Mangaluru youth dies in Saudi Arabia

Bengaluru, Apr 28:  Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa today launched a Helpline service for Kannadigas residing outside Karnataka.

On April 24, Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary in a letter to the Chief Minister requested a helpline for stranded Kannadigas in Mumbai, other States and other countries.

The helpline will help resolve the problem of stranded Kannadigas across the country. After a request is made, local authorities of the caller will be contacted to provide the required help. The helpline will be operated from Bengaluru and staffed with 50 employees in three shifts.

Bengaluru, Jun 29: The results of second pre-university and the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examination results will be out by July last week and August first week, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said on Monday.

Instead of giving general promotion to the 10th and 12th standard students as the Central Board of Secondary Education and other states have done, the Karnataka government decided to hold the examination defying the coronavirus scare.

"We are trying to get the SSLC results out by the first week of August.The PUC results will be out in the last week of July," the minister told reporters in Bengaluru.

Amid reports of schools increasing the school fees ignoring the government's direction, the minister said he has got reports that 1,150 schools have increased their fees of which action has been taken against 450 schools.

"We have directed all the schools not to increase the fees in view of the coronavirus scare.

It is a peculiar year.Humanity says no one should increase fees.

We have set up a helpline. If we come across such practices, we will initiate action," Kumar said.

He said an officer has been entrusted to look into the complaints against schools.

Speaking about online classes for kindergarten students, the minister said such classes are not allowed.

The schools can hold talks with parents twice a week about grooming their children.

Kumar said a decision on opening kindergarten schools will be taken after July 5.

He, however, conceded that most parents are unwilling to send their children to school.

The government is gathering the opinion of parents based on which a decision would be taken, he added.

Regarding education to students from Class one to Class 10, Kumar said the Centre has given guidelines, which will be followed.

The state has formed an expert committee to recommend guidelines on education to children from Class I to Class six.

"Once the committee report comes, we will formulate regulations," Kumar added.

Bengaluru, May 11: Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Monday asked Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to urge PM Narendra Modi to give a 'COVID Package' to Karnataka.

In a series of tweets, Kumaraswamy said that Yediyurappa should raise the demand during the course of the meeting scheduled to be held today with the PM, which will also be attended by Chief Ministers of other states.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with CMs from different states on coronavirus control and lockdown today. The state's CM BS Yediyurappa will also be in it. At this meeting, BSY should urge Modi to offer a 'COVID Package' to the state," Kumaraswamy's tweet, roughly translated in English from Kannada, read.

In subsequent tweets, the JDS leader said that, "The central government has set up a PM Cares Fund for the fight against Corona. As MPs, entrepreneurs and citizens have made generous donations. BSY must convince Modi that the state has not received adequate financial support from the Center so far."

He further said that the package could be utilised for "medical procedures", "financial compensation for the affected people."

Kumaraswamy also said that "In addition to the 'COVID Package', other dues from the Center, including GST dues, flood relief, etc should also be asked for by BS Yediyurappa at the meeting with Modi."

PM Narendra Modi will hold a meeting, through video conference, with state Chief Ministers on Monday at 3 pm to discuss the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.

The Prime Minister had earlier interacted with Chief Ministers four times over the COVID-19 situation via video conferencing.

The upcoming interaction comes days ahead of the scheduled ending of the nationwide lockdown.

The ongoing lockdown, which was imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus, is scheduled to end on May 17.