Customers can contact 1912 for further details and grievances.Karnataka Bengaluru Coronavirus News January 18 Highlights: The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has notified that several areas in the city will experience a disruption in electricity supply over the week beginning Monday. The outage is expected to be between 10 am and 5.30 pm from Monday to Friday.
According to BESCOM officials, the areas likely to be affected include Kothnur Main Road, Sadanandappa Compound, Sharada Nagar, Shivashakti Nagar, DRR Hospital, Chunchagatta Main Road, Vinayaka Theatre Road, Cup Factory, Glass Factory Road, and Krishna Layout. “Customers can contact 1912 for further details and grievances,” an official added.
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Leaders across party lines in Karnataka, including the Chief Minister and the Leader of Opposition, Monday voiced objections to a statement by Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, in which he said his government was committed to incorporating Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka into the state.
Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa accused his Maharashtra counterpart of trying to “disturb the prevailing harmonious atmosphere” in the border areas of the states. “Uddhav Thackeray should instead show his commitment towards respecting the principles of unity,” he stated.
Yediyurappa said the statement by Thackeray was “detrimental” and “contrary to the principles of the nation’s unity”, adding “The Maharashtra CM raking up the border issue in the name of Marathi language and culture is unwarranted, and goes against the federal structure of the nation. The Mahajan Commission report on this matter is final.”
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The Karnataka government will connect more than 500 ‘raitha samparka kendras’ (agricultural extension centres) in the State with mobile soil testing facilities, said BC Patil, Karnataka Agriculture Minister.
“Recently Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa launched 40 ‘Krishi Sanjeevani’ vehicles to cater to the needs of farmers in the State. These vehicles will reach farmers fields to test soil, and to suggest measures to tackle pest attack and diseases in their fields,” he said.
“Each vehicle is equipped with a laboratory and a qualified person to handle it,” he added.
As many as 36,033 beneficiaries were inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine across Karnataka on Monday. According to the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, the state has reported an overall coverage of 44 per cent till 4.45 pm on Monday.
While the same was 58.4 and 63 per cent during the Covid-19 vaccination drive on Sunday and Saturday respectively, a cumulative 49 per cent of the total target group has been inoculated in the state so far.
The Petroleum Conservation Research Association, under the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has recognised three bus depots in Karnataka for improving fuel efficiency during the year 2019-2020.
The depots are Bannimantap and Rural Depot-2 in Mysuru and Davangere depot, all operated by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). According to a KSRTC official, the depots were picked at the state level for their improvement in kilometres achieved per litre during the period of October 2019 to November 2020.
The award was presented by Food and Civil Supplies Minister K Gopalaiah during a virtual ceremony held on Monday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP-led Karnataka government received severe backlash from the Opposition and Kannada activists on Sunday for giving preference to Hindi over regional language Kannada at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Rapid Action Force campus at Bhadravathi, Shivamogga district.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the campus, which was inaugurated by Shah in the presence of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and other state ministers, saw a banner put written only in Hindi and a plaque having Hindi and English.
The pictures from the event soon became a talking point on social media with pro-Kannada activists and opposition parties taking to Twitter to express their outrage at the neglect of Kannada in the state. Over 25,000 tweets on #NoToHindiSlavery’s Kannada counterparts were reported around till Monday morning.
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A group of tourists at the Bannerghatta National Park in Bengaluru was left terrified after they had a close encounter with a Bengal tiger. The undated video of the incident, which has now gone viral on social media, shows the wild cat moving towards the tourist vehicle and attempting to pull it from behind.
Using immense force, the tiger is able to pull out the vehicle’s bumper, as the camera pans towards the frightened passengers in it. However, the video becomes intense and ends on a cliffhanger when another tiger is seen walking towards the vehicle.
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The Bengaluru police opened fire at a rowdy sheeter and arrested him after he allegedly attacked cops with a long sword. The accused has been identified as Vijay alias Gonne Viji who is named in 19 cases in and around Girinagar.
According to the police, the incident took place during the late hours of Sunday night near PES University within the limits of Girinagar police station. “On receipt of a call made by residents of the area who found the accused extorting people using a long sword, a team from Girinagar station had rushed to the spot.
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Reacting to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray stating that his government is committed towards incorporating into the state the areas of Karnataka where Marathi-speaking people are in majority, leaders from Karnataka across partylines objected the same.
Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa Monday accused Thackeray of "trying to sabotage the amicable atmosphere" in the border areas of the states. "Uddhav Thackeray should instead show his commitment towards respecting the prinicples of unity," he stated.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former CM Siddaramaiah condemned the Maharashtra CM's statement adding that Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka. "Don't try to instigate us by bringing up the issue which is already resolved. Mahajan report is final with respect to Belagavi border issue. Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, don't try to politicize the issue which is already decided," he tweeted.
Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy, Education Minister S Suresh Kumar and others also condemned the Maharashtra CM's statement made on Sunday.
Karnataka reported 745 fresh cases of coronavirus and four related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 9.31 lakh and the toll to 12,166, the Health Department said on Sunday.
The day also saw 855 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of the 745 fresh cases reported on Sunday, 464 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone. According to the health department, an estimated 58 percent of designated beneficiaries earmarked for Sunday have been administered the vaccine. It said out of 6,327 beneficiaries, 3,699 was achieved on Sunday at 64 sessions, mostly in private hospitals (on account of Sunday). So a total of 17,308 out of 27,753 targeted beneficiaries have been vaccinated in two days, in 307 sessions held.
