Mangaluru: Sri Ramananda Swamiji of Kolya mutt no more

Bengaluru, Jul 13: Referring to political happenings in Rajasthan, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President and former Karnataka Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday expressed confidence, saying Sachin Pilot is a 'sincere Congressman' and he will not quit the party.

"No, he (Pilot) will not leave. I have full confidence that he will not leave. He is a very sincere Congressman like his father (Rajesh Pilot). He has built the party for the past six-seven years. He is the President (Rajasthan state unit), he has done his best for the party," Shivakumar added.

Talking to media here on Monday, he said, "there may be some issues, I'm not saying no, but everything will be sorted out." A crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) will be held at Jaipur on Monday, amid deepening political crisis in Rajasthan, and the party has issued a whip to all party legislators to attend without fail.

Bengaluru, Mar 19: As a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf has issued an advisory to mosques, dargahs and other religious institutions, requesting them to conclude the Friday congregation in 15 minutes for the next three weeks.

"Respected head of masjids and imams (prayer leader) are requested to conclude the entire Juma congregation (including Juma khutbah, salah and dua) in 15 minutes for the next three weeks and avoid using the public mic for the khutbah and salah," read a statement from the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf.

It has advised to ensure cleanliness and good hygiene inside mosques and keep the carpets, prayer mats, floor mats etc clean.

Further, it stated that those coming for daily prayers should be instructed to perform wudhu (ablution) at their homes and avoid using prayer caps placed in masjids.

"Please remove the public towels and prayer caps from the masjids. Sunnah and nafil prayers should observed at home," the advisory read.

The advisory came as the number of coronavirus patients spiralled across the country. The governments are taking all precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus that has claimed more than 7,500 lives across the globe since its outbreak in China in December last year.

Kodagu, Mar 19: One more person has tested positive for coronavirus in Kodagu on Thursday, taking the tally of confirmed cases in the state to 15.

The man has a travel history to Saudi Arabia.

"One person has tested positive for #COVID19 in Kodagu today; he has travel history to Saudi Arabia. He is being treated in an isolation hospital. Total number of positive cases reaches 15 in the state," said B Sriramulu, Karnataka Health Minister.

A total of 169 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in India so far, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday.

Globally, the virus has infected more than 184,000 people and killed more than 7500, as per the data available on the World Health Organisation website.