Yogi calls Mangaluru a sacred land, urges people to join hands for development

Mangaluru/Udupi, Jun 7: Coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi have recorded 17 and 13 new coronavirus positive cases between 5 p.m. on June 6 and 5 p.m. on June 7. 

16 among 17 new covid patients in Dakshina Kannada are returnees from Maharashtra, while one returned from Goa recently.

Maharashtra returnees comprise 14 males, including three teenagers t, and two females aged 32 and 41. The Goa returnee is a 32-year-old male.

All of them have all been admitted to the designated COVID hospital in the district.

With this, the total tally of coronavirus cases in Dakshina Kannada has risen to 203, out of which 47 are currently active. As many as 150 patients have recovered and been discharged, and seven have died.

Among the 13 in Udupi, 12 are Maharashtra returnees, while process of contact tracing of one patient, a 30-year-old woman, is going on.

The patients comprise eight males, including a 7-year-old boy, and five females. They have all been admitted to the designated hospital.

This takes the total number of coronavirus cases in Udupi district to 902, out of which 798 are currently active, 103 discharged, and one patient has died.

Mangaluru, Jan 31: Mahesh Vikram Hegde, the co-founder of website 'Postcard News', known for spreading fake news on behalf of Sangh Parivar, was taken aback when he was asked to sing 'Vande Mataram' to prove his patriotism by a group of women activists at Mangaluru International Airport.

The video of the incident which occurred on Friday, days after editor-in-chief and co-founder of Republic TV Arnab Goswami was heckled by comedian Kunal Kamra on a flight, went viral on social media within hours.

Hegde was spotted by social activist Kavitha Reddy, and other young orators – Najma Nazeer and Amulya Leona – at the airport where he was waiting to board a plane to Bengaluru.

In a video, the three women are seen coercing Hegde to sing 'Vande Mataram' and prove his patriotism. In another video being circulated, the women are heard telling the journalist that he is getting an opportunity to become a 'hero' from 'zero' if he sings 'Vande Mataram.' However, he refused to open his mouth.

Reddy is seen asking Hegde whether he knew the time when Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.

Hegde was arrested in 2018 for posting a fake news aimed at creating communal conflict.

When saffron journalist Vikram Hegde refuses to sing 'Vande Mataram' pic.twitter.com/4TZHbpkvtd

— coastaldigest.com (@coastaldigest) February 1, 2020

Mangaluru, Jun 3: Mangaluru MLA and former minister U T Khader has urged the state government and Dakshina Kannada district administration to take steps to facilitate the return of Indians stranded in foreign countries amid covid lockdown.

A delegation comprising Mr Khader, DCC President K Harish Kumar, and MLC Ivan D’Souza met District In-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary and submitted a memorandum on Tuesday.

“Kannadigas who are working outside the state are in distress due to the lockdown. More than 50,000 people had uploaded applications on Seva Sindhu portal seeking permission to return to their villagers and are waiting for permission. With the authorities failing to take any decision, they are worried,” said the delegation.

The government should initiate measures to get them back and quarantine them, urged the delegation.

Mr Khader said, “Many workers stranded in foreign countries are eager to return home. The district administration should make arrangements to quarantine those returning from foreign countries and other states.

There are thousands of migrant labourers from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar stranded in DK. They are waiting to return to their families. The state government should facilitate their return journey, the delegation urged.

MLC Ivan D’Souza said, “Assistance should be provided to private bus staff, beedi workers, tailors, garage labourers and street vendors who are in distress. The price of Covid-19 tests in private laboratories should be reduced.”

The delegation informed that after Wenlock Hospital was converted into the designated COVID-19 hospital, poor patients are facing many inconveniences. A portion of the hospital should be earmarked for treating other patients, they said.