Former chief minister N Dharam Singh passes away

Bengaluru, Jul 17: Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar held a meeting through video conference on Thursday with private and government establishments involved in testing and treatment of COVID-19 in the state.

A total of 51,422 cases including 19,729 recoveries and 1,032 deaths were reported in the state till yesterday.

On the same day, K Sudhakar also paid a surprise visit to the Bengaluru's CV Raman Hospital and urged the administration to follow COVID-19 guidelines properly. He also took stock of the hospital's preparedness to fight the deadly virus.

"Surprise visits will continue. I will be in touch with every lab and get the right number of tests done on a daily basis," the minister said while speaking to the media.

He also urged the people who have recovered from coronavirus to donate their plasma to save other lives, adding that donors will receive a reward of Rs 5,000 as a token of appreciation.

Udupi, June 19: The coronavirus has claimed second life in the coastal district of Udupi. The victim is a 54-year-old person who had returned from Mumbai.

A resident of Tekkatte in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district, the person was among four travellers that returned together from Maharashtra on June 18. 

Even though all four were asymptomatic they were home quarantined separately as per norms. According to sources, all of a sudden he collapsed at home and died. His throat swabs tested positive for the coronavirus, according to deputy commissioner G Jagadish.

Bengaluru, Jan 24: After Honnalli legislator MP Renukacharya, Ballari City MLA Somashekara Reddy and deputy chief minister Govind Karjol, it appeared the turn of revenue minister R Ashoka to show the BJP in poor light with controversial and provocative comments against a minority community. This, despite a gag order issued by state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel.

Responding to questions on the Mangaluru International Airport bomb scare incident and how the main accused would have been treated had he been a Muslim, Ashoka on Thursday said "all anti-nationals must be shot dead". Meanwhile, Renukacharya, also a political secretary to chief minister BS Yediyurappa, continued his tirade against Muslims, insisting the government will not extend any "special package" to the community.

Soon after garlanding the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the birth anniversary of the freedom fighter, at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday, Ashoka said: "All those who are singing the tune of Pakistan and indulging in anti-national activities, be they Hindu, Christian or Muslim, must be shot dead."

Asked to respond to former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s accusation that the entire Mangaluru bomb incident was stage-managed by the BJP government to divert attention, Ashoka said the JD(S) functionary "must measure his words" and not speak "like a film director who can project the police as villainous all the time".

"Kumaraswamy is a former CM. When in power, police were his closest friends, but now that he is not in government, the same police are villains," Ashoka said.

The minister reiterated the government’s stand — first floated by home minister Basavaraj Bommai —

that Aditya Rao, the main accused in the Mangaluru bomb incident, is "mentally unstable" and needs to be medically examined.

Renukacharya, meanwhile, justified comments made on Wednesday that the government will not offer Muslims "a special package".

"When they [Muslims] need development funds, they come to us and seek special packages. Once they get funds, they then vote for Congress or JD(S) in elections," Renukacharya said on Thursday. "We do not need people with such double standards. I will apply pressure on all ministers in the cabinet and even the chief minister to ensure they do not allocate any special package for the community."