No instances of forcible conversions found in Sullia, clarifies DK police

Bengaluru, Apr 18: Amid fears that people from the unorganised sector are running out of cash to meet their daily expenses, the Karnataka government said there was no data available for such labourers, who can be provided financial assistance under the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme.

"The government does not have data of people in the unorganised sector such as drivers, farmers, domestic help and others. If we have to deposit directly into their account, we need data..," State Labour minister A Shivaram Hebbar told reporters.

The minister said a situation borne out of the COVID-19, where the entire nation has been lockdown was never anticipated.

To him, the pandemic has given an opportunity to gather information about the unorganised sector.

"This COVID-19 has taught the department and the workers a lesson that we should be prepared for a situation like this. We have learnt that all the information about labourers should be available with the labour department," Hebbar conceded.

The minister opined that the department should have had the list during the good times but nobody bothered to have it.

"During the good times nobody bothered about it -- neither they (beneficiaries) asked for it, nor we thought of it.," Hebbar said.

Now that the pandemic has struck, the government is focusing only on not letting anyone starve to death.

A three-level preparation has been made -- at the village level, Taluk level and the city level, the minister said.

Village anganwadis have been stuffed with food items to be cooked for the needy, whereas in Taluk level, government hostels have been turned into shelters for the labourers, he said, noting that lakhs of philanthropists in cities have come forward to feed the people from unorganised sector.

"The basic objective of our government is that no one should starve to death. The issue of organised or unorganised sector comes next," he explained.

On the fear of large-scale retrenchment, the minister said notices have been served on all the industries that no one should be expelled from the job.

However, Hebbar underlined that the industrialists today are as much in distress as the workers and his department was taking into account everyone's concern.

A decision will be taken in this connection by the government in the next two days, to provide assistance to small enterprises to keep them afloat.

Bengaluru, Apr 16: In view of the raging coronavirus pandemic, no public iftaar or sehri will be organized during Ramazan, the month of fasting for the Muslims, the Karnataka Minority Welfare Department announced here on Thursday.

"No public shall be allowed to perform five-time congregational prayers in mosques, across Karnataka during Ramazan in view of COVID-19 pandemic. No public address system to be used by the staff of mosques for offering namaz,'' the department said.

During the holy month of Ramazan, it is a tradition to organise iftaar feasts for large gatherings by different people, especially by politicians, celebrities and the common wealthy people for their friends and family.

Ramazan is to commence from the 24th or 25th of April this year, depending on the sighting of the moon.

The order stated that Azaan (the call for prayer) shall be given at low decibel and namaaz including Friday namaaz, will be performed by the imams, moazzins and the masjid staff only.
No public should be allowed to offer namaaz in the mosques as per government directions, it said.

The state government also cited an order by the Ministry of Home Affairs dated April 15, which stated that "All religious places/places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited due to the outbreak of COVID-19 across the country."
Thirty-four more COVID-19 cases, including 17 cases from Belagavi, have been reported from Karnataka. The total number of coronavirus cases in the state now stands at 313.

The total number of cases in India has now climbed to 12,380. Out of these cases, 1489 have been cured/discharged/migrated while 414 deaths have been reported so far, as per the latest data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Mangaluru, Mar 1: Karnataka Minister for Major and Medium Industries Jagadish Shettar said that the flight service between Mangaluru and Hubballi will begin on March 29 under UDAN scheme.

Speaking to reporters on the sideline of the meeting of Industries Commerce of Magaluru, here on Saturday evening, he said while the city of Ports is the second busiest international airport after Bengaluru in Karnataka, other places, namely Hubballi, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Bidar, have come on the air map with the UDAN scheme.

Stating that UDAN launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was what the Golden Quadrilateral highway project of former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee had envisaged, Mr. Shettar noted that more flights are operating to and from Mangaluru now. This has paved the way for Industrialisation of the important city on the Bombay-Karnataka region, he added.