The weekly Covid positivity rate (October 27-November 2) in Bengaluru was 6 per cent. (File Photo)Bengaluru Hightlights: Covid-19 cases in Karnataka on Monday saw a downward trend again, registering 24,172 new cases, 56 deaths with a positivity rate of 17.11 per cent. Bengaluru alone logged 10,692 fresh infections along with 12 deaths. The state also saw 30,869 discharges. Currently Karnataka has 2,44,331 active cases, with over 1,34,000 in Benagluru.
In another development, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hit back at Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday after the latter criticised the incumbent state government for “failing to keep a single promise made in 2018 BJP manifesto”. Bommai said, “We are aware of our responsibilities. We have launched many programmes for the welfare of the people. Don’t try to find fault where none exists.”
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government on Saturday decided to remove night curfew and allow schools in Bengaluru city to start offline classes for standard 1 to 9 from January 31, based on the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) report. Cinema halls and multiplexes have been allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity, marriages can be held with up to 300 people in open venues and 200 in closed spaces. He added that religious places will be opened for daily rituals and the public will be allowed in as per Covid protocol. Swimming pools, gyms and sports stadiums can operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Members of the Aam Aadmi Party perform symbolic worship of potholes to draw the attention of civic officials to the poor condition of roads in the Malleswaram area in Bengaluru, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. (PTI Photo)
The government girl's PU college in Udupi has categorically informed that students wearing ‘hijab' (Islamic headscarf) will not be allowed inside classrooms.
The decision of the authorities was announced on Monday by Udupi MLA and college development authority president K Raghupati Bhat, after a meeting with four of the five students who have been protesting against the decision of the college authorities by boycotting classes.
Bhat said it is not possible to allow students to wear hijab inside classrooms where only uniforms are allowed. The parents of the girls have also been informed of the decision. They said they will take a decision after speaking to the male members of their families.
He said from Tuesday, students will not be permitted to create any chaos or confusion on the college campus. Representatives of organisations and media persons also will not be allowed inside the campus. (PTI)
Delhi has replaced Bengaluru as the startup capital of India as the national capital added over 5,000 startups between April 2019 and December 2021, according to the Economic Survey 2021-22.
The survey, which was tabled in Parliament Monday, said 4,514 startups were added in Bengaluru during the period. With a total of 11,308 startups, Maharashtra has the highest number of recognised startups in the country.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to congratulate the national capital. "Congrats Delhi for yet another achievement. Delhi with 5,000 start-ups replaces Bengaluru as start-up capital.” India had a record number of start-ups (44) reach the unicorn status in 2021. It overtook the UK to emerge as the third highest country in number of unicorns after the US and China which added 487 and 301 unicorns respectively in 2021. (PTI)
Karnataka logged 24,172 new Covid-19 cases of which 10,692 cases were in capital Bengaluru. The total active cases in the state stood at 244,331 of which 134,038 are in Bengaluru. The positivity rate is 17.11 percent.
30,869 new recoveries once again outnumbered the number of new cases. (Read more)
A 40-year-old woman died in Bengaluru after a truck allegedly hit the motorbike on which she was riding pillion at Magadi Main Road on Sunday morning. While locals blamed the accident on the potholes and the poor condition of the road, cops said the woman was wearing a sub-standard helmet.
The deceased, Sharmila Prakash, was a resident of Pattegarapalya in West Bengaluru and worked as a teacher in a private school. The incident took place around 10.30 am when she was travelling with her husband on his motorbike to a relative’s place. (Read more)
India on Monday finalised Hoysala Temples of Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura in Karnataka it's nomination for consideration as World Heritage for the year 2022-2023.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said the government would simplify laws to help the poor own land and houses in urban areas.
“It is important to provide housing in urban areas. But it is difficult to own land or house in urban areas. It is a social challenge. A roof over one’s head is very important along with food and water to lead a dignified life,” Bommai said after distributing title deeds under a multi-storey housing scheme implemented by the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation.
The chief minister said over 46,000 of the one lakh houses to be built under the scheme were being distributed. He instructed officials to identify beneficiaries for the remaining houses and appreciated Housing Minister V Somanna for realising the project. (Read more)
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai dedicated the 7.50 million liter square shaped ground level reservoir to the people at Jagadish Nagar on Monday. He called upon the people to make good use of the water without wasting a drop.
The reservoir would enable water supply to people of 9 layouts in the area, he said. The Chief Minister was all praise for Urban Development minister Byrathi Basavaraj, who is also the MLA of KR Puram constituency. "Minister Basavaraj has set a record in development works for KR Puram constituency. The Ground Level Reservoir is one of them. Basavaraj is working as a true public servant with immense concern for public welfare," Bommai said.
