The bill provides a total of $7.7 billion in new discretionary spending and authorizes an additional $490 million in mandatory spending through a Medicare change.
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Friday, March 6, 2020
No positive cases of coronavirus in Karnataka, 8 people under observation
Four cases in Bengaluru and one case each in Hassan, Bidar, Vijayapura and Udupi are under observation, a statement by health authorities in Karnataka said.
PTI : Image for representation
Health authorities in Karnataka stated eight people in the state were isolated in hospitals and were tested for coronavirus on Friday. The number of people being monitored increased from five to eight after cases emerged in Hassan, Vijayapura and Udupi. Four people are being monitored in Bengaluru while one person each in Hassan, Bidar, Vijayapura and Udupi are also under observation, a statement by the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department stated. No positive case has been detected in the state yet. "It is another day of good news that there are no positive cases of coronavirus. The health department is working in a disciplined manner... Three people were admitted to hospitals after they appeared to show symptoms of the disease. They will be tested for the virus but none of them have tested positive so far," Dr K Sudhakar, Medical Education Minister told reporters on Friday. 469 people in the state are currently under home quarantine, including people who travelled to coronavirus-affected countries and the contacts of the positive cases. They are among 717 people identified for observation by the health department. 236 people have completed 28 days of home quarantine. 343 people were tested after they reported to hospitals with symptoms of the virus. 296 samples tested were negative, as per the update issued on Friday. Screening of travellers at the Bengaluru International Airport continued with 3025 people screened on Thursday. A total of 49,594 passengers have been screened ever since procedures were put in place on January 21. Screening is also being conducted at the Mangaluru International Airport and seaports in Mangaluru and Karwar. The state government on Thursday advised everyone arriving in the state from coronavirus-affected countries to be quarantined at home for at least 14 days. Travellers from 86 countries are being asked to quarantine themselves. The state government also strengthened the capacity of the helpline number — 104 — by expanding the call centre to 10 lines per each shift. Meetings were held with mall owners association and club associations in Bengaluru. Instructions were sent to display Covid-19 awareness messages at all gram panchayats in the state. As per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the central government, lab-testing for coronavirus will be done for people with symptoms (cough, cold, running nose or difficulty in breathing) and having travel history to any of coronavirus-affected countries during last 14 days or those who have had contact with coronavirus-positive persons. The state has been on high alert since Tuesday when a 24-year-old techie from Hyderabad, who worked in Bengaluru, tested positive for the virus. The techie had returned to Bengaluru from Dubai on February 20 and spent a day in Bengaluru before travelling to Secunderabad near Hyderabad by bus on 22 February. A few days later, he developed a fever and tested positive for the virus. This prompted the Karnataka and Telangana governments to trace everyone he may have come in contact with.
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Vultures in Karnataka are disappearing, govt announces new breeding centre
The vulture population in Karnataka has been drastically dwindling for years.
A vulture breeding centre was announced by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa in the Karnataka budget on Thursday. The centre was announced in an effort to help the beleaguered long-billed vulture population thrive in the region. The cost of the breeding centre was set at Rs 2 crore. “The state government has acted right before these birds became extinct from the region. I had written a couple of letters to the local forest officials asking a breeding centre and it has been answered,” said Shashikumar, a volunteer at the sanctuary, who expressed concern over the dwindling numbers of long-billed vultures. Deputy Conservator of Forests SN Hegade says that Ramadevarabetta, a vulture sanctuary in Ramanagara district, will be the release centre, while breeding of vultures will take place in captivity at Bannerghatta. It was not immediately clear when the centre would become operational. The vulture population in Karnataka was on the brink of disappearance as data suggests that the population had dropped 97% for the long-billed vulture and 99% for Egyptian vultures. Long-billed vultures reduced from about 20 to only six in the region. The long-billed vultures share their sanctuary with Egyptian vultures, which are about 30 in number and constantly move from the sanctuary to other locations, Shashikumar said. Volunteers and conservationists had long fought for the long-billed vulture. Activists rallied for the protection of the bird and demanded that the Ramadevarabetta be declared a vulture sanctuary. It was ultimately granted that status by the state government in 2012. The reason for the fast disappearance of long-billed vultures at Ramadevarabetta is attributed to a shortage of food. Shashikumar says that vultures are scavengers which feed on carcasses of the dead. In the past, villagers would dump or discard dead cows and buffaloes in the