persons on Monday. Solatium is being paid to BPL families of those who lost their lives due to Covid in all districts and taluks. A programme in this regard is being held in Bengaluru as well, he said.
Reacting to displeasure among the business community against the night curfew he said, the measure has been taken in the interest of public health. People would have to strictly follow Covid norms at tourist spots, he added.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said there is coordination between the BJP and the government in Karnataka, and the party will face 2023 assembly polls united with its good work, as he termed speculations about “changes” as media creation. The CM was responding to media queries regarding possible discussion at BJP state core committee and executive meetings on December 28 and 29 respectively in Hubballi, which according to reports is likely to be attended by party National President J P Nadda. (PTI)
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has manufactured Advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array-Short Range (AESA-SR) radar which could be used for border surveillance, battle field surveillance and critical infrastructure protection. The indigenously built system mounted on a tripod has automatic Track While Scan (TWR) feature which enables the radar to track upto 100 targets while searching for other targets.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has "unconditionally withdrawn" his comments that Muslims or Christians, who have undergone religious conversion, should be brought back into the fold of Hinduism. The video clip of his comments had caused a huge controversy at a time when a series of divisive speeches have been made from public platforms. "At a program held in Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt two days ago, I spoke on the subject of 'Hindu Revival in Bharat'. Certain statements from my speech has regrettably created an avoidable controversy. I therefore unconditionally withdraw the statements," Tejasvi Surya tweeted this morning.
Bengaluru’s civic body — the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) — has imposed a fine to the tune of Rs 20,000 to Garuda Mall for not enforcing Covid-19 protocols inside its premises.
According to BBMP officials, after an inspection, officials found that the visitors were not being checked if they were fully vaccinated. The officials said that the social distancing norms were also not being followed. After Omicron cases were detected in Karnataka, the state government had made it mandatory for all those entering malls and theatres to be fully vaccinated.
A separate directorate would be established soon to raise farmers’ income, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.
The Chief Minister, while speaking at a function to felicitate farmers’ leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar in Mysuru on Sunday, said governments over the years have been focussing only on increasing food production but not on raising the income of farmers. "I have taken note of this problem. It is possible to raise their income through integrated farming and adopting supplementary income generating farm activities,” he added. The CM further said: “Food production is filling the pockets of traders but has left the farmers in the lurch. The problem cannot be solved unless farmers become the focal point of our planning.” (ENS)
Karnataka BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Sunday said Muslims or Christians, who have undergone religious conversion, should be brought back into the fold of Hinduism. He added that all mutts and temples should have “annual targets” for the completion of such religious re-conversions. “There are people who belonged to Hinduism but were converted to Islam or Christianity. It is our duty to bring these people back into the fold of Hinduism. Also, Hindus in Pakistan who were converted to Islam should be brought back into the fold,” the BJP MP, who is also the Yuva Morcha national president, said at a valedictory event at Sri Krishna Mutt. Read More
Karnataka has reported 348 new cases of Covid-19 and 3 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 30,04,587 and the toll of fatalities to 38,312, the Health Department of the State said on Sunday. Also, the day saw 198 getting discharged, taking the total number of recoveries so far to 29,58,828.
Out of 348 new cases, 248 were from Bengaluru Urban, 88 got discharged and 2 deaths were reported. The state currently has 7,418 active cases. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.47 per cent, the case fatality rate was 0.86 per cent. Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 248, Kodagu 18, Tumakuru and Uttara Kannada 11 followed by the others. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases with a total of 12,61,556, Mysuru 1,80,224 and Tumakuru 1,21,302.
The state government is prepared to tackle probable a third wave of Covid if it his in the coming days, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Sunday.
The Chief Minister in his address after inaugurating the Oxygen Generator and Liquid Medical Oxygen Plant at the JSS Hospital said that action has been initiated for setting up new ICU facilities, augmentation of oxygen plants and ensuring medicine stocks. About 97% first dose Covid vaccination has been achieved in the state and 76% have been covered with second dose.
“Protection from Covid can be achieved only by 100% vaccination. Government has been working relentlessly to achieve it. Tough preventive measures too would be taken. People need to cooperate with the government,” Bommai said.
Appreciating JSS institutions for their services in education, feeding the hungry and medical care, he said that the government has been successful in managing the Covid spread with cooperation from many organisations and hospitals. (PTI)
Karnataka BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Sunday said Muslims or Christians, who have undergone religious conversion, should be brought back into the fold of Hinduism. He added that all mutts and temples should have “annual targets” for the completion of such religious re-conversions.
“There are people who belonged to Hinduism but were converted to Islam or Christianity. It is our duty to bring these people back into the fold of Hinduism. Also, Hindus in Pakistan who were converted to Islam should be brought back to Hinduism,” the BJP MP, who is also the Yuva Morcha national president, said at a valedictory event at Sri Krishna Mutt. Read more
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday ruled out reconsidering the government's decision to impose night curfew and curbs on New Year celebrations in the State in the wake of fresh COVID-19 concerns.
Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry and hotel and pub owners have requested the government to reconsider its decision.