Ministers Byrathi Basavaraj, Dr K Sudhakar and ST Somashekar and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. (Report by Kiran Parashar)
A crocodile park, first of its kind, was commissioned at Dandeli in Karnataka on Sunday, January 30. MLA R V Deshpande inaugurated the park situated near Dandelappa temple.
The two-acre park has been built on the banks of river Kali with a budget of Rs 3 crore. The construction works had begun in 2019 and was completed in June 2021. However, the work was delayed due to the pandemic. The project is implemented by the State tourism department.
The park has various civic amenities and amusement facilities for the visitors. (Read more)
Covid-19 cases in Karnataka on Monday saw a downward trend again, registering 24,172 new Covid-19 cases, 56 deaths with a positivity rate of 17.11 per cent. Bengaluru alone logged 10,692 fresh infections along with 12 deaths. The state also saw 30,869 discharges.
Currently Karnataka has 2,44,331 active cases, with over 1,34,000 in Benagluru.
The JD(S) on Monday expelled former Member of Parliament from Mandya L R Shivarame Gowda for indulging in anti-party activities. Karnataka JD(S) President H K Kumaraswamy has issued his expulsion order, with immediate effect.
Earlier in the day, JD(S) Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had instructed the state president to expel Shivarame Gowda for allegedly making derogatory remarks against former Mandya MP from Congress party and senior leader from Vokkaliga community, late G Madegowda.
Speaking to reporters, he had said, permission has been taken from JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda regarding expelling Shivarame Gowda. (PTI)
BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta on Monday signed a MoU for Door-to-Door vaccination drive (‘Mane Manege Lasike’) project taken up by Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) under the aegis of CSR Expert Committee in association with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
The member organizations of the project (‘Mane Manege Lasike’)- Volvo Group India Pvt Ltd, International Aerospace Manufacturing Pvt Ltd (IAMPL) and Convergent Wireless Communications Pvt Ltd are deploying 5 teams to conduct vaccination for 2 months under under CSR initiatives. Sambhav Foundation is the implementation agency of the project.
Each of the 5 teams will consist 6 members: 2 vaccinators, 2 data entry operators, 1 superviser, 1 mobiliser. Vaccination will be held at block and lane level of concerned wards.
Till now 1,67,58,143 doses of vaccines have been admisitered, among which 97% is of first dose and 82% is of second dose. Several NGOs are joining with BBMP providing vehicles and needed personnel to ensure vaccinaton in the city.
Karnataka health minister on Monday took to Twitter to highlight India's development showcasing different indicators such as National Highway network, number of operationalised airports and luminosity. This comes in the after the Economic Survey was tabled in the parliament ahead of the Budget session.
Senior leader C M Ibrahim will never leave the Congress, newly appointed deputy leader of the Congress legislature party in Karnataka U T Khader said on Monday.
Addressing reporters here, Khader said there is no question of the senior leader quitting the party. The party has always recognised Ibrahim's contributions and will continue to do so in future, Khader said. Khader also said there is no link between his appointment as CLP deputy leader and the disgruntlement of Ibrahim.
The Mangaluru MLA said his new post is a great responsibility and he will work more effectively against the "failures of the BJP government in the state". (PTI)
Former MLA of Shivajinagar Roshan bhaig on Monday met Congress leader CM Ibrahim who recently announced that he will resign from the party.
Violence broke out on the Jnanabharati Campus of Bangalore University on Monday morning after the city police resorted to hitting protesting student activists of Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishat (ABVP) with lathis (sticks).
The activists were protesting against the delay in insurance of marks cards for almost two years by the University.
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Monday said that Benagluru Rural has become the first distict in Karnataka to achieve 100 per cent second dose Covid-19 vaccination coverage.
"Congrats to all the health workers and district administration involved in this!" Sudhakar said in a tweet.
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Monday announced an agreement to acquire about 25 per cent equity stake in Bengaluru-based technology startup Lavelle Networks. The agreement is subject to statutory approvals.
"Airtel acquires about 25 per cent strategic stake in SD-WAN startup Lavelle Networks", the company said in a statement. Financial details about the deal were not disclosed.
Lavelle Networks specialises in software-defined Wide Area Network solutions and it serves a range of industry segments.
"As more enterprises move to cloud-based applications to serve their customers in a digital-first ecosystem, they require on-demand and reliable network connectivity," the release said. (PTI)
Defending champions Bengal Warriors take on Gujarat Giants while Bengaluru Bulls will be up against UP Yoddha in a double-header match day of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) here on Tuesday.
