Advocate Devicharan, son of film producer Devi Prasad, shoots himself dead

Kochi, Mar 30: Kerala High Court, while hearing a petition filed against Karnataka's decision to block the border with Kerala, on Monday said that no lives should not be lost in the name of fighting coronavirus.

Kerala High Court also said that "the current problem should be resolved amicably. Both the Union government and the Karnataka government should rise to the occasion."
The Central government has informed Kerala High Court that the movement of goods and medical services qualify under essential services, which is permitted despite the lockdown, and added that directions have been issued to give priority to the movement of such goods and services.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has sought a day's time to clarify their stand.

The matter will be taken up for further hearing via video conference tomorrow.
Kerala government has submitted that the action of Karnataka government to close the border is illegal as all the national highways in the country come under the jurisdiction of the National Highway Authority.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan has also approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to open the Karnataka-Kerala border to allow movement of ambulances and other emergency vehicles for the transport of essential items to Kerala.

Bewngaluru, Jun 23: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said Covid-19 related fatalities in the state was far less compared to other major states, as he called on people and front line corona warriors infected by the virus not to lose courage.

The Chief Minister made the statement following the alleged suicide of a constable attached with the Karnataka State Reserve Police after he tested positive for Covid-19. "The total number of COVID related deaths in the state is very less compared to other major states.

There is no reason for any infected citizen or government employees to lose courage. The government is always with you," a tweet on the Chief Minister's official twitter handle said.

Of the total of 14,011 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for the highest with 6,283 fatalities, followed by Delhi with 2,233, Gujarat with 1,684 and Tamil Nadu with 794.

Acknowledging that police form the frontline of corona warriors and were working putting their lives at stake, he said a special Covid-19 testing center is being set up for them and all measures will be taken to provide the best treatment for those infected.

As of June 22 evening, cumulatively 9,399 Covid-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 142 deaths and 5,730 discharges.

The constable, aged about 50 years, was attached with the Karnataka State Reserve Police and was said to be depressed after getting tested positive for Covid-19, sources said.

Expressing condolence over his death, another tweet on the Chief Minister's handle said he has directed officials to to provide all necessary compensation and facilities to the family of the deceased at the earliest. Bengaluru has in the last few days has seen a spike in the number of police personnel getting infected by the virus. At least 74 of them have tested positive in the city and are undergoing treatment, while three have died so far, official sources said.

Bengaluru, Jun 30: In an attempt to tackle unemployment amidst covid-19 crisis, the Karnataka state government has launched a job portal connecting employers and job seekers.

The portal, 'Skill connect' ( https://skillconnect.kaushalkar.com/ ) provides region-wise and sector-wise job listings. An interested candidate can register on the portal and either apply for jobs or can also seek skill training. 

As on Monday, the portal has 25 registered companies with over 2000 jobs available in various sectors. 

The portal works more or less on similar lines as that of any private job portal, except that those posting jobs and candidates searching for employment will have to register with the Skill Development Department. 

Launching the portal on Monday, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa hoped that the portal would provide an impetus to job creation, as well as the economic revival of the state. 

Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan who is also the skill development Minister added, "All these years, there was no information and communication between job seekers and recruiters. This portal will solve that problem."

Also, until now, there hasn't been comprehensive information either on those seeking jobs or those looking for employees. The skill development efforts have not been in sync with the market. All these issues would be addressed by the portal, he said. 

According to Karnataka Skill Development Authority Managing Director Ashwin Gowda, the portal has already seen a response with about 68 applicants in just a day. 

Officials said even the organisations will have to register with the government while providing all documents concerned. The government aims to avoid any fake job advertisements through this. "We will also enable virtual interviews between the candidate and the employer," sources in the department told DH. 

Recently, the government had also launched a portal exclusively for migrants who had returned to Karnataka from other places. This was meant to work as a skill registry.

However, the portal that was launched on Monday, went a step ahead by connecting both the prospective employers and employees, according to officials in the department.