nearby forest and vultures fed on them. But, in recent years, farmers no longer dump these carcasses and instead bury them to claim insurance, among other factors. “Non-availability of dead animals in the vicinity has made vultures migrate elsewhere in search of food. It is one of the reasons for the disappearance of long-billed vultures” a volunteer says. Experts have also noted that the veterinary use of the now-banned Diclofenac drugs for cattle also played a role in the deteriorating numbers. The new breeding centre will be set-up on the model of the Haryana Vulture Breeding Centre. Last February, a scientist attached to the Haryana Breeding Centre Dr Vibha Prakash visited Ramadevara Betta, after which a proposal was created by forest officials to open a breeding centre to revive the long-billed vulture population in Ramanagara. Such breeding centres for vultures are operational in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal, besides Haryana. The Karnataka centre will be the fifth in the country. Chris Bowden, who works for Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, United Kingdom, and has also worked with breeding centres in the country, says these centres have been successful for breeding vultures. This season, Bowden says that as many as 60 chicks were born in captivity and 40 of them in Haryana centre alone. Bowden has been working for vulture conservation programmes in Asia for 16 years and has been informally associated with Ramadevarabetta. He has frequently given suggestions to the local forest officials on efforts to revive the dwindling long-billed vulture population. “With the breeding centre coming up, if serious and committed efforts are made by forest staff, then the vulture population will recover at Ramadevara Betta and script a success story like other breeding centres of the country,” he says. Initially, it was the efforts of Shivananjaiah, a local wildlife enthusiast and a photographer, that highlighted the plight of long-billed vultures. Ornithologist Dr Subramanya of GKVK (Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra) also joined in the conservation efforts and added pressure onto the state government for sanctuary status. When CP Yogeshwar, MLA of Channapatna, which neighbours Ramanagara, was the minister for forests, Ramadevara Betta gained attention and was declared a sanctuary. Since its declaration as a sanctuary, trekking and film-shootings have come to a halt, which allows the vultures to live without disturbance. Later, the Forest Department in association with the Karnataka Vulture Conservation Trust conducted various awareness programmes in the region to promote knowledge on vulture conservation. Photos by Shashikumar
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Kannada film distributor arrested for allegedly sexually harassing, extorting woman
According to the Bengaluru police, Roopesh was the distributor for top Kannada films like ‘Avane Srimannarayana’ and ‘Rangitarangi’, in Melbourne.
Film score composer Chandan Shetty (left) with Roopesh (right)
The Bengaluru police on Friday arrested a 39-year-old Sandalwood film distributor based in Australia for allegedly extorting and sexually harassing a woman. The north division police arrested Roopesh from his Bengaluru residence located behind JP Park in Yeshwanthpur after the woman filed a complaint with the Nandini Layout police. Roopesh, a distributor of Sandalwood films in Australia, allegedly met the woman in Melbourne 2019. The woman and her husband lived in Melbourne at the time. Police said that he was the distributor for top Kannada films, including Avane Srimannarayana and Rangitarangi, in Melbourne. “The woman told us that she became acquainted with him as he was from Bengaluru as well, and sometime last year, she and Roopesh went to buy tickets for an event in Melbourne. He took her to a restaurant and allegedly forced her to have a drink,” Shashikumar, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) North, told TNM. According to the police, Roopesh allegedly laced her drink with a drug. He allegedly clicked explicit pictures with the woman when she was inebriated and began extorting money from her. “The woman kept giving him money, and so far, she has given him around Rs 5 lakh,” the investigating officer said. When the woman told him that she could not give him money anymore, Roopesh allegedly threatened to share the pictures with her husband and family members and also upload them on social media. DCP Shashikumar said that Roopesh allegedly began demanding sexual favours from the woman. Unable to endure the harassment in Melbourne, the woman relocated to her in-laws’ residence in Bengaluru on February 1. Roopesh allegedly found out that the woman was no longer in Melbourne and arrived in Bengaluru on February 22. He reached the woman’s residence and allegedly demanded sexual favours again. The police said that Roopesh continued to harass the woman till Thursday night. “The woman filed the complaint on Thursday evening. On Friday afternoon, we arrested the man. He is being questioned,” the Nandini Layout police told TNM. Roopesh has been booked under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman), 354A (sexual harassment), 343 (wrongful confinement) and 383 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code. The man has, however, not been booked for stalking.
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‘Drona’ review: Shiva Rajkumar film on educational reform is formulaic
A remake of the 2012 Tamil film ‘Sattai’, the movie carries a significant message but is a few decades late, especially in terms of the making.
