Applications from Karnataka for Hajj decline drastically

Dubai, Jun 9: A young NRI engineer in Dubai, who supported his pregnant spouse to file a plea in the Supreme Court of India for early repatriation from the UAE amid the coronavirus lockdown passed away in his sleep of suspected cardiac arrest.

The deceased identified as Nithin Chandran (28) and his wife Athira Geetha Sreedharan (27) had hit headlines in the past after the latter filed a writ petition seeking assistance to be repatriated to India, following the suspension of flights to the country, as she was due for the delivery of their first baby in the first week of July.

Chandran, a mechanical engineer was working at a construction firm in Dubai. According to the reports, he had stayed back in UAE after sending his wife home on the first day of repatriation from Dubai on May 7 under the Vande Bharat Mission.

The deceased was receiving the treatment for high blood pressure and a heart condition and is suspected to have died of a heart attack while asleep, his friend said. However, the exact cause of his death is yet to be known.

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.

Shivamogga, Jun 30: The organic farmers' market in Shivamogga in Karnataka has seen a rise in the demand for organic fruits and vegetables in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents of nearby areas frequently visit the market to get fresh produce.

According to Sridhar, a farmer who sells his produce in the market, the demand for organic fruits and vegetables was very low before the coronavirus outbreak.

"I have been involved in organic farming for the last two decades but there was no real market. Since these days everyone is trying to boost their immunity, we are getting a lot of positive response from the locals," he told news agency.

Sridhar and other farmers come from villages near the city. They are authentic organic farmers under the Vikas Trust and Savayava Krishi Parivar, a federation of organic farmer's families based in Karnataka, and they promote pesticide and fertiliser free agriculture.

Gurumel Singh, who often comes to the local market said, "My family has started eating more organic fruits and vegetable now because of the pandemic. We have been told it is important to take care of our health and organic fruits and vegetables are good immunity boosters. The fruits I buy from the organic market are also much sweeter than the ones I get elsewhere."