Karnataka Hijab Controversy Highlights: Girl students in many parts of Karnataka were denied entry into their respective educational institutions Saturday as they arrived in hijabs, despite a court order, as the issue showed no signs of abating after its flare-up about a fortnight ago that prompted the government to close down colleges and institutions for a couple of days.
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In other news, Covid-19 cases in Karnataka further declined Saturday compared to the last two days, with the state recording 1,137 fresh infections and 20 fatalities. This took the cumulative cases and deaths to 39,35,585 and 39,777 respectively, the Health Department said.
Noted film actor Rajesh (82), who had earned the fame of ‘Kala Tapasvi’, passed away after age-related complications in a private hospital on Saturday. The actor was undergoing treatment in a private hospital for multiple ailments where he breathed his last, said his family sources. Read less
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The Indian Air Force on Sunday rescued a young trekker, who was stuck in Bramhagiri Rocks in Nandi Hills after slipping and falling 300 feet below.
Around 4.15 pm, the DC of Chikballabpur contacted the Air Force station in Yelahanka, with an SOS message about the trekker. An Mi17 helicopter was promptly launched and after an intense search, was able to locate the stranded and immobile victim, with the ground guidance of local police. The terrain being treacherous for a landing, the Flight Gunner of the Mi17 was daringly lowered by winch next to the survivor.
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The flight gunner helped the survivor to harness and winched him up safely. The on-board Air Force medical assistant attended to the survivor while the helicopter flew him to Air Force station, Yelahanka. From there, the survivor was taken to the nearest civil hospital by 6 pm. -- Aksheev Thakur reports from Bengaluru
Ahead of a Congress press conference in Bengaluru on February 18, a party legislator Naseer Ahmed advised Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, Siddaramaiah, to address the Urdu media to dispel doubts in the Muslim community that the party has kept mum over the hijab row. In the ensuing conversation picked by microphones, the former chief minister replied: “Let the KPCC (Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) chief (D K Shivakumar) come. Let us involve the party, otherwise it will be construed that only Siddaramaiah raised the issue.”
Amid the raging controversy over barring Muslim girls in hijab from entering schools and colleges in the state, the Congress seems to have been caught in a dilemma over supporting the Muslim community, its traditional vote base, on the issue. Muslims make up nearly 10 per cent population of Karnataka. (Read more)
Spread over more than 253.38 acre, of which the waterbody comprises 180.60 acre, Madiwala lake in BTM layout was rejuvenated in 2018 with the addition of a biodiversity park. But a year later, the state government handed over the custody of the lake to the civic agency, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), claiming the decision would help in better upkeep of the waterbody. Environmental activists, however, said that the results have been quite the opposite since the change of guard. The lake was earlier with the Karnataka Forest Department.
Notably, the office of the Range Forest Officer is inside the lake area. Pointing at the poor maintenance of the lake, the officials from the forest department said that lavatories meant for the visitors are not functional and the fuses from the meter board at the amphitheatre area of the lake were taken away since the January electricity bill of Rs 16,000 was not paid. (Read more)
Actor Zaira Wasim has voiced her opinion on the hijab issue in Karnataka.
The actor took to her social media handles Saturday to share a lengthy post criticising the ban on hijab in Karnataka schools, mentioning that it was injustice, and said that she ‘resisted’ the entire system of woman being harassed for carrying out a religious commitment.
In her post, Zaira wrote that wearing a hijab isn’t a choice, but an obligation in Islam. She said that she wears the hijab with ‘gratitude’ and humility. (Read more)
Bengaluru city is likely to see a maximum temperature of 31.1 degree Celsius and a minimum temperature of 16.8 degree Celsius, according to an 8.30 am update from the Meteorological Centre in Bengaluru. The humidity is set to be 73%. No rainfall has been predicted.
Here's the local forecast:
For 24 hours: Mainly clear sky. Fog/Mist very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures very likely to be around 31 and 16 degree Celsius respectively.
For 48 hours: Mainly clear sky. Mist very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures very likely to be around 30 and 16 degree Celsius respectively.
Covid-19 cases in Karnataka further declined Saturday compared to the last two days.
As many as 1,137 fresh infections and 20 fatalities were reported, taking the cumulative cases and deaths to 39,35,585 and 39,777 respectively, the Health Department said. On Friday, the numbers were 1,333 and 19.
