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Bengaluru, Jul 11: The Bharatiya Janata Party led government of Karnataka is planning to ban cow slaughter as well as the sale and consumption of beef in the state by bringing Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation Bill, 2012.

"Many states have passed the Anti-Cow Slaughter Bill. We are preparing to implement it in Karnataka as well. The state government will soon implement a ban on cow slaughter, sale and consumption of beef on the lines of many other states," said Prabhu Chauhan, the state's Animal Husbandry Minister.

The Anti-Cow Slaughter Act is already in place in several states like Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh among others.

Last month, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government passed a draft ordinance to prevent cow slaughter, providing maximum rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and a fine up to Rs 5 lakh.
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Cow Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 aims at making the existing Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955 more effective towards cow safety.

In Karnataka, the BJP-led government had promised to ban cow slaughter in its manifesto for 2018 state assembly election.

"The government will form a team of experts to look into once the current pandemic situation eases," Chauhan stated, adding that if necessary, the team of experts will visit states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat.

The then BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government had passed the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Protection Bill in 2010 but it failed to get presidential approval. Three years later, the Bill was withdrawn by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.

"I will discuss this matter with Chief Minister and if this pandemic situation eases, by next session, if not by upcoming assembly session, we will try to bring Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill," Chauhan added.

Apr 21: An 80-year-old COVID-19 patient has died in Karnataka's Kalaburagi district, taking the death toll in the state to 17, Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said on Tuesday.

The elderly person was suffering from Parkinson's disease for the last three years and died at a hospital on Monday, the minister said in a tweet.

"The person had developed fever on Sunday and was admitted to the hospital. The patient passed away yesterday at 9 am. Last night at 9 pm the death report came, which confirmed that the person was COVID-19 positive," Sudhakar tweeted.

The total number of COVID-19 infections in the state has crossed the 400-mark, according to last evening's bulletin by the Karnataka health department.

Bengaluru, Jul 1: Eighteen private hospitals here have been slapped with a show-cause notice after a 52-year old patient with influenza-like illness symptoms died here on being allegedly denied admission by them citing "non- availability" of beds. 

Health Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesdy said refusal to provide treatment was not only inhuman but also illegal as he tagged a copy of the notice in a tweet. 

"Notice has been served to the hospitals taking cognisance of the (media) reports about the denial of admission to a patient in emergency. Denying medical assistance during emergency is not only inhuman but also illegal," he tweeted. According to a report, the son and nephew of the patient took him to the 18 hospitals on Saturday and Sunday but he was not admitted on the pretext of non-availability of beds or ventilators. 

The man died later. The Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare issued the show-cause notice to the top authorities of the hospitals under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (KPME) Act, 2007. 

"By denying admission to the patient, your hospitals have violated the provisions of the KPME Act. You are liable for legal action," the notice said, seeking replies within 24 hours as to why action should not be against the hospitals. 

This was a "clear violation" of providing medical assistance and admission necessitated under the agreed provision of the KPME registration. Private medical establishments cannot refuse or avoid treatment to patients suffering from COVID-19 or having symptoms, the common notice added. 

The incident comes in the backdop of repeated instructions by the government that hospitals cannot deny admission to the patients suffering from coronavirus or having symptoms.