K'taka govt partially accepts committee report to hike salaries of police officials

Pay

The government stopped short of recommending an increase in salary of 30% as recommended by the Raghavendra Auradkar Committee report, and approved 12.5%.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government on Tuesday partially accepted the terms set in the Raghavendra Auradkar Committee report, which recommended pay hikes and promotions for police staff. In 2016, a committee headed by Raghavendra Auradkar, the then ADGP (Recruitment and Training), had recommended a hike in salary for police personnel. The report was prepared after police officials threatened to go on strike over lack of pay.  The full report was not accepted by the state government, with personnel of the ranks of Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) and Class V employees being excluded from the government order issued on Tuesday. The state government also stopped short of recommending an increase in salary of 30% as recommended by the report, and instead approved an increase of 12.5%. The lower rung of the police force, particularly constables and head constables, will be boosted as the wage hikes for these categories were as per the recommendations of the report.  The committee compared pay scales of police officials in 10 states - Punjab, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal - and found that Karnataka ranked 8th. It recommended a 30% hike in basic pay and liberal increase in the perks for non-IPS personnel.  The report also recommended that police officials be given allowances for fitness and uniform and a risk allowance of Rs. 2,500 for continuous duty extending beyond two days.  The increase in salaries, when implemented, will increase the burden on the state exchequer with an additional Rs 630 crore every year and the hike will come into effect from August 1. 

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IMA scam: Cops let off Karnataka Congress rebel MLA Roshan Baig after quizzing

Politics

A team of Special Investigation Team (SIT) sleuths detained 68-year-old Baig at the Bengaluru airport as he was about to board a private chartered aircraft to Mumbai on Monday..

IANS

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the multi-crore Ponzi scam freed Karnataka Congress rebel legislator R. Roshan Baig from detention after quizzing him for over 9 hours, said an official on Tuesday. "Baig has been freed from detention after interrogation in connection with the Ponzi scheme case in which its prime accused (Mansoor Ali Khan) has named him as one of the beneficiaries. He agreed to appear for inquiry on July 10 as directed," an SIT official said. In a dramatic development on late Monday night, a team of Special Investigation Team (SIT) sleuths detained 68-year-old Baig at the city airport as he was about to board a private chartered aircraft to Mumbai. "Though we summoned Baig to appear before our inquiry team on Monday, he sought time and said he would do on July 19 as he was busy with the political crisis and the Assembly session till Friday," said the official. As the SIT feared that Baig may flee the country because he was also planning to go on Haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca and Medina, its sleuths detained him on getting a tip-off that he was flying to Mumbai on Monday night and may not return for the investigation in the Ponzi case. "Baig said he was flying to Mumbai on personal work as the Assembly session was adjourned on Monday for two days till Thursday. He declined to answer our questions saying he had already clarified that he had nothing to do with the Ponzi scam of the IMA Jewellers and its owner Khan," said the official. Addressing reporters at his residence in the city centre, Baig said he had assured the SIT that he would not flee the country and appear before it on July 19 for interrogation. "The SIT allowed me to go and said I was free to go anywhere in the country but appear before it on July 19. I have also told its officials that I have nothing to do with the Ponzi scam and had no dealings with its perpetuator (Khan)," said Baig. Recalling his statement when the scam broke in June, Baig said when Khan took his name in a video that he took Rs 400 crore from the latter before the recent Lok Sabha elections, he sought a CBI inquiry into the scam as hundreds of people in other states had also lost their investments in the Ponzi scheme. SIT head and Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda said in a statement on Monday night that Baig was detained for questioning at the city airport when he was about to take off in a private aircraft to an unconfirmed destination from Bengaluru. Baig, an eight-time legislator and former minister in the previous Congress government, resigned on July 10 from the Shivajinagar assembly segment in the city centre. In fact, the ruling Congress had also suspended Baig on June 19 for his alleged anti-party activities, including criticism of the party's state leaders after the recent Lok Sabha elections in which the party was routed in the southern state.

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Karnataka Congress blames BJP for its rebel MLAs lockdown

Politics

Of the 16 rebel legislators, including 13 of the Congress and three of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) who resigned from their Assembly segments, 13 have been holed up in a five-star hotel in Mumbai since the political crisis unfolded on July 6.

