It registered a tremor of "5 plus" on Japan's own scale of quake intensity, a level that could cause some damage to buildings and cause power cuts. Karnataka Bangalore News September 16, 17 Highlights: An Earthquake of a 2.3 magnitude was reported in Hassan district, Karnataka on Friday. The analysis showed that the epicenter was 1.5km of Rayapura, Salagame Hobli, Hassan Taluk and it happened around 5.32pm.
“The Seismic Intensity map of the Earthquake from the Epicentre is presented, wherein intensities observed are very low. This type of earthquake do not create any harm to the local community, although there may be slight shaking observed locally. The Community need not panic as the intensity observed is low and not destructive,” the state Disaster Management department said.
As many as 6,59,834 doses of vaccine were administered as of 12.30 pm across the state on Friday, as part of the ‘mega vaccination drive’ that is underway.
According to data shared by the Department of Health & Family Welfare Services, as much as 20.8 per cent of the total target set for the day is achieved so far. The best performing districts so far are Shivamogga (achieving 46 per cent of the set target), Ramanagara (39 per cent), and Tumakuru (37 per cent).
Meanwhile, 99,010 doses have been administered so far in the BBMP limits of the Karnataka capital. The local body aims to inoculate 5 lakh doses by the end of Friday. The state targets 31.75 lakh vaccination doses to be administered today.
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An earthquake of 2.3 magnitude on the Richter scale was reported in Hassan district, officials of state Disaster Management Authority said.
The earthquake occurred at 17:32:25 IST, epicentred 1.5 km NNE (North North East) of Rayapura of Salagame Hobli in Hassan Taluk, they said. "The seismic intensity map of the earthquake from the epicentre is presented, wherein intensities observed are very low.
This type of earthquake do not create any harm to the local community, although there may be slight shaking observed locally.
As many as 26,25,752 doses of vaccine were administered as of 7.30 pm across the state on Friday, as Karnataka recorded the most single-day vaccinations against Covid-19 since the process commenced on January 16.
The Department of Health and Family Welfare Services had set a target of administering 31.75 lakh doses as part of the 'mega vaccination drive' held across all 30 districts and BBMP, even as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced on Tuesday that the target was to administer 25 to 30 lakh doses.
Health Minister K Sudhakar tweeted that Karnataka topped the country in vaccination drive for the day. “Grateful to our team of nursing officers, doctors, primary health care officers, health inspecting officers, pharmacy officers, BHEOs, Asha workers and others for the stellar performance!,” he wrote.
Bengaluru Metro has decided to extend the timings of metro trains beyond 8 pm. Bengaluru Metro will operate trains from 6 am to 10 pm starting from Saturday said Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) Managing Director Anjum Parwez.
“The last train from all four terminal stations will be 9.30 pm”, he added in a statement.
Due to the Covid-19 situation, the Namma metro presently runs between 7 am and 8 pm.
A 17-year-old student was found dead near a bus stop in Bengaluru with a gunshot wound in the early hours of Friday. According to city police, the deceased allegedly shot himself with a pistol.
Sadashivanagar police said the body of Rahul Bandari, a resident of RT Nagar, was found around 5.30 am on the pavement of the BMTC bus stop near the IAF Headquarters Training Command in RMV Second Stage. They have registered a case of unnatural death.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) MN Anucheth said preliminary probe indicates Rahul had shot himself. “There is a bullet injury on the right side of his head. We are investigating,” he said.
Passersby had noticed the body lying near the bus stop and alerted cops. Police have also recovered a pistol, bag and mobile phone from the spot.
A Mysuru-based Urdu newspaper journalist was allegedly assaulted by pro-Hindu activists at the Hindu Jagarana Vedike protest site Thursday.
The members of the outfit were protesting against the demolition of temples at the North gate of Mysore Palace and the desolation of Adishakti Mahadevamma temple at Huchgani village in Nanjangud taluk in the district recently.
Mohammed Safdar Kaiser, chief editor of ‘The Daily Kausar’, a local Urdu newspaper, was recording the speech of Vedike general secretary Jagadish Karanth when a group of Right-wing activists raised an objection to recording the event. They demanded Kaiser to delete the recording and manhandled him on the spot according to the police.
