Mock drill turns disastrous as girl pushed to death from college building

Bengaluru, Jun 12: The Karnataka government is mulling to issue caste and income certificates to Brahmins though they are in a minority, accounting a mere three per cent of the southern state''s seven crore population, an official said on Thursday.

"Though Brahmins are in a ''minority'' in terms of their population across the state, they need caste and income certificates to benefit from the welfare schemes as in the case of the SC, ST and OBC groups," an official said here.

The Karnataka State Brahmin Development Board was set up in March 2019 as a state-run company with Rs five crore authorized capital and Rs five crore equity and is registered with the Registrar of Companies.

"The Board has petitioned the state government to implement the 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections, as its benefit is being given by the central government jobs and in admissions to the national educational institutions," said its chairman H.S. Sachidananda Murthy.

Responding to the demand, state Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said the state government would consider issuing caste certificates to the Brahmins so that they too can benefit from the state''s various welfare schemes.

"Though Brahmins belong to the forward community, they are economically weaker and need financial support," said Yediyurappa on Wednesday after unveiling the Board''s official website for all its stakeholders here.

Brahmins whose gross annual family income is less than Rs eight lakh per annum will be eligible for the benefit schemes.

"The Board will soon be authorised to issue caste and income certificates to the members of the Brahmin community so that they can also benefit from the schemes," said the chief minister on the occasion.

Noting that every community has people who are forward and backward economically for various, including historical reasons, Yediyurappa said the Board would be empowered to serve the Brahmins.

"The Board also proposes to provide interest-free loans to the financially weaker sections of the people in the Brahmin community," added Murthy.

The community members urged the Chief Minister to provide 10 per cent of the state government jobs and seats in state-run educational institutions, including professional collages.

Mangaluru/Udupi, May 28: Coastal Karnataka witnessed further spike in covid-19 cases today with 27 people testing positive for coronavirus in Udupi and six in Dakshina Kannada. 

Among 27 coronavirus patients in Udupi 18 are males and 9 females. Among them 24 have come from Maharashtra, two from Telangana and one from Kerala. All of them were under quarantine.

As many as 147 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported so far in the district, including a death. Three have recovered, and 143 are active.

In Dakshina Kannada, 2 females aged 18 and 62, and four males aged 25, 36, 50 and 61, are the ones to be tested positive. All the six persons to test positive are Maharashtra returnees.

With this, the number of cases in DK has increased to 87, out of which 51 are currently active. As many as 29 persons have recovered and been discharged, and seven deaths have occurred so far.

Udupi, Apr 2: The Udupi Administration has given its nod to lift and transport watermelons, pineapples, papaya and Mattu Gulla after growers in the district complained that their produce will go waste and start rotting due to the lockdown on account of COVID-19.

In statement issued here on Thursday, Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha said that the administration has already held a meeting with wholesale fruit merchants registered with the Agriculture Marketing Produce Committee (APMC).

It has directed these merchants to purchase 35 tonnes of pineapples, 55 tonnes of watermelons and 5,000 bunches of bananas from growers and sell them within the district and also send them to other districts. Such transportation has been exempted from prohibitory orders, he said.