"There is no question of reconsideration. Last week when we held a meeting in Belagavi and imposed certain restrictions, I said that after observing Omicron and COVID-19 situation we may take certain measures, and accordingly we have imposed some minor restrictions," Bommai said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he conceded that night curfew may cause some amount of inconvenience. "But, as we have already informed about banning parties outdoors, especially for those celebrating with DJs and large gatherings, it may not cause trouble," he added.
The Karnataka government on Sunday decided to impose night curfew for 10 days from December 28 between 10 pm and 5 am. (PTI)
In his ‘Maan Ki Baat’ address on Sunday, PM Narendra Modi talked about Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed to injuries at a military hospital in Bengaluru last week after sustaining serious injuries in the chopper crash near Coonoor that killed CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 armed forces personnel.
Group Captain Singh was the lone survivor of the December 8 crash.
The prime minister talked about the air warrior's inspiring letter to his school weeks after he was decorated with the Shaurya Chakra award for displaying exemplary composure and skill.
Modi said, "After reading this letter, the first thought that came to my mind was that even after reaching the pinnacle of success, he did not forget to nurture his roots. Second, when he had time to celebrate, he showed concern for the generations to come. He wanted that the lives of the students of the school that he studied in should also be a celebration."
The Air Force officer had written if he could inspire even a single student, it would mean a lot, Modi noted, saying that he has in fact inspired the whole country. (PTI)
Health Minister K Sudhakar on Sunday said that there will be a complete ban on all kinds of new year parties in public places. The hotels/restaurants/pubs and other spaces will be allowed to operate with 50 percent occupancy.
The state government order said that the night curfew will be in effect between December 28 and January 7 and the restrictions for hotels, restaurants, pubs will be in effect between December 30 and January 2. All staff members of the said entities have to possess a Covid-19 negative RT-PCR report and will have to be fully vaccinated with two doses.
Amid fears of a rise in the number of Omicron cases, the Karnataka government has decided to impose a night curfew beginning Tuesday, December 28. The curfew will be imposed from 10 pm to 5 am every night for a period of 10 days.
Health and Family Welfare Minister K Sudhakar said the measures have been taken after analysing the situation that is prevailing in other states and countries. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai headed the meeting where several ministers, officials, and Technical Advisory Committee members were part of it.
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Taking a note of the drop in the number of girl students in rural areas who enter high school and later enrol for the Pre-University Course (Class XI), the state government has decided to extend the Raitha Vidya Nidhi scheme for girl students of Classes VIII and IX standard, said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Saturday. A government order in this regard would be issued soon, he added.
Bommai in his address after launching a slew of development works worth over Rs 244 crore in Vijayapura district lauded the efforts of local MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for his efforts for speedy development of the district. He also expressed his commitment to work for a total transformation of the region.
Read more
The Karnataka government Sunday declared a night curfew in the state — from 10 pm to 5 am — in order to check the spread of Omicron cases, for 10 days starting from December 28.
Spread over 47 acres, the Kaggadasapura Lake located in Bengaluru’s C V Raman Nagar is an ideal example of citizens’ struggle with various government agencies to restore a waterbody.
The lake is one of the many centres for the city’s untreated sewage, resulting in the spillage of toxic foam and despite the Lokayukta in 2019 ordering the Revenue department to survey the lake and clear it from encroachments, the restoration work moved at a snail’s pace.
While some of the encroachers in connivance with revenue officials saved their constructions on the lake’s land during the survey itself, the lake bed started accumulating heaps of garbage despite orders against dumping by the municipal corporation.
Read more
Congress MLC Raghu Achar on Friday mocked the Karnataka Legislative Council saying that it had become a temporary shelter for losers in assembly elections who then spend crores of rupees to be in it. Following the protest by other members, he later apologised for his statement.
On the last day of the session on Friday, two-time MLC Raghu Achar said: “There was a time when the house was filled with intellect but now it is a house filled with rich people. Apart from Kota Srinivas Poojary (BJP MLC), no one had come here without spending money, that includes me as well,” he said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will hold a meeting with experts on Sunday to discuss measures to control the spread of the Omicron variant. Bommai has said that a decision will be taken in the meeting on whether night curfew should be imposed in the state.
“The number of Omicron cases is on the rise in neighbouring states of Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This is a cause for concern. A meeting with experts would be held on Sunday to discuss the situation and decide on appropriate measures,” Bommai said in Hubballi on Saturday.
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Seven new cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Karnataka on Saturday, health minister K Sudhakar informed. All primary and secondary contacts of these patients have been tracked, traced and tested, he added.
Karnataka on Saturday logged 270 fresh Covid-19 cases and four deaths, taking the caseload to 30,04,239 and the toll to 38,309. Recoveries numbered 246, taking the total to 29,58,630, leaving 7,271 active cases, a health department bulletin said.
Bengaluru Urban remained the major contributor of cases, reporting 152 infections and two deaths. Kodagu logged 25 cases, Tumakuru and Udupi 14 each, Mysuru 13 and Dakshina Kannada 11. Other than Bengaluru, one death each occurred in Dharwad and Udupi. The positivity rate for the day was 0.27 per cent and the Case Fatality Rate was 1.48 per cent.
