Saudi Arabia mulls permanent residency for expatriates

Vijayapura, Mar 4: Despite strict measures to prevent any kind of embarrassing incidents during II PU board exams, the first three pages of Physics question paper was doing rounds on social media within an hour of commencement.

According to sources, “after removing the question papers from the sealed paper envelope, one of the supervisors is suspected to have taken photographs of it and circulated to the various social networking sites and Whatsapp. In an hour it spread across the district and the incident is said to be happened at Shanteshwar Pre-University College at Indi town.”

As many as 27,359 students were enrolled for the PU Board exams and among them 7,984 students have registered for Science. On the first-day, Physics for Science and History for Arts examinations were held in 41 centres of the district.

Confirming the question papers are being circulated over social networking applications, Deputy Commissioner YS Patil told TNIE that: “According to the Karnataka Education Act 24 (a) it cannot be considered as the question paper leak.”

“Even we have contacted the head office of the PU Board they also collecting the primary details denied to claim it as question paper leak. However, a committee will investigate and will also visit the college in the earliest. If any of the supervisors found guilty an action will be initiated against them. It is not a question paper leak instead it might be lapse of duty from the supervisors and investigation will be made,” stated DC Patil.

Bengaluru, Mar 9: Karnataka government has ordered holidays for children in lower and upper kindergarten classes in Bengaluru, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak and with positive cases being reported from states in its neighbourhood.

"Further to the advice received from the Health Commissioner, holidays have been declared for Lower and Upper Kindergarten classes in Bengaluru North, South and Rural districts due to coronavirus, " Karnataka Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar said on Sunday.

According to official estimates, no positive cases of coronavirus have been reported from Karnataka till now.

The state has strengthened all surveillance and containment measures against the possible spread of disease.

Till Sunday, 890 persons have been identified for observation including persons who have travelled to COVID-19 affected countries and contacts of COVID-19 positive cases.

Six persons have been admitted to selected isolation hospitals.

According to official estimates, till date 87,066 passengers have been screened at airports in Karnataka.

The number of COVID-19 cases in India climbed to 39 on Sunday with five people in Kerala testing positive for coronavirus. The deadly virus has caused the deaths of over 3300 people globally.

The government of India today said it will begin evacuating its nationals stuck abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic from May 7 in a phased manner. This facility would be made available on payment basis. 

A Standard Operating Protocol has been put in place and the travel would be arranged by aircraft as well as naval ships and will be available on a payment-basis, the government said.

"Medical screening of passengers would be done before taking the flight. Only asymptomatic passengers would be allowed to travel. During the journey, all these passengers would have to follow the protocols, such as the health protocols, issued by the ministry of health and the ministry of civil aviation," it said in a statement.

Specifying the protocols upon entry in India, the government said the returning Indians would be medically screened and will have to be quarantined for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional quarantine on payment-basis, by the respective state government.