Private doctors’ protest near Suvarna Soudha enters fourth day

Bengaluru, Mar 26: The number of COVI D-19 cases in Karnataka spiked to 55 on Thursday after four new cases were reported. 

According to official sources, a 35-year-old man, who was a resident of Nanjanagud town in Mysuru taluk and worked in a pharma unit, tested positive for coronavirus. 

He had been quarantined in his home and efforts are being made to track down as many as seven persons, who had primary contact with 
him.

Bengaluru, Jun 9: JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Tuesday filed his nomination as party's candidate for June 19 Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka.

The former Prime Minister was accompanied by his sons former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and former Minister H D Revanna, state JD(S) chief H K Kumaraswamy and others, as he filed his papers at the office of Legislative Assembly Secretary M K Vishalakshi, who is the returning officer for the polls. JD(S) on Monday had announced that Gowda will be contesting the Rajya Sabha polls.

Announcing the decision, Kumaraswamy had said Gowda decided to contest following the request of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, several national leaders and party legislators, and it was not an easy task to "persuade" him to enter the Rajya Sabha.

The JD(S), which has 34 seats in the assembly, is not in a position to win a seat in Rajya Sabha on its own and will need support from the Congress with its surplus votes. A minimum of 45 votes are required for a candidate to win. If he wins, this will be the second Rajya Sabha entry for 87-year-old Gowda, the first time being in 1996 as the Prime Minister.

Gowda was defeated in Tumkur constituency by BJP's G S Basavaraj by over 13,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. As joint candidate of the then ruling Congress-JDS coalition, Gowda had chosen to contest from Tumkur at the last minute after vacating Hassan-his home turf, to grandson Prajwal Revanna (a current MP).

Election is scheduled on June 19 to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka, represented by Rajeev Gowda and BK Hariprasad of Congress, Prabhakar Kore of the BJP and D Kupendra Reddy of JD(S) that will fall vacant on June 25, with their retirement. Today is the last date for filing nominations. With BJP not fielding any candidate against Gowda, his election is likely to be unanimous.

Bengaluru, Jun 5: With the easing of COVID-19 lockdown norms under unlock 1.0, the Karnataka government on Thursday permitted state transport buses to operate even during the night curfew hours 9 pm to5 am.

Autos, taxis and cabs have also been given permission to operate during these hours for picking commuting passengers from pickup points or bus stands.

Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar in an order said, state transport corporations (BMTC, KSRTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC) buses have been allowed to operate during night curfew hours from 9 pm to 5 am.

On the basis of their bus tickets, passengers would be allowed to commute to bus stand or from there to home, in accordance with the COVID-19 control measures, SOPs and other guidelines, it said.

Further, during the curfew hours autos, taxis and cabs have been given permission to pick commuters from pickup points or bus stands, it added.

Earlier, the government had revised the night curfew time from the previous 7 pm-7 am to 9 pm-5 am, and said the movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am throughout the state, except for essential activities.

The government has also said that jungle lodges and resorts, also private organisations providing similar facilities, along with activities they provide like safari, trekking among others would be permitted from June 8, in compliance with the guidelines and SOP issued and following the social distancing norms.