BSY govt is safe as BJP wins 12 out of 15 seats in Karnataka bypolls

Mangaluru, Mar 30: In continuing cases of tipplers in the southern states ending their lives due to non-availability of liquor during the lockdown, two men committed suicide in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district.

The two suicides were reported in Kadaba taluk on Saturday, police said.

Tomy Thomas (50), a rubber tapping labourer in an estate at Kutrupadi village of the taluk, was found hanging at his rented house on Saturday. Thomas, a native of Kottayam in Kerala, had joined at the estate here a month ago.

Local people said he was desperately moving around in the last few days asking about places where he can get liquor. He had also not reported to work in these days. The body has been kept at the mortuary of a hospital at Deralakatte.

In another incident, a 70-year old man, belonging to Kodimbala village in the taluk, allegedly hanged himself from the branch of a tree near his house at Nakur.

The deceased has been identified as Thomas, who had left his family here 30 years ago and had been working in Kerala. He had returned here only a few years back.

Sources said Thomas, an alcohol addict, was having health problems related to withdrawal. He has been living on pavements at Kadaba without going home.

Kadaba police has registered cases in connection with the two incidents.

Incidents of tipplers committing suicide have been reported in Kerala and Telangana in the past few days. Two men ended their lives in Kerala today while a 50-year old daily wage worker jumped to death from a building in Hyderabad on Friday.

Bengaluru, Apr 28: Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday demanded that the Karnataka government announce a "special package" for unorganised sector workers, street vendors and autorickshaw drivers, among others, all daily wagers whose lives are affected by the COVID-19 lockdown. "..a special package needs to be announced to this section of people, this is the demand," Siddaramaiah, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, told reporters here.

Alleging that the government has failed to control the spread of coronavirus, he said it is the government's responsibility to take care of the basic needs of those from the unorganised sector, whose lives have been impacted by the lockdown. "It is the duty of the government and they should do it immediately. The package should also be announced. I will hold discussions with leaders of other opposition parties like JD(S), CPI, CPI(M) and BSP in this regard and also on trouble faced by farmers," he added. Alleging discrimination in supply of food packets and ration kits, Siddaramaiah said it was being supplied properly only in constituencies represented by BJP legislators.

"Politics is being played out in supply of food materials to the needy, keeping corporation elections in mind.... We don't want to do politics at this point in time as there is lockdown. If things continue to be the same after the lockdown ends, we will protest on the streets," he said.

Siddaramaiah on Tuesday interacted with representatives of auto rickshaw and cab drivers, street vendors, barbers, unorganised workers organisations, among others, to understand the difficulties faced by them during the lockdown and to know whether help from the government has reached them. He said most of them don't have work and it has become difficult for them to lead their normal lives.

They raised several issues like auto and cab drivers being unable to pay road tax and EMI, he said, adding that he would write a detailed letter to the Chief Minister in this regard The former Chief Minister pointed out that there is about 21 lakh registered organised workers, 1.32 crore lakh unorganised workers and also agriculture labourers in the state.

"Among organised workers only 12.5 of the 21 lakh are said to be getting Rs 2000, that too from the Employees Welfare Fund, while others could not get any money, citing reasons like they have not renewed it," he said.

On the other hand, unorganised sector workers don't get money and were also not getting proper food or ration kits, he alleged Though the labour department claimed that it was supplying one lakh food packets and 1.5 lakh ration kits, as also corporations, there were leakages and it was not reaching the beneficiaries properly, he said.

Mangaluru, Jun 2: The Karnataka Muzarai department, whose main income comes through temple and other religious places of worship, has incurred a loss of Rs 600 Crore in revenue during the lock-down, Minister for Muzrai Kota Srinivas Poojary said on Monday.

Addressing reporters here, he said the Kollur Sri Mookambika temple alone lost revenue of about Rs 14 crore it was earning during April and May.

Around 300 A and B grade temples under Muzrai (Hindu religious institutions and charitable endowments) department in the State lost around 35 per cent of their annual income, he said.