A bulletin said 3,870 people were discharged and took the total number of recoveries to 38,82,340. Active cases stood at 13,431. Bengaluru urban district reported 646 infections and eight deaths. (PTI)
The Customs and Intelligence units of the Bengaluru International Airport on Saturday said they have seized drugs worth Rs 9.82 crore and arrested three people, including a Nigerian.
Among the haul were one kilogram of heroin worth Rs 7 crore and 4.581 kgs of ecstasy pills worth Rs 2.82 crore. A case under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Drug Substance Act was registered.
The drugs were in two consignments that were detected based on intelligence, the official of the units said. The contraband had arrived from Zambia and Belgium, they said. (PTI)
As the Congress MLAs are continuing their overnight protest in the Karnataka Assembly demanding minister KS Eshwarappa’s resignation over his remarks that the saffron flag might become the national flag in the future, Congress senior leader and MP Mallikarjun Kharge met the protesting leaders at Vidhana Soudha on Saturday.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, BJP Parliamentarian Tejasvi Surya alleged that the grand old party was holding on to "non-issues" to manufacture a controversy.
As many as 58 students at Shiralakoppa in Shivamogga district who had refused to remove their hijab and staged a demonstration against the government pre-university college administration were suspended.
They were suspended on Friday and were told that they should not come to the college, a student told reporters. On Saturday too, they came to the college, raised slogans and demanded their right to wear hijab. However, they were not let in.
Bengaluru, Feb 19 (PTI) Girl students in many parts of Karnataka were denied entry into their respective educational institutions on Saturday as they arrived in hijabs, despite a court order, as the issue showed no signs of abating after its flare-up about a fortnight ago that prompted the government to close down colleges and institutions for a couple of days. (PTI)
The Hijab controversy continued in several parts of Karnataka with a section of girl students remaining steadfast on wearing headscarves to educational institutions on Saturday.
Despite the government order and the Karnataka High Court passing an interim order, restricting students from wearing Hijab or saffron scarves, the girls came to schools and colleges donning Hijab. Colleges and schools where girl students came wearing Hijab were asked to remove it in order to be allowed entry. However, they did not budge.
In the SJVP College at Harihar in Davangere, girls with Hijab were not denied entry. The pupils refused to go inside without the scarf, stressing that it was as important as education and they cannot give up their right. (PTI)
As hijab-wearing students were being barred from classrooms elsewhere in Karnataka, the Chikkamagaluru deputy commissioner not only persuaded the Muslim students of a school run by the minority welfare department to attend classes without headscarves but also—in an attempt to clam frayed tempers—offered to teach them a lesson in trigonometry.
On Wednesday KN Ramesh first held a meeting with students of Moulana Azad Model School in Indavara as well as their parents to convince them that the high court’s order barring the hijab was a temporary one and that it was important not to miss lessons because examinations were round the corner. He was accompanied by the superintendent of police, Hakay Akshay Machindra, and the district’s chief executive officer, Prabhu G. Read more
The declining trend in daily COVID-19 infections continued in Karnataka on Friday as well with the state logging 1,333 fresh infections and 19 fatalities. With this, the cumulative COVID-19 cases and virus-related deaths in the state have gone up to 39,34,448 and 39,757, respectively, the health department said.
The daily infection and fatality count was 1,579 and 23, respectively, on Thurdsay. In its daily COVID-19 bulletin, the health department said 4,890 people were discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 38,78,470. Active cases stood at 16,184.
Bengaluru Urban district reported 705 infections and 9 deaths. Other districts too had fresh cases, including 61 in Mysuru, 55 in Tumakuru, 47 in Belagavi and 41 in Ballari. (PTI)
The Karnataka government’s order of February 5, which specified norms for uniforms in schools and colleges, is “innocuous in nature” and not intended to ban the use of headscarves or hijabs by Muslim girls, the state’s advocate general told the High Court on Friday. He said portions of the order, which suggest that it is directed specifically at hijabs, could have been drafted with “better advice”.
Responding to petitions filed by Muslim girl students against the hijab ban, advocate general Prabhuling Navadgi told the full bench of the Karnataka High Court: “The legal submission is that the attack on the February 5, 2022 order, saying that it is irrational, discriminates against Muslim women, that it gives a communal colour, is absolutely without basis.” Read more
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 16 degrees Celsius respectively.
