BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Gasti succumbs to COVID-19

Death

He among 25 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs who tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the Parliament’s monsoon session.

TNM Staff

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashok Gasti, who became a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament in June, passed away on Thursday in Bengaluru, days after he was infected with the coronavirus. He was admitted to Raichur District Hospital on August 31 after he developed a fever. He tested positive and was shifted to Bengaluru two days later.  He was hospitalised in Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru on September 2 where he passed away 15 days later. His family confirmed to TNM that he developed breathing difficulties and has been on ventilator support.  Confirming his demise, the hospital, in a statement said, “Shri Ashok Gasti, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Rajya Sabha who was admitted to Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road on 02.09.2020, diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia passed away at 10.31pm.He was 55 years old. He was critically ill with multi-organ failure on life support system in the Intensive care unit under constant observation by our expert panel of doctors. We deeply regret the loss and express our condolences to his family and friends.” Ashok Gasti’s family members said that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus on August 30. He developed a fever on August 31 and was admitted to the Raichur District Hospital. On September 2, he was shifted to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru for treatment. He was put on oxygen support when his levels dropped. He was eventually put on ventilator support.  Condoling Ashok’s death, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “Shocked and pained by the untimely demise of Rajya Sabha MP and senior BJP leader from Karnataka, Shri Ashok Gasti ji. Over the years, he served the organization & nation in multiple roles. My deepest condolences are with his family in this hour of grief. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.” Ashok, 55, hails from Raichur district and was nominated by the BJP as one of two names for the Rajya Sabha MP seat in the biennial elections this year. He came through the ranks in the BJP after working in the party’s Ballari, Koppal and Raichur units.   Ashok Gasti was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1982 when he was 18 years old. In 1987, he went on to join the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was also the president of the BJP’s Yuva Morcha in Raichur district in 1989. He was in-charge of six Lok Sabha and seven Assembly elections for the BJP in Raichur district. Known to be a grassroots party worker, he was appointed as the Raichur District President for the BJP in 2010. He was also the head of the Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Commission in Karnataka for five months before he headed the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission.  Ashok Gasti was a vocal critic of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and was one of the leaders who had openly said that grassroots workers were not treated fairly by him.  In June this year, Ashok Gasti had visited Raichur district and promised development of the region, which is one of the most backward districts in the state. Upon being elected as a Rajya Sabha member, Ashok Gasti had said that his primary objective was to irrigate lands of farmers located in the Krishna and Tungabhadra river basins. He had also promised the constituents of Raichur to drive industrial investment to the district to generate jobs and prevent migration, especially of people from the Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/35Kos1S
via IFTTT

Sira byepoll: What it means for Yediyurappa, DK Shivakumar and HD Kumaraswamy

Politics

The Sira byepoll will set the stage for elections to the gram panchayats and BBMP under the new Election Commission guidelines for campaigning during the pandemic.