The Warriors are the in-form side with three wins in their last four matches and will be expected to give an out-of-form Gujarat team a difficult time on the mat.
The sixth season champions Bengaluru Bulls have been struggling and will need a victory against the well-oiled UP Yoddha to stay in the hunt for a top place finish. (PTI)
Twenty-five years ago, Bheemavva and her husband migrated to the coastal region of Udupi from her village Katageri in north Karnataka district Bagalkot in search of work. Though they owned two acres of land in their village, severe drought had made their life miserable back home.
At 48, Bheemavva is now the president of Tallur gram panchayat in Udupi, a rise facilitated by her propensity to address the issues of the local people. (Read more)
A 32-year-old bus driver was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at Kavoor in Dakshina Kannada district, police sources said. The accused, hailing from Bagalkot district, allegedly took the girl to a house in Kavoor and sexually assaulted her a few days back.
Based on a complaint at the women's police station, the accused was arrested on Sunday under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the sources said.
Following recent incidents of errant behaviour on the part of the Bengaluru traffic police which led to a public outcry, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has directed the city Police Commissioner and DGP to take necessary action in this regard.
While Assistant Sub-Inspector Narayan R was recently suspended for kicking and assaulting a physically challenged woman after she allegedly hurled stones at the police, in another incident, a viral video on Saturday showed the traffic police towing away the vehicle of a delivery executive. Following this, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ravikanthe Gowda B R ordered an enquiry and suspended the operations of the towing vehicle and the ASI involved was temporarily taken off duty.
According to the rules, the authorities have to make an announcement before towing a vehicle away, but in this case, the police allegedly took it away without warning. In the video recorded by passers-by, the delivery executive is seen running behind the vehicle and pleading with them not to take it away. The locals said the executive then got his motorbike back.
Bengaluru is expected to have partly cloudy sky conditions on Monday. Fog and mist is very likley during the early morning hours. Maximum and Minimum temperatures are likely to be around 30 and 18 degrees Celsius respectively.
For 48 hours: Partly cloudy sky. Fog/Mist very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and Minimum temperatures very likely to be around 30 and 18 degrees Celsius respectively.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hit back at Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday after the latter criticised the incumbent state government for “failing to keep a single promise made in 2018 BJP manifesto”. Bommai said, “We are aware of our responsibilities. We have launched many programmes for the welfare of the people. Don’t try to find fault where none exists.”
Reacting to the Congress leader’s statement, the chief minister said, “Nothing more can be expected from him… Siddaramaiah had claimed that he implemented 96% of his manifesto. But still people rejected him.
“It is not enough to announce the programmes, they should be implemented. We are aware of our responsibilities towards the welfare of students, youth, women, scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities.”
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at a programme here on his death anniversary. Later, talking to the reporters, Bommai said, “Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals are pillars of Independent and Republic India. We are commemorating the day Mahatma Gandhi laid down his life as the Martyrs’ Day… Despite suffering imprisonment, lathi blows and other hardships, he resolved to attain freedom for the country through the principles of non-violence, peace and truth. He never gave up his ideal of non-violence.
“The Mahatma had said, ‘My life is my message’. One needs immense moral strength to admit things that Gandhi shared in his autobiography, ‘My Experiments with Truth’. That is why he became the father of the nation.”
In a bizarre incident in Karnataka, a 40-year-old farmer has approached police after discovering that a death certificate was issued in his name five months ago by a taluk office.
According to the police complaint filed on Thursday, the farmer found his “death certificate” put up on a wall in Kolar district’s M Hosahalli village on December 14, 2021. The certificate, issued on August 13, 2021, wrongly stated that Shivaraj died on August 5, 2021.
“I sent a complaint to the assistant commissioner and the deputy commissioner but nothing really happened. Eventually I filed a police complaint,” Shivaraj told indianexpress.com. Read more
The Congress on Sunday appointed party MLA and former Minister U T Khader as the Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the state legislative Assembly.
He currently represents the Mangalore Assembly constituency in Dakshina Kannada district.
"Hon'ble Congress President has appointed Shri U T Khader, MLA as Deputy leader of Congress Legislative Party in Karnataka Legislative Assembly, with immediate effect," an AICC release signed by party General Secretary K C Venugopal said.
Khader said it is his utmost privilege and honour to be appointed as Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the legislative assembly. (PTI)
A traffic police officer has been suspended for assaulting a specially-abled woman here. The action was taken after a video of Assistant Sub-Inspector (traffic) Narayan R assaulting the woman went viral on social media.
Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic) BR Ravikanthe Gowda on Saturday said that Narayan has been suspended and an inquiry has been initiated to probe the allegation against him. Narayan, who was posted with the Halasuru Gate traffic police station, can be seen thrashing the specially-abled woman after she pelted stones at him following an argument. Read more
The Karnataka government has ordered a probe over the alleged special treatment given inside Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central prison. The state government has appointed Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Communication, Logistics and Modernisation) S Murugan to probe the irregularities. The order said that the Director-General of Police (DGP) (Prisons) will have to be updated about the probe progress and get the final report.
The probe has been ordered after a video of a history-sheeter, currently out on bail, is said to have been released where he does a sting about the illegal activities inside the jails. Though the exact day and time of the video is yet to be ascertained, a source in the prison said that they have no idea of how or why this video emerged now.
Previously Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had assured to conduct a detailed enquiry and take stern action. The special treatment inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prisons earlier had made national headlines after IPS officer D Roopa had alleged that AIADMK leader VK Sasikala was given special facilities inside the prison.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru on Saturday predicted dry weather across the state. For Bengaluru, the department said that partly cloudy sky with fog and mist is likely in some areas of the city. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 28 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature will be around 17 degrees Celsius.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday paid respects to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary. He said, "Gandhi's words, life and work continue to inspire us"
The state government on Saturday announced that it will lift night curfew and other restrictions based on the report of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The government has also allowed schools to operate offline for classes 1-9 in Bengaluru city.
In case you missed it, here are the latest Covid-19 guidelines:
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Saturday said that the 'Covid Lasika Express' has been doing great work in reaching Covid vaccines to the remotest of places in rural Karnataka. He further congratulated the officials, healthcare workers and other personnel involved in the initiative.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru on Saturday predicted a partly cloudy sky with fog and mist during early morning hours in some areas of the city. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 28 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature will be around 17 degrees Celsius.
Retired IPS officer Narayan Gowda passed away on Saturday night due to age-related health issues. He was 70 years old. Narayan Gowda is also the father of IPS officer MN Anucheth. Gowda's cremation will be held at 4 pm on Sunday at Masthanahalli near Srinivasapura in Kolar district.
The Muthanallur lake, spread over 600 acres and home to several bird species such as the Indian spot-billed duck, great cormorant, Indian cormorant and the little cormorant, is one of the largest in Bengaluru Urban district. Till a decade ago the lake could boast a good water quality, but it’s on the decline now, local residents lament.
“Water from the lake has always been used for irrigation. It is sad to see the decline. With the increase in urbanisation, unfortunately, the Muthanallur lake is paying the price,” said Veeresha Kumar, a local resident. Read more
In the communally polarised Udupi district of coastal Karnataka, protests by some girl students from the Muslim community for the right to wear a hijab to classes at Government Pre-University College is being seen by many in the region as part of the struggle for political ascendancy by Campus Front of India (CFI), the students’ wing of Popular Front of India, a Muslim social organisation.
While both the protesting students and CFI have denied any larger political conspiracy behind the stir, political leaders in Udupi, including the local BJP MLA and leaders of Muslim organisations, see a link between the controversy and the growing political heft of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in the region. Read more
Bengaluru-based start-up Devas Multimedia, which is now under the control of a liquidator, approached a US appeals court against a federal court order of January 3 that allowed the start-up’s foreign investors to find assets of Antrix Corporation in the US’s Eastern District of Virginia for the recovery of $1.2-billion compensation for the failed Devas Multimedia-Antrix Corp satellite deal.
The January 3 order by the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, a federal court, came after three foreign investors of Devas Multimedia — CC/Devas Mauritius Ltd, Telcom Devas Mauritius Ltd, and Devas Employees Mauritius Pvt Ltd — had moved the court to allow the discovery of Antrix assets across the US in order to recover the compensation. The move by the foreign investors to find Antrix assets in the US has been opposed by Devas and Antrix. Read more
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has instructed officials to take all necessary measures to extend his ambitious programme ‘Grama One’ all over the state before the end of February. The programme was launched by Bommai on January 26. The Karnataka government’s ambitious initiative seeks to eliminate middlemen and provide various departments’ services in the rural areas of 12 districts. These centres will be similar to Bangalore One and Karnataka One centres.
The Chief Minister has written to officials of the e-governance, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Revenue departments and deputy commissioners of all the districts in this regard. Read more
Karnataka on Saturday reported 33,337 fresh Covid-19 cases along with 70 related deaths. Bengaluru alone clocked 16,586 fresh infections and 13 deaths. The test positivity rate in the state stands at 19.37 per cent. There are 2,52,132 active Covid cases in the state.