Rethink decision to stop Shramik trains for migrant workers, Karnataka HC tells state

Coronavirus

The court said that the availability of work cannot affect the rights of migrant workers who wish to return to their homes

TNM Staff

The Karnataka High Court on Friday asked the state government to reconsider its decision to not run ‘Shramik trains’ to help migrant workers return home after it was informed that a policy decision had been taken on the issue.  The court was hearing a petition filed by the All India Central Council of Trade Union (AICCTU) and others who pointed out that the state government had closed down the mustering centre for migrant workers, where they could get information on the special trains. Live Law quoted a division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Sreenivas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar, stating that the situation in which the state government had decided to bear the cost of Shramik trains for migrant workers has not changed. Bar and Bench quoted the court saying that the state government cannot ignore migrant workers as they had contributed to the development of Bengaluru. It may be recalled that the Karnataka government had previously stopped Shramik trains, citing opening up of the economy and made a u-turn on the decision only after wide-scale opposition. Even the decision to not charge migrant workers whose livelihoods has been severely affected by the lockdown was a result of the same litigation.  The Bench further observed that the spread of COVID-19 had worsened and questioned the state’s policy on making work available at places which were shut during the lockdown period. The court said that the availability of work cannot affect the rights of migrant workers who wished to return to their homes, adding that a lack of work was not the only reason that migrant workers wanted to head home, and cited the fear psychosis surrounding the pandemic.  Reacting to Additional Advocate General Dhyan Chinnappa’s submission that a policy decision had been taken, the Bench criticised the state government’s stand and said that it was a problem that the government wanted migrant workers to stay to benefit industries and the real estate lobby. As part of the proceedings, AICCTU counsel Clifton D’ Rozario said that their union had submitted a list of migrant workers who wished to return from June 26 to July 7 and the mustering centre was closed without informing them. The court asked Principal Secretary (Revenue) Manjunath Prasad, the nodal officer appointed for overseeing travel arrangements for migrant workers, to file a counter affidavit on the data presented to him by the AICCTU and posted the issue for further hearing. 

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From 'Thithi' to 'Gantumoote', 9 new gen Kannada films that you can watch online

Flix

There's a wide variety of new era, well-directed Kannada films to choose from online.

TNM Staff

Still from the movie 'Gantumoote'

With theatres unlikely to open anytime soon thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, most film buffs are stuck at home, entertaining themselves with content on OTT platforms. Why not take the opportunity to explore Kannada films online too?  There's a wide variety of new era, well-directed Kannada films which have good storylines and are streaming online. These films will appeal to people across states and deserve a much wider audience.  Here are some of our favourite new generation Kannada films that we recommend you watch: 1. Humble Politician Nograj (Amazon Prime Video): Danish Sait is on everyone’s screen these days, with a fresh new take on current affairs in short one minute clips. While we wait for his latest film French Biryani to come out on Amazon Prime Video, you can watch Danish entertaining the viewers by taking digs at politicians in Karnataka in Humble Politician Nograj. Danish, in this film, manages to critique and entertain at the same time. The film is directed by Saad Khan. 2. Nathicharami (Netflix): Despite the traditional title, this Sruthi Hariharan film transcends itself and speaks about an old problem in a modern setting. How do widows manage their sexual needs without a partner? The film eases into issues that are hardly touched upon in Kannada cinema: what women want, widowhood, therapy, and extramarital relationships. The film has also won several awards at the national level. The film was directed by Mansore. 3. Thithi (Netflix): The film is a slice of life story set in a village, and narrates the drama surrounding post funeral rites, the struggle of jumping hoops for land papers, and the love story of a young couple. This award winning debut film by Raam Reddy stars Thammegowda and Channegowda, neither of whom are professional actors. It was met with rave reviews and audiences loved the film too. A must watch. 4. U Turn (Netflix): This popular thriller brought to attention a much neglected hotspot for accidents in the middle of Bengaluru, on top of a flyover. The film, directed by Pawan Kumar and starring Shraddha Srinath in the lead, has a supernatural twist to a civic problem. If you find yourself missing Bengaluru traffic, then you must watch this film. 5. Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (Disney+Hotstar): This film, directed by Hemanth Rao, is a crime thriller, which begins with a search for a missing family member, but the plot thickens when the missing person becomes entangled in a crime. A lot of viewers who have watched this Anant Nag starrer recommend this film as a classic. 6. Kavaludaari (Amazon Prime Video): This film, directed by Hemanth Rao, was an award winner at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. It is a noir film about a Bengaluru cop who investigates a crime, and in the process gets stuck in a plot that hits closer home. Rishi, Anant Nag, Achyuth Kumar, Suman Ranganathan, and Roshni Prakash are in the cast. 7. Mundina Nildana (Amazon Prime Video): A romance that hits all the right notes, this film directed by Vinay Bharadwaj was nominated for an award at the Bengaluru International Film festival. The film is a modern take on how young people discover friendship, love and their careers. The cast includes Praveen Tej, Radhika Narayan and Ananya Kashyap. 8. Gantumoote (Amazon Prime Video): Gantumoote is an internationally acclaimed film, which was directed by Roopa Rao. The sensitive film was an instant hit with audiences and critics alike for bringing out the perspective of a young girl who grows into womanhood. The coming-of-age film, starring Teju Belawadi and Nischith Korodi, raised a lot of discussion around women directors in Sandalwood after it was excluded from the competition category for Kannada films at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. 9. Avane Srimannarayana (Amazon Prime Video): This Rakshit Shetty starrer, which was released across the south to popular appeal, is a must watch. The film, directed by Sachin Ravi, paints a wide canvas, passing through an almost mythological and fantastical backdrop with Rakshit Shetty in the middle of the story as the bad cop. The movie runs a little long, but the twist in the tale keeps you guessing.