A total of 97,782 samples were tested in the state on Saturday, taking the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 5.59 crore, the bulletin said. The day also saw 91,707 people being vaccinated, taking the total number of those given the jabs so far to 8.45 crore.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and BJP's Karnataka unit chief Nalin Kumar Kateel ruled out leadership change in the State, saying Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai would continue till the next election in 2023.
"Bommai is going to be the Chief Minister till the next election, which is 2023. There is no leadership change," Kateel told reporters in Bengaluru.
The Chief Minister, who would complete five months in office in the next couple of days, had turned emotional in his home town Shiggaon in Haveri district a few days ago and said he was aware of the fact that posts and positions were not forever, raising eyebrows. However, Kateel termed these talks of leadership change, a conspiracy. (PTI)
33 medical students of a medical college in Kolar have tested Covid-19 positive. All the students are isolated at the hospital.
Congress MLC Raghu Achar on Friday mocked the Karnataka Legislative Council saying that it had become a temporary shelter for losers in assembly elections who then spend crores of rupees to be in it. Following the protest by other members, he later apologised for his statement.
On the last day of the session on Friday, two-time MLC Raghu Achar said: “There was a time when the house was filled with intellect but now it is a house filled with rich people. Apart from Kota Srinivas Poojary (BJP MLC), no one had come here without spending money, that includes me as well,” he said. Read More
Christmas eve celebrations in Bengaluru. Express photo by Jithendra M.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said he would hold a meeting with experts on COVID-19 on Sunday in Bengaluru in view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.
"Omicron is rising in the country. My fear is that the COVID-19 cases are rising in Maharashtra, Kerala as well as in Tamil Nadu. This scares me. After reaching Bengaluru, I will discuss with all the important people and will decide the next course of action keeping in view the present situation," Bommai said.
Regarding night curfew, he said it will be decided in the meeting. To a query on the possibility of giving booster dose, Bommai said the Centre will take a call on it. He also said that the guidelines issued earlier are still continuing in the state. However, after reviewing the situation, more strict measures can be initiated.
Karnataka has seen 31 Omicron cases and a majority of infected persons were asymptomatic. Barring the minors, all of them have been vaccinated. (PTI)
Seeking to put an end to speculation about possible leadership change in Karnataka, Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Friday said the BJP would face the next election under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. There were rumours in some quarters in recent times that Bommai may go abroad for knee operation.
"We will face the next election under his (Bommai) leadership. There is no doubt about it. He is 100 per cent our leader," Ashoka told reporters. The minister dismissed as "mischief" the rumours of Bommai going abroad for his knee operation. He said doctors have advised him that he will be cured here in India without operation. (PTI)
After Karnataka witnessed attacks on churches and prayer halls in the last few months, few right-wing activists allegedly engaged in a verbal duel with the management of a Christian convent in Mandya district over the celebration of Christmas in a school here.
The Christmas celebrations at the Nirmala English High School in Pandavapura, a town in Mandya district about 160 kms from Bengaluru, was allegedly interrupted by a group of Hindu Jagarana Vedike activists on Thursday. A video of the incident has been widely shared on social media.
In the video, few men can be seen engaged in a verbal spat with the management over Christmas celebrations at the school. They also questioned the school authorities, why Hindu festivals like Ganesha festival were not being celebrated.
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The Belagavi session of state legislature was fruitful for the development of northern Karnataka as many projects for development of the region were approved during the session, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said. Speaking to media persons at Suvarna Soudha, he said the session came up with solutions for many complex problems of the region.
'State government has proved that it is committed to the development of irrigation in the region. Approvals were given for a slew of railway projects for northern Karnataka, financial rejuvenation of HESCOM, clearance for Sasalatti and Manturu irrigation projects, lift irrigation in Sedam were among the projects which got a push during the session,' Bommai said.
The recruitment of teachers for Kalyana Karnataka region, grant of Rs 500 crore in the supplementary estimates for the region, taking up new infrastructure projects in Belagavi and holding joint session of state legislature in January are among the prominent decisions the state cabinet took during the session, Bommai said.
According to him, the session witnessed elaborate discussion on recent floods and crop losses. He added that the state government made history by rushing to farmers' aid as the crop loss compensation was paid within 48 hours after the details were uploaded in the government app. (PTI)
The Karnataka government has decided to construct a ground level Metro depot by scrapping the earlier plan of an elevated depot at Challaghatta across NICE Road and along Mysuru Road. A high-powered committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary, with representatives of all transport bodies, including Directorate of Urban Land Transport, recently took a unanimous decision on the issue, said Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) officials.
“Earlier, there was the plan to have an elevated depot at Challaghatta and a bus depot for Karnataka State Road transport corporation (KSRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses below. But we have now decided to construct the depot at the ground level. By constructing a ground level depot, it will reduce the project cost from Rs 900 crore to Rs 500 crore,” BMRCL managing director Anjum Parwez said.
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