Chikkaballapura in Karnataka gets new dedicated COVID and virology lab

Coronavirus

Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr Sudhakar inaugurated the dedicated COVID and virology facility on Saturday.

TNM Staff

Official Twitter handle

Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Saturday inaugurated a biosafety level two (BSL-2) dedicated COVID and Virology lab in Chikkaballapura, a district neighbouring Bengaluru. Chikkaballapura is incidentally the constituency from where he was recently reelected in the byepolls. BSL-2 laboratories are equipped to study moderate-risk infectious agents or toxins that pose a risk if accidentally inhaled, swallowed, or exposed to the skin and require suitable design and structure, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. "The state-of-the-art lab is temperature controlled and complete clean air lab with fully automated machine for autolysis with RNA extraction," said an official. It has contamination free passage for samples through ultra violet pass boxes without the need for room to room human movement. Bio-medical waste disposal from the lab is also carried through contamination free ISO - 8 classification process, the official said. This development comes as the state is struggling with a huge backlog despite having almost 10% of all labs in India in total, a Times of India report recently highlighted. While the daily capacity of these labs are at 31,000 daily COVID-19 tests, the actual numbers have almost remained at half. The highest that the state achieved in a day has been at 18,307 while the full capacity is at 31,116, the report stated. As a possible remedy, the state government on  Friday said it would conduct 20,000 rapid antigen tests in Bengaluru from July 11. Other announcements by minister for the district Later as part of his visit, Dr Sudhakar, the in-charge Minister for Chikkaballapura district distributed battery operated rickshaws to 12 unemployed youth under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana. Costing Rs 1.5 lakh per unit, the battery rickshaws have a range of 75 km when charged for 3 - 8 hours. The minister also inaugurated a couple of parks at municipal layout and Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns (IDSMT) in Chikkaballapura and distributed land titles for free plots to 29 sanitation workers (pourakarmikas). He also gave away scholarships worth Rs 8.47 lakh to SC and ST (Scheduled Caste and Tribe)   students. (IANS)

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Karnataka to implement cow slaughter ban after COVID-19 crisis eases: Minister

Politics

The BJP in its manifesto ahead of the 2018 assembly election had promised prohibition of cow slaughter.

PTI

Representational image/PTI

Karnataka will soon implement a ban on cow slaughter, sale and consumption of beef in line with other states, Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chavan has said. The BJP in its manifesto ahead of the 2018 assembly election had promised prohibition of cow slaughter. "The government is committed to enact the anti-cow slaughter law. Once the COVID-19 crisis eases an expert committee would be constituted to look into its implementation, and if need be, it will visit states like Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to study about implementation there," Chavan was quoted as saying by his office in a release on Friday. He said he will hold discussions with the Chief Minister in this regard and was committed to make it more effective than other states. If the law is enacted, along with prohibition on slaughter, sale and use of beef, illegal transportation of animals for slaughtering will be stopped, the release said. Despite resistance from opposition, the then BJP government led by BS Yediyurappa in 2010 had got the controversial Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill passed that proposed to replace the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964. The bill had widened the definition of 'cattle' and imposed a blanket ban on cattle slaughter, coupled with stringent penalty clauses for violation. However, the Congress government headed by Siddaramaiah that came to power in 2013, withdrew the bill that was before the President for his assent. After the BJP came back to power in the state, several party leaders have been making a pitch to re-enact the anti-cow slaughter law. Stating that the Cow Protection Commission (Goseva Aayoga) will be made functional, the Minister said it was set up in 2013, but the Congress government scrapped it. The government wants to ensure protection of cows, development of gaushalas and give encouragement to dairy products, he added. Chavan said following the Supreme Court's directions, the state government has also set up an animal welfare board, as he noted that a war room is being set up to help those engaged in animal husbandry, with expert advice, among other necessary things.

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U.S. records more than 66,000 new coronavirus cases in record spike

California, Florida and Texas all saw record surges in the last week.

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Bengaluru records 1,533 new COVID-19 cases, state has more than 20 k active patients

Coronavirus

The deaths of 70 more people were recorded on Saturday.

