12 from Karnataka, who attended Tablighi Jamaat conference, test negative for COVID-19

Hyderabad, Mar 14: Telangana Public Health Director Dr Srinivas on Friday said that 34 people, who came in contact with the 76-year-old Karnataka man who died of coronavirus, have been identified in the state.

"So far, 34 people who came in contact with him have been traced and are kept under strict home isolation by the Telangana health authorities. As of now, all the contacts are stable and under active surveillance by the health teams of the Telangana government," Srinivas said.

He added that the rapid response team of the state is further searching for the persons who might have come in contact with the person who died of COVID-19.

"Telangana health authorities were alerted by the Karnataka government after the 76-year-old man's samples tested positive for coronavirus after his death. The man has visited two hospitals in Hyderabad before he died in Karnataka," Srinivas further said.

The Karnataka man, who had died a few days ago, was confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Telangana Health Minister's office said that the lone coronavirus patient from the state has recovered and is going to be discharged from the hospital soon.

The development comes after 82 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths related to the lethal infection have been reported in the country.

Bengaluru, Apr 16: In view of the raging coronavirus pandemic, no public iftaar or sehri will be organized during Ramazan, the month of fasting for the Muslims, the Karnataka Minority Welfare Department announced here on Thursday.

"No public shall be allowed to perform five-time congregational prayers in mosques, across Karnataka during Ramazan in view of COVID-19 pandemic. No public address system to be used by the staff of mosques for offering namaz,'' the department said.

During the holy month of Ramazan, it is a tradition to organise iftaar feasts for large gatherings by different people, especially by politicians, celebrities and the common wealthy people for their friends and family.

Ramazan is to commence from the 24th or 25th of April this year, depending on the sighting of the moon.

The order stated that Azaan (the call for prayer) shall be given at low decibel and namaaz including Friday namaaz, will be performed by the imams, moazzins and the masjid staff only.
No public should be allowed to offer namaaz in the mosques as per government directions, it said.

The state government also cited an order by the Ministry of Home Affairs dated April 15, which stated that "All religious places/places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited due to the outbreak of COVID-19 across the country."
Thirty-four more COVID-19 cases, including 17 cases from Belagavi, have been reported from Karnataka. The total number of coronavirus cases in the state now stands at 313.

The total number of cases in India has now climbed to 12,380. Out of these cases, 1489 have been cured/discharged/migrated while 414 deaths have been reported so far, as per the latest data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Bengaluru, Feb 5: Despite installing a BJP government in Karnataka through disguised operation Kamala, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government has continued its step motherly attitude towards this south Indian state.

Under the new formula adopted to share central taxes among states Karnataka will be the worst-affected. Though the 15th Finance Commission has recommended a special grant of Rs 5,495 crore for the state for 2020-21, the Centre appears reluctant to pay up and instead has asked for the proposal to be reviewed.

During the Union budget, the report of the 14th Finance Commission headed by NK Singh for 2020-21 was tabled in Lok Sabha. It shows besides Karnataka, Telangana, Mizoram and Kerala saw their central tax share decrease, while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra were top gainers.

Karnataka's share has decreased from 4.7% provided by the previous finance commission, to 3.6%. Acknowledging there is a steep decline in Karnataka's share from 2019-20, the finance commission has recommended a special grant of Rs 5,495 crore for the state.

Its share in 2019-20 was Rs 36,675 crore, but under the new formula, Karnataka will get only Rs 31,180 crore in 2020-21 from the divisible pool of Rs 8.5 lakh crore - a decline of 22.5%.

Also, the decrease for Karnataka comes on the back of a shortfall in 2019-20. While the state was entitled to Rs 39,806 crore from the divisible pool, it got only Rs 36,675 crore as the Centre suffered a tax revenue shortfall of Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

What is more disheartening though is the Centre's refusal to pay the special grant. Instead, the Union finance ministry has asked the finance commission to reconsider the recommendation. This has prompted the state to take up the issue with the Centre.

"The decline in central taxes devolution comes at a time when the state is going through a tough financial situation. Steps are being taken to ensure Karnataka gets justice," said chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar.

Officials said besides corrective measures for 2020-21, the focus will be on ensuring a fair share in subsequent years. However, Karnataka has little chance of getting its dues as the Centre is known to be prudent when distributing tax proceeds among states.

"The Centre has certain views on devolution. We have done our duty by submitting the interim report. It's up to the states to convince the Centre," said Ravi Kota, joint secretary of 15th Finance Commission.

Under the new formula, the commission changed the weightage for some of the six criteria it considers - population, area, forest cover, income distance, demographic performance and tax effort.