Truck driver’s son from Udupi strikes gold at South Asian Games

Bengaluru, Feb 13: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday said the government had initiated measures to implement the Sarojini Mahishi report as the 12-hour Karnataka bandh call by several pro-Kannada organisations under the banner of Karnataka Sanghatanegala Okkoota began on Thursday.

“Government always stood for Kannada and Kannadigas and initiated measures to implement the Sarojini Mahishi report,” Yediyurappa said. Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Ola, Uber and auto services were affected even though buses were plying as usual. Security has also been beefed up in Bengaluru after stones were pelted at a Tirupati-Mangaluru bus in Farangipet, though no one was injured.

Bangalore University has postponed all postgraduate (PG) exams scheduled for today. A pro-Kannada activist, Praveen Shetty, was kept under house arrest and police have detained a few people, including those involved in Cauvery protests and other bandh cases.

The organisations are demanding the implementation of a report by former union minister Sarojini Mahishi that recommends a certain percentage of jobs to Kannadigas in public sector undertakings, private companies, and multinational companies. The report was submitted in 1984 but is yet to be implemented.

Bengaluru, Jan 25: The Karnataka government would hold a Global Investors' Meet (GIM 2020) in Bengaluru from November 3-5 to showcase the southern state's ecosystem for attracting investments from the world over, an official said on Friday.

"Our Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa held the first road show on the GIM at the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, being held at Davos in Switzerland and invited global firms to participate in the 3-day event for investment opportunities," additional secretary P. Ravikumar told IANS.

At a curtain-raiser on "Invest Karnataka 2020" on Thursday, the BJP Chief Minister said the theme of the GIM would be "Innovate Now. Growth Forever" as the state had one of the best natural and human resources for investing in manufacturing, services and agriculture sectors and creating jobs.

"About 100 entrepreneurs, businessmen and heads of global firms participated in the roadshow to assess the state's industrial policies, incentives, infrastructure, tax system and its ease of doing business for investment potential," Ravikumar said.

Among the participants at the event were Swiss-India parliamentary group president Niklaus-Samuel Gugger, Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, General Electric (GE) executive William Cowan and heads of Gemini Corporation, Coca Cola, SAP Labs, Swiss Re and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

"Khosrowshahi discussed Uber's expansion plans in Bengaluru and assured the Chief Minister of investing more in the state. Cowen expressed interest in the development of healthcare, renewable energy and power distribution across the state through partnership with the state government," the official noted.

The US-based transnational firm (GE) has a large presence in Bengaluru with one its largest engineering and technology centres and two production plants.

"A Coca Cola executive told Yediyurappa that the soft beverage firm would initially invest $25 million in its plants in the state and enhance it to $200 million to benefit farmers and rural people with access to clean drinking water in their villages," Ravikumar said.

The Chief Minister also sought to know the investment or expansion plans of global firms present in the state, especially Bengaluru and assured their heads of the state support in creating hundreds of jobs and wealth.

About 100 members of the Indian delegation to the WEF, led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) director-general Chandrajit Bannerjee, Bharat Forge chairman Baba Kalyani, Kirloskar Systems Managing Director Vikram Kirloskar, also participated in the state's GIM roadshow.

State Industries Minister Jagdish Shettar, chief secretary T. M. Vijaya Bhaskar, additional chief secretary E.V. Ramana Reddy and industrial department principal secretary Gurav Gupta also attended the state event.

"Emiriti Lulu Group chairman M.A. Yusuf Ali discussed plans to invest $300 million (Rs 2,160 crore) in logistics, hospitality and health/wellness sectors across the state with Yediyurappa," said Ravikumar.

Ali, an NRI (non-resident Indian) migrated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Kerala two decades ago and founded the Lulu Group at Abu Dhabi to operate a chain of hypermarkets and retail firms since 2000.

"The Chief Minister assured Ali of speedy approvals and incentives for investing in the state, with ease of doing business," the official said in an e-mail to IANS from the Swiss town.

Asserting that his proactive government would work overtime to facilitate global investments in the southern state, Yediyurappa said he was committed to create more jobs across sectors.

