Mother Teresa part of conspiracy for Christianisation' of India: BJP's Yogi

Bengaluru, May 18: Karnataka education minister S Suresh Kumar on Monday announced the SSLC examination dates. Earlier, Karnataka SSLC examinations were to be held between March 27 and April 9, 2020, but had to be postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.

The minister announced that Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) will conduct SSLC examination between June 25 to July 4 and the PUC exam for English paper will be held on June, 18, 2020.

"Examinations for Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) will be conducted between June 25 and July 4 in Karnataka. Exams for English paper of Pre-University Course (PUC) will he held on June 18: Karnataka Education Minister S Suresh Kumar," ANI tweeted.

The minister for primary and secondary education had held a meeting with the department officials to discuss the feasibility of conducting the exam.

Modalities of conducting the examination in the current situation of the COVID 19 pandemic while taking care of interests of students is of paramount importance, S Suresh Kumar said adding these issues have been kept in mind while finalising the schedule.

With inter-state and inter-district mobility a major issue with public transport not available and also due to 14-day institutional quarantine norms, the minister had told TOI that an idea has been introduced to allow students appear for the examination in the district where they presently are than at their designated examination centre.

Shivamogga, Apr 13: Banana farmers in Shivamogga say their crop is rotting and they are incurring huge losses amid lockdown due to COVID-19.

The farmers alleged that although permission has been granted for the sale of agricultural products, with inter-district movements being affected, the local buyers are forcing the farmers to sell their produce at ridiculously low prices.

"Local buyers are asking us to sell bananas at Rs 4-5 per kg which is impossible for us. I do not know what we can do," Vijayendra, a farmer told ANI here.

"We expected the markets to be good during the summer season, I have cultivated bananas in four acres of land. There are thousands of other farmers who cultivate it in smaller hoardings," he added.

The farmer further implored the government to ensure there is an open market and inter-district movement of agricultural produce is allowed to ensure the farmers get the right price.

Vijayendra also said that the bananas have started rotting as they were not being harvested due to the lockdown.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last month announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from March 24 midnight to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.

There is also the likelihood that the nationwide lockdown might further be extended even after the completion of the 21-day period on April 14, based on the statements from several chief ministers following a video conference with the Prime Minister held a few days earlier.

Mumbai, Jun 26: In a humanitarian gesture, a mosque in Bhiwandi town of adjoining Thane district has been converted by its administrators into a temporary COVID-19 facility, where oxygen is provided free of cost to patients.

The facility at Makkah Masjid in the Shanti Nagar area of the powerloom town has been set up by the local chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), Movement for Peace and Justice and the Shanti Nagar Trust, which runs the mosque.

Apart from putting up five beds equipped with oxygen cylinders, the JIH also delivers them for free to patients homes if required, an office-bearer of the JIH said, adding the makeshift facility is open to all communities.

So far, the Bhiwandi-Nizampur municipality has recorded over 1,332 COVID-19 cases and 88 casualties. It has a mortality rate of 5.26 per cent, a release stated.

"Bhiwandi-Nizampur has been hit hard by the pandemic as it is a congested city. It doesn't even have proper health infrastructure.

"The situation has only worsened during the pandemic as general medical practitioners have shut their clinics fearing the virus spread," said Ausaf Ahmed Falahi, president of the JIH's Bhiwandi chapter.

As a majority of people here lack awareness about the viral disease and are unable to afford treatment, a facility like this one was the need of the hour, he said.

Over 70 persons have benefited from this facility, which has two doctors, while 15 oxygen cylinders have been delivered to the homes of eight COVID-19 patients, Falahi said.

People irrespective of their religion have been availing treatment at the mosque, he added.

"Makkah Masjid has been shut for prayers since the lockdown. So, we decided to use a part of the premises to help those who can't avail treatment elsewhere," said Qaiser Mirza of the Shanti Nagar Trust.