'Ramrajya Rathyatra' begins from Ayodhya, saints take pledge for Ram Mandir

Riyadh, June 24: Thousands of expatriates who managed to return to their home countries from Saudi Arabia during covid-19 lockdown are now in a dilemma as the Kingdom has clarified that it will not allow their re-entry till the end of the corona crisis. 

The Directorate General of Passports (Jawazat) announced on Tuesday that the mechanism to resume extension of the exit and re-entry visas for expatriates who are outside the Kingdom will be announced only after the end of the pandemic crisis.

The Jawazat stated this on its Twitter account while responding to queries from a number of expatriates who are currently outside the Kingdom and whose exit and re-entry visas have expired.

They inquired about the possibility of returning to the Kingdom after the resumption of international flight service. 

The Jawazat reiterated that the return of expatriates who left Saudi Arabia will be only after the end of the pandemic and in accordance with the process to obtain a valid re-entry visa.

The directorate said that in the event of any new decisions or instructions in this regard, they will be announced through the official channels.

It is noteworthy that the Jawazat had previously confirmed that its electronic services are continuing through the Absher and Muqeem online portals of the Ministry of Interior and that the service for messages and requests is still available and continuing through Absher for all the beneficiaries of its services.

Bengaluru, Jul 22: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, had appointed five persons to the Karnataka Legislative Council, which remained vacant, including former ministers H Vishwanath and C P Yogeshwar, here on Wednesday.

In a Raj Bhavan communique issued here on Wednesday, it was stated that the Governor had accepted the names suggested by the Chief minister B S Yediyurappa, to fill the vacancies in the Upper House.

Apart from H Vishwanath, and Yogeshwar, the others who were nominated to the Council, were former MLA Bharathi Shetty, Shantharama Budna Siddi, and Talwar Sabanna.

Bengaluru, Jun 24: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah criticised the current state government rates for COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals and said that the patients must be treated free of charge in all hospitals.

"The state government has fixed rates for treating COVID-19. The current rates are shocking to the people," Siddaramaiah said.
Questioning the state government, he said, "Where can people pay these rates fixed by the government per day? Looking at these rates can be heartbreaking for the people. This raises the question of whether the government is sensitive to people's issues."

"The government must promptly announce free treatment and set up a standard treatment protocol. The government should appoint a panel of experts to continuously monitor whether treatment is being properly administered and create an environment where the public is free from anxiety," Siddaramaiah added.

Karnataka on Tuesday reported 322 fresh COVID-19 positive cases and eight deaths.
According to the state health department, the total number of positive cases has mounted to 9,721 and 150 deaths. So far, 6,004 people have been discharged.