India needs Modi to make it stronger, says Yeddyurappa

Mangaluru, Apr 27: Two more people including an elderly woman have been tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Dakshina Kannada. 

With this the total number of covid-19 cases in the district reached 21, though most of them have recovered and returned home. 

In its today's bulletin, the health and family welfare department confirmed that a 45-year-old man and his 80-year-old mother tested positive for the deadly disease. 

It is learnt that one of them had undergone treatment at a private hospital where a woman from Bantwal, who died of covid-19, was being treated for breathing difficulties, before she was shifted to Wenlock Hospital which is now converted into covid-19 hospital.

Bengaluru, Apr 5: Opening of Karnataka's borders to Kerala at this point in time will be like "embracing death," chief minister B S Yediyurappa said on Saturday making clear his government's stand not opening the state border.

The chief minister repeatedly said that for his government interest of the people of the state was supreme.

Yediyurappa made his stand clear in a letter to former prime minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda.

Gowda had recently written to the chief minister on March 31 seeking relaxation of the border restrictions on "humanitarian" grounds.

He had also written to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressing his anguish against Karnataka authorities for imposing restriction and promising to raise the matter with prime minister Narendra Modi.

Stating the decision to close the border was not sudden, Yediyurappa said, it was a conscious decision after analysing the health situation in the area following the spread of COVID-19.

The chief minister cited the Indian Medical Association, Mangaluru branch data regarding the spread of Covid-19 in Kasargod of Kerala and surrounding areas which was alarming.

Noting that the region has nearly 106 positive coronaviruscases, he said, "this is the region with most number of infections in the country."

If this restriction is removed, it puts the health of the people of Karnataka in to risk and create a situation of "embracing death", so we will not be able to open the border, Yediyurappa said.

He also clarified that there was no prejudice behind his government's decision, and the interest of the people of the state was of utmost importance.

"...There is also no political maliciousness. We want to have good and brotherly relationship with neighbouring states," he said, adding that opening the border will open a pandora's box that will be disastrous for the state.

Yediyurappa also thanked opposition parties for their support to his government in its fight against COVID-19.

Kasaragod, Jul 19: An accused in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Prevention) Act (POCSO) killed self minutes before being shifted to the jail on Sunday.

Police sources said the criminal, Shaiju, was admitted to Covid-19 observation ward after he was arrested and remanded to judicial custody after he was charged with a case under POCSO for unnatural sex with a neighbour boy recently.

The accused had made a similar attempt last month but was implicated in a case after his treatment.