Dist admin mulls common burial ground for covid victims on the outskirts of Mangaluru city

Bengaluru, Mar 14: Infosys carried out evacuation at one of its satellite offices here on Friday after an employee came in contact with a suspected case of COVID-19, according to the company.

"We have taken a decision to evacuate one of our satellite buildings in Bengaluru as a precautionary measure, as one of our employees had been in contact with an individual with suspected COVID-19," the company said in its statement.

"Employees have been directed to work from home, and there is no impact on our client deliverables as a result of this temporary evacuation," it added.

On the other hand, Google also informed media on Friday that an employee at its Bengaluru office has tested positive for the COVID-19 and the firm has directed all its employees in that office to work from home as a precautionary measure.

"We can confirm that an employee from our Bangalore office has been diagnosed with COVID-19. They were in one of our Bangalore offices for a few hours before developing any symptoms. The employee has been on quarantine since then," Google had said in a statement. The search engine giant has asked colleagues who were in close contact with the employee to quarantine themselves and monitor their health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

Coronavirus, which originated in the Wuhan city of China, has so far spread to more than 100 countries infecting over 1,20,000 people. India has reported two deaths and 82 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the coronavirus outbreak a 'pandemic' and expressed deep concern.

Bengaluru, Jul 14: The Karnataka government on Tuesday made changes to the Land Reforms Act 1961 through an ordinance to allow non-agriculturists to buy and own farmland for farming.

“The Land Reforms Act has been amended through an ordinance and notified after Governor Vajubhai R Vala gave his assent to it on Monday night,” a Revenue Department official told media persons.

It now permits non-farmers to buy farmland and grow food crops. But they can’t use it for other activities.

“Sections 79 A, B and C of the Act have been repealed, paving way for bona fide citizens to invest in farmland and take to farming as a hobby, passion or additional occupation, which is rewarding,” the official said.

The amended Act will enable the state to attract investment in the farm sector and boost food output. The farm sector’s contribution to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been less than the manufacturing and services sectors over the last two decades.

Criticism by farmers, the Congress and the JD(S) since the cabinet approved changes on June 11 forced the state government to retain section 80 of the Act, with an amendment, to prevent sale of dam water irrigated farmland.

“The ordinance has also added a new section (80A), which says relaxations under the Act will not apply to land given to farmers under the Karnataka SC and ST (Scheduled Caste and Tribe) Act 1978,” the official said.

The changes permit mortgage of farmland only to the state-run institutions, firms and cooperative societies specified in the Act. The ordinance also makes legal cases pending in courts against the sections amended redundant as the new Act addresses the concerns raised in them.

“Besides generating substantial revenue for the state government, the Act will now allow farmers who find the occupation non-remunerative and risky due to droughts/floods and labour shortage to sell their surplus land to urban buyers,” the official said.

Ruling BJP Rajya Sabha member KC Ramamurthy from Bengaluru said the amended Act would allow any citizen to buy farmland.

“Though hundreds of people petitioned successive governments for the past 45 years to abolish the ‘draconian’ sections, they were ignored. I compliment Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Revenue Minister R Ashoka for the decision to allow everyone to buy farmland irrespective of their occupation or profession,” Ramamurthy told media persons.

Bengaluru, Mar 13: Several ministers staying at the Bengaluru resort had been emotionally pressurised to leave the Congress party, said Congress leader Jitu Patwari on Thursday after he was rescued by party leader DK Shivakumar from getting arrested due to the scuffle that had broken out at Embassy Boulevard here.

"We had received information that one of the MLAs, Manoj Chaudhary, staying at the Boulevard wanted his father to bring him back home," Patwari told reporters.

He said, "We had accompanied Manoj's father to the resort but the moment we entered the restaurant at the resort, some miscreants took away Manoj to some other unknown place," Patwari told reporters.

"Meanwhile, we (Lakhan Singh and Jitu Patwari) were manhandled and taken to the police station," he added.

Patwari said that the police had started the process of arresting them but Shivakumar came to their rescue and stopped their arrest.

He further said, "The police manhandled us even though we tried to talk to them in a very calm manner."

"If the MLAs giving resignation was their decision then why is the BJP not allowing them to contact their families," the MP said.

He further said that Jyotiraditya Scindia would soon become a minister but "why are the other ministers being made scapegoats."

Earlier in the day, a Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh had said that if action on the assaulters of its two leaders is not taken then the matter will be taken to the court.