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From 'Thithi' to 'Gantumoote', 9 new gen Kannada films that you can watch online

Flix

There's a wide variety of new era, well-directed Kannada films to choose from online.

TNM Staff

Still from the movie 'Gantumoote'

With theatres unlikely to open anytime soon thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, most film buffs are stuck at home, entertaining themselves with content on OTT platforms. Why not take the opportunity to explore Kannada films online too?  There's a wide variety of new era, well-directed Kannada films which have good storylines and are streaming online. These films will appeal to people across states and deserve a much wider audience.  Here are some of our favourite new generation Kannada films that we recommend you watch: 1. Humble Politician Nograj (Amazon Prime Video): Danish Sait is on everyone’s screen these days, with a fresh new take on current affairs in short one minute clips. While we wait for his latest film French Biryani to come out on Amazon Prime Video, you can watch Danish entertaining the viewers by taking digs at politicians in Karnataka in Humble Politician Nograj. Danish, in this film, manages to critique and entertain at the same time. The film is directed by Saad Khan. 2. Nathicharami (Netflix): Despite the traditional title, this Sruthi Hariharan film transcends itself and speaks about an old problem in a modern setting. How do widows manage their sexual needs without a partner? The film eases into issues that are hardly touched upon in Kannada cinema: what women want, widowhood, therapy, and extramarital relationships. The film has also won several awards at the national level. The film was directed by Mansore. 3. Thithi (Netflix): The film is a slice of life story set in a village, and narrates the drama surrounding post funeral rites, the struggle of jumping hoops for land papers, and the love story of a young couple. This award winning debut film by Raam Reddy stars Thammegowda and Channegowda, neither of whom are professional actors. It was met with rave reviews and audiences loved the film too. A must watch. 4. U Turn (Netflix): This popular thriller brought to attention a much neglected hotspot for accidents in the middle of Bengaluru, on top of a flyover. The film, directed by Pawan Kumar and starring Shraddha Srinath in the lead, has a supernatural twist to a civic problem. If you find yourself missing Bengaluru traffic, then you must watch this film. 5. Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (Disney+Hotstar): This film, directed by Hemanth Rao, is a crime thriller, which begins with a search for a missing family member, but the plot thickens when the missing person becomes entangled in a crime. A lot of viewers who have watched this Anant Nag starrer recommend this film as a classic. 6. Kavaludaari (Amazon Prime Video): This film, directed by Hemanth Rao, was an award winner at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. It is a noir film about a Bengaluru cop who investigates a crime, and in the process gets stuck in a plot that hits closer home. Rishi, Anant Nag, Achyuth Kumar, Suman Ranganathan, and Roshni Prakash are in the cast. 7. Mundina Nildana (Amazon Prime Video): A romance that hits all the right notes, this film directed by Vinay Bharadwaj was nominated for an award at the Bengaluru International Film festival. The film is a modern take on how young people discover friendship, love and their careers. The cast includes Praveen Tej, Radhika Narayan and Ananya Kashyap. 8. Gantumoote (Amazon Prime Video): Gantumoote is an internationally acclaimed film, which was directed by Roopa Rao. The sensitive film was an instant hit with audiences and critics alike for bringing out the perspective of a young girl who grows into womanhood. The coming-of-age film, starring Teju Belawadi and Nischith Korodi, raised a lot of discussion around women directors in Sandalwood after it was excluded from the competition category for Kannada films at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. 9. Avane Srimannarayana (Amazon Prime Video): This Rakshit Shetty starrer, which was released across the south to popular appeal, is a must watch. The film, directed by Sachin Ravi, paints a wide canvas, passing through an almost mythological and fantastical backdrop with Rakshit Shetty in the middle of the story as the bad cop. The movie runs a little long, but the twist in the tale keeps you guessing.

