Mangalurean arrested for submitting fake documents for passport

Bengaluru, May 26: Ministers of the central government or state governments or officers on their official duty, who are travelling across states, will be exempted from requirements of quarantine, the Karnataka government said on Monday.

The state government issued an addendum to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for inter-state passengers.

"Any person who gets a negative COVID test certificate (from ICMR approved lab) which is not more than two days old from the date of journey will be exempted from the requirement of institutional quarantine," read the addendum.

The state government has laid down new norms for those coming from other states (including those coming by domestic air flights).

Passengers coming from 'high prevalence states' (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh) would be required to undergo a seven-day "institutional quarantine", which will be followed by home quarantine.

The new norms also said that home quarantine of 14 days would be necessary for the passengers coming from other states.

Udupi, June 21: A graduation student, who had attempted suicide two weeks ago under depression following the postponement of examinations due to covid-19, breathed his last at a private hospital yesterday. 

The deceased has been identified as Shakuntala, a final year degree student of First Grade College, Muniyal. She was a resident of Mathibettu near Vagranga in Hebri taluk. 

According to sources, she had studied hard to clear the examinations. The postponement of examinations led her to depression.  

She consumed poison at her house on June 8. She was immediately rushed to Manipal hospital where she breathed her last on June 20. A case has been registered in Hebri Police Station. 

The Centre’s step-motherly attitude towards Kannadigas stranded in the Gulf countries in general and Saudi Arabia in particular has prompted the Kannadigas to resort social media campaign once again.

A couple of weeks ago, Twitterati had launched a campaigned to bring back Kannadidags stranded in Saudi Arabia. A variation of the hashtag #SaudiKannadigasNeedFlights trended today. 

Trend Setters India, which has taken the twitter campaign initiative, had urged the Kannadigas around the world to join the twitter storm at 4 p.m. IST on June 15, to exert pressure on the authorities concerned. Around 7 p.m. the hashtag began trending with thousands of tweets.

Millions of Kannadigas are working in Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. They contribute greatly to the Indian economy.

Even though government of India has launched Vande Bharat Mission for the repatriation of Indians stranded across the world, it has operated only a few flights from Saudi Arabia to Karnataka so far. Thousands of Kannadigas including pregnant women, elderly people, those who have lost jobs and those who need emergency medical care are still waiting for repatriation flights from Saudi Arabia to Mangaluru and Bengaluru.