Muthalik, others booked for staging protest at Bababudan Dargah

Shivamogga, Jun 30: The organic farmers' market in Shivamogga in Karnataka has seen a rise in the demand for organic fruits and vegetables in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents of nearby areas frequently visit the market to get fresh produce.

According to Sridhar, a farmer who sells his produce in the market, the demand for organic fruits and vegetables was very low before the coronavirus outbreak.

"I have been involved in organic farming for the last two decades but there was no real market. Since these days everyone is trying to boost their immunity, we are getting a lot of positive response from the locals," he told news agency.

Sridhar and other farmers come from villages near the city. They are authentic organic farmers under the Vikas Trust and Savayava Krishi Parivar, a federation of organic farmer's families based in Karnataka, and they promote pesticide and fertiliser free agriculture.

Gurumel Singh, who often comes to the local market said, "My family has started eating more organic fruits and vegetable now because of the pandemic. We have been told it is important to take care of our health and organic fruits and vegetables are good immunity boosters. The fruits I buy from the organic market are also much sweeter than the ones I get elsewhere."

Udupi, Jun 28: The Padubidri police have booked cases against two patients of Novel Coronavirus for not revealing their primary contacts and hiding their travel history.

According to DHO Sudhirchandra Sooda, two siblings from Hejamadi in Padubidri had tested positive for COVID-19 recently. After shifting to the hospital, when the officials asked them about their primary contacts and travel history, the patients furnished false information.

When the officials collected information from various sources, they realised that the duo had travelled to Bantwal, Kasargod, Ullal and other places in Dakshina Kannada, said Dr Sooda. Hence, the district administration decided to file cases against them, he added.

Bengaluru, Mar 26: The number of COVI D-19 cases in Karnataka spiked to 55 on Thursday after four new cases were reported. 

According to official sources, a 35-year-old man, who was a resident of Nanjanagud town in Mysuru taluk and worked in a pharma unit, tested positive for coronavirus. 

He had been quarantined in his home and efforts are being made to track down as many as seven persons, who had primary contact with 
him.