TNM Staff

Representative image/PTI

The Karnataka government has reported a spike yet again in the number of coronavirus patients in the state, reporting 2,798 cases on Saturday. The number of cases has increased from Friday when the state reported 2,313 cases. There are currently 20,833 active patients in the state. The current total cases reported in Karnataka is 36,216. Most of the coronavirus cases have been reported from the densely populated state capital of Bengaluru. On Saturday, 1,533 cases were reported in the city, taking the total active cases in the city to 12,793. The state government announced on Saturday evening that a lockdown would be imposed in Bengaluru urban and Bengaluru rural from July 14th night to July 22nd morning. However, scheduled examinations for medical students, and UG and PG students will be conducted, the state government has said in a press release. Read: Karnataka CM announces lockdown in Bengaluru from July 14 night to 22nd Dakshina Kannada district has reported the second highest number of cases in the state, with 186 cases, taking the total COVID-19 patients recorded in the district to 2,026. The current active cases in the district is 1,242. Recoveries Karnataka has reported that 880 people in the state have recovered, taking the total recovered patients from coronavirus to 14,716 recovered patients. Bengaluru has reported 404 recoveries, and Ballari reported 230 recovered patients. Critical patients The state currently has a total of 504 people on ventilator support while battling the novel coronavirus. Bengaluru has reported the maximum number of such patients with 322 people in intensive care units. Deaths The state has also reported that 70 people have died on this date due to coronavirus, taking the total reported deaths in the state to 613. Out of the total deaths in the state, 23 have been reported from Bengaluru city. The total deaths reported in Bengaluru so far attributed to coronavirus is 206.  

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Karnataka CM announces lockdown in Bengaluru from July 14 night to 22nd

Coronavirus

Essential services will remain open.

TNM Staff

File photo

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday announced a complete lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts from 8 pm on July 14 to 5 am on July 22. Essential services will be open and available in this period, a release by the Chief Minister's Office confirmed. "Hospitals, groceries, fruit, vegetable and grocery shops will remain open and the medical and post-graduate exams scheduled will be held," the release stated. Revenue Minister R Ashoka said that discussions were held with the Chief Minister over imposing a fresh lockdown in the city. Bengaluru reported 1,447 COVID-19 cases on Friday taking the total number of cases reported in the city to 11,687. The city has reported a spike in COVID-19 cases since the start of the month. As per the latest bulletin released by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on July 9, there were 3,181 containment zones in the city. Bengaluru has been reporting more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases every day, in the past few days. Most of the cases in the bulletin have been cited as ‘contact under tracing’, which means that the source of the infection is not known. The government is yet to acknowledge that there is community transmission of the virus in the city. Businesses in the city have been facing a hard time with establishment costs of paying staff salaries, rent, and other overheads, and yet not getting much business, as compared to pre-lockdown times. Many workers have also migrated back to their hometowns as they have lost their jobs in the city.

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'PPE, ventilators bought at high prices': Cong accuses BJP of misusing funds in K'taka

Coronavirus

Siddaramaiah has released a document which shows the alleged difference between the market price and the prices paid by the government for protective equipment.