As of Sunday evening, cumulatively 9,31,997 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 12,166 deaths and 9,11,232 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin.
It said out of 8,580 active cases, 8,402 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 178 are in ICU. Out of the four deaths reported on Sunday, two are from Mysuru, followed by one each from Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural. Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 464, Dakshina Kannada 31, Tumakuru 26, Belagavi 24, Kalaburagi 21, followed by others.
A total of over 1.59 crore samples have been tested so far, out of which 98,479 were tested on Sunday alone, and 8,751 among them were rapid antigen tests. As on date 14 people in the state have tested positive for UK strain of the virus. So far 48 UK returnees and 26 primary contacts have tested positive during the RT-PCR tests, and among them 14 have been confirmed with UK strain, Health department said.
In a bid to announce solidarity with protesting farmers on the borders of the national capital and in other parts of the country, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has announced that a protest march towards Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru will be carried out on January 20. Confirming the same, Congress leader and former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara said the party will hold a protest march towards Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru on January 20 in support of farmers protesting at the borders of the national capital against the new farm laws.
Speaking to reporters in Shivamogga, Parameshwara informed that the Congress leaders will march from Freedom Park to Raj Bhavan where a memorandum will be submitted to the Karnataka Governor.
"With Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi backing the farmers' protest, the State Congress is also extending support to protesting farmers," he said in Shivamogga.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has allowed recharge of the Namma Metro smart card via Paytm.
Meanwhile, according to BMRCL officials, PhonePe also expressed interest in providing the service. BMRCL had recently allowed the provision of recharge through its own app, besides the website recharge gateway.
Kannada activists and state Opposition leaders on Sunday slammed the BJP and Union Minister Amith Shah for the importance given to Hindi at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Rapid Action Force campus at Bhadravathi, Shivamogga district.
A banner only in Hindi and a plaque unveiled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which had only Hindi and English, in the presence of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa roused the fury of pro-Kannada activists and opposition parties JDS and Congress who took to Twitter to express their outrage at the neglect of Kannada.
Kannada activists held a social media campaign. Over 25,000 tweets on #NoToHindiSlavery's Kannada counterparts were reported around till Monday morning.
Karnataka on the second day of covid vaccination drive reported two cases of mild symptoms of Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) in Udupi district.
According to Udupi district administration, one case each of AEFI was reported from TMA Pai Hospital and Urban Health Centre in the district. The two vaccine-recipients complained of mild stomach ache, which, the district administration said, was caused because of anxiety following the vaccine jab.
" It had nothing to do with the vaccine. Both were fine and vaccination will continue on Monday, " officials said.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, whose style of functioning, including the latest cabinet reshuffle, has come under criticism from BJP MLAs and leaders, seems to have received a morale boost from none other than Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah, who was in Bengaluru on Saturday to launch police projects, praised Yediyurappa’s leadership in managing the pandemic and taking forward development activities in the state.
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An astrologer, who was arrested last month for duping a retired Karnataka High Court judge of Rs8.27 crore by claiming to get her a high-placed government job through his political connections, first came on the radar of the Bengaluru crime branch police in 2019 for allegedly cheating a Mumbai businessman, who is known to be closely acquainted with a former BJP MP from the state.
The accused astrologer, identified as 52-year-old Yuvaraj Ramadas, moved in political and administrative circles, claiming to have contacts in high places in Delhi. While the latest to fall victim to his fraud was retired high court judge BS Indrakala, he had duped many before and was first investigated at the behest of the former legislator in connection with a cheating case worth nearly Rs 10 crore, police sources said.
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The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has notified that several areas in the city will experience disruption in electricity supply over the week beginning Monday. The outage is expected to be between 10 am and 5.30 pm from Monday to Friday.
According to BESCOM officials, the areas likely to be affected include Kothnur Main Road, Sadanandappa Compound, Sharada Nagar, Shivashakti Nagar, DRR Hospital, Chunchagatta Main Road, Vinayaka Theatre Road, Cup Factory, Glass Factory Road, and Krishna Layout.
Meanwhile, two sectors in HSR Layout is likely to experience power cuts from Tuesday to Saturday. BESCOM officials clarified that works on the conversion of 11 kV overhead electric lines to underground cables, LT OH line by LT UG/AB cable and the laying of optical fibre cable is scheduled at these areas.
"Customers can contact 1912 for further details and grievances," an official added.
Karnataka reported an overall coverage of 58.4 per cent during the Covid-19 vaccination drive on Sunday, as the same dropped from 63 per cent a day before, when the drive was launched nationwide, on Saturday.
According to the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, as many as 17,308 beneficiaries were vaccinated till Sunday while the target was 27,753. With this, the overall coverage for both days combined amounts to 62 per cent.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Sudhakar said that the second phase of vaccination would begin in the state only after the completion of both the doses to targeted healthcare workers. "We have received 8.14 lakh doses as of now, and the plan is to use this for both the doses for registered healthcare workers in a gap of 28 days. The next phase will be taken up only after that," he said.
At the same time, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said 58 per cent of the targeted beneficiaries were vaccinated within the limits of the local body on Sunday.
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