Udupi-Chikkamagaluru: JP Hegde lobbying for BJP ticket; four aspirants in JDS

Mysuru, Apr 7 Following a tiger at Bronx Zoo in the US, testing positive for COVID-19, Mysuru Zoo authorities here have taken measures to contain the spread of the dreaded disease as per the directions of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

The Zoo is on alert and the animal keepers are not allowed to enter the enclosures without safety gear. It is mandatory for the personnel to undergo thermal screening before entering the Zoo. The personnel are provided with safety gears such as masks, gloves and Sanitisers. The CZA has directed to spray disinfectants near the enclosures of the animals and has also directed to monitor the animals’ behavior.

Zoo Authority of Karnataka Member Secretary B P Ravi said, "COVID-19 was detected in a domestic cat two weeks back in Hong Kong. Due to the outbreak of bird flu in Mysuru, we have taken all precautionary measures to combat COVID-19."

Bengaluru, Feb 28: The Liquefied Petroleum Gas penetration in Karnataka is 'absolutely 100 per cent' due to the Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana, Indian Oil Corporation Karnataka Executive Director D L Pramodh said here on Friday.

In 2014, LPG penetration in the State was only 68 per cent, but after the PMUY, massive number of gas connections were given in the last five years, he said, adding, "It is absolutely 100 per cent today."

"There are 1.6 crore LPG connections out of which around 31.5 lakh -- or around 20 per cent -- come under the PMUY. The 100 per cent LPG penetration in the state will help women in rural areas to make their kitchens smokeless. Against the national average of 2.88 cylinders per family per PMUY annually, the figure is Karnataka 3.4 cylinders in Karnataka," Pramodh told reporters.

On the initiative of blending ethanol with petrol, he said it's 8.6 per cent in Karnataka, the highest comparedto other states, where it's five per cent to 5.5 per cent. The state aims to increase it to 10 per cent. By March 31, the IOC would commission the Rs 10 crore Vapour Recovery System at the Devanagonthi terminal on the city outskirts which would ensure that vapour does not go out in the air when tankers are being filled with fuel. "This is an important measure taken tominimise pollution", he said.

Pramodh also said the IOC has started mobile fuel dispensers, delivering fuels at the doorsteps.

Regarding the IOC's preparedness for Electric Vehicle charging stations, Pramodh said the Ministry of Power has given the company a target to set up 500 charging stations across India in the first phase. The IOC has already signed MoUs with NTPC, Power Grid Corporation Limited, Hyundai Motors, Tech Mahindra and Tata Power in this regard.

In Karnataka, 58 sites have been identified for setting up charging and battery swapping stations.

"Total electric vehicle charging facilities planned by IOC in Karnataka by March 31 is 34, out of which 26 will be EVcharging sites and eight battery swapping stations," Pramodh said.