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When cops get COVID-19: Steps taken by Karnataka, TN police

Coronavirus

Police officers say they are scared for their family members as they are on the frontlines.

TNM Staff

As the number of patients contracting COVID-19 in major south Indian cities like Bengaluru and Chennai increase every day, police officers are among the frontline workers who are affected.  Chennai city till Thursday has recorded 46,652 cases of COVID-19. This includes 1,386 police personnel. The city in fact lost its first policeman to the virus on June 18. Mamabalam police station inspector Balamurali died after contracting the infection in early June. The story is the same across most cities. Police personnel who are arresting accused, questioning suspects, on bandobast duty, and many others have been contracting the infection. In Bengaluru, 395 policemen have tested positive for the novel coronavirus so far and five have died, according to the Karnataka police department. Of the 395 policemen, 190 recovered and 205 of them are still in isolation.  According to Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, the Bengaluru Police have been susceptible to getting infected as they are on the streets every day and come into contact with tens of people without knowing whether they have COVID-19 or not.  “The infection among police is happening even though safety protocols are being followed and policemen are constantly advised on how to maintain physical distance, and take precautionary measures,” Bhaskar Rao said.  So far, 20 police stations in the city have had to be shut for sanitisation for a span of three to four days after several personnel tested positive.  What precautions are being taken According to a senior police officer in Bengaluru, every morning the administrative wing puts out a duty charter, which is shared with each employee in the police force. “Here we talk about how to avoid getting the infection, how to maintain hygiene and how to handle a situation if they have symptoms of COVID-19,” the officer said. An officer of the ADGP rank in Chennai told TNM, "We have been giving all police officials two masks so that they can wash and wear alternately. In addition to this they are all being given gloves. If they have to go find and bring in an accused, personal protective gear is given to the officials, including the full body suits." When TNM spoke to a Chennai city inspector he said that all stations had an unlimited number of gloves and masks. "We initially gave those who stepped out two masks and gloves. There are about 30 policemen in three shifts and when they need more they can always come to the station and take extra gear," he said. "In addition to this every week their supply of sanitiser is replenished and all police personnel get the transparent face shield that covers your complete face," he added. Lack of PPE kits for police personnel In Bengaluru too, police stations have a regular supply of sanitisers, hand wash and masks. However, a senior police officer in the city said that PPE kits are not given to all police personnel, and the situation is similar in Chennai too. An inspector in Chennai who TNM spoke to, denied that PPE suits have been given to police personnel when they are out to arrest accused persons. They however do conduct COVID-19 tests for people they apprehend, just like the police in Bengaluru. "In Vadapalani station, everyone was wearing masks and gloves when the accused was brought in. Despite that they got infected since they were near the accused for a long time," said the inspector. "In 90% of the cases now we have stopped bringing the accused to the station. If it is completely unavoidable, we wear all precautionary gear. If the accused is being taken to the magistrate the next day, we ensure he takes a bath," he added. In addition to this, the Director General of police JK Tripathy, said police sources, has given other guidelines for arrest. "Before we apprehend the accused, we have to give him gloves and a mask. We cannot directly touch an accused and can only do so if we are wearing gloves," said the inspector. "All interrogation has to be done with six feet of physical distance," he added.   In Bengaluru, the HAL Police Station was shut down for sanitisation in June after 12 personnel including an inspector, one sub inspector, four head constables, a woman constable and seven staffers tested positive. “We had masks, sanitisers, hand wash and were always briefed about safety measures. The last time we arrested an accused and got him tested, it was negative. But we come into contact with so many people, it is hard to say. There is always a risk.  We have families too and are scared for them,” a police officer from the HAL police station said.  The Bengaluru Police is now engaging in confidence building measures among its personnel as they fear for the wellbeing of their families. DCP South Rohini Sepat holds regular video calls with police personnel who are in COVID-19 Care Centres and COVID-19 Hospitals to find out about their well being and talk to them about the importance of the police force being on the frontlines.  “We cannot help the work we do, we are trying to build confidence among those police personnel who are still on the streets and fear for their families,” DCP (Admin) Hemant Nimbalkar said. 

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Only final year degree and postgraduate students need to write exam: Karnataka Dy CM

Education

This rule would apply to students studying engineering and diploma courses as well.

