As contractors inflate prices, Karnataka halts free food at Indira Canteens

Coronavirus

Karnataka government has said food will be given at subsidised rates, as it used to prior to the lockdown.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government on Friday decided to withdraw its order announcing free food at all Indira Canteens across the state. In a fresh order issued on Friday, the state government said that the Indira Canteens will continue to provide food at subsidised rates, as it used to, prior to the lockdown.  Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner BH Anil Kumar said that the decision was taken by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Speaking to TNM, leader of the ruling party (BJP) in the BBMP Council, Padmanabha Reddy said that the decision was taken as the government suspects that the contractors were hiking up the outstanding amount in the bills that are being sent to the government.  "They issued a bill of Rs 1.35 crore per day. When free food was not being given, they were supposed to maintain tokens and bills for every order. That way, the billing was not compromised. Earlier, the bill was Rs 6 crore per month. This Rs 1.35 crore per day looks highly inflated," Padmanabha Reddy said.  He further stated that the Karnataka government is trying to figure out a foolproof billing system and until then, the money will be charged for the food at the canteens as per the previous procedure.  "People will have to pay Rs 5 for breakfast and Rs 10 each for lunch and dinner. The system will be the same though. Food packets will be handed out after money is given," he added.  The home delivery of food from Indira Canteen was rolled out on March 24.  However, the state government has not provided clarity on whether food will be delivered to the homes of the poor.  With the country under lockdown, people from low-income backgrounds and daily wage workers depend on the free food from Indira Canteens. Residents of various slums in the city too have been struggling to access food and ration as the food from Indira Canteens has not been reaching them. In addition, several residents of slums had also stated that the Public Distribution System (PDS) centres, where subsidised ration is available, are also not functioning properly.    

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CM Yediyurappa meets Muslim legislators to discuss Tablighi Jamaat issue

Coronavirus

Yediyurappa in his statement said that the Muslim leaders “responded positively and assured to extend their full cooperation.”

TNM Staff

The Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a meeting with Muslim legislators in Karnataka on Friday, to look for their cooperation in containing coronavirus in the state. This comes after a rise in the number of reported cases across the country after a religious meeting conducted by the international Muslim leaders of Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by thousands of people from across the country in March, which has led to a spike in testing and reporting of positive cases of coronavirus in the country. Yediyurappa in his statement said that the Muslim leaders “responded positively and assured to extend their full cooperation.” The Muslim leaders have said that they will give the details of the people who visited Tablighi Markaz mosque in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area. The leaders have said that they will make sure that these individuals go through the necessary tests, and also observe strict quarantine for the full stipulated period of 14 days. The Muslim legislators also told the state government that they have conducted meetings with the religious leaders of the community, and created awareness about COVID-19. They are advising the members of the community to offer prayers at home, in order to maintain physical distance while offering azaan. Yediyurappa, in his statement, made it clear that this applies to everyone. “Prevention is the only way to contain the spread of coronavirus. Every individual without discrimination of caste, religion or community has to maintain social distance during the lockdown.” The Chief Minister further said, "I appeal to the people of the state to not heed to any rumours. Let us all strictly follow precautionary measures and win the battle over coronavirus.” Yediyurappa on Wednesday had announced he will donate his one year's salary to the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID-19. He has appealed to Ministers, legislators, Members of Parliament, officials and citizens to also do their bit and contribute in whatever capacity possible to help the state in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. "It is a very difficult time that we are all going through. And it is important that we fight this together. Personally, I am donating my one year's salary to the #CMRF Covid19. I request you all to contribute, however small, and help #Karnataka fight #Corona. Thank you," Yediyurappa tweeted along with a video message announcing the same. Yediyurappa on March 25 had appealed to people to help the state government by donating money for the advanced medical support system to fight the spread of COVID-19. Those willing to donate can transfer funds online and also send cheques or DDs to the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID- 19, he had said.