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A Mysuru-based Urdu newspaper journalist was allegedly assaulted by pro-Hindu activists at the Hindu Jagarana Vedike protest site Thursday.
The members of the outfit were protesting against the demolition of temples at the North gate of Mysore Palace and the desolation of Adishakti Mahadevamma temple at Huchgani village in Nanjangud taluk in the district recently.
Mohammed Safdar Kaiser, chief editor of ‘The Daily Kausar’, a local Urdu newspaper, was recording the speech of Vedike general secretary Jagadish Karanth when a group of Right-wing activists raised an objection to recording the event. They demanded Kaiser to delete the recording and manhandled him on the spot according to the police.
Read more
The Karnataka government has appointed former Commissioner of Public Instruction Madan Gopal as the chairman of the task force formed to implement the new National Education Policy (NEP 2020) in schools.
Also the former Education Secretary, the IAS officer will be accompanied by 20 others including B S Rishikesh from the Azim Premji University apart from serving and former teachers and other ex-officio members.
The panel is directed to prepare a draft implementation framework for NEP in schools after consulting all key stakeholders involved in school education in the state.
Member of Parliament from Bengaluru and National president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Tejasvi Surya lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday as the “most popular leader in the history of mankind”.
Surya was speaking at a youth conclave organised by the BJYM at Karnavati club in Ahmedabad.
Wishing the Prime Minister on his 71st birthday, Surya said, “It is my great fortune and opportunity to celebrate the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his birthplace. When I arrived at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport today morning, I had goosebumps realising the kind of great leaders and thinkers the land of Gujarat has produced. Our Prime Minister is the most popular democratically elected leader in the history of mankind.”
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A team of officials has been deployed to visit Rampura village in Davanagere district, after a woman had written to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai over the lack of roads to her village.
Bindu R D, a resident of H Rampura village in Davanagere district, had written an email to Bommai on September 9, demanding the construction of roads and a bus service to her village and a bus service to the village. The 26-year-old, who is the only post graduate in her village, said she cannot get married and leave her native place till roads are built, otherwise there would be no one left to fight for her village.
As many as 6,59,834 doses of vaccine were administered as of 12.30 pm across the state on Friday, as part of the 'mega vaccination drive' that is underway.
According to data shared by the Department of Health & Family Welfare Services, as much as 20.8 per cent of the total target set for the day is achieved so far. The best performing districts so far are Shivamogga (achieving 46 per cent of the set target), Ramanagara (39 per cent), and Tumakuru (37 per cent).
Meanwhile, 99,010 doses have been administered so far in the BBMP limits of the Karnataka capital. The local body aims to inoculate 5 lakh doses by the end of Friday. The state targets 31.75 lakh vaccination doses to be administered today.
The disruption in the global supply chain and shortage of manpower owing to the Covid-19 pandemic have led to a delay in the completion of Bengaluru International Airport’s Terminal II, the management of the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said on Thursday.
The airport authorities said they were now committed to ensure completion of all projects at the Kempegowda International Airport within existing deadlines. The March 2021 deadline for completion of Terminal II was pushed to March 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Indianexpress.com, the BIAL spokesperson said, “The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted various construction projects. In addition, Covid-19 safety protocols for construction workers had to be factored into the plans. This is the reason why there has been a delay in the completion of Terminal II. We are also cognizant of the fact that the current passenger volumes are low, and recovery will take some more time. In this context, it is important that we manage to operationalise T2 in a financially-responsible manner.”
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Three high profile daylight murders — involving rivalries between local gangs from three different low income localities — that have occurred in Bengaluru over the last four months, have created an impression of gang crimes increasing in the city.
Police officials, however, point to statistics on crimes involving local gangs or rowdy sheeters in the last three months and also the last three years to argue that there has been no spurt in gang crimes.
On June 24, a 43-year-old woman, Rekha Kadiresh, a former city councillor of the BJP, was hacked to death outside her office in the Anjanappa Garden area of the Cottonpet police station limits in a gang attack allegedly orchestrated by the sister of her husband who himself was murdered in 2018.
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A timely scientific intervention by a group of engineering students in Bengaluru was picked as the winner of the national-level Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards after their innovation helped kirana shopkeepers and customers to keep Covid-19 from spreading.
