Karnataka bans entry of people from 4 states, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Coronavirus

Incidentally, the state has seen a huge spike in the number of cases recently with travel histories to Mumbai.

Soumya Chatterjee

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The Karnataka government on Monday announced that it will not allow visitors from states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu to enter its territory till May 31. This is the announcement made by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa along with relaxations that the state government was allowing with regards to lockdown 4.0. The announcement came with a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the state and mostly among those with domestic travel history as compared to those transmitted through contacts or international travellers.  Incidentally, among the 84 new cases of COVID-19 that were confirmed by the state health department on Monday morning, 56 had recently returned from Mumbai. On Sunday too, 40 among those who tested positive on Sunday were also with recent travel history to Mumbai. The trend of high COVID-19 patients with travel histories to Mumbai was seen from Friday itself.  A majority of cases from Kolar district which until recently had zero cases have patients with travel histories to Tamil Nadu. Around 60 cases in the state can also be traced back to patients with travel history to Gujarat. However, no such spike in cases has been seen with travel histories to Kerala. The state government has also ordered that no interstate trains except Shramik trains and special trains to and from Delhi as announced by the Railways will not be operated until May 31. However inter-district trains will be allowed to ply. Among other important announcements, the Chief Minister said that people will be fined by police for now wearing masks in all public places and transport. To discourage travellers from coming into the state, the CM has ordered that the existing standard operation procedure for all interstate passengers to undergo institutional quarantine will remain in place under further orders.

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1 lakh migrants left Karnataka in special trains till now: South Western Railway

Coronavirus

The Karnataka government had earlier faced backlash for not allowing migrant workers to return to their hometowns.

IANS

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Over a lakh stranded migrants including distressed workers, women, children and others travelled from Karnataka to their native places in various states across the country in special trains run by the zonal South Western Railway (SWR) since May 3, an official said on Sunday. "We have crossed ferrying 1 lakh passengers (migrants) in 73 Shramik Special trains," said an SWR zone official. On Sunday, the railway zone operated 12 special trains to ferry 16,873 migrants back home to five north Indian states amid the COVID-19 lockdown. "SWR on Sunday operated eight more Shramik Special trains, six to Uttar Pradesh (UP) and two to Bihar up to 6.30 pm on Sunday," said the SWR official. The railway zone had scheduled four more trains to Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir for Sunday night. "The first train left from Ballari to Azamgarh in UP with 1,452 passengers at 10:35 a.m. The Member of Parliament for Ballari visited the station and interacted with the migrants leaving Ballari," said the official. The second train departed from Hubballi to Basti in UP with 1,446 migrants at 12:25 p.m. Sunday's third special train left Hosapete to Azamgarh at 1:10 p.m. with 1,445 migrants. According to the official, food for the migrants departing from Hosapete to Azamgarh was arranged by the local Jain Samaj. The fourth train from Ashokapuram in Mysuru left for Gorakhpur in UP at 2:10 p.m. with 1,392 migrants. "The district administration provided lunch for the migrants while the local Rotary Heritage Club is chipping in with light snacks," said the official. Sunday's fifth special train left Malur station near Bengaluru for Muzaffarpur in Bihar at 4:05 p.m. with 1,452 passengers aboard. The sixth and SWR 70th special train departed from Chikka Bannavara, from Bengaluru's outskirts to Azamgarh at 4:30 p.m. with 1,520 passengers. The seventh special train left Malur for Baghalpur in Bihar at 6 p.m. with 1,468 migrants. Sunday's eighth special train departed from Chikka Bannavara to Basti with 1,520 migrants at 6:17 p.m. The ninth train departed Chikka Bannavara at 7:58 p.m. with 1,511 migrants for Jaipur in Rajasthan. This train, also SWR's 73rd special train marked the crossing of 1 lakh migrants being ferried from the state. Sunday's 10th special train left Hassan for Katihar at 7:50 p.m. with 1,440 migrants aboard while the 11th special train from SWR left Malur at 8:40 p.m. with 1,542 migrants for Barkha Kana in Jharkhand. The 12th special train, last one for Sunday and SWR's 76th special one, departed Chikka Bannavara at 9:35 p.m. for Udhampur in J&K. The special trains are being run following the Ministry of Home Affairs' permission for the movement of stranded migrant labourers, workers, students, tourists and others. Earlier, Karnataka faced stiff opposition and public outrage at the move to not allow migrant workers to travel back to their hometowns.

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Hike in borrowing limit to benefit Karnataka: CM Yediyurappa

Coronavirus

The hike in borrowing limits for states comes even as Karnataka has large GST payments pending from the Centre.