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Over 8000 block level officers in Karnataka roped in for COVID-19 surveillance

Coronavirus

Block level officers include those attached with BBMP, teachers and BLOs from the Women and Child Welfare Dept, who are normally on election duty.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government has roped in block level officers, who are generally deployed for election duty, to be part of surveillance teams tracking secondary contacts of COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru. Headed by Dr Ravikumar, Special Commissioner of Projects and Health, the task force roped in the block-level officers attached with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Integrated Child Development Services (which is a part of the Women and Child Welfare and the teachers, who are generally on election duty and teachers from the Education Department. The government has constituted 1328 teams with 8146 block level officers. However, during the training program on Thursday, 3320 persons attended. "We are the first state to implement these kinds of surveillance teams for low risk and secondary contacts. Currently, we have three to four people in each ward as a part of the surveillance teams. Once we finish training for the others, they will join too. If this works, it can be used across the state," Dr Ravikumar added.   Each team will have to monitor the secondary and low risk contacts of the COVID-19 positive patients, who are under home quarantine.  "The purpose of roping in block level officers is because they know the layouts of the cities and areas where they are generally deployed for election duty. They are experienced in going door to door," Dr Ravikumar said.  The Health Department officials will map the primary and secondary contacts of the patients who are positive. The list of secondary contacts will be given to block level officers and they would have to stamp those who have to be put under home quarantine and also monitor them.  "Only when there are secondary contacts to be stamped or monitored in their respective blocks, will the BLOs have to become active. We are monitoring those who have been stamped via the Corona Watch app. The neighbours of those who are quarantined and those who are in home quarantine can call the BLOs if they start showing symptoms. The BLO will follow up with regular phone calls," Dr Ravikumar added.  Each team will report to the respective assistant revenue officers in their respective wards and these teams will be linked to the respective primary health centre in their areas.  The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is piloting the surveillance teams across 27 constituencies in Bengaluru. The plan was conceptualised on March 27. The Commissioners of the Department of Public Instruction KG Jagadeesha and that of the Women and Child Welfare Department, Dayanand rolled out advertisements in newspapers asking BLOs to come for the training. Auditoriums, community halls and schools that have currently been shut, were used as venues for the training program.  "Some of the BLOs did not end up coming because they had gone to their hometowns. We coordinated with the police to ensure that the BLOs could go to the venues closest to their homes and attend the training. We had arranged the seating so they maintain social distance," Dr Ravikumar added. 

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COVID-19 lockdown: Karnataka sees jump in man-made forest fires, poaching cases

Environment

Twelve poaching cases have been registered in the state since the start of the lockdown,

Soumya Chatterjee

While there is news worldwide – some fake and some real – that nature is ‘reclaiming public spaces’ amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic induced restrictions to vehicular movement, Karnataka is seeing an increased number of man-made forest fires and wildlife poaching. “We have been getting more cases of poaching and similarly there is an increased number of fire incidents since the lockdown. We have had more than 400 incidents of fire on a single day. So between March 21 and March 30, after lockdown, we have seen 1,777 cases of forest fire across the state. But our people (forest department) are putting them out. These numbers are way above the average even though this is the fire season,” Sridhar Punati, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Head of Forest Force in Karnataka said. He added, “Normally during this time of the year, we hardly get cases of poaching but now we have around 12 cases in nine days. Even in Nagerhole National Park we have seen one case.” The wild animals that have been hunted in the past two weeks are wild boars, rabbits, deer and even peacocks. Once the poachers are caught, they are claiming that since regular meat is not available, they are resorting to hunting wild animals, he further said. This has led to the forest patrolling team being more vigilant.  He explained, “Sometime within 30-40 mins they are able to finish their hunting and run off.” He also elaborated that the fire incidents are primarily due to three causes. Due to the lockdown, there is an increased activity in collecting non-timber forest produce such as honey, tamarind or even mohua. “So often to flatten the surface, people would set fire so that it is easier to collect the produce. And then some of the fire can expand to a much larger area which becomes difficult to manage for them,” he said. Other two are done by cattle grazers who usually burn dry grass to let fresh shoots up and then there are others who just set fire as a retaliatory measure against the forest department’s strict restrictions against encroachment. In addition to fire staff on the ground, he said the state government has requested Indian Air Force (IAF) to be on standby with their helicopters to help fight fire and the IAF has assured full support as and when requisitioned. Joseph Hoover, a conservation activist and former member of the State Wildlife Board said, “Usually when there is normal activity poachers are extremely careful due to the general awareness of the public against poaching. The same goes for fires, Since no vehicles are moving in, poaching has been a bit of a problem in many areas in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and even in Turahalli and Bannerghatta near Bengaluru.”  