The team of budding innovators from Bengaluru’s CMR Institute of Technology (CMRIT) had presented their project under the category “Promote Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to Achieve the Mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat”. Their product ‘Advanced UV Sanitisation Chamber’, a box enabling sanitisation of currency notes and other items, was picked as the winner among thousands of other entries by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) recently.
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Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd and the Indian Institute of Science today announced a partnership to set up a state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI-ML) centre at the IISc campus here.
Spread across approximately 1,40,000 square feet, the Kotak-IISc AI-ML centre will offer Bachelor’s, Master’s and short-term courses in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, fintech, reinforcement learning, image processing and computer vision, a joint statement said.
The Centre, established under KMBL’s CSR project on Education & Livelihood, will also promote research and innovation in AI and ML and develop the talent pool from across the country to provide cutting-edge solutions to meet industry’s emerging and future requirements, it said.
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Karnataka has registered 1,108 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 18 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 29,65,191 and toll to 37,555, the health department said on Thursday. The day also saw 809 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,11,434.
Out of 1,108 new cases reported on Thursday, 308 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 203 discharges and 5 deaths. Total number of active cases in the state is at 16,174. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.66 per cent, case fatality rate (CFR) was at 1.62 per cent.
Out of 18 deaths reported on Thursday 5 are from Bengaluru Urban; Belagavi 4, Dakshina Kannada 2, followed by others. Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 308, Dakshina Kannada 186, Udupi 113, Mysuru 87, Hassan 64, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 12,42,640, followed by Mysuru 1,77,103 and Tumakuru 1,19,800. Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban tops the list with 12,19,141, followed by Mysuru 1,74,170 and Tumakuru 1,18,058.
Cumulatively a total of 4.58 crore samples have been tested in the state so far, out of which 1,66,006 were tested on Thursday alone. (PTI)
As many as eight tuskers, led by 55-year-old Abhimanyu, were welcomed Thursday to the Mysuru palace ahead of the ten-day Dasara celebrations beginning October 7.
As per the decision taken by the Dasara executive committee, the elephants were received with traditional honours at the Jayamarthanda Gate of the palace, also officially commencing the countdown to the beginning of the state festival.
The number of elephants taking part in the festivities was minimised to eight this year, based on the state government’s decision to keep the festivities low-key. While the festivities were not held grandly last year due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation, the government has cited the anticipation of a third wave as the reason behind a similar decision this year.
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In what is being claimed by hospital authorities as the first in Karnataka, a 30-year-old doctor who contracted Covid-19 on duty during the second wave, successfully underwent a double lung transplant in Bengaluru’s Aster CMI Hospital.
The surgery, according to a statement from the hospital, was done on Dr Sanath Kumar, an anesthetist and intensivist who was on duty in the Intensive Care Unit in Prakriya Hospital, treating critical Covid-19 patients. He had tested positive for the infection on May 8 this year. He suffered from acute lung damage, and was put on mechanical ventilation.
While the transplant was conducted on June 21, Dr Kumar was recently discharged from the hospital after treatment spanning nearly three-and-a-half months, doctors involved in the surgery said.
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Terming price rise as a “continuous process” JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday urged the Karnataka government to announce a special financial package to those in distress, and announce relief to common man, who is finding it difficult to lead life.
He asked the government to use the revenue that was generated out of levying cess and taxes on petrol, diesel and others items, to come to the rescue of the people.
“Price rise, according to me, is a continuous process. Since independence, on several instances price rise has been inevitable to improve the financial condition of the government and to raise money for implementing programmes. Whichever party may be in power, it is natural,” Kumaraswamy said.
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Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has launched Vidyashilp University, established by the Vidyashilp Education Group.
The inaugural batch is expected to commence studies in 2022. In the first year of launch, an enrolment of 300 students is expected, according to the authorities. "The undergraduate programmes with an interdisciplinary curriculum will offer immersive learning experiences to students. In addition, it will help them develop domain specialization that they can apply to solve real-world problems across disciplines. These domains will give the student depth in their choice of discipline, eliminate the silos in academics, create collaborative spaces for multidisciplinary research, and enable students to apply their education in solving real-world problems," a statement from the university read.
Higher Education Minister C N Ashwathnarayan was among the other dignitaries who attended the event.
Customs officers at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) on Thursday seized gold worth Rs 41.33 lakh from a passenger who arrived in Mangaluru from Dubai.
