Allegedly harassed by KJ George, Mangaluru DySP Ganapathi ends life

Bengaluru, May 29: Karnataka reported 248 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, and with that, the state tally surged to 2,781. 

A 50-year-old woman, resident of Chikkaballapura district, succumbed to the infection on Friday. She was admitted to a private hospital on May 24 following acute kidney injury and pneumonia. As her condition deterorted, she was shifted to a designated hospital in Bengaluru Urban on May 28, where she tested COVID-19 positive.

Out of the 248 cases, only 16 persons have contracted the virus inside the state. The remaining are the people who have returned from Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Ireland.

The maximum number of people, who tested positive for COVID-19, have returned from Maharashtra. Most of these people are residents of Udupi, Kalaburagi, Yadagiri and Raichuru.

Besides, five people have a travel history to Delhi, while one person each has tested positive on returning from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Ireland.

Fifteen people have tested positive within the state and have been infected by persons who had previously tested positive or have a history of Influenza-like Illness and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness.

Out of all the cases, 10 have been reported in Bengaluru Urban while one has come up in Bengaluru Rural.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Karnataka government asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to reduce the number of flights coming in the state from the five worst-hit states -- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

"Karnataka has appealed to the Civil Aviation Ministry to take steps to lessen the air traffic to the state, with the sacred intention that there may not be adequate quarantine facilities if there is a huge turnout in a short span of time," state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy explained.

Mangaluru, Mar 29: The state government has lifted the restrictions on the movement of chicken and eggs, thus ensuring the availability of protein-based nutrition to consumers.

Due to the 21-day lockdown in the State, police and other regulatory authorities were not allowing movement of poultry products, which not only had affected the entire poultry sector but also the consumers. The Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA) had made a representation to the government to lift the restrictions.

The Secretary of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, A B Ibrahim in a circular dated March 27, 2020 night , said that the minimal husbandry sector came under essential services and is given exemption during the lockdown period. He cited the letter which provides for the exemption, issued by the Government of India Home Secretary and the Union Joint Secretary of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Bengaluru, Apr 5: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday said the state government will double down for 100% compliance to the lockdown in the next 10 days, warning action against those found roaming the streets.

Dismissing reports of a shortage of ventilators, he said the state was bringing in reinforcements over the next few days and expressed relief that none of the Covid-19 patients of the state has required a ventilator so far.

"None of the Covid-19 patients are on ventilators; two of them require oxygen," Yediyurappa told reporters after he met ministers and MLAs of Bengaluru and apprised them of steps taken to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The CM said the government had placed orders for 1,570 ventilators, of which 17 have been supplied and another 20 would arrive by next week. The government has also ordered 18.3 lakh N-95 masks, of which more than 4 lakh have been supplied. To ensure a steady supply of hand sanitiser, manufacturing licences have been issued to 36 pharma companies and 29 distilleries.

While the state readies the medical infrastructure, the CM urged the legislators, cutting across party lines, to ensure full compliance to the lockdown. "If people fail to cooperate with the government and respect the nationwide lockdown, there will be no option but to enforce it in a more stringent manner from Sunday," he said.

As people continue to crowd markets amid growing fears of a shortage of essentials, the CM reiterated that all measures have been put in place to get the supply chain moving. 

He also assured that food will be provided to migrant workers and the poor. "There is enough stock of foodgrains and medicine in the state. The government has set a taskforce of ministers, 17 committees under additional chief secretaries, several helplines and a war room to fight the pandemic and they are all working round the clock," he said. 

The government has also issued direction to authorities to provide rations to those who do not have BPL or APL cards. Since many people from other states have settled in Bengaluru and they don't have ration cards, we have taken this decision," Yediyurappa said.

On reports of many private hospitals being closed and refusing to treat patients, the CM said: "We have already warned private hospitals to remain open and provide treatment to patients failing which strict action will be initiated."

Kisan Nidhi, 2 months' pension by April 10
The CM said an installment of Rs 2,000 under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana and two months' pension under the various social security schemes will be credited to bank accounts of beneficiaries by April 10. 

The process of crediting subsidy to 15 lakh beneficiaries under Ujjwala Yojana is on, he said.