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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.

Mangaluru, May 23: Domestic flight services will resume from Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) from May 25 as per the instructions of Union Civil Aviation Ministry. Six Indigo and SpiceJet flights will be operated from Mangaluru to Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai.

Air-India is yet to finalise its schedule, airport sources said. Three Indigo flights will depart from Mangaluru to Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai and three flights of SpiceJet will leave for Bengaluru and Mumbai on May 25.

SpiceJet flight will take off from Bengaluru to Mangaluru at 8.30 am and7 pm while Indigo will take off from Mangaluru to Bengaluru at 5.55 pm. SpiceJet flight will take off from Mangaluru at 10.20 am and 9.35 pm while Indigo will depart at 7.30 pm.

From Mumbai, Spice Jet flight will take off at 7.05 am and Indigo at 9.30 am. The Mangaluru-Mumbai SpiceJet flight will take off at 9.05 am and Indigo at 11.40 am. Indigo flight will depart from Chennai to Mangaluru at 5.45 pm and from Mangaluru to Chennai at 8.05 am.

Mangaluru, July 21: Putting an end to all speculations, district in charge minister Kota Srinvas Poojary on Tuesday said that the lockdown in Dakshina Kannada will not be extended beyond Wednesday.

In a video message, the minister said that all the shops in the district will remain open from July 23 morning. He said district administration will make a formal announcement soon.  

Meanwhile chief minister B S Yediyurappa said: “There’ll be no lockdown from Wednesday, people need to get back to work, economy is also very important. We have to fight COVID-19 while maintaining stable economy. Lockdown is not the solution, now restrictions will be placed only in containment zones.”