Jafar Kallingal (29), who arrived by Air India Express Flight IX384, was arrested, a customs release said.
The officers seized gold totally weighing 854 gm from the passenger who tried to smuggle it by concealing it in his rectum. (PTI)
Ahead of the 45th GST council meeting, the Consortium for Tobacco Free Karnataka (CFTFK) and other organisations working on tobacco regulation have urged the Karnataka government to seek a hike in the compensation cess on all tobacco products so that they become unaffordable for the vulnerable, especially children.
Representatives of Consortium for Tobacco Free Karnataka (CFTFK) met commercial tax commissioner C Shikha, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s secretary V Ponnuraj and discussed the need to hike tobacco tax, reduce tobacco consumption to augment the revenue of the government amid the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
CFTFK has also written a letter to CM Bommai and additional chief secretary ISN Prasad requesting their support to raise the topic in the GST council meeting.
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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been invited to attend the 31st convocation of Kuvempu University scheduled to be held in October, Vice-Chancellor B P Veerabhadrappa said on Thursday.
The VC added that Sitharaman accepted the invitation after he met her at the national capital, accompanied by Registrar (Evaluation) C M Thyagaraj.
"The university has decided to hold the convocation as the restrictions over the COVID-19 have been relaxed. We are happy that the Union Minister had agreed to attend the programme" Veerabhadrappa said in a statement.
Activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal on Thursday staged a protest near Kadri in Mangaluru and raised slogans against the state government protesting against the demolition of Mahadevamma temple in Nanjangud taluk of Mysuru district recently.
The protesters demanded reconstruction of the temple and disciplinary action against Nanjangud tahsildar and Mysuru additional deputy commissioner responsible for the demolition.
Addressing the protesters, VHP regional secretary M B Puranik said the protest should be seen as a warning. The government has committed a mistake which should be corrected, he said.
The temple was demolished on a directive from the state chief secretary to clear all illegal religious structures across the state, following orders from the Supreme Court. (PTI)
Bengaluru-based Ola electric said it has sold scooters worth over Rs 600 crore on the first day of the sale of its model S1 on Thursday.
Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal said "India is committing to EVs and rejecting petrol! We sold 4 scooters/sec at peak & sold scooters worth 600Cr+ in a day! Today is the last day, purchase will shut at midnight."
Agarwal said that the company had sold scooters worth over Rs 600 crore in 24 hours, "That's more, in value terms than what the entire 2W industry sells in a day! Make no mistake, the age of EVs is here" he added.
In a major accident near Bengaluru, three persons, including a doctor and a patient, died after an ambulance in which they were travelling rammed into a truck from behind at Neraluru gate near Attibele on the Hosur road Thursday morning.
According to the police, there were seven persons, including two doctors and a patient, in the ambulance. Three died on the spot and four more sustained severe injuries and were admitted to two private hospitals.
The deceased have been identified as Anwar Khan, 68, (the patient) of Nallikuppam in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, Dr Jadav Bhushan Ashok, 40, a doctor and a native of Igatpuri, Nasik district in Maharashtra and Tukaram Namdev Jamnade, 38, the driver of the ambulance, a native of Mumbai.
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In an interesting development, senior IPS officer and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP railways) Bhaskar Rao has applied for voluntary retirement from service. A highly-placed source said Rao may enter politics and contest from a constituency in Bengaluru south region in the next assembly election.
The issue came to light Thursday and reportedly, Rao is not happy with the way the state government treated him. The 1990-batch IPS officer, who also served as the Bengaluru city police commissioner, still has three years of service left.
A source in the police department said he submitted his resignation to DGP and IGP Praveen Sood and Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar. While it is still unclear as to which political party he might join, people close to him said he will reveal it once he is relieved from the charges.
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In a major crackdown, the Bengaluru police have found a laboratory in the outskirts of Bengaluru where synthetic drugs like MDMA was allegedly being processed by a Nigeria national. According to police officials, this is the first time that they have been able to crackdown on a narcotic substance manufacturing unit.
Joint commissioner of Police (crime) Sandeep Patil said that the lab was established in a residential area and they were able to seize drugs worth Rs two crore including 4kg of Methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA) and equipment used to prepare the narcotic substances.