Naheed Ataulla

Masks, gloves and digital campaigning will mark the byepoll for Sira, a nondescript and semi-arid Assembly constituency in Karnataka, located 122 km from Bengaluru in Tumakuru district, with the Election Commission (EC) expected to announce the poll dates anytime to the Bihar Assembly and 65 other byelections. Even before the announcement of the poll dates, the three principal political parties in Karnataka have got into election mode, with the Congress being the first on the block by finalising its candidate. The BJP is scouting around for a candidate while the JD(S) is considering fielding either the son or wife of its party MLA B Sathyanarayana, whose death in August has necessitated the byepoll. Sira’s byepoll will be a challenge not only to the political parties as the campaign has to be conducted under the new guidelines issued by the EC keeping in mind the pandemic, but also to the leaders of the three parties. The constituency has been represented either by the Congress or the JD(S) with the BJP being in third place in all polls for the past three decades. What does the byepoll mean to BS Yediyurappa, DK Shivakumar and HD Kumaraswamy? Bolstered by the BJP’s victory in KR Pet in Mandya district, a Vokkaliga and JD(S) bastion, in the December 2019 byepolls, Chief Minister Yediyurappa has set his eyes on adding Sira to his kitty of new pockets. Under pressure from his own party men regarding the delay in the cabinet expansion and flak from the opposition in handling the COVID-19 crisis besides other issues, winning Sira is expected to silence his detractors for some time. This will be the first election for DK Shivakumar as KPCC President, though in the past he has been put in charge of several byepolls and emerged victorious. The Congress has announced former Minister TB Jayachandra, who was defeated in the 2018 Assembly polls, as its candidate. For Shivakumar, who is preparing the ground for the next Assembly polls in the state and plans to stake claim for the CM’s post if the Congress gets a majority, Sira is the beginning. The gram panchayat polls, which are conducted on a non-party basis but with candidates being tacitly backed by all parties, are scheduled by the year end, with the BBMP polls expected next year. DKS has put former KPCC President G Parameshwara, who represents Koratagere in Tumakuru district, in charge of the constituency. “We will focus on the BJP’s dismal performance on state issues. The BJP has made the non-filling of Madalur Lake in Sira an issue, when it was during Jayachandra’s time that the lake was filled up for the first time in history,” he said. For the JD(S), Tumakuru is another district with a large Vokkaliga base. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his son, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, who have been trying to keep the JD(S) afloat, face another challenge in retaining Sira that they won in 2018. According to sources, while there is sympathy for the late MLA, Jayachandra also has it in adequate measure due to his defeat. Besides it will be a clash of two Vokkaliga leaders – Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar – both of who are trying to take over the Vokkaliga leadership in the state. The BJP has already begun a door-to-door campaign under its district president SR Suresh Gowda. “We’re waiting for the JD(S) to announce its candidate and then we may field one from the backward classes if the JD(S) also goes in for a Vokkaliga candidate,” party sources said. Why did the Congress lose in 2018? It was an intra-party rivalry between Jayachandra and former MLA KN Rajanna from adjoining Madhugiri constituency, who worked against each other in the polls. Rajanna was reportedly upset that Jayachandra did not help the former’s son to win the legislative council seat from the local authorities’ constituency and is said to have worked against both Jayachandra and his son Santosh Jayachandra who was fielded from Chikkanayakanahalli. How does caste maths work? Since 2008, the Congress and JD(S) have fielded Jayachandra and Sathyanarayana, both Vokkaligas, as their candidates respectively with the former winning in 2008 and 2013. However, Sathyanarayana has been a constant figure since the Janata Parivar days in 1989 winning the seat thrice in the last 31 years. Of the 2.12 lakh voters (figures from 2018), the Kunchitiga Vokkaligas (found in Tumakuru and Chitradurga districts) lead the numbers with 45,000 followed by the Scheduled Castes (left sect) with 30,000, Gollas 23,000, Minorities and Kurubas 18,000 each, backward classes with 16,000, besides others. According to Congress sources, if the Scheduled Castes (both left and right sects), backward classes and minority votes don’t split, the Congress prospects are good. JD(S) sources said while the party is expected to get majority of the Vokkaliga votes, which will also be taken by Jayachandra, a Kunchitiga Vokkaliga, it has to dive into the Congress vote banks if it is to retain the seat. The BJP, being the party in power, has its own advantages by assuring the constituency’s development before the poll date is announced. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is said to have got a majority of the Scheduled Caste (left) votes which made it possible for its candidate A Narayanaswamy to get elected from Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituency. Since Sira is an Assembly segment of Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituency, the party is expecting a repeat performance. 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.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2ZLNsCh
via IFTTT

The pandemic has dented the war against plastic in Bengaluru

Environment

Plastic is undeniably one of the most widely-used materials to ensure a sanitised covering for goods, right from medical equipment to perishable goods.

Sanyukta Dharmadhikari

Representative image PTI

Nine months into the coronavirus pandemic, citizens across the world are learning to live with COVID-19 and are stepping up attempts to remain hygienic. However, in order to ensure the same, an old enemy of the environment has made a comeback: Plastic. Plastic is undeniably one of the most widely used materials in the world to ensure a sanitised covering for goods, right from medical equipment to perishable goods to disposable wipes to smaller sanitiser bottles. A Bloomberg report showed how the plastic industry has called itself the ‘Hero of Coronavirus,’ insisting that single-use plastic products are the “most sanitary choice” especially in the food industry. Before the pandemic, in India, avoiding the use of single-use plastic was slowly becoming the norm, with shops and establishments and even state governments like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and even Delhi making efforts to reduce the amount of single-use plastic. In 2019, the Union government decided that India will see a complete ban on single-use plastic by 2022. The pandemic has postponed this goal indefinitely, as most everyday commodities now come enveloped in plastic for an additional layer of protection.  The use of single use plastic has also impacted the amount deposited in the waste collection systems of India’s metros. The city of Bengaluru has witnessed a 30 percent increase in the amount of plastic waste generated since the pandemic began. Randeep D, Special Commissioner, Bengaluru Bruhat Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), tells TNM that a lot more plastic, that was earlier banned, has re-entered commercial establishments in the city.  "We are witnessing a lot more plastic in the garbage. We are also noticing that many shops, commercial establishments and eateries have adopted banned plastic, which is actually dangerous for health, so we have also told our senior and junior health inspectors and even marshals to go around seizing the banned plastic and start levying heavy fines for usage," he says. The Special Commissioner notes that the civic body is still permitting the use of food grade plastic, which is not banned, and can be reused and recycled. However, single use plastic is being discouraged and the civic body will restart attempts to ask people to move to more sustainable materials. “Items like plastic cups have credible alternatives, like using steel cups or tumblers, which can be hygienically maintained. So when there are alternatives, single-use plastic should not be used. There are certain plastics which are not banned - containers are not banned, packaging plastic for parcels are not banned. But there too, we are urging and encouraging people to opt for the steel containers and carrying their own containers,” he says.  Not just the plastic waste, the use of disposable masks and PPEs has also increased. According to a report by the business consulting firm Grand View Research, the global sales of disposable face masks alone are set to skyrocket from an estimated 800 million USD in 2019 to 166 billion USD in 2020. Apart from the 30 per cent increase in the amount of plastic that is being disposed as compared to before the pandemic, sanitary waste has increased by 15-20% since January, the BBMP official says. “PPEs and disposable masks form sanitary waste,” Randeep says. “That is covered along with wet waste and is taken away by our officials in a separate container. Then we have sanitary waste collectors who have very recently been appointed in each zone and they will take it to the incinerator,” Randeep says. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3mDe3v9
via IFTTT