TNM Staff

Representational image/PTI

Only final year students in Karnataka’s degree, postgraduate, diploma and engineering colleges have to appear for their exams, Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan said on Friday. The Deputy CM, who holds the portfolio of Higher Education along with other departments, stated that all the other students will be allowed to attend classes of the next year based on their internal marks and performance in the previous semester for the 2019-20 academic year. The minister also said that the next semester will begin in September and all institutions have been told to make necessary changes to conduct classes, both on online and offline modes. It was also announced that the Karnataka-Common Entrance Test will be held on July 30 and 31 as announced by the department earlier. Sources in the department said that this decision came after detailed deliberations and discussions that the department held with academics and vice-chancellors of many universities in the state. The recommendations and guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) were also complied with.  Earlier, it was reported that to make this happen, the permission of the Governor, who is the Chancellor of all the state universities, has to be taken as well. It may be recalled that schools, colleges and universities have been shut since mid-March with the statewide restrictions put in place as part of the COVID-19 induced lockdown. As a result, the ongoing pre-university (PU-II) exams which were being held at that time had to be postponed, with only the English exam being left to be held. The English paper exam was held on June 18, close to three months after the scheduled date of examination. Even the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations in Karnataka which were to be held soon after the conclusion of the PU-II exams had to be delayed due to the lockdown imposed in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

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Pourakarmikas in Bengaluru protest after 23 among them get COVID-19, ask for PPEs

Coronavirus

The protest comes after 23 pourakarmikas tested positive for coronavirus in a randomised testing done by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) last week.

Prajwal Bhat

Pourakarmikas in Bengaluru held a protest on Friday raising the issue of their safety during the COVID-19 crisis.  Protests were held in locations across Bengaluru where pourakarmikas register their attendance everyday for the day's work. The protest comes after 23 pourakarmikas tested positive for coronavirus in a randomised testing done by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) last week.  "We are protesting with small groups of 5-10 people assembling at the place where they record thieir attendance everyday," Nirmala M of the BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha told TNM. The civic workers are asking for adequate protective equipment and for payment promised during the lockdown. "We are asking for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) including gloves, masks and sanitisers to be given everyday. We are also asking for pourakarmikas working in containment zones to be given protective suits," Nirmala said.  Randomised testing was done on 94 sanitation workers in BBMP's west and south zone, two areas of the city where the highest number of cases have been reported. "If a pourakarmika tests positive, how can the family afford charges of testing and treatment? The state government should announce plans to test and treat pourakarmikas," she added. Nirmala added that thermal screening of pourakarmikas should take place everyday and that the compensation of Rs 100 per day as transport allowance promised by the state government during the lockdown period should be disbursed to them. Pourakarmikas do the crucial tasks of disposing waste in the city and in the last three months, pourakarmikas in Bengaluru are carrying out these tasks even near homes where people are quarantined. Uma, a pourakarmika working in Indiranagar told TNM that she has observed a large number of disposable masks being thrown away. "People who visit hospitals in particular are throwing their masks when they come outside. We are currently packing these along with dry waste," she says. Pourakarmikas were provided masks and gloves by the BBMP but the workers say that the equipment was not periodically updated.  

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CM Yediyurappa goes into self quarantine after staff test positive for coronavirus

Coronavirus

This is not the first time that staff members at the CM’s home office had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

TNM Staff

File image

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday cancelled all his day’s engagements after some staff members tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He will be working from home for the next few days.  According to sources, the staff who tested positive included a driver and an electrician who work at Krishna, the CM’s home-office or office-cum-residence in Bengaluru, “Employees at my official residence Krishna tested positive due to which I will be working from home for a few days via video calls. There is no need for anyone to worry as I am healthy. Everyone please take precautions while working, maintain physical distance and wear masks compulsorily,” the CM said in a statement. A source in the CMO said the CM will be staying at his personal residence in Dollar's Colony in Bengaluru. Another 94 persons working in the CM's office have tested negative, sources confirmed. Another source said that the CM did not come in contact with the staff members who tested positive and that it was only for a precautionary measure that the CM won’t be out in public for the next five days. This is not the first time that staff members at the CM’s home office had tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic. On June 19, the same office was shut for sanitisation after an employee's relative tested positive for coronavirus. The office was re-opened after all sanitisation and fumigation exercises were done in two days' time. Later on June 25 too, four staff members at BS Yediyurappa’s official residence Krishna tested positive for the novel coronaviru Both these incidents forced the Chief Minister to conduct his meetings of the day at the Vidhana Soudha instead of 'Krishna' With a record 2,228 positive cases on Thursday, the southern state's Covid-19 numbers shot up to 31,105, including 17,782 active patients. 457 people have died of the infection till date, with 17 patients dying in the last 24 hours Of the new cases in the state, Bengaluru accounted for 1,373, taking the total in the state to 13,882, including 10,870 active patients

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