For 48 hours: Clear sky predicted. 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.
Veteran Kannada actor Rajesh passed away on Saturday at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was 89 years old. Rajesh, who lived in Bengaluru, was admitted to a private hospital earlier this month after he complained about breathing problems. He had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former CM Siddaramaiah and several other leaders expressed their condolences over the demise of veteran actor. Read more
The Karnataka government’s indication of a rethink over its school uniform order, the BJP’s distancing from the MP education minister’s remarks on a “uniform dress code,” come amid a growing unease in the senior BJP leadership over how the “hijab row” is playing out. Sources said that there is a sense that the Karnataka government and the state BJP allowed protests by a “small group of students at some pre-university colleges” in Udupi to spread, reach the high court and acquire a national dimension. Read more
Out of the 90 electric buses which the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) received last year, only 30 are plying due to a lack of charging facilities at its depots in Yeshwantpura and KR Puram, officials said. The charging facility at Kengeri depot is ready, and according to senior officials, the facility at other depots will be functional by the first week of March.
“We hope to run all the buses by next month. Each depot will operate 30 buses, and as of now, the e-buses are being operated from Kengeri depot. NTPC will install the charging stations at depots by the end of this month or early next month,” a BMTC official said. Read more
Karnataka government on Friday gave its approval to the Rs 93.40-crore ropeway project at Nandi hills under a public-private-participation (PPP) model. Nandi hills, a weekend getaway for the people of Bengaluru, has become a tourism hub. The ropeway will be 2.93-km long, have 18 towers and each round-trip will take about 28 minutes. The cabinet has approved 50 cabins, each accommodating 10 passengers, for the project. Read more
College authorities at Indi town here prevented a man from entering the premises on Friday for sporting a vermilion on his forehead and asked him to remove it. The lecturers stopped him at the gate asking him to erase the vermilion first to enter college. The student was told that the customary vermilion on the forehead was also creating problem along with hijab and saffron scarves. This led to a serious verbal scuffle between the teachers and the student.
In view of the hijab row in the state, the Karnataka High Court's interim order and the state government's order restricted the use of hijab and saffron scarves. The orders did not restrict anyone from sporting vermilion on the forehead. There, however, was debate in the High Court where the counsels for the Muslim girls who challenged the state government's order argued that hijab was as innocent a religious practice as vermilion on the forehead, bangles, turban worn by Sikhs and wearing Rudrakshas. (PTI)
An English lecturer of a private pre-university college in Karnataka resigned after she was asked by the college management not to wear her hijab while taking classes. Chandini, an English lecturer at the Jain PU college in Tumakuru district for the past three years, tendered her resignation. In her resignation letter, she wrote, “Right to religion is a constitutional right which no one should be denied.”
She told The Indian Express, “I have been working with this institution for three years. They have never asked me to remove my hijab and I carried on with my work as usual. When they asked, it was a matter of self-respect to me and I just resigned without creating any hue and cry. I don’t want to drag this issue too.” Read more
Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that Sangh Parivar was responsible for creating unnecessary controversy over the subject of wearing of hijab in educational institutions. At a press meet, accompanied by Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah said that wearing hijab was a personal choice of Muslim women.
“Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jains have many practices based on their religious beliefs. This is their fundamental right and nobody should interfere with that. The percentage of Muslim girls attending schools and colleges was very less before, but many are showing interest in the education in the recent days. Sangha Parivar is conspiring to deny education to Muslim girls by raking up the issue of hijab. Education is a fundamental right and nobody should be denied education. Former PM Manmohan Singh implemented the Right to Education Act and guaranteed education for all,” he said. Read more
A group of students who were demanding that they be allowed to enter their college wearing hijab in Karnataka’s Tumakuru have been charged with unlawful assembly and disobeying an order promulgated by a public servant. The case against 10-15 “unknown” girl students was registered after a complaint was filed by the principal of Empress Government Pre-University College in Tumakuru, around 70 km from Bengaluru.
Social activist Gireesh Achar has asked the Karnataka Forest Department, the state revenue department and the Union environment ministry to accord deemed forest status to Kan, Jungle, Soppinabeta and Kumki.
