Cauvery water dispute: No breakthrough at meet convened by Centre

Bengaluru, Mar 11: The move by rebel ruling Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh to trigger the crisis for the party's government in the state appears to have been in the making for at least close to a month as Karnataka BJP leaders were sounded about hosting them in Bengaluru in advance, sources said.

They also indicated that the 19 rebel MLAs would stay in the city for at least two weeks till an alternative government takes charge in Madhya Pradesh.

A senior Karnataka BJP leader, in charge of the Madhya Pradesh legislators' stay in Bengaluru, received a communication from the party's central leaders about the move nearly 15-20 days ago, the sources involved in the development said on condition of anonymity on Tuesday.

The leader had even gone to New Delhi in the third week of February to meet BJP's central leaders in this regard, they said.

In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiradtya Scindia quit the party and in a coordinated rebellion on Tuesday 21 MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse.

As many as 19 Madhya Pradesh MLAs, including six ministers, said to be loyalists of Mr Scindia who appeared set to join BJP, are camping at a resort in Bengaluru. Two of them are women, the sources said.

The MLAs on Tuesday sent their resignation letters via e-mail to Raj Bhavan in Bhopal from Bengaluru.

According to the sources, eight legislators, including an independent, have been staying in the city for about a week now. Of them two - one from Congress and the other an independent MLA - had gone back.

The six were joined by 13 legislators, who landed in the city by a chartered flight on Monday, and all of them are put up in a villa.

The senior Karnataka BJP leader, also an MLA, is looking after their stay and related arrangements on the directions of the party high command, the sources said. Their stay here may be for a couple of weeks.

"There will be a no-confidence motion, and then there will be a trust vote of the new alternative government that will be formed. So they may have to stay here for some time. They may be moved out of their current location," they said.

The Madhya Pradesh legislature session is expected to begin on March 16.

The sources also said the six legislators staying in the city since last week were shifted a couple of times within the city.

Congress in Madhya Pradesh, under the leadership of Kamal Nath, had come to power in December 2018 by ousting the BJP by a narrow margin.

Bengaluru, Jun 30: Private medical colleges in Bengaluru have agreed to join hands with the Karnataka government for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The representatives from private medical colleges have promised the state government to provide 2000 beds immediately and another 4500 beds will be added within a week.

The development took place as Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday held a second round of meeting with representatives of private hospitals at Vidhana Soudha over COVID-19. 

The Chief Minister and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar held separate meetings with the representatives from private colleges administration and all the private colleges have assured to extend their support to the government decision. 

"There are 11 private and three government medical colleges in the city and we will get about 6500 beds from these for COVID treatment," Dr Sudhakar informed media after the meeting.

He further said, "These facilities including doctors and staff will be made available to the government within a week and the beds will be allocated to COVID patients through BBMP's centralised system. The insurance facility will be extended to the doctors and staff serving in these private hospitals also."

PG students in private medical colleges and other staff will be utilised in COVID Care Centres, the minister said.

"There will be some changes in the treatment protocols going forward. The decision regarding this will be taken in the meeting that will be held in the evening under the chairmanship of the CM," the minister explained.

According to him, symptomatic patients, persons aged above 60 years and those with comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension and serious kidney, liver, lungs and heart-related ailments will be admitted to hospitals. 

Other asymptomatic persons will be monitored in COVID care centres. Detailed notification with these guidelines will be released tomorrow, the minister said.

The meeting was chaired by CM BS Yediyurappa and Deputy CM Ashwatnarayana, Ministers Basavaraj Bommai, R Ashoka and senior officials were also present.

Karwar, Jan 4: One student died and twelve others were seriously injured when a school bus in which they were travelling from Anantapur district fell into a gorge near Gerusoppa Soolemarki Cross in Honnavar taluk of Uttar Kannada district last night, police said on Saturday.

The deceased student has been identified as T Basha Fakruddin (14).

Police said on that on Friday students of a government school from Anantapur district were on a trip to Jog, Murdeshwar and other places. There were 44 children, nine teachers and four cooking staff in the bus, police said.