Shiva Rajkumar’s movies have a unique fan following. The lack of promotions don’t really matter, as a bunch of his fans are always eager to catch the first day first show. Still, Drona is one of the most under promoted films so far. Many fans did not even know that the movie was releasing today, and had lashed out at the team about it on social media. Surprisingly, the actor himself has stayed away from promotions for his last few films. Drona is a remake of the 2012 Tamil film Sattai. By making slight changes here and there, and adding the typical action masala to please Shiva Rajkumar fans, the director has come up with a relevant if predictable film. Guru (Shiva Rajkumar) is an ordinary government schoolteacher whose sole aim is to bring government schools on par with the private schools. When he is transferred to a government school in Nelamangala, he delves deep to understand the problems that such institutions face. From teachers to politicians to students, and even the wards’ parents, nobody wants any changes in the system. But Guru is irked by the mediocrity. The government schools exist for the heck of it and politicians and teachers want to milk as much money as they can with each passing year. After getting an idea about this, Guru decides to change the system. Assistant Headmaster Raghu (Rangayana Raghu), a relative of the local politician (Ravi Kishen), tries to create problems for him as he stands between them and the school. How he overcomes the problems and wins the hearts of students and teachers forms the crux of the story. Though the team did not officially announce Drona as a remake, movie buffs can easily guess the original as director Pramod Chakravarthi gives us several hints. While the movie carries a significant message, it is a few decades late, especially in terms of the making. Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale, though with a different theme, had a similar underlying message about saving government schools by using students. It is the formulaic filmmaking style that makes Drona just another ordinary film. The students are shown as rude and unruly and this is apparently because of corrupt teachers and politicians. They are tamed within a year to excel in sports and academics. Teachers and politicians understand the importance of education by the time the climax comes... of course after several dishoom-dishooms. If you look at the storyline, the Bollywood movie Hichki also worked on the same theme. So, Drona has nothing new to offer. In fact, reducing a few action sequences inserted only to please Shivanna fans would have made the film better. There are several underlying messages in the film, including one on sexual assault, but these only skim the surface. Shivanna is the heart and soul of Drona. He plays the part with perfection and gives his 100%, though at a few places the make-up looks overdone to make him look young. His partner Iniya’s role is underwritten and her only job is to stand by the hero through thick and thin, quite literally, throughout the film. Rangayana Raghu’s one-line puns are funny, and Ravi Kishen impresses with his villainish grins. Swati Sharma, who plays a sexual assault survivor, has given a memorable performance. V Manohar, Sadhu Kokila, Babu Hiranya and Rekha Das are in blink-and-miss roles. The makers’ attempt to bring out a salient subject by retaining commercial elements is commendable. But, the very predictable formulaic film may not work for all. Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.
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Focus on Bengaluru in state Budget: Beginning of the end of our traffic problem?
As I read through the Budget document from a Bengaluru perspective, it strikes me that the government is leaning towards public transport like never before.
Apparently, if a city accounts for 50% of the economy of an entire state, 10 full pages will be dedicated to the city in the state budget. It was almost like CM Yediyurappa became the Mayor of Bengaluru for half an hour on Thursday, as he listed out city projects in great detail in the state legislature during his Karnataka Budget presentation. As I read through the Budget document from a Bengaluru perspective, it strikes me that the government is leaning towards public transport like never before. Of course, intent and action are two different things and not always in sync. Almost all Budgets pay lip service to public transport. However, we now have seen some action in Bengaluru that makes the plan seem plausible – 12 bus lanes and 2,390 new buses are believable because there is already one bus lane and orders for some new buses are already placed. The fact that many influential politicians lobbied for the elevated corridor, and it failed to find a mention despite that, also gives me hope that finally better sense is prevailing, that concrete based solutions must be given a rest. No news, is good news. If indeed the share of public transport goes up to 73% from 48% (today), the infamous traffic problems of Bengaluru will become a thing of the past and the city will zoom ahead to greater heights in the decades to come. It is good to see that number. The first bus priority lane on ORR from Silk Board to KR Puram started with tremendous excitement but has not been well enforced so far. But the potential is clearly visible; commuters report shorter commute times and BMTC reported 12,000 new daily passengers all from one half implemented bus lane. If all the 12 high traffic density corridors get well designed bus lanes, it will take away lakhs of cars and two wheelers from the roads. The government made a proactive and commendable decision to pick up 50% of the cost of an important railway project that can be a game changer. As thousands of us went on the #ModaluTrainBeku rail yatra from Yeshwantpur to Heelalige, it was abundantly clear how big this route can be for daily commuters on Outer Ring Road and Electronic City