Achar, who has been leading campaigns against the “illegal encroachment” of forest areas in Shivamogga, has said that he will move court if his request is not entertained. Read More
Chandini who was working as English lecturer for three years at Jain PU College in Tumakuru in Karnataka resigned after the colleges asked her to take classes without wearing head scarf. Speaking to Indian Express she said, "On Wednesday I was asked to not wear any religious attire and conduct class. I was not comfortable with it and hence I resigned".
Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that Sangh Parivar was responsible for creating unnecessary controversy over the subject of wearing of hijab in educational institutions.
At a press meet, accompanied by Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah said that wearing hijab was a personal choice of Muslim women. Read More
After 10 days of closure over the hijab row, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) college in Udupi, Karnataka reopened for pre-university students on Friday. The college, which had witnessed chaos as students shouted slogans against hijabs and saffron shawls, opened as practical examinations were scheduled. Those wearing head scarfs and hijab were not allowed inside the campus on Friday.
For the PU section, only those appearing for the examination were allowed entry into the college premises. The degree classes in the college also began Friday. There was a deployment of strong police force including state reserve personnel around the campus.
Meanwhile, the denial of entry of Muslim women students to PU colleges and degree colleges continued on Friday as such incidents were repoerted in Kodagu, Chitradurga, Bengaluru and other parts. In Udupi, Muslim boys boycotted classes in support of the girls who were not allowed to attend classes with hijab at Milagres college. While the interim order of Karnataka High Court was restricted only to PU colleges, a paramedical student in Belagavi was also denied entry over hijab. (ENS)
As hijab-wearing students were being barred from classrooms elsewhere in Karnataka, the Chikkamagaluru deputy commissioner not only persuaded the Muslim students of a school run by the minority welfare department to attend classes without headscarves but also—in an attempt to clam frayed tempers—offered to teach them a lesson in trigonometry.
On Wednesday KN Ramesh first held a meeting with students of Moulana Azad Model School in Indavara as well as their parents to convince them that the high court’s order barring the hijab was a temporary one and that it was important not to miss lessons because examinations were round the corner. He was accompanied by the superintendent of police, Hakay Akshay Machindra, and the district’s chief executive officer, Prabhu G. Read More
The meteorological centre has forecast clear sky in and around Bengaluru city for the next two days. Mist is very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures very likely to be around 30 and 16 degrees Celsius respectively.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Engineer-in-Chief S Prabhakar Thursday tendered an unconditional apology before the Karnataka High Court for not appearing in connection with the orders passed over filling up of potholes. The court had directed Bengaluru city police commissioner to issue a bailable warrant if he fails to appear before the court.
In an affidavit filed before the division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Suraj Govindaraj, Prabhakar said that an agency which earlier provided advanced technology of hot mix to fill up potholes on a stretch of 182.38 km, has been engaged for six months and the work has started on February 14. The affidavit also stated that while a short-term tender has been floated, BBMP will submit an action plan to the court by March 5. Read More
BBMP’s draft Budget preparation for the year 2022-23 is in progress and the public/association can give their auggestion/instructions regarding the Budget. For that, a suggestion box is placed near the main gate of BBMP head office. General public can give their suggestions through the suggestion box (until 03-03-2022). Along with that, public/association can directly give their suggestion/instructions to the Budget cell of CAO’s (Chief Account Officer) office. The Additional Commissioner(Finance) Sri Nagaraj Sheregar has requested all the citizens to give their valuable suggestions. Public can also use the e-mail ID 'adcfbbmp@gmail.com' to mail their suggestions.
At a time when colleges are denying entry to students wearing hijabs, a male student of a government PU college was stopped Friday from sporting vermilion citing the Karnataka High Court’s inter order, sparking Bajrang Dal activists to stage a protest against the college authorities.
The incident took place in the government PU college in Indi in Vijayapura district. A student was stopped by the college authorities and was asked to wipe off the vermillion. As news spread, Bajarang Dal activists staged a protest outside the college shouting slogans against the college and its teachers. Read More
The hearing in the petitions challenging the hijab ban in Karnataka will continue in the High Court on Monday.
Karnataka chief justice asks AG if there was necessity for government to suggest in preamble of order of February 5 that High Court and Supreme Court orders have said that banning of Hijabs in colleges with uniforms does not amount to violation of freedom of religion under Article 25 of the Constitution.
