Udupi: Brother arrested for raping, impregnating 14-year-old sister

Bengaluru, Apr 11:  Amid nationwide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19, former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday urged the state government to announce a relief package for farmers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a video conference with Chief Ministers.

Taking to Twitter, Kumaraswamy wrote, "As the lock down continues, what action plan does the government have to tackle the challenges of ensuring marketing channels for farm produce with timely transport and ensuring uninterrupted supply of essential groceries to towns and cities?"

He later asked the government to act "swiftly and effectively".

"On one hand we see farmers throwing their produce in despair and losing their livelihoods. On the other hand supplies to towns are depleting. This is threatening both lives and livelihoods. The government must act swiftly and effectively," Kumaraswamy tweeted.

"I urge the state government to immediately announce relief package to farmers by way of direct benefit transfer mechanism and purchase all the agricultural produce so as to avoid farmer suicides," he added.

With 40 deaths and 1,035 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India on Saturday witnessed a sharpest ever increase in coronavirus cases, taking the tally of the infected people in the country to 7,447, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Udupi, May 2: All the 18 people who were advised self-quarantine in connection with the Thekkatte petrol bunk incident have been tested negative, however, they were asked to continue the 14-day quarantine, said DHO Sudhirchandra Suda on Saturday.

the petrol bunk at Thekkatte was sealed after a Covid infected person had food and took bath at the petrol bunk, while he was travelling from Mumbai to Mandya.

The employees and the owner of the petrol bunk along with the six employees at Sasthana toll gate were asked to quarantine themselves for 14 days.

Bengaluru, May 8: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said his government is clear in its stand on extending every possible help to the farmers. The Chief Minister spoke to the farmer-leaders of the state, who wanted their concerns to be heard and addressed, with regard to the problems the agrarian community has been facing in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown.

"We will soon make our position clear on supporting the farmers. We will not allow any hindrance to come in the way of agriculture activities," Yediyurappa told the farmer- leaders.

The Chief Minister told the delegation that the pre-monsoon activities are in full swing in the state.

The government has also set up help centres and been providing agriculture equipment on rent, the Chief Minister said. In most of the places, at least 80 per cent of the standing crops have been harvested.

Arrangements have been made to bring equipment from neighbouring states to harvest the standing crop, he said.

Yediyurappa said fertilisers and seeds are available in abundance in the state.

He informed the farmer-leaders about the arrangements made to transport flowers, vegetables and fruits to other states.

Similarly, the market has been developed for the farmers to sell their products, said the Chief Minister.

He said the government is working out a compensation for farmers who lost their crops due to hailstorm in Raichur, Koppal and Ballari. Agriculture Minister B C Patil, Horticulture Minister Narayana Gowda, Revenue Minister R Ashoka, Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar and Development Commissioner Vandita Sharma were also present in the meeting.