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How Karnataka politicians are turning to technology for interactions amid coronavirus

Coronavirus

Even Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who pulls out small chits from his pocket while speaking to prompt him on issues, video-conferenced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Naheed Ataulla

HD Kumaraswamy video-conferencing with a party MLA

The 21-day nation-wide lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic seems to have a positive side to it. It is teaching some of the tech-challenged politicians in Karnataka, for whom mobile phones were meant only to make and receive calls or check messages, to turn savvy and become part of the virtual world in view of social distancing and health protocols. Seventy-seven-year-old Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who is comfortable pulling out small chits from his pocket while speaking to prompt him on issues, video-conferenced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chatted with CMs of states on Thursday for updates on the pandemic. Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who has a smart social media team, also video-conferenced with his party MLAs from Mandya and Tumakuru districts, while the Congress party has set up a virtual war room. Though a tad late, with the COVID-19 tally in Karnataka pegged at 124 cases including 19 positive and three deaths as on Thursday, the state Congress unit constituted a 15-member war room with former minister and senior party MLA Krishna Byre Gowda as the chairman. This is in addition to the task force headed by former legislative assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar comprising doctors and former health ministers. Speaking to TNM, Byre Gowda said the first meeting of the virtual war room will be held on April 4 on Zoom, a web-based video conferencing tool that allows users to meet online. “The war room will act as a facilitator by trying to arrange relief to people either from the state government or the party. All members in the group have been assigned districts and we will also be getting inputs from the control room of the party,” he added. The state Congress unit had set up a call centre recently where those in distress can call on these numbers: 8197042379 and 9986926365. Byre Gowda said there will be no overlap of functions with the party’s task force as the latter will be monitoring the measures being taken by the state government. “The task force takes policy decisions while we coordinate throughout the state. We will not be entering the task force’s domain,” he added. An initial meeting of the war room held on Thursday at Congress Bhavan is said to have discussed the arbitrary supply of ration by the state government, control room getting calls from students who are being asked by landlords to vacate, and shortage of ventilators. As the war room panel has two legislators, Byre Gowda and NA Haris, complaints such as scarcity of ventilators will be taken up by them with the government directly. Former KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao’s wife Tabu (Tabassum) Rao, who has been made a member of the war room as she is active on social media, said the war room’s role will be more to do with dissemination of information and also to concentrate in constituencies where the party is not represented by its legislator. MN Suraj Hegde, convenor of the war room, said this was a replication of the war room set up at the AICC level headed by Rajiv Satav. Hegde will be hosting the meeting on Zoom; all members have been asked to sign up for the web-based tool. The AICC in a recent communique had asked all state units to avoid holding office meetings and opt for video conferencing. “Our war room will play the role of firefighting,” Byre Gowda added.  Naheed Ataulla is a journalist who has covered Karnataka politics for over two decades, and is a former Political Editor of The Times of India. Views expressed are the author’s own.