The lab was located in a house rented from an elderly couple in the Chamundi Layout in Electronic City police limits on the outskirts of Bengaluru which is also IT hub.
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A woman has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, bemoaning the lack of roads to her village and saying she cannot get married till the village gets a bus service and there would be no one left to fight for their rights. Her email evoked an official response from the government, with district officials visiting the village on Thursday and promising immediate action on her requests.
Bindu R D, a resident of H Rampura village in Davanagere district, had written an email to Bommai on September 9, demanding the construction of roads and a bus service to her village and a bus service to the village. The 26-year-old, who is the only post graduate in her village, said she cannot get married and leave her native place till roads are built, otherwise there would be no one left to fight for her village.
Read more
The Urban Development Department of Karnataka state has sought a report from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on the alleged irregularities in procurement of sweaters worth Rs 1.72 crore for students studying in BBMP schools and colleges.
Lakshmi Sagar N K, under secretary (BBMP), Urban Development department, in his letter dated September 14 directed BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta to conduct an investigation according to the rules of The Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner (TVCC) and submit a report to the government with their opinion.
The order comes after Dalit Sangarsha Samiti (DSS) president C S Raghu raised a complaint against BBMP officials over procurement and distribution of sweaters worth Rs 1.72 crore when educational institutions were shut due to Covid-19.
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The Karnataka government is planning to have airports in all major cities of the state, said state Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani.
Apart from airports, the government is also planning to build permanent helipads at all the district headquarters, Nirani said. “The process of land acquisition will begin soon. Widening domestic air connectivity is crucial for industrial development, tourism and other sectors in the region,” Nirani said.
Economic activity will increase if regional connectivity and air passenger traffic improve in the state, Nirani said at the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FKCCI) Export Excellence Awards ceremony in Bengaluru.
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The BMRCL has clarified that no flyover on the Outer Ring Road will be demolished, but the
Metro construction will be done in the space available between the split flyover locations. The clarification comes in the background of certain reports of the destruction of five footover bridges and Bellandur flyover.
"The Foot Over Bridge (FoB) at the planned location of Bellandur Metro Station is infringing at concourse level, which needs to be removed. However, after construction of the Bellandur Station, the station itself can be used as FoB. The Foot Over Bridge between lbbalur and Bellandur Metro Stations is infringing the viaduct, will be relocated on any one side of the existing location by about 60 to 70 Meters where sufficient vertical clearances are available," BMRCL said in a statement.
The Foot Over Bridge adjacent to Embassy building will not be dismantled /relocated as BMRCL is modifying its span to facilitate Metro construction. Another Foot Over Bridge between lbbalur and Bellandur Metro stations which is still under construction is free from infringement and does not require any relocation or dismantling.
"The Proposed Foot Over Bridge after Kadubeesanahalli Metro Station which is yet to be constructed, BMRCL has sought details from BBMP for clearances required for construction of viaduct," BMRCL said.
Researchers who processed Covid-19 samples sent for genomic sequencing from people infected by Covid-19 in Bengaluru found three lineages — Delta and its sub-lineages AY.4 and AY.12 — to be dominant across age groups. As many as 133 mutations in the spike protein alone have also been highlighted by researchers at Strand Precision Medicine Solutions in their recent report.
The results were based on a total of 384 samples collected with the help of Burhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The report highlights that the same lineages were noted among children, vaccinated individuals and those yet to be vaccinated.
It was also noted that 52 per cent of the total samples that possessed the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant were from people aged 19 to 45. In the same age group, sub-lineages AY.4 were found to be present in 34 per cent and AY.12 in 13 per cent.
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The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill that seeks to provide for constitution of delimitation commission, and take away the State Election Commission's (SEC) power in carrying out the exercise, amid a Congress walk out.
The decision to set up a delimitation commission to redraw taluk and zilla panchayat constituencies, though the exercise has already been completed by the SEC, has given rise to suspicion that the government's intention is to postpone the panchayat polls.
Opposition Congress including its leader Siddaramaiah and H K Patil said that the government's intention with this bill is to put off the impending taluk and zilla panchayat elections. However, Law Minister J C Madhuswamy defending the bill said, it is being brought to have a separate commission for delimitation, pointing out that nowhere in India the SEC had powers on delimitation. (PTI)
Good morning Bengaluru!