IANS

With time ticking away for the trust-vote on Thursday, a desperate Karnataka Congress on Tuesday blamed the opposition BJP for its rebel MLAs lockdown in Mumbai. "We are unable to contact 11 of our 13 rebel legislators as they are in complete lockdown in a Mumbai hotel. Their mobile phones have been taken away. They can't step outside the hotel and they are under house arrest," tweeted Congress state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao. Of the 16 rebel legislators, including 13 of the Congress and three of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) who resigned from their Assembly segments, 13 have been holed up in a five-star hotel in Mumbai since the political crisis unfolded on July 6. Of the 13, 10 are from the Congress and three of JD-S. Two more Congress rebel lawmakers - K. Sudhakar and M.T.B. Nagaraj joined the other rebels on July 14. The remaining two Congress rebel legislators R. Ramalinga Reddy and R. Roshan Baig are, however, in Bengaluru. Incidentally, Baig was prevented from leaving the city on Monday night and detained at the airport when he was about to board a private chartered aircraft to Pune by the police in connection with his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Ponzi scheme, floated by its prime accused Mansoor Ali Khan. Two independents, who resigned as ministers and withdrew support to the 13-month-old shaky Congress-JD-S coalition government, are also staying with the ruling party rebel legislators since a week. Just heard..the rebel @INCIndia MLA’s in Mumbai are in complete lockdown. Mobiles taken away, can’t step outside, under house arrest. They’re now in the clutches of @BJP4India & are sure to get disqualified. Soon they’ll be waiting in queue for B-forms to get BJP ticket — Dinesh Gundu Rao / ದಿನೇಶ್ ಗುಂಡೂರಾವ್ (@dineshgrao) July 16, 2019 Accusing the BJP of engineering defections by forcing most of the rebel legislators to resign and reduce the ruling combine's strength in the state Assembly, Rao said the opposition party has been desperately wooing them with money and positions of power to topple the coalition government. "The BJP's role in triggering the political crisis in the state is evident and proves our charge that the resignation of the rebel MLAs is neither voluntary nor genuine," said Rao in the tweet. The 10 rebel Congress MLAs staying in the hotel are Pratapgouda Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Byrati Basavaraj, B.C. Patil, S.T. Somashekhar, Shivaram Hebbar, Mahesh Kumathalli, Munirathna, K. Sudhakar and M.T.B. Nagaraj. The three JD-S rebel legislators staying in the same hotel are K. Gopalaiah, A.H. Vishwanath and Narayana Gowda. The two independents also with the rebels are R. Shankar and H. Nagesh. Except Reddy, all the 12 Congress and three JD-S rebels petitioned the Supreme Court to direct Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar to accept their resignations forthwith, as 10 of them re-submitted them in his office here on July 11 as advised by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on July 10. Echoing Rao's tirade against the BJP, party's spokesman M.N. Suraj Hegde told reporters here that about 60 of the party MLAs have been shifted on Tuesday to Windflower Prakruthi resort at Devanahalli on the city's northern outskirts. "With 13 rebels resigning, our effective strength in the Assembly is 65, excluding the Speaker. We are keeping them together at one place to ensure the BJP will not wean away or poach them though its leader B.S. Yeddyurappa claimed 3-4 more Congress MLAs will resign ahead of the trust-vote on Thursday," said Hegde. With the strength of the JD-S also reduced to 34 from 37, the ruling combine has 101, including the Speaker and one of the Bahuja Samaj Party (BSP) against 107 of the BJP, with the support of the two independents. If the 16 rebel legislators stay away from the Assembly for the trust-vote on Thursday, the strength of the 225-member House, including one nominated without voting rights, will be reduced to 209, with 105 as the new halfway mark for a simple majority. "As my resignation has not been accepted so far, I will attend the session on Thursday in compliance with the whip issued to all the party legislators, including all those who resigned," said Reddy.

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Bengaluru’s Namma Metro, BMTC to introduce common mobility cards by early September

Transportation

Both the metro and the BMTC are upgrading their Electronic Ticketing Machines so that the interoperable cards can be used.