Want to expand cabinet before monsoon session: Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

Politics

The cabinet expansion was slated to take place in August this year, but was put on hold due to the pandemic.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday said that the government hopes to expand the cabinet before the monsoon session of the Assembly begins on September 21. Speaking to the media in Kalaburagi before his trip to New Delhi, Yediyurappa said, "We want to expand the cabinet before the Assembly session begins and I will speak to the national leaders about it today in Delhi.”  BJP sources say that there are two options Yediyurappa is looking at. The first is to drop six ministers from the cabinet and replace them with six other aspirants and also fill up three vacant ministerial berths. The second, is to fill only three vacant berths.  Sources said that dropping six ministers would create unrest within the state unit of the BJP and considering the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the high command is reluctant to allow an opportunity that would cause rebellion.  Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, had in 2019 said that when the cabinet expansion happens, Hukkeri legislator Umesh Katti would "definitely" be given a ministerial berth. This leaves two berths, for which there are multiple contenders. Among the contenders are Member of Legislative Council (MLC) MTB Nagaraj, MLC R Shankar alias Pendulum Shankar, MLC AH Vishwanath and MLAs Renukacharya and Aravind Limbavali, who are close to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. There are three other aspirants: Mysuru MLA SA Ramdas, Mangaluru North MLA Bharath Shetty and Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyas Kamath.  Sources indicated that R Shankar is likely to be accommodated as he had to give up his position as an independent MLA and joined the party, in addition to giving up the Ranebennur seat during the bye-elections. However, MTB Nagaraj, the former MLA from Hoskote, was instrumental in bringing several rebels with him, while defecting in 2018 to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.  "It should either be two people close to Yediyurappa who get berths and one person recommended by Nalin Kumar Kateel or the other way around. The high command will decide," the source added. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/32BcgP8
via IFTTT

Heavy rain in northern Karnataka: Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir and Raichur districts hit

Weather

Kagina and Manjra rivers and their tributaries in Kalaburagi and Bidar districts are in spate, affecting road movement.

TNM Staff

Raichur

Flash rains on Tuesday and Wednesday night damaged tracts of crops in northern Karnataka, in the districts of Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir and Raichur. The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) reported that Chincholi in Kalaburagi received the highest rainfall on Wednesday while Kamalnagar in Bidar received the highest rainfall on Tuesday. On Monday, unseasonal rains were reported in Vijayapura district. Kagina and Manjra rivers and their tributaries in Kalaburagi and Bidar districts are in spate, affecting road movement. In Raichur, rains damaged standing crops. The Karnataka government has allocated Rs 1,500 crore for the overall development of the Kalyana Karnataka region and minister BC Patil, speaking to the media on Thursday, said that funds will be allocated for infrastructure development following the rains. The rains reduced on Thursday when dry weather was reported in Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir and Raichur.  Unlike in 2019 when devastating floods ravaged this region, officials said that less rain coupled with effective dam regulation reduced the impact of the rivers overflowing in north Karnataka this year. Read: ‘Lessons learned from 2019’: How dam water regulation by Karnataka averted floods The Karnataka government declared that 130 taluks in 23 districts in the state were affected by floods this year. The state government said around 10,000 homes and crops in about 4.03 lakh hectares, and 14,182 km of roads were affected by the rainfall. 20 people were reported dead and thousands were displaced due to rising water levels since August 1. However, the damage is far lesser than the floods and landslides reported in Karnataka in 2019 when over 60 people died and several lakh residents were displaced in the worst floods to hit the state in decades.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2Rwwjrw
via IFTTT

Theft of sandalwood trees in Karnataka’s Bidar leaves farmers in misery

Crime

Farmers of Bidar district are now seeking protection against overnight theft of sandalwood trees.

