With polls around, Siddaramaiah has now realised he is a Hindu: Shettar

Bengaluru, Jul 3: Karnataka Health Department on Thursday permitted District Health Departments to appoint doctors with MBBS, on a contractual basis with permission of concerned District Health Officers and Commissioners, a statement said.

The state government has also hiked the salary of contractual doctors from Rs 45000 to Rs 60000 per month.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu urged contract doctors to continue offering their services amid their demand for regularisation of services.

"I request the contract doctors with folded hands to continue offering their services. With regard to their two demands, one of salary hike and the other being permanency, I assure all of them that I stand with them and their requests will definitely be fulfilled," said Mr Sriramulu.

The Chief Minister had also discussed about the two issues yesterday and agreed to facilitate the pay hike, he added.

Apr 23: An FIR has been registered in Nagpur against Republic TV channel's editor Arnab Goswami for promoting social disharmony and accusing Congress President Sonia Gandhi of orchestrating the Palghar lynching.

Three Mumbai residents, including two sadhus, who were on their way to Silvassa on April 16, were lynched by a mob in Gadakchinchale village of Palghar district on the suspicion that they were thieves. Nagpur Police Commissioner B K Upadhyaya said they received a complaint which was turned into an FIR at Sadar police station.

DCP Vinita Sahu said Goswami has been booked under sections 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than 10 persons), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 153 (B) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 295 (A) (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 290-A (public nuisance in cases not otherwise provided for), 500 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the ipc. Another FIR was filed against him in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

In a statement condemning Goswami, Maharashtra Congress said the killing has been wrongly given a communal angle despite ample proof of the contrary. "At a time when country is fighting against coronavirus pandemic, it is very unfortunate that a section of media as well as politicians are trying to create social unrest... [and] spread racial and religious hatred in society. Goswami has tried to create misogyny against women in the society. He made an outrageous remark against the Congress president on a live TV programme. This is completely unethical journalism and we publicly protest it. We believe in brotherhood and cannot accept such animosity. This will be dangerous for the unity and integrity of the country (sic)," it said.

Bengaluru, Apr 20: Close on the heels of the Padarayanapura vandalism, Karnataka Cabinet on Monday decided to promulgate an ordinance that gives special powers to implementing authority and also provide protection to frontline health workers.

Briefing media after the Cabinet meeting here, Minister for Law J C Madhuswamy said that the ordinance will be on the lines of one promulgated by Kerala and Uttar Pradesh governments.

“Through the ordinance, a State Epidemic Act will be enacted to protect health workers and any non-cooperation will be punishable. Also, any attempt to deliberately spread the disease or float rumours will attract action,” he added.