Welcome to the live blog from Bengaluru where we bring to you the latest updates on Basavaraj Bommai, Karnataka politics, Covid-19, BBMP and more across Bengaluru and Karnataka. Follow the blog and @IEBengaluru to stay up to date with the state in real time.
Researchers who processed Covid-19 samples sent for genomic sequencing from people infected by Covid-19 in Bengaluru found three lineages — Delta and its sub-lineages AY.4 and AY.12 — to be dominant across age groups. As many as 133 mutations in the spike protein alone have also been highlighted by researchers at Strand Precision Medicine Solutions in their recent report.
The results were based on a total of 384 samples collected with the help of Burhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The report highlights that the same lineages were noted among children, vaccinated individuals and those yet to be vaccinated. Read More
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met the family members of late Union Minister Oscar Fernandes in Bengaluru Thursday and also participated in the final blessing at St Patrick’s Church and burial at Hosur Cemetery in Bengaluru. Gandhi reached the city Thursday afternoon.
In the morning, Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar received the mortal remains of the veteran party leader at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru and the public paid their last respect to Fernandes. Read More
The Karnataka government Thursday announced that 34 lakh doses of vaccines have been dispatched to districts as part of the 'mega vaccination drive' planned on Friday. "Districts have been given targets based on population to be vaccinated, second dose due, focussing on priority groups," the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services stated.
A note released by the Department on Thursday added that 73 per cent of the total 4.8 crore doses administered to date were first doses while only 27 per cent were those that were second doses to the eligible beneficiaries across the state.
The special drive is expected to be held at 12,700 government Covid vaccination centres (CVCs), and 300 private CVCs across 14,666 sessions micro-planned across all 30 districts of the state.
Earlier last week, Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar had announced that the government has set a target to inoculate the entire eligible population in the state with at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of November.
The Urban Development Department of Karnataka state has sought report from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) with connection to the alleged irregularities in procurement of sweaters worth Rs 1.72 crore for students studying in BBMP schools and Colleges.
Lakshmi Sagar NK, under secretary (BBMP), urban development department in his letter dated 14 September has directed BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta to conduct an investigation according to the rules of The Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner (TVCC) and submit to the government with their opinion.
The order comes after Dalit Sangarsha Samiti (DSS) president CS Raghu raised complaint against BBMP officials over procurement and distribution of sweaters worth Rs 1.72 crore when educational institutions were shut due to Covid19 situation.
Days after a 26-year-old woman wrote to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai that she would not get married until her village gets proper roads and bus connectivity, officials of the district administration visited the hamlet and decided to get work started soon.
Bindu R D, a resident of H Rampura, a remote village in Davanagere district had sent an email on September 9. Bindu, a post graduate in Economics from Davangere University and now a teacher, says she was forced to live in a hostel while studying as there are no roads and bus services in her village. Read More
Karnataka government is planning to have airports in all major cities in the state, according to Karnataka Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani.
Apart from airports, the government is also planning to build permanent helipads in all the district headquarters, Nirani said. “Land acquisition process for airport and helipads in the state will begin soon. Widening domestic air connectivity is crucial for industrial development, tourism and other sectors in the region,' Nirani said.
The economic activity will increase if the regional connectivity and air passenger traffic improve in the state, Nirani said at the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry's (FKCCI) Export Excellence Awards ceremony in Bengaluru.
'Government will build permanent helipads in all the district headquarters. A dry port will come up in Hassan district and Karwar port will be developed further. Karnataka's exports across the sectors are increasing manifold. The state has abundant opportunities, skill and capacity to excel in the global export market,” he added.
Karnataka reported 1,108 fresh Covid-19 cases and 18 deaths on Thursday, taking the total number of infections to 29,65,111 and the toll to 37,555.
The day also saw 809 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,11,435. Bengaluru Urban accounted for the most number of cases (308), as the city reported 203 discharges and five deaths. The active caseload in the state, as noted by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services is 16,174. As many as 7,428 of them are in the capital alone.
A total of 1,66,006 samples were tested across the state in the last 24 hours.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi meets family members of late Union Minister Oscar Fernandes in Bengaluru on Thursday. Rahul Gandhi will participate in the final blessing at St. Patrick's Church and Burial at Hosur Cemetery.
