Mangaluru: Walkathon promotes digital banking

Bengaluru, July 13: As Bengaluru prepares for a seven-day lockdown from Tuesday following the spike in COVID- 19 cases, opposition parties in Karnataka have urged the government to enforce the measure in the entire state.

JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and Congress working president Eshwar Khandre have demanded that the entire state be placed under lockdown.

Welcoming the government's decision to implement the lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural, Gowda said, "I urge the government through the media to enforce lockdown in the entire state."

The former Prime Minister in a statement appealed to people of the state and the entire country to wear masks while venturing out, maintain social distancing, clean hands with sanitizer regularly, and to come out only if there is necessary work.

Stating that allegations of misappropriation have been made by several leaders against the government in implementing measures and packages to control spread of the virus and its impact, Gowda said, "whatever it is let's discuss about it in the next legislature session, at present health of the people is important and let's focus on it."

The government should work in this direction, we are all with the government, let's not play with the health of the people, he said, adding that "I appeal that at least from here on work actively."

With a spike in Covid-19 cases, the Karnataka government on Saturday announced complete lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural from July 14 to 22.

The lockdown is from 8 pm on July 14 to 5 am on July 22.

Congress leader Khandre, meanwhile reminded Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa that COVID cases and related fatalities were not only increasing in Bengaluru but also in the border districts of the state.

The situation was getting out of hand in Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari districts, he alleged.

"So implement strict lockdown once again in the state at least for fifteen days."

"Bring the situation under control. I appeal to the government that in this lockdown period at least to correct its past shortcomings and take all measures to face the pandemic efficiently in the future," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will be chairing video conference with Deputy Commissioners, Zilla Panchayat CEOs and Superintendents of Police of various districts regarding the COVID situation and the rains.

As of July 12 evening, cumulatively 38,843 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 684 deaths and 15,409 discharges.

Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 18,387 infections. Of the 2,627 fresh cases reported in the state on Sunday, a whopping 1,525 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

With the steep hike in excise duty in the past couple of months, an average consumer of petrol now pays over 275% in taxes to centre and states on a litre of the fuel.  The base price of petrol is just about Rs 18. The taxes are close to Rs 50 and the pump price is over Rs 72.

India imports 85% of all its crude oil demand.  After a steep hike in excise duty in the past two months despite a hold on daily price revisions by the oil public sector undertakings (PSUs), Indian consumers now pay 275% collectively in excise duty to state and centre. 

The central government hiked excise on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 and Rs 13 respectively last month. The excise duty on petrol is taxed around Rs 33-a-litre while the same on diesel it is Rs 32.

The Value-Added Tax (VAT) on both petrol and diesel is Rs 16.44 and Rs 16.26 respectively. Both the taxes together are around Rs 49 while it is sold at petrol pumps at 73-per-litre.

These two taxes cumulatively account for 69% of tax which is higher than anywhere else in the world. The same is taxed at 19% in the US, 47% in Japan, UK 62% and 63% in France. The government does not pass on the benefit of lower crude oil prices to the customer.

It is to be noted that Indian consumers continued to pay Rs 70-a-litre even when crude oil prices hit a paltry US $ 20-a-barrel on April 12.

Former finance minister and Congress leader recently took a jab at the Centre over rising prices stating, “Fuel selling prices raised twice in two days, following tax hikes two weeks ago. This time to benefit oil companies. Government is poor, it needs more taxes. Oil companies are poor, they need better prices. Only the poor and middle class are not poor, so they will pay”.

Bengaluru, Mar 24: Bengaluru police registered an FIR against a 23 year-old woman who, while in home quarantine, visited supermarket despite having clear instructions to stay at home.

The Vijayanagar police said that the woman, a resident of Vijayanagar, had returned to the City on March 22 after a visit to Dubai."The city police had visited her house and stamped her for home quarantine and instructed her to stay at home but she visited Reliance Fresh on Monday.

We received information about it and the footage. Following this, we registered an FIR against her under section 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life). We traced her and warned her to stay at home. We are also consulting senior officers and health officers on whether we have to send her to the government quarantine Centre or not,"the police said.

Commissioner of Police Bhaskar Rao strictly warned the people who are home quarantined to stay at home in public interest. If they were found in public places they will be picked up, arrested and sent to government quarantine."Please log in to get detailed story.