Seminar to mark 82nd birth day of George Fernandes

[email protected] (CD Network)
May 27, 2012

geroge

Mangalore, May 25: A seminar on former Union minister George Mathew Fernandes will be organised on June 4 in the city to mark his 82nd birth day.

A press release issued by George Fernandes Vichara Vedike of Janata Dal (United) stated that the contributions of Mr Fernades towards the country in general and Dakshina Kannada district in particular would be discussed in the programme that would commence at 4:00 pm at Town Hall, here.

As a trade unionist, politician, journalist, agriculturist, member of Rajya Sabha, minister the contributions of coastal based Mr Fernandes were memorable, said the release.

Mr Fernandes, who is currently suffering from Alzheimer's, was a key member of the JD(U), and was the founder of the Samata Party. He had held several ministerial portfolios including communications, industry, railways, and defence, and was the only Christian minister in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet.

A native of Mangalore, Mr Fernandes was sent to Bangalore in 1946 to be trained as a priest. He moved to Bombay in 1949, and joined the socialist trade union movement. As a fiery trade union leader, he organised many strikes and bundhs in Bombay in the 1950s and 1960s. The most notable agitation he organised was the 1974 Railway strike, when he was President of the All India Railwaymen's Federation. He went underground during the Emergency era (1975), as he took on Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for imposing a state of emergency, but was arrested in 1976, and tried in the infamous Baroda dynamite case.

After Emergency was lifted, he won the Muzaffarpur seat in Bihar in 1977, and was appointed the Union Minister for Industries. During his tenure as union minister, he ordered American multinationals IBM and Coca Cola to leave the country, due to investment violations. He was the driving force behind the Konkan Railway project during his tenure as railway minister from 1989 to 1990.

He was a defence minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government (1998–2004), when the Kargil War broke out between India and Pakistan, and India conducted its nuclear tests at Pokhran. Though a veteran socialist, Mr Fernandes has been dogged by various controversies like the Barak Missile scandal, and Tehelka Scandal.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 29,2020

Bengaluru, May 29: The Karnataka government has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to reduce the number of flights, emanating from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to the state in view of the high number of Covid-19 Cases prevalent there.

In a clarification issued to the Media this evening, the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Mr J C Madhuswamy has said that Karnataka has not sought for imposing a ban on flights emanating from these places, as reported in some sections of the Media.

Karnataka has appealed to the Civil Aviation Ministry to take steps to lessen the air traffic to the State, with the sacred intention that there may not be adequate quarantine facilities if there is huge turnout at a short period, he added.

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News Network
March 23,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 23: Karnataka government today decided to go for complete lockdown. This includes the closure of all non essential government offices, suspension of all public transport services and banning of mass prayers in places of worships across the state.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had expressed the need for a complete lockdown like the Janta Curfew on Sunday. Going by this, there will be no government transport services at least till March 31 and as many as 19,000 government buses will be off the road.

The government also decided to cancel the famous Karaga festival. The CM said that all celebrations and functions will be called off along with mass prayers in mosques and churches.

The CM said that they have decided to procure 1,000 ventilators and 10 lakh face masks in addition to other health equipments.

Private hospitals have come forward to spare their doctors and nursing staff to attend to Covid-19 patients in government hospitals, the CM said.

Yediyurappa also said that he has directed the health department to paste notification on the houses of residents who are infected with coronavirus. This is being done after people with indelible seals and home quarantined are reported to be roaming freely. The notifications will help neighbours to keep an eye on them.

The CM said the government-run Indira Canteen will serve free food to the poor until the lockdown continues. He also said that action will be initiated against non essential shops that are open despite a directive to shut down.

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News Network
April 21,2020

Kasaragod, Apr 21: Kerala reported a spike in COVID-19 cases on Tuesday with 19 people testing positive, after a decline in the numbers in the past few days, as the total infections touched 426 in the southern state.

Kannur recorded 10 cases, Palakkad four, Kasaragod three and Malappuram and Kollam one each, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here.

The number of those getting infected were in single digits over the past few days.

Of the 10 positive cases from Kannur, nine of them had come from abroad and one had been infected through contact, he said.

Pointing out that the positive cases in Palakkad,Malappuram and Kollam had come from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Vijayan said there is need to enforce strict vigilance in places bordering neighbouring states.

Sixteen people tested negative on Tuesday, while the total active cases 117, he added.

At least 32,000 people are under observation,

Of the around 20,000 samples sent, 19,440 had returned negative, Vijayan said.

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