Terming price rise as a "continuous process" JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday urged the Karnataka government to announce a special financial package to those in distress, and announce relief to common man, who is finding it difficult to lead life. He asked the government to use the revenue that was generated out of levying cess and taxes on petrol, diesel and others items, to come to the rescue of the people. (PTI)
As many as eight tuskers, led by 55-year-old Abhimanyu, were welcomed Thursday to the Mysuru palace ahead of the ten-day Dasara celebrations beginning October 7.
As per the decision taken by the Dasara executive committee, the elephants were received with traditional honours at the Jayamarthanda Gate of the palace, also officially commencing the countdown to the beginning of the state festival. Read More
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached Bengaluru airport to pay last respects to former Union Minister Oscar Fernandes. Rahul Gandhi will also participate in the final blessing at St. Patrick's Church and Burial at Hosur Cemetery. Fernandes passed away on September 13 at a private hospital in Mangaluru as he was being treated for a head injury after he had suffered while practising yoga at his residence in July.
Starting from Thursday, Bengaluru will be connected directly to Varanasi by Spicejet airlines.
According to Spicejet, it will increase the frequency of flights between Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Delhi.
The Bandipur Tiger Reserve forest staff have arrested Chandru of Rajpura tribal hamlet, Hosahalli village. The poacher had snared a tiger in Gundre range on September 13.
The carcass of the five-year-old tiger was found in Gundre range, Bandipur Tiger Reserve on September 14.
The tiger had been snared in a bush along the forest D-line, near Hosahalli hamlet.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 11 fishermen from a fishing boat stranded at sea, 35 nautical miles off the coast, due to strong winds and swell and ensured that the boat and the fishermen reached Malpe fishing harbour safely.
A Coast Guard release said the fishing boat - IFB Sagar Samrat - lost propulsion owing to engine failure in rough weather conditions and requested transiting merchant ships for help. The merchant ships in turn requested the maritime rescue coordination centre (MRCC), Mumbai for assistance.
ICG ship Rajdoot sailed from New Mangalore port for undertaking search and rescue operation and arrived at stranded boat position at 11 PM on Tuesday. Considering inclement weather and various complications, including battery draining, depleting ration and fresh water, ICGS Rajdoot took the fishing boat under tow along with 11 fishermen in good health condition at 12.20 AM on Wednesday.
The ship handed over the boat at 5.20 PM to another fishing boat, Dhanishka-I arranged for by the fisheries authorities about 5 nautical miles off Malpe coast. Further, electronic surveillance in the area is being maintained through coastal surveillance network to shepherd fishing boats in the area to safer locations. Regular weather warning advisory is also being transmitted, the release said. (PTI)
The CARE Ratings Limited has upgraded the present HAL Long Term ratings from ‘CARE AA+ Outlook Stable’ to ‘CARE ‘AAA Outlook Stable’. HAL’s short term rating has remained the same as A1+.
This is done on the basis of recent developments including operational and financial performance of HAL for FY 2021 (Audited) and Q1 FY22 (Unaudited).
The financial year 2020-21 was significant for HAL in terms of securing the largest ever defence contract of 83 LCA MK-IA for the Indian Air Force. This helped the company surpass the order book position in excess of Rs. 80,000 crores.
HAL has taken various cost cutting and austerity measures that include indigenization of various components, increasing outsourcing efforts and rationalization of manpower.
Prices of petrol and diesel remained steady across the country for the 11th successive day on Thursday, September 16, 2021. The prices of the key auto fuels were last revised on September 5 when petrol and diesel prices were cut by 15 paise per litre each in the national capital.
In Bengaluru, petrol is priced at Rs. 104.70 per litre and diesel costs Rs. 94.04 per litre.
Karnataka unit Congress President D.K. Shivakumar received the mortal remains of veteran party leader and former Union Minister Oscar Fernandes at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Meanwhile, top Congress leaders including, Ranjit Singh Surjewala, and K.C. Venugopal came to Bengaluru to pay their homage to the leader. Rahul Gandhi will also participate in the final blessing at St. Patrick's Church and Burial at Hosur Cemetery scheduled from 3.30 pm onwards.
