Karnataka cabinet portfolios announced; helpless BSY names 3 deputies

Agencies

August 27, 2019

Bengaluru, Aug 26: It took more than three weeks for the Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa - who took oath on July 26 -- to name his cabinet members. It took another six days to decide on the portfolios for the 16 men and one woman who joined the cabinet. The list of ministers announced on Monday evening showed that the state will have no fewer than three deputy chief ministers -- Govind Karjol, Dr Ashwath Narayan and Laxman Savadi.

Mr Karjol has been assigned the PWD and social welfare ministries too. Dr Ashwath Narayan, very prominent at the time of the collapse of the coalition government of the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy, has been given the portfolios of higher education, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology. The Infotech and biotech portfolio is considered high profile, given Karnataka's position as a leader in India's IT space.

Laxman Savadi has been given the transport portfolio. The home department goes to Basavaraj Bommai.

Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar has got the industries portfolio, while Suresh Kumar, a former law minister of the state, will be in charge of primary and secondary education. C T Ravi, known for his right-wing views, is in charge of Tourism, Kannada and Culture.

The only woman in the cabinet, Jolle Shashikala Annasaheb, has been given the Women and Child Development portfolio.

For now, Chief Minister Yediyurappa will keep all unallocated portfolios.

The cabinet expansion has seen ruffled feathers among BJP leaders, who were left out of the first list. Some have openly been critical.

For Mr Yeddiyurappa, the other challenge is to keep the hopes of a cabinet berth alive for 17 disqualified MLAs who effectively brought down the coalition government. The MLAs are seen as expecting a reward in the form of cabinet posts should they win their case against disqualification in the Supreme Court. The 16 vacant berths hold out hope for them.

For a month, during which the parts of the state suffered devastating floods, Mr Yediyurappa ran a "one-man cabinet". It drew stinging criticism from the opposition Congress which accused him of incompetence.

Mr Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular tweeted: "@BSYBJP While the state is reeling under severe floods, you've not formed the cabinet yet,& on a selfish trip to Delhi. Do you get sadistic pleasure by seeing lakhs of people in distress? Is this why you toppled a perfectly functioning govt? To see people suffer? Shame on you!"

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As border closure hits medicine supply, three activists in Mangaluru turn Good Samaritans for Kerala patients

coastaldigest.com news network

April 13,2020

Mangaluru: The Karnataka-Kerala border closure at Talapady amidst nationwide Covid-19 lockdown has not only prevented the movement of vehicles and people from Kasaragod to Mangaluru but also stopped the supply of life-saving drugs from Karnataka’s medical hub to its bordering district.

Hundreds of people from Kasaragod and Kannur districts who were treated in hospitals of Mangaluru for past several years are still dependent on some of the medicines that are available only in Mangaluru. Such medicines have become inaccessible for Keralites following the border closure. Every day, a number of people from Kerala call their acquaintances in Mangaluru to see if there is a way to get medicine.

In fact, Karnataka government has blocked all 23 roads that connect the state with Kerala. The reason given was, Kasaragod is the hotbed of coronavirus and allowing traffic even in emergency cases might lead to spread of Covid-19 in border districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Mysuru. The attitude has resulted in the death of around a dozen people in Kasaragod district in last couple of weeks.

Even after the intervention of the Supreme Court a few days ago, the authorities in Karnataka are facing the allegation of being hostile either by blocking the way ahead or turning a deaf ear to the patients reaching their border.

At this juncture, three Good Samaritans – P K G Anoop Kumar of Canara Engineering College, Mangaluru, Satheesh Shetty of Kasaragod Patla and P Jayaprakash of Ponnangala – have come to the aid of the Malayalee patients who are dependent on medicines from Mangaluru.

The three activists who are currently staying (in fact stranded amidst lockdown) in Mangaluru, are delivering life-saving medicines to patients in Kerala through Kerala fire servicemen and policemen posted at the Talapady border.

Anoop Kumar says that took the initiative after a woman, Maria Augustine from Chemberi (Taliparamba) Nellikkutty, contacted him for a medicine. He managed to buy it from a medical store in the port city and handed it over to a Kerala fire serviceman at Talapady border.

All three are activists of Communist Party of India (Marxist). After moving to Mangaluru, they set up ‘We Donate Charitable Society’ to donate blood. The activists say that they are ready to dispatch medicines from Mangaluru to any person in Kerala. Those Keralites who are in need of medicines from may contact: 888471344 - Anoop, 9895135881 - Jayaprakash

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Salute to you dears. May God bless you. HOpe public and Govt will appreciate your sacrifice and support you.

Great Job

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Kumaraswamy is supporting BJP from back doors, says CP Yogeshwar

News Network

July 31,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 31: BJP leader CP Yogeshwar has slammed Yediyurappa supporters and said the JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy is supporting BJP.

Speaking to the reporters, Yogeshwar said, "Congress president DK Shivakumar and Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy, both are Yediyurappa supporters."

"His words seem to support the BJP. All that Kumaraswamy had said, during our government's rule, are happening including the officers they mentioned are being transferred. He has come forward to support BJP from the back door," Yogeshwar.

While reacting to allegations made by CP Yogeshwar, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar has said that earlier Yogeshwar requested for State Legislative Council (MLC) member ticket and now such people are blaming me without any evidence. This shows his dishonesty to his party and the kind of person he is."

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'Extension not for Work From Home for employees of IT industry'

News Network

April 29,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 29: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday clarified that Department of Telecommunications has extended the relaxed terms and conditions for VPN till July 31.

"Wish to clarify that it is not extension of WFH. In response to IT Industry's request to facilitate WFH for OSPs, Department of Telecommunications, India had relaxed terms and conditions for VPN till April 30 After discussions with IT Ministers this relaxation in terms and conditions is extended till July 31," Prasad Tweeted quoting Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka Dr Ashwath Narayan.

Earlier, the Karnataka government issued a press statement saying that the central government has given permission to IT professionals to work from home till July 31 in the view of COVID-19 pandemic.

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