Karnataka cabinet portfolios announced; helpless BSY names 3 deputies

Agencies
August 27, 2019

Bengaluru, Aug 26: It took more than three weeks for the Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa - who took oath on July 26 -- to name his cabinet members. It took another six days to decide on the portfolios for the 16 men and one woman who joined the cabinet. The list of ministers announced on Monday evening showed that the state will have no fewer than three deputy chief ministers -- Govind Karjol, Dr Ashwath Narayan and Laxman Savadi.

Mr Karjol has been assigned the PWD and social welfare ministries too. Dr Ashwath Narayan, very prominent at the time of the collapse of the coalition government of the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy, has been given the portfolios of higher education, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology. The Infotech and biotech portfolio is considered high profile, given Karnataka's position as a leader in India's IT space.

Laxman Savadi has been given the transport portfolio. The home department goes to Basavaraj Bommai.

Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar has got the industries portfolio, while Suresh Kumar, a former law minister of the state, will be in charge of primary and secondary education. C T Ravi, known for his right-wing views, is in charge of Tourism, Kannada and Culture.

The only woman in the cabinet, Jolle Shashikala Annasaheb, has been given the Women and Child Development portfolio.

For now, Chief Minister Yediyurappa will keep all unallocated portfolios.

The cabinet expansion has seen ruffled feathers among BJP leaders, who were left out of the first list. Some have openly been critical.

For Mr Yeddiyurappa, the other challenge is to keep the hopes of a cabinet berth alive for 17 disqualified MLAs who effectively brought down the coalition government. The MLAs are seen as expecting a reward in the form of cabinet posts should they win their case against disqualification in the Supreme Court. The 16 vacant berths hold out hope for them.

For a month, during which the parts of the state suffered devastating floods, Mr Yediyurappa ran a "one-man cabinet". It drew stinging criticism from the opposition Congress which accused him of incompetence.

Mr Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular tweeted: "@BSYBJP While the state is reeling under severe floods, you've not formed the cabinet yet,& on a selfish trip to Delhi. Do you get sadistic pleasure by seeing lakhs of people in distress? Is this why you toppled a perfectly functioning govt? To see people suffer? Shame on you!"

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News Network
May 21,2020

Bengaluru, May 21: Karnataka reported 116 fresh cases of coronavirus on Thursday, taking the state tally to 1578. 

So far, 570 people have been cured and discharged while 41 have succumbed to the virus, informed the state health department.

Out of the 116 cases, 71 have a history of inter-state travel history to Maharashtra.

Out of the 116 cases, 27 are from Udupi alone, 15 cases are reported from Mandya and 13 are from Hassan. Bengaluru Urban saw seven new cases.

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coastaldigest.com news network
June 17,2020

Mangaluru, June 17: As many as 47 buses have been arranged by the district administration to transport 1,043 II PU students from the border areas of Kerala to the respective examination centres in Dakshina Kannada.

The II PU English examination, which was postponed in Karnataka due to covid lockdown, will be held on June 18. A total of 26,942 students are expected to appear for the examination across the district. Among them 6322 students have chosen to write their exam in the centres near to their hometown, following the COVID-19 pandemic. As many as 1,043 students are expected to come from Kerala.

22 KSRTC buses and 11 schools buses have been arranged from Talapady toll gate near Mariyashrama Church, 2 each KSRTC buses from Punyakoti Nagara in Mudipu, Bayar and Anekal in Vittal border, 1 KSRTC bus from Pathur in Kurnadu border, 3 KSRTC buses from Saradka in Vittal border, school buses from Kayar Padav in Puttur border, Panjikallu in Sullia border, Karike in Sullia border and Alatti Baddadka have been arranged.

The students have been asked to be present at a designated place to board the bus at 7 am and have to get their hall ticket and identity card, said DC Sindhu B Rupesh.

All the students should mandatorily wear masks and use sanitisers before entering the examination centres. The principals of colleges, where students from Kerala, are studying have been asked to deploy staff to make arrangements to ensure that students reach the examination centres on time and get back home after the exam.

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News Network
July 22,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 22: Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Wednesday urged Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to waive all property taxes in urban local and rural panchayats for a period of one year as citizens are bearing a huge financial brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking to Twitter, Shivakumar wrote, "Citizens are bearing a huge financial brunt of the Corona Pandemic. It's imperative on the government to ease the financial burden on citizens. I urge CM B.S. Yediyurappa to waive all property taxes, in urban local bodies and rural panchayats, for a period of one year on humanitarian grounds."
In yet another demand, Shivakumar on Tuesday said the state government should give details of the amount it spent on migrants and labourers during the coronavirus crisis if it is transparent.

"The image of Karnataka has come to a very rotten position. We all know that Karnataka has failed in sorting out the problem. Let them (the state government) tell what has been the amount spent on the labour, migrants and food kits on the health department. We want an account (of the expenditure) if they are so transparent," Shivakumar said.

He said the state government should have approached the hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients and if any private hospital refused, a message should have been given that the government would take it over.

He also accused the state government of corruption.

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