from all parts of the city. Byappanalli-Hosur-Yeshwantpur is the most useful railway corridor since it brings Metro commuters to the IT corridor (on ORR and Electronic City) which is where most of the cars are going. It is unfortunate that the Suburban train project is still stuck at the central government (for unjustifiable reasons, I might add) but this small project can make a big difference. These positive announcements do not however, make up for the lack of a comprehensive mobility planning authority. The UMTA (Unified Metropolitan Transportation Authority) once agains makes an appearance in the Budget, like it does every year, with no real action on the ground. Another annual ritual is the mention of ‘Bengaluru Municipal Act’ which promises to reform urban governance. The CM continues to act like super Mayor and MLAs like super Councillors. The proposed waste to energy plant at Bidadi reflects the lack of conviction in eliminating the garbage mafia and making efforts to decentralise garbage management. Instead of reducing the need for garbage transport, we are now going to carry our garbage to Bidadi? The waste to energy plant near Electronic City has been a big pain for residents. If we can find space for 198 Indira Canteens, why can’t we find space for 198 small, modern, hi-tech garbage processing centers in all wards? I feel that never happens because it instantly takes away the nearly Rs 1,000 crore annual budget for garbage transport. The continued over-reliance on Cauvery water is also disturbing. The previous Budget talked about rainwater harvesting and conservation to reduce the reliance on importing water from 100 km away, but it finds no mention this year. A lot more funds are needed to convert our lakes into healthy water bodies that consume rain water as well as treated water from Sewage Treatment Plants (STP), but the budget seems to indicate that reviving lakes is about creating green spaces. Elsewhere there is mention of fixing all old STPs and reviving past glory of tanks. The mention of a special Bengaluru Municipal Act raises hopes for a better governed, decentralised Bengaluru. I hope it eventually means the Mayor and the Council will be empowered and the parastatals like BMTC, BWSSB, BESCOM become part of BBMP. I hope it means outer areas like Mahadevapura and Rajarajeswari Nagara and Yelahanka become independent corporations under Greater Bengaluru Municipal Authority. The new municipal Act should promote active citizen participation in local governance, ward level planning and budget preparation. When the ward committees and the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) both become functional, Bengaluru will get the world class governance it deserves I hope, one day, the presentation of the annual city Budget becomes as eagerly anticipated an event as the state and Union Budgets. I want to see live tweeting and media hustle outside the BBMP Council when the Chairperson of Taxation and Finance Standing Committee of BBMP, raises to propose the annual budget of namma Bengaluru. We deserve it. Srinivas is a citizen activist and an occasional commentator on politics. Views expressed are the author’s own. The easy fix to Bengaluru’s perennial traffic problem – the humble bus The easy fix to Bengaluru’s perennial traffic problem – the humble bus Posted by TheNewsMinute on Saturday, 25 January 2020
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BJP party worker in Karnataka stabbed to death by friends at his birthday party
The BJP functionary Anand was the General Secretary of the BJP Slum Morcha in Mysuru.
A BJP party functionary was brutally stabbed to death at a service apartment in Mysuru in the early hours of Friday. 40-year-old Anand, the Mysuru General Secretary of the BJP Slum Morcha and a resident of Janata Nagar in the city, was found lying in a pool of blood by a team of paramedics, who reached the service apartment at around 3.30 am on Friday. Mysuru Police Commissioner Chandragupta told TNM that Anand and his friends had celebrated his birthday on Thursday night and had rented an apartment at Unathi Suites in Kuvempu Nagar, where they continued to party till 3 am on Friday. Police suspect that there were at least five persons in the service apartment when the incident occurred. At around 3 am, Anand and his friends were inebriated and an argument allegedly broke out between them. “Anand is a local moneylender. He gave loans to slum dwellers at a rate of 10%. He was also involved in real estate business in Mysuru. He was a rowdy sheeter in Mysuru and is an accused in a murder case and several cases of extortion as well. We believe that the argument was about money,” Commissioner Chandragupta said. Anand’s friends are suspected to have broken beer bottles on his head and stabbed him with the broken bottles. Commissioner Chandragupta said that he also had stab injuries due to knives on his back. Anand was stabbed multiple times on his torso and back. He also sustained injuries on his head and face, the police said. At around 3.20 am, the control room for the ambulance service (108) received a call from one of Anand’s friend’s. Although the caller did not identify himself, he allegedly informed the person on call that his friend had severe injuries and was bleeding profusely at the apartment in Unathi Suites. “By the time the ambulance arrived, the accused persons had absconded. We are in the process of tracking them down. Anand’s body has been sent for an autopsy and the reports are awaited,” Commissioner Chandragupta added. A case of murder has been registered against unidentified persons at the Kuvempu Nagar Police Station. “We are trying to find out who was there at the party on Thursday night and who he left with to the service apartment. We are tracing his call record details to determine where he was before he reached the service apartment,” the Kuvempu Nagar Police added.
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