Dassault Systems executive Florene Verzelen told the chief minister about her company's plans to set up centres of excellence in smart manufacturing and smart cities in the southern state.

"The centres will train and equip the youth with skilled jobs in large corporations the world over," Ravikumar reiterated.

Yediyurappa apprised US aerospace behemoth Lockheed Martin executive Richard Ambrose of the ecosystem for aerospace and defence industry in the state, especially Bengaluru.

"I will soon visit Bengaluru to explore the possibilities of investing more in Karnataka and taking up research and development work," said Ambrose on the occasion.

A delegation from global automotive component maker Denso also called on the chief minister and interacted with the state delegation.

The Japanese firm has an excellence and research centre in New Delhi and a manufacturing unit at Nelamangala on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Denso executive Hiroyuki Wakabasyi said he would visit Bengaluru soon to explore further investments in the state.

"Arcelor Mittal chairman Laxmi Mittal also met the chief minister and discussed his company's investment plans in the state," the official added.

Mittal backed out of setting up a steel plant in the state's northern region over a decade ago due to delays in acquiring land and mandatory approvals.

Drug maker Novo Nordisk chief executive Lars Fruergaard expressed readiness to work with the state government in taking up educative and awareness programmes for diabetic patients.

Lucknow, Apr 29: Tablighi Jamaat members, who got cured of COVID-19, have been asked by their organisation to donate their plasma for treatment of other coronavirus-infected patients, a move that the outfit thinks will help it shed its “villain” tag.

"Maulana Saad, in an open letter on April 21 to all Jamaatis who have recovered from the coronavirus (infection), has appealed them to donate their plasma to help others. The message has reached all the members," Maulana Anees Ahmad Nadvi, the manager of Tablighi Jamaat’s Lucknow branch, told PTI PTI on Wednesday.

"As per the Health Department data, over 50 per cent of corona patients are Jamaatis. Among them those who have recovered are being contacted and all of them are ready to donate their plasma," claimed Nadvi.

"We have till now contacted 400 Jamaatis. In the entire country, those who have recovered are also giving their plasma. Markaz has given instructions that no one should be left from donating plasma," he said. "Jamaatis are not doing any favour to anyone by giving their plasma.

This is a humanitarian step. This is true that Jamaatis are being presented as villains after coronavirus spread, but Maulana Saad has asked us to forgive those doing this," he said. Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi is on the run after an FIR was registered against him by the Delhi police for organising a religious gathering in March this year despite restrictions to combat the coronavirus spread.

With some plasma therapy trial results rekindling hopes of it being a likely cure for COVID-19, the Uttar Pradesh government too had begun contracting patients cured of it for plasma donation, but the move was suspended after the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said the therapy was only at an experimental stage and there was no evidence yet to support that it can be used as treatment for COVID-19.

Uttar Pradesh Surveillance Officer, Dr Vikasendu Agarwal, said all those who have recovered from coronavirus, including Jamaatis, were being contacted for plasma donation, but the move has been suspended after the Centre’s statement on the issue.

Refusing to divulge the number of cured Jamaatis, he said "We were contacting them. They are not different from us. We were contacting all our patients and asking them that they could donate if they find it appropriate, as it would help other patients." "All of those contacted by us are ready for giving plasma," he said.

Chief Medical Officer, Lucknow, Dr Narendra Agarwal said all 28 Jamaatis, who were admitted in KGMU were contacted to donate their plasma and all of them agreed. "A proposal in this regard has been sent to the government.

After approval, their plasma will be taken," he said. With the plasma therapy gaining a lot of traction as a possible cure for coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday clarified that it is at an experimental stage and there is no evidence yet to support that it can be used as treatment for COVID-19. Till the effectiveness of this mode of treatment is scientifically proven, its application except for research and clinical trial is illegal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said.

Dr Vikasendu said after the Centre's clarification contacting people for plasma donation has been put on hold. A further step will be taken on decision of KGMU which is working on plasma therapy here, he added.