TNM Staff

Congress leaders in Karnataka have accused the BJP of misusing COVID-19 funds, alleging that the state government spent Rs 2,000 crore more than the market price to procure protective equipment.  Head of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Karnataka legislature and Congress MLA HK Patil, reportedly received complaints about discrepancies in the purchase of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) kits, sanitisers and ventilators by the state government.  "How much money has the government spent on purchasing equipment related to coronavirus? What is the cost of procuring PPE kits, test kits, sanitisers, gloves, thermal scanners? What are the companies they were procured from?" asked Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a video posted on his social media handles. ಕೊರೊನಾ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣದ ಉದ್ದೇಶಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಖರ್ಚು ಮಾಡಿದ ಹಣದ ಲೆಕ್ಕ ಕೊಡಿ. ಲೆಕ್ಕ ಕೇಳುವುದು ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನತೆಯ ಹಕ್ಕು!! ಲೆಕ್ಕ ಕೊಡುವುದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ!!#100PercentCorruptSarkar#LekkaKodihttps://t.co/UjuejHvTUi — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 11, 2020 Siddaramaiah had earlier claimed that the Karnataka government had paid more than the market price for equipment bought for COVID-19 relief. Releasing a document showing a price list, Siddaramaiah had alleged that equipment worth Rs 1,163 crore was bought for Rs 3,392 crore.  The price list showed the alleged difference between the market price and the prices paid by the government for items like PPE equipment, ventilators, and COVID-19 test kits among others. According to the document shared by Siddaramaiah, 1,000 ventilators, which were supposed to cost Rs 4 lakh per piece and at a total cost of Rs 40 crore, were purchased for Rs 120 crore by the state government. This is three times the market price of the ventilators, Siddaramaiah said. He called for an audit to be done on the money spent on equipment for COVID-19 work, including the amount spent on providing ration and food for those in need.  Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad released a document of the government-owned Karnataka State Drugs Logistics and Warehouse Society which said that initially there was a demand to procure 3.5 lakh PPE kits at Rs 330 per kit, but that each kit was purchased at Rs 725 instead.  Rizwan too questioned the state government over the difference in prices and called for an audit to be done. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಔಷಧ ಉಗ್ರಾಣ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಗಣೆ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ದಾಖಲೆಗಳನ್ನು ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸಿದಾಗ @BSYBJP ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹಲವು ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳು ಹುಟ್ಟುತ್ತವೆ. ರೂ.330 ಕೋಟಿ ಬೆಲೆಯ 3.5 ಲಕ್ಷ ಪಿಪಿಇ ಕಿಟ್‌ಗಳನ್ನು ರೂ. 725 ಕೋಟಿಗೆ ಖರೀದಿಸಿರುವುದು ಏಕೆ? ಈ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಲಾಕ್‌ಡೌನ್ ಇದ್ದದ್ದು ದುಪ್ಪಟ್ಟು ಬೆಲೆಗೆ ಕಾರಣವಾಗಿದೆ. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/kI9O87voHZ — Rizwan Arshad (@ArshadRizwan) July 11, 2020 The controversy comes at a time when Bengaluru is reporting a spike in COVID-19 cases since the start of the month. The state has now reported 33,418 cases of which 19,035 are active. As many as 11,687 active cases were reported in Bengaluru. Data shows that the city is recording over 1,000 cases every day for the past few days.  

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Yet to provide food to needy in Bengaluru's containment zones, BBMP tells K'taka HC

Coronavirus

The civic body admitted in the Karnataka High Court that food kits were not supplied to those in need in containment zones, despite existing guidelines to do so.

Prajwal Bhat

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) reported earlier this week that there were 3,181 active containment zones in Bengaluru. But in a breach of the guidelines laid down by the Karnataka government, the civic body is yet to begin work on its promise of providing food packets for those in need, in these containment zones.  On Thursday, a counsel representing the BBMP in the Karnataka High Court admitted that food kits were not being supplied in containment zones. "We carried bonafide impression that supply is to the needy on a case to case basis...The exercise is not undertaken." the counsel said. The counsel was appearing before a special division Bench of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar, which was hearing a batch of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) on issues related to COVID-19 restrictions. The admission comes amid reports of people in containment zones struggling for basic essentials. In an email to the BBMP Commissioner last month, activists in Bengaluru highlighted the issue of the lack of ration or cooked food provided to residents of Shadab Nagar and Amra Layout in the city.  "I have been informed of 33 people from five families in Kaval Byrasandra (Shadab Nagar containment zone) and 10 people from one household in Devara Jeevanahalli, all of whom are in urgent need of ration. Most are migrants, but even those who are from Bangalore have not received any support from the government so far," the email by Appannna, an activist based in the city, stated.  TNM had also reported on how residents of the containment zone in Padarayanapura were struggling for basic amenities.  Read: ‘Shunned for being from Padarayanapura’: Bengaluru containment zone residents suffer  The Karnataka government in a notice dated April 17, stated that the BBMP is responsible for arranging ration and food packets to those in need in containment zones.  "The BBMP would be responsible to ensure house to house provisioning of essential supplies,services and water. Food packets and ration to the needy should also be undertaken by the BBMP as per the requirement," read the notice.  All essential shops are closed in containment zones and people's movements are restricted within the zone. Put simply, residents are barricaded from the outside world except in cases of medical complaints.  The number of containment zones shot up from 550 reported at the end of June to 3,181 on July 9 after a spike in COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru. The BBMP has not published the specific locations of the containment zones since June 27. In another revelation, the counsel appearing for the BBMP in the High Court said that the rules laid down for containment zones have not been strictly enforced. Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka pulled up the counsel stating that this was a serious breach of the protocol laid down by the state government itself. In mid-June, the BBMP changed its definition of containment zones and it is now decided on a case-by-case basis. Earlier, it was 100 metres around a positive case before the rule was modified to include the street where the positive case was detected. The High Court is expected to hear the case again on Monday. 

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