Karnataka ministers may have to wait for a couple of days more for portfolios

Bengaluru, Jun 29: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with Congress leaders on Monday rode a bicycle from his residence to Minsk Square to protest against the hike in fuel prices.

KPCC President DK Shivakumar was also seen riding a bicycle along with other members of the Congress party to Minsk Square where the party staged the protest.

During the protest, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar along with party leaders carried a bike on their shoulders.

"We are carrying out our duty today. At the time of the UPA government's rule, when there was any hike in fuel prices, several BJP leaders had made bold statements. It is ironic that today, at the time of this COVID-19 pandemic, even despite the price of barrels falling, they have increased fuel prices," said Shivakumar.

"In Delhi, diesel prices have exceeded petrol prices. We must protest against this. The DCP can file whatever case he wants to. Despite several cases against us, we have never been shaken up. They are inconveniencing people and causing the people to burn in hell. These people must be protected," he added.

With the hike in fuel prices, the petrol prices stand at Rs 83.04/litre (increase by Rs 0.05), and the diesel prices stand at Rs 76.58/litre (increase by Rs 0.13) in Bengaluru, according to a price notification of state oil marketing companies.

The Congress has termed the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel as "unjust" and "thoughtless", and urged the Central government to roll back the increase with immediate effect and pass on the benefit of low oil prices directly to the people.

Bengaluru, Mar 23: Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramalu on Monday confirmed that there are 27 positive coronavirus cases in the state so far.

A fresh COVID-19 positive case has been reported from Mysore today.

"One hospital in every district is dedicated to COVID-19 treatment. We have placed an order for 1000 ventilators. We have also ordered 10 lakh N90 mask, five lakh PPE testing kits, 15 lakh three-layer masks. Sanitizers and thermal scanners will also be purchased on-demand," said Sriramalu while addressing a press conference here.

The Karnataka Health Minister said that decision will also be taken to purchase lab testing kits and equipment.

Meanwhile, Dr Ashwath Marayan, Deputy Chief Minister, Karnataka said that all necessary measures are being taken to contain the spread of COVID-19.

"We will take important decisions as soon as possible. 80 per cent of the companies are following work from home. Critical and essential things should be provided in this situation and we have kept them available to serve the people," said Marayan.

"We have taken all the required decisions including the logistics and supply. Social distancing is much important and we will implement it," he added.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases in the country mounts at 415, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Mangaluru, Feb 7: In an attempt to promote menstrual hygiene among women, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has installed vending machines and incinerators to dispense and dispose off sanitary napkins at 10 bus stands of the state including Mangaluru.

The machines have been installed inside the women's washroom and women can purchase sanitary napkins from the vending machines by inserting five rupee coins.

Nearly 100 napkins can be stored in the vending machines at a time and housekeeping personnel have been instructed to replenish the stock, as and when required.

While directions on how to use the machine have been displayed near the machines, people can get seek assistance from housekeeping staff if needed.

Initially, the machines were installed at two depots in Bengaluru on a pilot basis and in the second phase it has been extended to 10 KSRTC bus depots.