Fernandes passed away on September 13 at a private hospital in Mangaluru as he was being treated for a head injury he had suffered while practising yoga at his residence in July.
As part of its crackdown on drugs, the Central Crime Branch police in Bengaluru have found a laboratory on the outskirts of Bengaluru where synthetic drugs like MDMA were allegedly being processed by a Nigeria national. The lab was located in a house rented from an elderly couple in the Electronic City police limits on the outskirts of Bengaluru, police have found.
The police tracked down the lab after following leads on drug parcels couriered to peddlers who have been arrested in recent days. Equipment and chemicals valued at over Rs 2 crore that was being used to manufacture MDMA crystals have been seized from the lab, the CCB announced Thursday.
Nearly 4 kg of MDMA crystals have also been siezed, police said. The MDMA crystals made in the lab were sent to buyers/peddlers by concealment in the soles of shoes that were couriered, the probe found. The elderly couple whose house was being used for the lab were unaware of the usage of their premises for processing drugs.
BU invites applications from civil services aspirants for a training course to prepare for UPSC and KPSC exams. The training for the academic year 2021-22 will begin on October 2, a circular read.
Students who are at present pursuing post-graduation courses can apply for the course at the Pre-Examination Coaching Centre (PECC) located in the Jnanabharathi campus in Bengaluru.
While the application form is available on the university’s website, it can be obtained in person from PECC on the campus as well. The last date fixed to submit the application is September 24.
Ahead of the 45th GST council meeting, the Consortium for Tobacco Free Karnataka (CFTFK) and other organisations working on tobacco regulation have urged the Karnataka government to seek a hike in the compensation cess on all tobacco products so that they become unaffordable for the vulnerable, especially children.
Representatives of Consortium for Tobacco Free Karnataka (CFTFK) met commercial tax commissioner C Shikha, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s secretary V Ponnuraj and discussed the need to hike tobacco tax, reduce tobacco consumption to augment the revenue of the government amid the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
CFTFK has also written a letter to CM Bommai and additional chief secretary ISN Prasad requesting their support to raise the topic in the GST council meeting.
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In a bid to ensure safe commute to school-goers in Bengaluru, a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) tool named Safer Access to Schools (SATS) has been launched in the city.
According to its inventors World Resources Institute (WRI) India, an organisation dealing with environmental and sustainability research, and Underwriters Laboratories, the tool is expected to help policymakers make informed decisions.
According to a recent study, 86 per cent of school children travel less than five kilometres to reach their schools in the city while 58 per cent of them walk to schools.
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Karnataka Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani on Wednesday said all major cities in the state will have airports and land acquisition process will begin soon. He also said the government will build permanent helipads in all the district headquarters.
"Airports will be constructed in all the major cities in Karnataka. We will start the process of land acquisition to build airports soon. Widening domestic air connectivity is crucial for industrial development, tourism and other sectors in the region," Nirani said.
Increased regional connectivity and air passenger traffic will help spur economic activities.
The Minister was speaking at the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry's (FKCCI) Export Excellence Awards ceremony in Bengaluru. Nirani said, in an effort to enhance rapid transportation and movement of people, the government will build permanent helipads in all the district headquarters.
"Government will build permanent helipads in all the district headquarters. A dry port will come up in Hassan district and Karwar port will be developed further," he said. (PTI)
After dedicated bus priority lanes (BPL) in Bengaluru and Hubballi-Dharwad cities in Karnataka, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) will soon implement the BPL project in Kalaburagi city in North Karnataka.
DULT, along with Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) and the urban local body, has decided to create the lane to provide sustainable transport mode in the Kalaburagi city, according to DULT officials.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, V Manjula, DULT commissioner said, “The DULT has taken up a unique challenge called ‘cities on the move’ and as a part of it, Kalaburagi Mahanagara Palike and the KKRTC have shown interest in the implementation of BPL system in Kalaburagi city”.
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Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh has said his department was making all efforts to resume literacy classes for the adult population in the state, which have a hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
“Literacy classes for adults have been halted for the last 18 months due to the pandemic. We are taking all measures to resume classes as increase literacy is our priority,” he mentioned in his address while observing the 55th International Literacy Week 2021 in Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday.
Nagesh added that special attention is being given to districts including Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, and Chamarajanagar under the Centre’s ’Padna-Likhna’ campaign.
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