Dubai businessman Dinesh Devadiga bags Aryabhata international Award

On the occasion of 71st Republic Day of India, Qatar Indian Social Forum (QISF), Karnataka State organized a blood donation camp in Doha Qatar, in association with Hamad Medical Corporation on 31st January 2020, Friday.

At first, QISF Karnataka State Vice President, Ziaul Huq welcomed the guests, dignitaries and blood donors.

The Blood Donation Camp was inaugurated by ICC President Mr. Manikantan A P who was the Chief guest. In his inaugural speech, he emphasized that, Service to humanity is service to God. By donating the blood, not only we save the lives, but we get blessings also. He also said that punctuality is the key factor in these type of events and should be incorporated by all of us.

QISF Central Committee President, Sayeed Komachi highlighted the necessity and importance of donating the blood and assured QISF a socio cultural organization will always be ready for this noble cause.

Dr. Vishwantha Kini, a well known Radiologist in HMC motivated the donors.

The camp was started at    7.00 A M and ended at 5.30 PM in which 146 people donated the blood out of 185 people registered.

SKMWA President Abdul Majeed and Dr. Haroon from Asian Medical Centre, who were also the Guests in the programme praised the initiative and efforts of QISF. 

QISF Central Committee Vice President Salam Kunnamal, General Secretary Basheer Ahmed, Northern States President Fasiuddin, QISF State and Branch Committee members Lathif Madikeri, Zakariya Pandeshwar, Saleem Bangadi, Mujeebulla Khan, Nayeem Belapu, Ibrahim UB, Toufeeq, Anwar Angargundy, Rizwan Kalladka, Asif Bannur, Imtiyaz Karnad, Jaleel Kalladka, Haneef Montepadav, Rafiq Uppinangady and other members were present during the programme.

The program was presided and concluded by QISF Karnataka State President Nazeer Pasha.

Ramanagara, May 15: Flouting all social distancing norms, people gathered in large numbers for a village temple fair in Karnataka's Ramanagara district.

On Thursday, people in large numbers came out on a road to participate in the fair. Attendees took permission for gathering from Panchayat Development Officer NC Kalmatt.

According to a Tehsildar official, Kalmatt was suspended by Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner for granting permission for the gathering.

People have been advised to wear mask in public space and maintain social distancing to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, 45 more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Karnataka, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 1,032 on Friday, according to the state Health Department.

The government of India has added 141 more flights to West Asian countries for the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission, its massive repatriation programme for citizens stranded overseas because of Covid-19-related travel restrictions.

The second phase was to end on May 22. However, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the ongoing phase will last till June 13 and that India is looking at making Frankfurt a hub for the mission.

With these new flights, more than half of them to the United Arab Emirates, the total number of flights in the second phase of the programme have gone up to more than 400, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.

The flights were added due to increased demand from citizens stranded in West Asian countries and the availability of adequate quarantine facilities in states for the returning Indians, the people said. As with all the flights operated so far under Vande Bharat Mission, priority will be given in the second phase to Indian nationals with compelling reasons for returning to the country, they added.

The additional flights are from the UAE (81 flights), Oman and Saudi Arabia (15 flights each), Kuwait (14 flights), Qatar (11 flights) and Bahrain (five flights).

A majority of the flights are bound for Kerala (84 flights), while the other destinations are Delhi (10 flights), Tamil Nadu (nine flights), Telangana (six flights) Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir (five flights each), Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (four flights each), Punjab (three flights), Odisha and West Bengal (two flights each), Chandigarh, Karnataka and Goa (one flight each).

The other 260-odd flights being operated during the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission are from Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tajikistan, the UK, Ukraine and the US.

The second phase of the repatriation programme began on May 16 and will continue till June 13, with all the flights being operated by state-run Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express. Private airlines are likely to be included in the third phase.

As of Thursday, a total of 23,475 Indians have been repatriated under Vande Bharat Mission. The second phase had included new destinations such as Istanbul, Ho Chi Minh City and Lagos, and had increased flights to the US and Europe.

More than 259,000 Indians in 98 countries across the world have registered to return under Vande Bharat Mission. Most of them are workers (28%), students (25%), professionals (14.5%), and short-term visa holders such as tourists (7.6%). Fishermen, deportees and Indian nationals who benefited from visa amnesties have also registered.