IANS

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Cash-starved and debt-ridden Karnataka would benefit from the 2 per cent increase in borrowing limit to 5 percent of the gross state domestic product (GSDP), said Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday. "The increased borrowing limit of states from 3 percent to 5 percent of the GSDP will benefit states like Karnataka, which are distressed due to COVID-19. With more funds, we will be able to revive our economic system," said Yediyurappa in a statement here. Reacting to the fifth tranche of the Rs 20-lakh crore stimulus package to revive the COVID-19-hit economy Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled in New Delhi, Yediyurappa said that Karnataka would make efforts to realize aspirations of a self-reliant India (Atma Nirbhar Bharat), envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and unveiled by May 12. Extending support to state governments across the country, Sitharaman said the 2 per cent increase in borrowing limit would give Rs 4.28-lakh crore extra resource to states for fiscal 2020-21 only. "Part of the borrowing will be linked to specific reforms, including recommendations of the Finance Commission. Reform linkage will be in the universalisation of one nation one ration card'; ease of doing business, power distribution and urban local body revenues," said Sitharaman on Sunday. Reeling under severe resource crunch following revenue shortfall from tax collections and reduction in central grants, Yediyurappa earlier said the state would seek more share of funds from the 15th Finance Commission. "Karnataka will soon petition the 15th Finance Commission to increase the state's share from central taxes to make up for the reduction in allocation for fiscal 2020-21," said Yediyurappa while presenting the state budget for this fiscal (FY 20-21) in the state legislative assembly here on March 5. Yediyurappa holds the finance portfolio as an additional post. The finance panel had reduced the state's share by Rs 11,215 crore to 3.64 per cent (Rs 28,591 crore) for fiscal 2020-21 after the 14th Commission reduced it by Rs 8,887 crore from 4.70 per cent (Rs 39,806 crore) to Rs 30,919 crore for fiscal 2019-20. The state also suffered Rs 3,000 crore compensation loss from the GST regime due to lower realisation of indirect tax collection by the Union finance ministry in the last fiscal (2019-20). "The fifth tranche emphasizes on creating jobs to workers, improvements in education and health sector, reforms to industrial laws and spur the state's economic situation," said Yediyurappa. Terming the technology-driven education with equity, as a smart move, the chief minister said dedicated television channels would benefit thousands of children who cannot attend school due to the pandemic. "The Prime Minister's e-vidya programme will reduce the pressure exerted by the formal system of education that we followed hitherto. E-education will bring in significant changes in the education sector," asserted Yediyurappa. Sitharaman said the e-vidya programme for multi-mode access to digital/online education would be launched soon.'Manodarpan', an initiative for psycho-social support for students, teachers and families for mental health and emotional well-being, will also be unveiled at the earliest. "New national curriculum and pedagogical framework for school, early childhood and teachers will be launched. National foundational literacy and numeracy mission for ensuring every child attains learning level and outcomes in grade 5 by 2025 will be unveiled by December," said the finance minister. On the Union finance ministry not initiating insolvency proceedings against companies and individuals becoming default/bankrupt due to COVID-19, the Chief Minister said the pro-active initiative would give relief to MSMEs (micro, small, medium enterprises) owners and revive the economy. "Opening all sectors for private participation will provide new life to state-run institutions across the country," added Yediyurappa. The Finance Minister announced that minimum threshold to initiate insolvency proceedings has been raised to Rs 1 crore from Rs 1 lakh, which insulates MSMEs). "Special insolvency resolution framework for MSMEs under section 240A of the Code will be notified soon," Sitharaman added. The hike in borrowing limits for states comes even as Karnataka has large GST payments pending from the Centre.

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DK Shivakumar likely to officially take over as Karnataka Congress President on May 31

Politics

After remaining in a virtual vacuum for nearly three months, the party high command on March 11 appointed Shivakumar, replacing Dinesh Gundu Rao as KPCC chief.

PTI

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Over two months after his appointment as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress President, D K Shivakumar is likely to take over the reigns of the party officially on May 31. "There are two dates, May 31 and June 7. He is most likely to officially take over as KPCC President on the 31st," sources close to Shivakumar told PTI. After remaining in a virtual vacuum for nearly three months, the party high command on March 11 appointed Shivakumar, known to be the Congress' chief trouble shooter in crisis situations, replacing Dinesh Gundu Rao as KPCC chief. Dinesh Gundu Rao had quit the post in December 2019 after the party's dismal show in the bye-polls, when it won only two of the 15 seats and yielded 12. Congress sources said once the appointment letter came from the high command, he has been KPCC president and officially taking charge was just a formality. "He will be officially handed over the party insignias and responsibilities relating to bank accounts and cheques, among other things, that has been traditionally followed," they said, adding that the official takeover was delayed due to the coronavirus. After his appointment as KPCC president, Shivakumar has been meeting a host of senior party leaders and leading the party in the fight against coronavirus. These include setting up of Congress' COVID-19 task force, alerting the government in its management of the crisis, holding weekly video conferencing with leaders of party's local units to gather information, among other things. Sources close to Shivakumar said the official takeover would be a simple event, looking at the current situation due to the pandemic. "Very few select party leaders and office bearers, say about 50 odd people, are likely to be in attendance at the simple event at the KPCC office," they said, adding that arrangements may be made to telecast the event live for the benefit of party workers and local leaders. A six-time MLA, Shivakumar had a long wait for his appointment to the coveted post, due to opposition within. There were reports that Congress Legislature Party leader Siddarmaiah had lobbied in favour of one of his confidants for the top job. In a first, appointment of three KPCC working presidents- Satish Jharkiholi, Saleem Ahammed and Eashwar Khandre, was seen as an attempt by those opposing Shivakumar, to weaken his hold on the party.