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Not just COVID-19 pandemic: Parts of Karnataka struggle for drinking water after dry pre-monsoon

Water

Most affected are districts of Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru and Kolar.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image

While most of the state machinery in Karnataka like in other places in the country is geared towards tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, some arid places in the state are having drinking water shortages amidst high temperatures. Sreenivas Reddy, Director of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre said there is reason for worry in more than 200 villages which do not have any surface water source. Speaking with TNM, he said, “Generally, this is not the season to declare drought as this is still the pre-monsoon period. But we are seeing the impacts of drought already. We have nearly  300 affected villages spread across the state. So now these villages are being supplied water through water tankers or by acquiring private borewells.” Most of these villages are in Kolar, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur districts where water is mostly drawn from under the ground. Some of these villages are also from Raichur and Gulbarga districts, the official said.   He added, “The water is being supplied by two departments. If drought has already been declared. then the revenue department is providing water using state disaster relief funds; otherwise the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department will provide the service.”  However, the situation in towns and cities or places which get water through major irrigation projects have no shortage. In fact, all reservoirs and dams in the state have more water than last year on the same date. Reddy further said all the dam authorities have been instructed by the government to reserve drinking water for the two months till monsoon. Sunil M Gavaskar, Meteorologist at KSNDMC said that overall, the state has been hotter than usual. “Generally throughout March we have seen temperatures being 1-2 degre celsius higher than normal in parts of north interior Karnataka and coastal Karnataka. In Kolar, Chikkaballapura and Tumakuru we have seen the minimum temperatures have been above normal for a few days.” He added, “The outlook issued by the IMD (Indian Meteorological Department) had said in April-May, the maximum temperatures are likely to be 0.5-1 degree celsius higher than normal.” 

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In Bengaluru, several good samaritans offer food to communities during lockdown

Coronavirus

While the government was slow to support migrant labourers and those affected by the shutting down of all food services, citizens of Bengaluru have pitched in.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

The lockdown has left many people in urban areas with no food, especially those who live a hand to mouth existence, as their incomes have dried up. While governments were unprepared to support the people with a suddenly announced shutdown, several local residents in Bengaluru have stepped in and tried to make sure that no one is left hungry. There are people who are distributing rations to construction labourers, and collecting funds to distribute cooked food to those in need. And many people who have the funds have donated generously, say these good samaritans. Prabhakar, of Maarga, says that with the contributions he received, he was able to give out 2,800 packets of food every day, to homeless people, slum dwellers, and daily wage labourers. Prabhakar also says that they were able to buy groceries for 900 families, which is expected to last them a month. He added that hopefully, this would help them stay indoors effectively and be in quarantine. Brinda Adige, From Global Concerns India, says through the donations which were received, they were able to reach out to about 3,000 people, through distributing dry rations. She says that they will be working with Swiggy from Friday, to distribute cooked food to about 5,000 people every day, especially to those who are street vendors, slum dwellers, and others. Kishore, from an apartment complex near Hosur road, is leading an initiative to give out about 500 food packets to people on the move, such as delivery boys, homeless people, and others who are affected by the lockdown, which has cut off access to food to many people. Kishore says that about 65 families in the apartment complex are supporting the cause by donating. He says that he also got support from other local businesspersons, such as by providing two commercial size cylinders for free. Dasarathi, from Sadashivanagar, is an engineer with his own firm. With the pandemic introducing a large scale lockdown, he has tried to make a difference in his own locality. He made a recce of his locality and reached out to 90 construction workers and their children, living in under-construction houses, with no money or food. He asked them what they need, and tried to fulfil that need. He made a Facebook post putting together his learnings about how to help people out in such times, and the post has since gone viral. Embed https://ift.tt/2wPjORm “We put in our own money initially to buy them the rations they need, since they already have a facility to cook, but they have run out of money to buy groceries,” Dasarathi says. He says that his Facebook post has inspired others too, to follow suit. Dasarathi urges people to do the same in their own localities.  “Individuals must take responsibility for the people in their locality. There’s a huge gap between the help which is being given out and the need. Organisations can help a few thousand individuals but the problem is true for a few lakh individuals. We don’t have to give a lot: one person per week is for only about Rs 200. As middle class, privileged people, it is our duty to help those around us, who have nothing.” Read: Five ways to help underprivileged people affected by the lockdown in Bengaluru  

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