I-T searches 130 premises of Joyalukkas jewellery

Bengaluru, May 29: A cost-effective state of the art glove box testing booth for swab collection was inaugurated by Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar at Victoria hospital.

Inaugurating the specially designed booth for safer, easier and quicker testing, Medical Education Minister Dr Sudhakar said that the portable booths can be used at border check posts and hot spots.

"The testing method involves the collection of samples from inside a box of aluminium and glass. The suspected corona virus-infected individual, whose samples are being taken, has to walk up to the booth and stand in front of the glass exterior. The healthcare worker inside the kiosk collects the sample and then, follows the sanitisation process before proceeding to take the next sample. The collection process, fully contactless, gets over in five minutes," the Minister said.

Dr Sudhakar also said: "This booth significantly reduces manpower requirement and the need for PPE kits. The main advantages of this procedure are that it needs fewer healthcare workers and strictly adheres to the norms of social distancing. 

The booth is low-cost. Each model costs about Rs 15,000-20,000."
It is also portable and can be mounted on a vehicle and transported to any location.

It can be particularly useful for collecting samples in hot spots and border checkpoints, he added. 

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 14: Amid Covid-19 lockdown,

Keralites celebrated a low key "Vishu" ,the Malayalam new year, on Tuesday, hoping that days of plenty, prosperity and peace will return.

People woke up in the early hours to see the auspicious "Vishu kani", symbolising hope, promise and fine prospects they wish to have in the year ahead.

The ritual comprises arranging on platters auspicious articles like seasonal fruits, vegetables, flower, gold and clothes which together form the first sight when the family members wake up on the Vishu day.

Normally, Keralites dressed in their traditional attire throng temples across the state.

However, this year due to the lockdown restrictions, temple visits were given a go by.

The famed Sri Krishna temple at Guruvayur and the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala witnesses heavy rush of devotees during the vishu day.

But pilgrims were not allowed inside and only temple officials and security personnel were present for the"Vishu kani".

Rehaman, a small time trader, said very few people have come out for vishu purchases due to the restricitons.

It is fine as it is for a good cause, while Radha, a young woman said she could not celebrate the festival.

"We have no money, no job. With whatever little we have, we are celebrating the festival", she said.

87-year-old Vilasini Nambiar, a retired college professor, said vishu has visited the state during a most bewildering time.

"It should however remind us that every mountain must have its valley, desert its oasis, every storm cloud its rainbow, every night its day.

We are prepared to believe that we will overcome this misfortune", she said.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Home minister, Amit Shah, Kerala Governor, Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, were among those who greeted people on the occasion of Vishu.

Bengaluru, Apr 1: The price of petrol and diesel will go up by Rs 1.60 and Rs 1.59 per litre, respectively, from Wednesday. This is in line with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s decision to hike the rate of tax on petrol from 32% to 35% and diesel from 21% to 24%.

He had announced this in his March 5 Budget for 2020-21 fiscal. At present, a litre of petrol costs Rs 71.97 and diesel Rs 64.41 in Bengaluru.

The government decided to roll out the hike from Tuesday midnight going into Wednesday, April 1, after briefly considering a postponement in view of the COVID-19 crisis. 

Finance Secretary (Budget & Resources) Ekroop Caur confirmed to DH that the hike will be rolled out. 

The 3% hike on fuel tax was a key resource mobilisation measure that Yediyurappa announced in his Budget. The hike is expected to fetch the government Rs 1,500 crore. 

Yediyurappa had also announced a 6% additional excise duty on Indian Made Liquor (IML), which could help the government mop up Rs 1,200 crore. However, the sale of liquor has been prohibited during the lockdown period. Plus, hiking fuel prices during the lockdown will not hit citizens very hard.