Theja Ram

The Bengaluru Metro Rail Transport Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are collaborating to introduce a common mobility card for commuters in Bengaluru. According to BMTC, the new interoperable smart card will be piloted in late August or early September. According to BMTC, the smart card will be provided by the BMRCL, which can be utilised in buses as well. The BMTC is planning on using its existing Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) so that commuters can use the interoperable smart cards for buses and the metro. “The existing ETMs are being upgraded with an Android system to facilitate online payment. Currently, BMTC is looking into sorting out the technical constraints regarding the payment gateways and the software to be used. BMTC already had a plan to upgrade its existing ETMs but BMRCL approached us and asked us to collaborate so we decided to go with an interoperable smart card,” a senior BMTC official told TNM. The metro has decided to install separate entry and exit gates for those with the common mobility card as the existing system allows only tickets and metro smart cards. “The logistical problems are there in phase 1 metro stations. We will install the new ticket collection gates which are being designed by BEL. The pilot project will be in Baiyappanahalli and Majestic metro stations. In all stations in phase 2, the entry and exit gates will be the same from both smart card holders, ticket holders and the common mobility card holders. The software that will be used in the new gates in phase 2 will enable it. Since we cannot change all the entry and exit gates in phase 1 stations, we will have to add separate gates,” a BMRCL official said. The BMTC official said that the new mobility cards will be priced between Rs 50 and Rs 100 and not more. “The cards can be used as a credit or debit card. So we are figuring out the software and payment gateways that will be used. It should be ready in a couple of months,” the BMTC official added.

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Cataract surgery goes wrong: Bengaluru hospital alleges eye gel was contaminated

Health

Fourteen patients who had undergone cataract surgery on July 8, presented with severe reactions a day after the surgery.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Nothing about the appearance of the premises at Minto Eye Hospital gives away the terse situation inside. The surroundings are calm, with a few people scattered about. Inside the stone building of the hospital’s outpatient ward, however, is a different story. It was just here that hardly a week ago, 24 patients who had undergone cataract surgery went through immense turmoil after postoperative complications left them with diminished vision, unsure if they’d be restored with sight again.  It all began with the patients being taken for a cataract surgery on July 8. They exhibited with varied adverse reactions the next day which led doctors to believe an infection may have occurred.  Following the allegations that medical negligence led to the botched cataract surgeries on 14 patients, the administration has been working relentlessly to take care of the issue. Doctors at the hospital say that the surgeries went fine, but the allege that a contaminated medication given was responsible for the adverse reactions in the patients. “A total of 24 patients were taken up for the cataract surgery on July 8. The next day, several of them were found to be having varying forms of irritation and reactions and we immediately began treating them with steroids and other measures to control the reactions. Upon investigating, we found that a gel used in the surgery was found to be contaminated,” stated Dr Sujatha Rathod, Director of Minto Eye Hospital. A cataract occurs when there is degradation of the lens in the eyeball. This leads to diminished vision and other issues. In a cataract surgery, doctors operate to remove the degraded lens and replace it with an artificial one. The gel which is used in the surgery helps the new lens stay in place and aids in healing.  “The gel which was used was bought from the manufacturers themselves directly and was sterilised, it was not opened until the time of surgery. The few samples of the gel that was sent was found to be contaminated with Pseudomonas bacteria,” added the doctor. Amaresh Tumbagi, the Drug Controller of Karnataka told TNM that they had begun an investigation. "The hospital has said that the gel may have caused the loss in vision and other complications. We will investigate the gel and other aspects too." Of the 24 patients who were operated, the condition of 11 improved and they were sent home and told to visit as per regulations for a follow up. Of the remaining 13 patients, 8 are showing considerable improvement and another 5 are being monitored. One out of the five patients will most likely not be able to regain her eyesight in the affected eye, due to her comorbid conditions which have resulted in a particularly aggressive infection.  The administration of the hospital held a meeting on Tuesday with members of the Drugs Controller Department to further decide what action needs to be taken.

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Planned Parenthood ousts head amid heightened attack on abortion rights

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Exclusive: Trump to order drive for improved flu vaccine

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