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Azar champions Trump coronavirus response

The infrequently seen HHS secretary appeared on a pair of morning shows.

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Karnataka reports 55 new cases, majority with travel history to Mumbai

Coronavirus

While there are no new cases from Bengaluru, the state reported one death, a 54-year-old Udupi resident who had a comorbid condition.

TNM Staff

Karnataka reported 55 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, out of which, 40 patients have a travel history to Mumbai. Incidentally, on Friday, too, the state saw 23 COVID-19 patients with a travel history to Mumbai. Out of 40 with a travel history to Mumbai, 19 are from Mandya, eight from Kalaburagi and the others from Hassan, Dharwad, Udupi and Shivamogga districts of Karnataka. District-wise, among the 55 new cases on Sunday, 22 are from Mandya, 10 patients are from Kalaburagi, six from Hassan, four from Dharwad, three each from Kolar, Yadgir and Dakshina Kannada, two from Shivamogga, and one each from Vijayapura and Udupi districts. The source of infection of two men who tested positive from Kolar and Dakshina Kannada is not known yet and their contact tracing is still underway. Nine others who tested positive on Sunday had contracted the virus from COVID-19 patients. The state also declared one more COVID-19 related death on Sunday. A 54-year-old Udupi resident, who was admitted to a private hospital with cardiac issues, died due to cardiac arrest on Thursday. He was tested following his death and the results came back as positive on Saturday. With this, the total number of cases in the state stands at 1,147, among whom 509 have been discharged following their recovery. A total of 37 patients have succumbed to their comorbidities. Among the 600 active cases, 13 patients are in intensive care units (ICU). Although Bengaluru did not report any new cases on Sunday, it still has the most number of active cases with 86 patients undergoing treatment. This is followed by Davangere with 83 cases and Belagavi with 59 cases. Kalaburgi has 46 patients undergoing treatment for the novel coronavirus disease. Other than these, another 158 patients were admitted to hospitals on Sunday following symptoms. Of this, 41 are from Bengaluru and 24 from Kolar. Meanwhile, 153 persons who were admitted to hospitals with overt symptoms have been discharged.    

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Parts of north Karnataka to see temperature rise to 43 deg C, public advisory issued

Weather

Rain is expected in all parts of the state including Bengaluru.

Soumya Chatterjee

In view of high temperatures in some parts of north interior Karnataka, the Disaster Management and Meteorological Departments have asked district officials in the north-western parts of Karnataka to urge residents to avoid direct sunlight during the afternoon hours. This includes Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot, Gadag and Haveri districts.  According to the 4.30 pm heatwave bulletin by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperatures were above normal (3.1°C to 5°C) in isolated places in north interior Karnataka. However, there was no prevalent heatwave.  “Only Kalaburagi and surrounding districts are recording above normal temperatures. During the afternoon period, that is, between 11.30 am to 3.30 pm, the public and farmers are advised to stay indoors and not expose themselves to direct sunlight,” Bengaluru IMD Director CS Patil told TNM. For the next three days, the IMD has issued a yellow warning, stating, “Heat is tolerable for the general public but there is a moderate health concern for vulnerable people, including infants, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.”  Officials in the know said with the lockdown, there has been no need for changing school and office timings. Only farmers and MGNREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers have been asked to discontinue work during these hours. Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre Director Sreenivasa Reddy said that if the situation persists for more than three to four days, it will be termed as a heatwave.  “We have given scientific inputs to the Disaster Management Authority and based on that they have issued an advisory to the districts,” Sreenivasa Reddy told TNM. But in a welcome respite, rainfall is expected across many parts of the state, including north interior regions. The Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre, in a forecast issued on Sunday afternoon, said, “Fairly widespread to widespread with light to moderate rains, thunderstorm activity and heavy rains at isolated places are likely over south interior Karnataka, coastal and Malnad districts. Isolated to scattered with light to moderate rains are likely over north interior Karnataka districts.”

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