Karnataka AG says that government order of February 5 was innocuous and not meant to suggest anything on wearing of Hijab in colleges. The state left the decision to individual college development committees, he stated. He further said that the government has not been motivated and discriminatory in its order of February 5.
Karnataka AG says government draftsman may have been over enthusiastic while stating that uniforms in colleges must be meant for maintaining public peace.
Advocate General representing Karnataka government said the state government has ordered that the students should wear uniforms prescribed by colleges and that the state government does not want to intervene in religious matters.
The practice of hijab must pass the test of Constitutional Morality and Individual Dignity, Karnataka Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi quotes the Sabarimala Judgment. (Bar & Bench)
Advocate General told the Karnataka HC that issues related to wearing hijab turned religious and the intervention of the state was, therefore, called for. He said that protests and unrest went on, therefore the impugned order of Feb 5 is passed.
Advocate General has begun arguing on behalf of the state of Karnataka. He said that the state government has taken the stand that the hijab does not come under the essential religious practices in Islam. (ANI)
Congress leaders continued their protest against BJP minister Eshwarappa over his remarks on national flag. The assembly session has been adjourned till Monday. The Congress leaders said that they will continue to stay inside Vidhana Soudha.
Senior Advocate Professor Ravivarma Kumar, appearing for the petitioner, urged Karnataka HC to discontinue and suspend live-streaming proceedings. Kumar said live streaming has become counterproductive. However, HC said, "let the people hear what is the stand of the respondents". (ANI)
Sr Advocate AM Dar informed the court that he has filed fresh petitions on behalf of 5 girl students after taking care of objections made by the court. Court to hear the petition on February 21. (ANI)
The hearing in the petitions challenging the hijab ban has resumed in the High Court for Day 6.
Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Friday said that state Minister KS Eshwarappa must resign over his remarks that the saffron flag might become the national flag in the future.
"We'll continue overnight protests at Karnataka Assembly till he gets sacked from the Cabinet, otherwise, we'll go to the court & not allow the Assembly to function," he said.
On charges of misappropriation of funds and delay in construction of the four-lane Ejipura-Kendriya Sadan flyover, the Karnataka High Court Thursday directed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to lodge an FIR against M/S Simplex Infrastructures Ltd. A division bench headed by chief justice Ritu Raj Awasthi asked BBMP to take steps, including cancellation of contract, with the infrastructure company within a week.
“We find that the fourth respondent (Simplex Infrastructure) has been duly served. However, no one appeared on his behalf. We prima facie find that it is because of the fourth respondent that the project has been delayed and the construction of the flyover could not be completed…public money has been involved in the project and people at large have been put to inconvenience due to the delay in completion of the project,” the bench noted. Read more
Former general secretary of CPI-M Prakash Karat called the farmers’ protest of 2020-21 as the most sustained and united struggle of the peasantry in India since Independence. Speaking about the political implications of the protest (2020-21) at an online lecture organised by the city-based Foundation for Agrarian Studies (FAS) on February 17, he pointed out that the agitations against the three farm laws started in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh — the areas which are agriculturally developed and where farmers have historically received state support. Read more
The Karnataka legislative council on Friday was adjourned till Monday after Congress leaders staged an overnight protest in the Karnataka Assembly demanding minister KS Eshwarappa’s resignation over his remarks that the saffron flag might become the national flag in the future. While Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah said that the party will continue its protest till the minister is sacked, State party chief DK Shivakumar said that no action has been taken against the minister for “disrespecting” the national flag. The congress leaders said that they will stay inside assembly till Monday.
Reacting to the charge of Social Democratic Party of India that Congress is adopting 'double standards' on the hijab issue, Congress minority wing has hit back saying it is the SDPI which is providing fodder for the BJP to implement its agenda. Dakshina Kannada Congress minority wing president Shahul Hameed alleged that the SDPI has been covertly supporting the BJP and never wanted to settle the issue.
He said the hijab issue, which surfaced in a college (in the coastal Udupi district), could have been resolved locally and the Congress was trying for it in the initial stages. Hameed alleged that Yashpal Suvarna, BJP leader and vice- president of the Udupi government PU college development committee, blew the issue out of proportion without trying to solve it internally.
Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief D K Shivakumar had already made clear the stand of the Congress on the hijab issue. 'BJP is nurturing illusions that they can get political mileage out of the current controversy', he alleged. (PTI)
The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) college in the district headquarters town of Udupi in coastal Karnataka, which witnessed chaotic scenes last week with student groups facing each other shouting slogans against hijabs and saffron shawls, reopened Friday after a 10-day break. The college reopened as practical examinations are scheduled to be held for pre-university (PU) students. For the PU section, only students appearing for the examination are being allowed entry into the college premises.
The degree classes in the college also began Friday. Police have deployed a strong force, including state reserve police personnel, around the campus to maintain peace. The college was shut on February eight when the college authorities could not convince the two groups of students who raised slogans against each other. While Muslim girls claimed that they had been wearing hijab since they got admitted to the college, the boys who wore shawls insisted that they will not remove them if hijabs were allowed for girls.
As the issue reached a flashpoint, the principal Devidas Nayak declared a holiday for the college. Udupi additional district superintendent of police Siddalingappa told reporters Friday that the atmosphere in all colleges in the district is peaceful. Additional police force has been deployed beside MGM college as it is opening after a ten-day gap, he said. (PTI)
The Karnataka legislative council on Friday was adjourned after Congress leaders on Thursday staged an overnight protest in the Karnataka Assembly demanding minister KS Eshwarappa’s resignation over his remarks that the saffron flag might become the national flag in the future. While Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah said that the party will continue its protest till the minister is sacked, State party chief DK Shivakumar said that no action has been taken against the minister for “disrespecting” the national flag.
Police have registered an FIR against Congress leader Mukarram Khan in Kalaburgi for a controversial statement on hijab. He said those opposing students wearing hijab from attending classes will be ‘chopped to pieces.’ After pro-Hindu organisations staged a protest, the FIR was filed.
The Karnataka government on Thursday lifted the condition of a mandatory negative RT-PCR test report of passengers coming from Kerala and Goa. "Passengers coming to Karnataka from Kerala and Goa, through all modes of transportation, no longer need a negative RTPCR report," Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar tweeted. He added that this waiver was given to passengers from Maharashtra last week.
However, vaccine certificate is mandatory for the passengers coming from these states, the minister said. Following the third wave of COVID-19, which started from the last week of December 2021, the government had imposed restrictions and made a negative RT-PCR test a must along with the double dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
"Following declining cases, less hospitalisation and less fatalities compared to the first two waves, the government took this decision", a health department official said. (PTI)
Inviting Taiwanese companies to make more investments in Karnataka, Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani promised to extend support and cooperation of the state government.
A high-level Taiwanese delegation headed by Baushaun Ger, Head Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC), New Delhi, and Ben Wang, Director General, TECC South – Chennai along with their staff met Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Nirani and held talks on investment opportunities. The delegation is on a two-day trip to Karnataka. Read more
The KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation Wednesday said that the four road transport corporations (RTCs) in Karnataka have collectively made losses of Rs 4,540 crore as on March 2021 with the dues owed to employees touching Rs 1,717.24 crore. The four RTCs are Bangalore Metro Transport Corporation (BMTC), North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC). Read more
The Congress on Thursday staged an overnight protest in the Karnataka Assembly demanding minister KS Eshwarappa’s resignation over his remarks that the saffron flag might become the national flag in the future. While Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah said that the party will continue its protest till the minister is sacked, State party chief DK Shivakumar said that no action has been taken against the minister for “disrespecting” the national flag.
Students wearing hijab continued to be denied entry to colleges across Karnataka despite the state higher education minister clarifying that the Karnataka High Court’s interim order was not applicable for graduate (or degree) students. Earlier this week, Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan had said students can wear hijab if they wished as all the colleges that come under higher education department may not follow the dress code. Colleges in Karnataka generally do not have a dress code. Read more
Karnataka government has restrained students of all schools and colleges under the state Minority Welfare Department from wearing hijab, scarf, saffron shawls and religious flags to classrooms, saying it will abide by the High Court’s interim order on the hijab issue.
Minority Welfare, Hajj and Wakf Department Secretary P Manivannan said in a circular issued on Wednesday that the Karnataka High Court has in its interim order restrained students from wearing saffron shawls, scarves, hijab, religious flags in the classroom until further orders. Read more