Sasikala paid Rs 2 crore bribe to officials for exclusive kitchen: Prison report

Manglauru, Jun 1: The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala, marking the commencement of the four-month long rainfall season, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.

"The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala," IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

The four-month monsoon season from June to September accounts for 75 per cent of rainfall in the country.

Private forecaster Skymet Weather on May 30 had declared arrival of monsoon, but the IMD had differed, saying conditions were not ripe then for such an announcement.

Orange alert

Meanwhile, coastal Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, which is receiving sporadic rains for past couple of days, is on orange alert.

Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh declared the orange alert following IMD’s prediction of heavy rainfall in the region.

Bengaluru, Jun 23: Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar's wife and daughter have tested positive for COVID-19, a day after his father was confirmed to have been infected with the virus.

"Test results of our family members have come. Unfortunately, my wife and daughter have tested positive for #Covid19 and are undergoing treatment," the minister tweeted on Tuesday.

He said he and his two sons have tested negative.

Sudhakar's father P N Keshava Reddy tested positive for coronavirus on Monday. He was admitted to the hospital with a cough and fever.

Earlier, the domestic help of the minister had tested coronavirus positive and was admitted to a hospital.

In April, Sudhakar was quarantined along with three other ministers for coming in contact with a journalist who was coronavirus positive.

Karnataka reported 249 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths on Monday taking the total number of cases in the state to 9,399 and the death toll to 142.

Test results of our family members have come. Unfortunately, my wife and daughter have tested positive for #Covid19 and are undergoing treatment. My two sons and myself have tested negative. I am grateful to everyone for their best wishes and prayers.

— Dr Sudhakar K (@mla_sudhakar) June 23, 2020

Tightening control over companies misleading advertisements of medicines and products, the Indian government could soon slap a fine of up to Rs10 lakh and up to two years' imprisonment. While repeat offender could be fined up to Rs50 and imprisonment up to five years.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's new draft of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020, provides extremely stringent penalties compared to the current law.

Under the new Act, companies advertising medicines and products falsely claiming to make a person fairer, improve height and memory or cure issues like hair loss or greying and premature ageing, among several others, may attract more stringent fines and jail time.

The current Act, 1954, leaves scope for companies to create deceptive advertisements as first time offender can be jailed for six months while repeat offender can be up to one year in prison, reported The Indian Express.

Under the Bill, deceptive advertisements will cover digital advertising, notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice, banner and poster, among others. The government also plans to expand the scope of the law under the proposed amendments to cover 24 more deceptive claims not included in the current law, like medicines that can cure AIDS, change the sex of a foetus, among others, reported Livemint.