Vehicle transporting meat torched in Belagavi

Mangaluru/ Bengaluru, May 10: Nearly 11,000 non-resident Kannadigas who are seeking repatriation from various countries across the world should be ready to shell out a huge amount for a two-week private quarantine in Karnataka before reaching their home.

The Kannadigas stranded in Gulf countries including UAE and Saudi Arabia have already expressed shock over the high airfare for repatriation during coronavirus lockdown. Another shocker is heavy quarantine fee once they reach their home state.

Officials in Mangaluru and Bengaluru have confirmed that administration has fixed charges for quarantine facilities starting from Rs 1,200 up to Rs 4,500, including food per day. 14 day quarantine will be mandatory for all healthy and asymptomatic international passengers. Hence, they should be ready to pay Rs 16,800  to Rs 63,000.

The other option is government quarantine centres: hostels run by social welfare, backward classes welfare and minority welfare departments but they are far from satisfactory. This is in stark contrast to the plush government quarantine facilities in Kerala.

In Mangaluru

The first repatriation flight to Mangaluru International Airport is expected to land on Tuesday, May 12 from Dubai.

The quarantine facilities include lodges, hostels and service apartments. Rates are fixed based on four categories: basic, economy, medium and premium. The basic facilities are mainly hostels of educational institutions, and the rest are budget and star hotels, said Rahul Shinde, probationary IAS officer, who is In-charge of the quarantine facilities for those being repatriated.

In Bengaluru

As many as 350 international passengers are set to arrive in Bengaluru at 3 am on Monday, May 11. So far, nobody has opted for government quarantine facilities, according to Lakshman Reddy, Joint Director, Social Welfare Department.

In Bengaluru, there are 55 hostels of the social welfare department, 51 of the backward classes welfare department and 12 of the minority welfare department. “We provide them with three square meals a day,” he added.

Bengaluru, Jun 24: About 8,48,203 students will appear in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination tomorrow, i.e., June 24, said Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday.

Students have been advised to report to the examination centre three-hour before the commencement of the examination i.e., at 07:30 am. The examination will commence at 10:30 am.

Early entry to the centres will also help maintain social distancing that is very much essential during the pandemic, minister for primary and secondary education S Suresh Kumar said.

"SSLC exams to take place tomorrow. About 8,48,203 students will write the exam. Social distancing needs to be followed and the mask should be used. Minister of Education and I have already held a lot of meetings. Students from containment zones will be carefully handled," said Sriramulu.

Commenting upon the situation arising in the state due to COVID-19, Sriramulu said, "There is a panel of experts to decide about lockdown. There has been an opinion that the COVID-19 test should be increased. Workers, traders, and others should be categorised in 15 categories and tests must be conducted," he added.

Sriramulu further said that there will be a meeting of task force on the coming Monday.

"All the issues will be brought to the notice of the Chief Minister at the task force meeting, then CM will take a call on what needs to be done," he said.

Meanwhile, Suresh Kumar, Minister of Education inspected the schools and places where SSLC exams will be held.

Earlier Karnataka Education Minister S Suresh Kumar had announced that SSLC examinations, which were stayed in view of the coronavirus pandemic, will be conducted 'between June 25 and July 4' in the state.

According to the Union Health Ministry, Karnataka has 9,721 COVID-19 cases including 150 fatalities.

Bengaluru, Mar 8: Lieutenant General Milind Hemant Thakur, Director-General of Supply and Transport Corps of the Indian Army, unveiled the renovated Animal Memorial at Agram Grounds in ASC Centre and College here on Saturday.

The animal memorial signifies the contributions of mules and horses of the Indian Army. These animals belonging to the Army Service Corps, who have rendered their services relentlessly during the war in the Himalayas, often paying the highest price of sacrificing their lives in the line of duty have been chronicled in the Memorial.

To ensure that these hoof prints do not get obliterated, on approval by the Government of India, their saga was brought to life in the form of a sculptured monument in the Equestrian Training Area of the ASC Centre and College.

This animal transport memorial has now been extended by constructing two walls supported by Roman pillars on either side.

These walls highlight the role played by the animals in the Indian Army since the British Raj. It gives details of 637 gallantry awards won by the brave muleteers, 49 battle casualties since independence, 14 gallantry awards to mules since independence and 05 military recognitions bestowed by the Chief of the Army Staff and other Army Commanders on AT units, who have been relied upon heavily to fill an important niche in the logistics networks of the Indian Army.

Gen Thakur also declared that 26 September each year has been nominated as the AT Remembrance Day as it was on this day in 1914, that 9th mule Corps, as part of the Indian Expeditionary Force, landed at Marseilles in France, to a most hearty and enthusiastic welcome by the French to support the British and allied armies in World War One.