Bengaluru's active containment zones rise to 14010, East zone has most at 2802

Coronavirus

Bengaluru has reported 28,716 containment zones in 152 days, of which 14,706 zones have returned to normal.

TNM Staff

Image for representation: PTI

After reporting a decline in the number of containment zones for two days earlier this week, Bengaluru on Sunday saw the total number of active zones rise to 14,010 — a sharp increase from Friday's figure of 13,386, when the number of zones was coming down. As of Sunday, Bengaluru has reported 28,716 containment zones in 152 days, since the first zone was put up. Out of this, 14,706 zones have returned to normal. Bengaluru East continues to be the worst-affected with 2802 active containment zones, followed by Bengaluru South at 2726, Bengaluru West at 2349, Bommanahalli at 2226, Mahadevapura at 1297, RR Nagara at 1205, Yelahanka at 762 and Dasarahalli at 643. Most of the containment zones in Bengaluru have been classified 'A', which means that the street which has the residence of the COVID-19 positive person is sealed. Some containment zones are also under the 'AP' or 'Apartment complex' category, where the particular floor which has the residence of the COVID-19 positive person and an immediate floor above and below are sealed by officials. Meanwhile, active coronavirus cases in Karnataka breached the 80,000 mark on Sunday with 5,985 new infections, health officials said on Sunday. The total number of active cases now stands at 80,973. With the new infections, the state's total tally rose to 1.78 lakh, officials added. Bengaluru Urban continued to be the highest contributor of new cases, recording 1,948 cases, slightly lower than the 2,000 plus cases it normally registers each day. The city's tally rose to 74,185, out of which 33,815 are active. Among other places, Mysuru accounted for 455 new cases on Sunday, followed by Ballari (380), Udupi (282), Belagavi (235), Raichur (202), Dharwad (196), Kalaburagi (194), Hassan (168) and Davangere (158). Meanwhile, 107 more patients succumbed to the virus, increasing the state's death toll to 3,198. With 4,670 more patients being discharged, the total number of recoveries rose to 93,908. Of the 1.78 lakh cases, 80,973 are active and 678 in ICUs. With IANS inputs

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Karnataka govt mulls introducing TOEFL-like Kannada language test

Education

An official said that the test would not be made mandatory.

IANS

Courtesy: Pixabay

The Karnataka government is mulling creation of a Kannada language test on the lines of TOEFL for those people who are interested in studying or working in the state, an official said on Sunday. "The process is on and we are yet to announce it officially. It will take another two or three months to come out," the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) chairman T S Nagabharana told IANS. He said the exam will be like TOEFL but will not be made mandatory, and would adhere to the Constitution without affecting any other language. "We will not make it mandatory, instead, we will make it discretionary. We will implement this within the Constitution and without disturbing any other language," he added. According to Nagarbharana, any person can take the test as per their requirement highlighting that there is need for an individual to possess Kannada knowledge. "In education and work, there is a lot of need for this (Kannada). Lot of people are unable to get into medical and engineering colleges because of this reason," opined Nagabharana. He said the proposed language exam will fill the void of a proper Kannada certifying authority which can cater to the needs of Kannadigas and others as well, who may be living outside the state and the country. "Some of the Kannadigas are from outside, from America, Dubai. They are also Kannadigas, but they are not able to get their medical seats," he added. Nagabharana said a Kannada test at the level of seventh or 10th standard would be of much help, enabling students to aim for engineering or medical seats reserved for Kannadigas by passing this exam. Commenting on the eventuality of somebody going to court over a proposal like this, the KDA chairman said he doesn't see any problem. "Even if it goes to the court, we will try to see that it does not come under a ban by court. We will make it discretionary," he pointed out. He said that there would not be any issue as the new education policy brought out by the Central government also lays emphasis on the mother tongue.

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Active COVID-19 cases in Karnataka cross 80000 as state sees 5985 new patients

Coronavirus

The total death toll due to coronavirus in the state has now risen to over 3,000.

TNM Staff

PTI

Active coronavirus cases in Karnataka breached the 80,000 mark on Sunday with 5,985 new infections, the Karnataka health bulletin said on Sunday. With 5,985 new COVID-19 cases and 107 casualties, the total number of those infected by the coronavirus in Karnataka reached 1.78 lakh on Sunday, the health department said. According to the health bulletin issued by the department, 5,670 discharges on Sunday took the total discharges in the state to 93,908 while there are 80,973 active cases including 678 in the ICU. Bengaluru Urban continues to be the highest contributor of new infections. Bengaluru recorded 1,948 fresh cases and 22 deaths due to the virus. The capital city has seen 1,240 fatalities so far. Among other places, Mysuru accounted for 455 cases, followed by Ballari (380), Udupi (282), Belagavi (235), Raichuru (202), Dharwad (196), Kalaburagi (194), Hassan (168) and Davangere (158). With 107 deaths, the death toll due to COVID-19 in the state rose to 3,198. Twelve deaths were reported from Mysuru, nine each in Ballari and Davangere, eight in Kolar, seven in Hassan, six each in Dharwad and Dakshina Kannada and four each in Kalaburagi, Tumakuru and Bidar. As far as testing data goes, Karnataka tested 37,936 people on Sunday, with 17,133 rapid antigen tests and 20,823 RT-PCR tests done. The bulletin does not mention the testing data per million done. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Sunday said that he has tested positive for coronavirus. He is the fourth minister in the state to be diagnosed with the disease, apart from Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. He got himself admitted in a government hospital in Bengaluru’s Shivajinagar. With inputs from agencies Read: Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu tests positive for coronavirus

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20-year-old Karnataka man rescued by NDRF after being stranded overnight on an island

Karnataka Floods 2020

Toppanna had been grazing a herd on an island over a stream of the Krishna River, but the sudden release of water from Narayanpur Dam turned the walkable stream into a roaring body of water.

