Former JD(S) President AH Vishwanath announces retirement from politics

Mangaluru, May 4: An engineering student has claimed to have received 600 threat calls in the past few days from unidentified people for starting fish business during the lockdown in Kavoor. 

According to Sakshath Shetty, resident of Kavoor, he started receiving threat calls from various people after he started selling fish during the lockdown. 

Police said they have been able to identify some of the numbers from where the threat calls were made and investigation is under way.

Mangaluru, Apr 12: Swift and strict action by the District Administration has resulted in the district achieving ‘Clean’ week with no new cases of COVID-19 reported for the seventh day in a row.

Meanwhile, in a happy coincidence, the district’s only infant allegedly affected – a ten month old child – was totally cured and discharged from the hospital along with infant’s mother and grandmother who were considered to the primary contacts. They are never tested positive for the virus, it is reported. Health experts attributed this to their natural immunity.

The child is said to have contracted the infection during a family visit to Kasargod, which has turned in to a Covid-19 hot spot. The family which hails from Sajipanadu in Bantwal-taluk had been kept in isolation ever since the child had tested positive on March 25. The quarantine was extended to the entire village as a preventive measure and the District Administration undertook the responsibility to providing essential supplies.

Bengaluru, June 12: The Karnataka government has withdrawn its notification that allowed factories to extend working hours up to 10 hours a day and 60 hours a week, with immediate effect.

The extension of work hours was from eight hours a day and 48 hours a week. On May 22, the government had exempted all the factories registered under the Factories Act, from the provisions of Section 51 (weekly hours) and Section 54 (daily hours), till August 21 subject to certain conditions.

"Whereas, having examined the provisions further, the Government of Karnataka now intends to withdraw the said notification," the state government in a fresh notification dated June 11 said.

It said, "Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 5 of Factories Act, 1948 (Act No. 63 of 1948), the Government of Karnataka hereby withdraws the Notification dated 22-05-2020 with immediate effect."

According to the Karnataka Employers' Association, a petition was filed in the High Cour challenging the May 22 notification as "illegal, arbitrary and in violation" of Section 5 of the Factories Act which permits exemption from any of the provisions of the Factories Act only in case of Public Emergencies'.

During the course of hearing on June 11 an observation was made by the High Court, that it may have to quash the notification unless the government clarifies as to what is the 'Public Emergency' involved to enhance the working hours by exempting some provisions of the Factories Act, it said.

The court further observed that the government should make a submission on June 12 in this behalf. However, the government withdrew the notification on June 11 itself. Recently states like Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh too had retracted after permitting extending work hours.