Saffron activists attack Muslim youth after Hindu girl shares seat with him

New Delhi, Apr 19: The government on Sunday prohibited the sale of non-essential items through e-commerce platforms during the ongoing lockdown, four days after allowing such companies to sale mobile phones, refrigerators and ready-made garments.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla issued an order excluding the non-essential items from sale by the e-commerce companies from the consolidated revised guidelines, which listed the exemption given to the services and people from the purview of the lockdown.

The order said the following clause -- "E-commerce companies. Vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions" -- is excluded from the guidelines.

The previous order had said such items were allowed for sale through e-commerce platforms from April 20.

However, the reason for reversing the order is not known immediately.

Mangaluru, Jan 8: No bandh-like situation prevailed in the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, despite a nationwide strike called by trade union employees. Day-to-day activities are not disturbed, as buses and auto-rickshaws are moving as usual. 

However, in Bunder area, one of the business hubs of Mangaluru city, most of the shops today remained shut. As a result business was partially hit in the coastal city.

In other parts of Mangaluru city business firms, and market places are also open. Schools and colleges have not declared a holiday. government offices are also functioning as usually.

However, branches of many banks, excluding SBI, are closed for customers.

Members of various trade unions took out a rally and staged a protest in front of the Town Hall in Mangaluru.

Along with minimum wages, cancellation of contract labour system, no privatisation, welfare of farmers and other demands were also highlighted by the protestors. 

Slogans were also raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and anti-labour policies of his government. 

Members of AITUC, TUCC, AIUTUC, AIDYO, AIBEA, BSNLEU, INTUC, AIIEA, and associations of Anganwadi workers, mid-day meal workers, medical representatives, KSRTC employees, gram panchayat employees, and others took part in the protest.

Bengaluru, Jul 9: Alarmed over surging COVID-19 cases, the Karnataka government has decided to divide this tech city into containment zones to curb the spread of the pandemic, a state minister said on Thursday.

"The city will be divided into red, orange and yellow zones in commensurate with the number of Covid cases in them for containing the virus spread on war footing," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy told reporters here.

Cabinet ministers representing assembly segments in the city will be in-charge of the zones to ensure the cases are curbed with strict enforcement of lockdown guidelines, especially wearing mask and maintaining social distancing by the people in the confinement areas.

"Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has convened a meeting of ministers, MLAs, MPs and corporators of all the 198 civic wards across the city on Friday to discuss and draw an action plan to contain the pandemic," said Madhuswamy.

With 1,148 positive cases, the city''s Covid tally rose to 12,509 and active to 10,103, while 2,228 were discharged, including 418 on Wednesday, while 177 succumbed to the infection since March 9, with 23 in the last 24 hours.

"The Chief Minister ordered deploying more ambulances in the containment areas where cases have been spiking daily to rush Covid patients to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment," said Madhuswamy.

The city civic corporation -- Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) --has increased the containment zones to 3,181 due to more cases spiking, with southern and western suburbs accounting for most infections.

"The containment zones are concentrated more in the city''s southern and western suburbs. Active cases doubled over the last 8 days and shot up to a whopping 12,509 from 4,555 on June 30," an official said.

Refuting graft charges by opposition Congress leader Siddaramaiah in the purchase of medical equipment for treatment of Covid patients, Madhuswamy said the state government had not spent more than Rs 600 crore so far.

"We are running a government. Not a private office. We will give account. He (Siddaramaiah) is welcome to check the accounts and verify the documents," asserted the minister.

In a related development, the cabinet also approved an ordinance to increase the state contingency fund to Rs 500 crore from Rs 80 crore for the Covid-19 induced economic relief measures announced by the chief minister in June.