Soumya Chatterjee

Image for representation

A 20-year-old man in Karnataka’s Yadgir district was rescued after he was stranded overnight on an island, thanks to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and swift coordination from district officials. Toppanna, a shepherd, had been grazing a herd on an island over a stream of the Krishna River at Janginagadi, Hunasangi tehsil on Saturday. But the sudden release of water from Narayanpur Dam upstream turned the walkable stream into a roaring body of water, trapping Toppanna in place. District authorities alerted the Hyderabad Control Room around 2 pm about the incident and they reached the spot at about 11 pm. However, the operation had to be stalled overnight due to unfavorable conditions. The man kept in touch with his friends over the phone, officials said. Inspector Santosh, NDRF, Hyderabad who led the team of 16 persons, said the relentless water current and the underlying rocks in the river bed made the operation extremely difficult. This meant they had to move with caution and precision. While six men were in one boat that eventually rescued the stranded man, another four men went on another boat to shadow them as a safety measure. “We were assured by the tehsildar that the man can stay safe. Considering the overall conditions, we decided to go only in the morning as it would have been much riskier (at night) due to lack of adequate lighting. So we began the operation at 5 am, and requested the dam officials to decrease the outflow. But it was not much use as the inflow was too high. Still, a foot was reduced during the operation after a few gates were closed,” he told TNM. He explained that even though the island was 150 metres away from the mainland, the current made it very difficult. He said to negotiate the current, they first had to move 200 metres with the flow, and then again 100 metres against the flow. He continued, “Even when we reached the island, we figured that he was on the other side of a small stream within the island. So one of us had to swim across the river and bring him. After that, we took him on the boat and rescued him safely.”

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Karnataka rains: Death toll climbs to 13 in state

Karnataka floods

Manoj Ranjan, Commissioner of Karnataka State Disaster Management, said the inflows and outflows from the reservoir and dams have drastically improved in the last two days

Soumya Chatterjee

A man was killed in Chikkamagaluru due to the heavy rains that have been battering Karnataka since August 1. The man was swept away by an overflowing stream passing through his war. While he was retrieved by alert onlookers, he died on the way to the hospital. Another person has also been reported missing in the Belagavi district. The death toll due to the floods is currently at 13. Officials at the Karnataka Disaster Management Authority said they are cautious, even though the flood-like situation has improved significantly due to reduced rainfall on Saturday. Lower rainfall in the Cauvery catchment area has also presently alleviated the stress in Mysuru district. Speaking to TNM, senior IAS officer Manoj Ranjan, Commissioner of Karnataka State Disaster Management, said the inflows and outflows from the reservoir and dams have drastically improved in the last two days. “As things stand, there is nothing to worry about,” he told TNM. This comes after 12 people were confirmed to have lost their lives as of Saturday due to the incessant rain over the past seven days. Further, four persons, including the chief priest of the Talacauvery temple, are missing after they were swept by a landslide. With more rains predicted over the next 24 hours, authorities in central and coastal Karnataka remain on alert, with several rivers overflowing and some areas prone to landslides. In its evening bulletin, the Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre predicted widespread moderate to heavy rains in isolated places and very heavy rains over the coastal region; fairly widespread to widespread light and moderate rains in isolated places, with heavy rains likely over the Malnad region and parts of north interior Karnataka; scattered light to moderate rains were likely over the south interior Karnataka region. KSNDMC said very heavy rains were observed over Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada districts and fairly widespread moderate rains and heavy rains at a few places. Heavy rains observed were over Shivamogga and Kodagu districts.

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Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu tests positive for coronavirus

Coronavirus

“I urge everyone who was in contact with me to take precautionary measures.” B Sriramulu said.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday. He confirmed the development himself on his official Twitter handle and urged all those who were in close contact with him, to get themselves tested and remain isolated. In a series of tweets, Sriramulu said that he had got tested after he showed some flu-like symptoms. He said that since the onset of the pandemic, he had been touring all the 30 districts in the state to oversee the  government’s preparedness in handling this crisis.  Unlike many other politicians in the country, Sriramulu has chosen to get admitted at the Bowring Hospital, a government run facility in Bengaluru.   “Since the coronavirus outbreak, I travelled to 30 districts to ensure people get treatment and now I am facing a testing time. I will be admitted to the hospital and receive treatment. I pray to god for a speedy recovery and to give me strength to come back and serve the people of this state,” Sriramulu said. “I urge everyone who was in contact with me to take precautionary measures.” he added. The Health Minister also said all the departments of the government are working under the leadership of Chief MInister BS Yediyurappa, who himself got infected on August 1 and continues to remain stable at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He continues to hold review meetings with concerned officials and his cabinet colleagues over the pandemic management and the current flood-like situation in parts of the state. At the same Manipal Hospital, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is also being treated for COVID-19. Both the leaders remain in a stable condition after getting admitted on the advice of doctors, even though they were asymptomatic. Incidentally on Saturday, Karnataka saw a high increase in the number of daily cases reported. A total of 7,178 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus on the day, taking the state tally to 1.72 lakh. The death toll due to COVID-19 in the state crossed the 3,000-mark on Saturday, with 93 more fatalities, taking the total deaths to 3,091.

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Shortages threaten Trump’s plan for rapid coronavirus tests

Manufacturers of antigen tests say they are nowhere near able to meet demand.

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