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Amaravati, May 7: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said that Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has assured him to offer immediate help to stranded Andhra fishermen.

Around 300 Andhra Pradesh fishermen are stranded on the coast of Malpe village in Udupi district.

"Karnataka CM has responded very positively and assured to offer the stranded fishermen immediate help. The fishermen hail from Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh.

Yediyurappa has also said that their team was also contacting Andhra Pradesh authorities to safely bring them back to their home state," Naidu said in a statement on Twitter.

In a separate letter to Yediyurappa, Naidu lauded the tremendous efforts that the government of Karnataka has been putting to fight COVID-19 and expressed his solidarity with the people there in this critical time.

Naidu said that many Telugu people that have migrated to other states for work were facing various problems due to the COVID-induced lockdown.

"In this backdrop, I would like to bring to your notice that around 300 fishing folk from Srikakulam District are stranded in Malpe Village, Udupi District, Karnataka. Their families, relatives and well-wishers are deeply worried for their safety and well being," Naidu said.

The TDP chief said that on behalf of those families and on his own behalf, he would appeal for sending the stranded fishermen back to their respective homes.

"In case that is not possible, I request you to provide them with shelter, food, water, medical aid and other essential commodities until the end of COVID lockdown," TDP chief said in a letter.

Mangaluru, May 27: Mangaluru MLA U T Khader today urged Dakshina Kannada MP and Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel to pave the way for immediate repatriation of Mangalureans stranded across Gulf countries.

The development comes amidst reports that lack of preparedness on part of the authorities concerned in Dakshina Kannada compelled the Centre to delay the operation of repatriation flights from various Gulf to Mangaluru International Airport under Vande Bharat Mission.

Lakhs of people from Mangaluru region (coastal Karnataka) alone are working in middle eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Thousands of them are currently stranded thanks to covid-19 lockdown and are helplessly waiting for repatriation.

Speaking to coastaldigest.com, Mr Khader said he already spoke to Mr Kateel and brought to his notice the plight of Mangalureans in Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries. "There are a large number of pregnant women, senior citizens and patients who need immediate repatriation. It is the responsibility of the elected representatives and district administration to pave the way for the repatriation of our people and arrange quarantine facilities for them," he said. 

"Mr Kaeel is not only MP of Dakshina Kannada. He is also the chief of Karnataka's ruling party. Hence, he must play a crucial role in facilitating the return of Kannadigas in general and Mangalureans in particular," Mr Khader said. 

Bengaluru, Mar 15: Amid growing coronavirus cases, the Karnataka government on Sunday postponed examinations of class 7, 8 and 9 till March 31, 2020.

The revised dates for examinations will be announced after reviewing the situation. The directive was issued by state education minister S Suresh Kumar on Sunday morning.

On Friday, the government had shut all educational institutions, malls, and clubs for a week.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had said no one should travel unless it is an emergency.

"All malls, cinema halls, pubs, wedding ceremonies and other large gatherings in the Karnataka have been banned for another one week," Chief Minister Yediyurappa had said.

Notably, the number of coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 93, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today.

So far, two deaths due to the COVID-19 have been reported in the country. In the wake of spurt in cases of coronavirus across the country, the Central Government on Saturday decided to treat the deadly virus as a "notified disaster".

Coronavirus, which originated in China's Wuhan city in December last year, has so far spread to more than 100 countries, infecting over 1,30,000 people. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared coronavirus a pandemic.