At a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Bengaluru. (File)Karnataka News Highlights: Karnataka on Tuesday registered 197 fresh Covid-19 cases and eight fatalities. Of the new cases, 130 were from Bengaluru Urban. State’s positivity rate stood at 0.47 per cent and 258 patients recovered from the infection today.
Meanwhile, US agencies investigating an August 2016 hacking of the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange where $ 4.5 billion worth of bitcoin was stolen have not referred to any links to India or Karnataka despite claims by a hacker arrested in Bengaluru in November 2020 of involvement in the Bitfinex hacking, Karnataka’s home minister Araga Jnanendra told the state legislative council.
The Karnataka home minister was responding to a demand from members of the opposition Congress party for an investigation by a central agency into allegations of alleged corruption involving police officers, government officials, and politicians in the form of bribes from the hacker and his associates after their arrest in November 2020.
Karnataka on Monday registered 197 fresh coronavirus cases and eight fatalities. Of the new cases, 130 were from Bengaluru Urban. State's positivity rate stood at 0.47 per cent and 258 patients recovered from the infection today.
Expressing his government's commitment to implement the Mekedatu project across river Cauvery, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai while ruling out negotiations with neighbouring Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday said, he will be calling an all party meeting soon, to discuss the legal repercussions and going ahead with the work.
He was reacting to objections raised by Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah in the legislative Assembly, to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's recent statement that the Centre is ready to facilitate talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the Mekedatu project.
Citing Shekhawat's statement, Siddaramaiah expressed apprehensions about the Government of India granting clearances for the project. (PTI)
Connecting Smiles Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation today announced the launch of ‘Project Pehel, a women empowerment initiative to create sustainable employment opportunities for women. As a part of the initiative, Connecting Smiles Foundation, opened a training centre to train women from low-income groups to become beauticians.
Commenting on the initiative, Sonia Sambhar, Founder, Connecting Smiles Foundation, said “ As a compassionate NGO, we deeply care about improving the quality of life of vulnerable, marginalised, and economically disadvantaged women. Through this initiative, we aim to help women from low-income groups to be financially independent and flourish. ‘Project Pehel’ not only helps live a respectable life but also ensures a bright future for their family and kids”
Putting an end to all the speculations and rumours over Kolar's Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) factory, Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani on Tuesday denied any move to hand over the factory to private companies. He said BEML is under the Centre's control and nobody should pay heed to rumours.
Replying to JD(S) MLC Govindraju's question in the Council, Nirani said khata (deed) for 12500 acres in BEML's 16000-acre land was done. "Centre has agreed to hand over 3500 acres to the State government for industrial purposes. We have conducted another drone survey and this report will be submitted to the Union Minister. I will hold talks with Union Mines Minister in Delhi on March 10 and take next decision", Nirani said.
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai today thanked President Ram Nath Kovind for conferring Shobha Gasti with the Nari Shakti award. Shobha Gasti's NGO in Belagavi has helped 3,600 Devadasis to join the mainstream.
Artist Akshay Jalhali giving final touch to the portrait of Lata Mangeshkar made out of Rangoli powder in Ravindra Kalakshetra as part of International Women's Day, Bengaluru. (Express photo by Jithendra M)
The Karnataka health department has launched a mass drug administration in Kalaburagi and Bidar districts with special focus on migrant labourers to eliminate lymphatic filariasis, a tropical, parasitic disease that affects the lymph nodes and lymph vessels and is spread by infected mosquitoes.
The drug administration commenced in Kalaburagi on February 21 and will continue till March 21. So far, efforts have been focused on administering antifilarial drugs to people at schools, colleges, offices, hostels, jails, and factories.
Kalaburgi and Bidar districts have recorded 7,078 and 3,424 cases of lymphedema (swelling in the limbs and breasts) and 405 and 346 cases of hydrocele (abnormal swelling of the scrotum) respectively this year. Kiran Parashar reports
As many as 503 Indian nationals, who were evacuated from Ukraine, have returned to Karnataka, as of Tuesday. Meanwhile, 57 people from the state have reached New Delhi through evacuation flights.
The highest number of evacuees belonging to Karnataka reached home on March 3 (104 people), since the beginning of Operation Ganga on February 27.
A professor with the Indian Statistical Institute has accused Air India of refusing to let him board a flight from Bengaluru to Kolkata over his battery-operated wheelchair. Kaushik Kumar Majumdar on Monday said that the pilot of the flight had asked him to disconnect the batteries of his wheelchair.
Majumdar said he had faced a similar issue with Air India when his battery-operated wheelchair was not allowed in a flight in 2017. Read more
Days after a viral video showed Congress Leader Mukarram Khan allegedly making inflammatory statements and saying whoever “opposes the hijab would be cut in pieces”, the Kalaburgi district police took him in their custody in Hyderabad Wednesday and said they will soon produce him before the court.
An FIR under Sections 153 (A), 298 and 295 of the Indian Penal Code was filed against Khan at Sedam police station.
In the purported viral video, he was heard saying, “We are born and brought up here, we will be living and ending our lives here in India. Those who are opposing the wearing of hijabs will be cut into pieces. One day, we will (all) die (but) don't hurt our caste (religion). All castes are equal. No caste (should) suffer from injustice. You can wear anything. Who will be stopping you? We will not tolerate this.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday announced in the Legislative Assembly the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) to look into allegations of revenue officials colluding with the land mafia to fraudulently transfer government lands in and around Bengaluru to private individuals.
Bommai said that criminal cases will be booked against those who had indulged in such irregularities and added that a specific case of land grab in Bengaluru north, in which an assistant commissioner allegedly colluded with the land mafia to transfer land worth Rs 1,000 crore to private individuals, would be probed by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB).
During the assembly session, Janata Dal (S) legislator AT Ramaswamy said that government land was transferred illegally by officials and that the government had not taken any action despite the previous principal secretary recommending it.
Bengaluru city recorded manimum and minimum temperatures of 27.2 and 18 degrees Celcius at 8.30 am on Tuesday.
Over the next 24 hours, generally cloudy sky and light rain is likely, while surface winds are likely to be strong and gusty at times.
Karnataka on Monday registered 155 fresh coronavirus cases and 5 fatalities thereby taking the total till date to 39,42,730 and 39,996 respectively. Of the new cases, 97 were from Bengaluru Urban. While there were 169 discharges were the city, there were 3 deaths, the bulletin said. Of the five deaths reported today, three are from Bengaluru Urban, followed by one each from Belagavi and Mandya.
With the Karnataka government submitting that only four cases against MLAs and MPs have been withdrawn in the state since September 16, 2020, the Karnataka High Court has sought details of all applications filed for similar relief.
In August 2021, the Supreme Court had barred states from dropping cases against MLAs and MPs without the respective high court’s clearance. Read more
US agencies investigating an August 2016 hacking of the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange where $ 4.5 billion worth of bitcoin was stolen have not referred to any links to India or Karnataka despite claims by a hacker arrested in Bengaluru in November 2020 of involvement in the Bitfinex hacking, Karnataka’s home minister Araga Jnanendra told the state legislative council
“American agencies have arrested two US nationals a few days ago and have recovered the entire amount that was hacked from the Bitfinex exchange. The US agencies have not referred to any links to India or Karnataka,” the Karnataka home minister said. Read more