Rishab Vinay Malde

Representative/Wikimedia/Adityamadhav83

A number of sandalwood trees were stolen from Aurad taluk in Karnataka’s Bidar district, according to reports. Thieves allegedly broke into the sandalwood foundation in the taluk and chopped down the trees during the early hours of Monday morning.  Farmers in the area are now agitated by the occurrence, Nanda Kumar, a local journalist, told TNM.  The stealing and smuggling of sandalwood has been recently reported in the state, though there is a long history of the crime in Karnataka. In Shivamogga district, smugglers reportedly chopped and stole 150 sandalwood trees from a farmer.  Though there are numerous examples of sandalwood thefts in the state, recent examples include the loss of roughly 55 sandalwood trees in the last three years approximately from Bangalore University's Jnanabharathi Campus. In October 2018, sandalwood trees were stolen from the Karnataka State Reserve Police premises in Bengaluru.  Speaking to TV9, a farmer said, "One tree yields a minimum of 15-16 kilograms of wood. So totally we have spent around 13-14 years to grow these trees. Thieves come overnight and steal the trees. We do not have any kind of security. We also do not know where to sell it. First thing, we do not have any marketing knowledge. Because of our lack of marketing knowledge, we keep waiting and in the meanwhile, our trees get stolen."  Farmers have now requested the Forest Department to educate them on where they can sell their product and how to market it. The farmers have also asked for protection against sandalwood smugglers and thieves. Though the farmers say they complained about the incidents, authorities allegedly did not take action.  "The farmers complained to the police and forest officials but none of them actually paid attention to it. So the farmers have now come out and are protesting against it," Nanda Kumar told TNM.  The species of sandalwood indigenous to India is considered threatened. Karnataka is known for its fine quality of sandalwood.  But incidents of theft leave farmers with only misery and pain after years of effort spent to grow the valuable tree. Another farmer told TV9, “These thieves come in the night and steal the trees. We farmers have to wait for over 10 years. And now the fruits of our hard work are also taken away. Even though farmers are in a lot of trouble, they grow these trees thinking of the future. Now what is the plight of farmers if such things happen."

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3mtKonV
via IFTTT

Need a US consulate in Bengaluru too: Karnataka CM renews demand

Policy

There has been a long-pending demand for a US Consulate in the Karnataka capital as applicants have to travel to Chennai or Hyderabad for any visa application work.

TNM Staff

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday renewed the demand for a United States Consulate based in Bengaluru during a virtual meeting with the newly-appointed Consul General of the US Consulate General in Chennai, Judith Ravin. During the meeting, the Chief Minister assured complete cooperation for the opening of a US Consulate in Bengaluru. According to reports, the Chief Minister pointed out that there have been repeated demands for the opening of an American Consulate in the IT hub of India. He also highlighted that 90 out of the 100 American companies running operations in India have offices in Bengaluru.  The meeting took place in the presence of Chief Secretary TM Vijayabhaskar, Deputy Chief Secretary to Chief Ministers Dr EV Ramanareddy, Chief Minister's Advisor M Laxminarayan, Chief Ministers' Secretary Selvakumar, Commerce and Industry Department Secretary Gaurav Gupta.  The U.S. Consulate General, Chennai also tweeted that matters like space-tech collaborations, healthcare in times of COVID-19 pandemic and business ties between the US and India were discussed in the meeting.  This is not the first time the demand for a US Consulate is being raised in Karnataka. Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan had held a meeting with the previous Consulate General urging the US to consider setting up a Consulate in the state.  “Nearly 70% of South Indians going to the US are from Karnataka. I have brought it to the notice of the consulate general on our long-pending request to set up a Visa Centre,” he said. The Deputy CM also promised a conducive atmosphere for American industries that are planning to shift to Karnataka after the COVID-19 economic distress.  Drawing attention to the good relation Karnataka had with the US he had said, “Of the top Fortune 500 Companies, 400 are in Karnataka. If more companies want to set up shops here, the government will provide all the necessary assistance. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is already acting on this.” Bengaluru and Mysore are IT hubs in the state with a significant presence of companies like Oracle, IBM, Intel, HP, Cisco and GE. Most visa applicants from South Karnataka travel to Chennai and applicants from North Karnataka visit Hyderabad to complete work related to visa applications.  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2ZNkSQV
via IFTTT