AAP in Karnataka launches ‘Shock Beda’ campaign against power tariff hike decision

Politics

AAP, which plans to contest in the upcoming BBMP elections, promoted the power tariffs followed in New Delhi, where the party is in power.

TNM Staff

Protesting against the recently hiked power bills in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday launched their ‘Shock Beda’ (Don’t Want Shock) campaign and unveiled a website for the same. On November 4, the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) had approved a hike of 40 paise per unit for all electricity supply companies in the state like BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company). AAP,  which intends to contest in the upcoming Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections, promoted the power tariffs followed in New Delhi, where the party is in power for the second term. As part of the campaign, AAP volunteers will go door to door with the website/app and inform the public about the Delhi government’s policies. In the website, one can put their current electricity bill amount and get how much their electricity bill will change under the new rates and how much the same would have cost in the national capital. In Delhi, consumers who use up to 200 units of electricity in a month get a zero bill.  “People choose governments who should provide basic necessities. The government of Karnataka has not just failed in providing support but instead is constantly increasing the burden on its people. It is estimated that people in our country, on average, have lost 50% of their income. At a time like this, the BS Yeddyurappa government has implemented a heartless increase of 6% in the cost of a basic necessity like electricity,” said Pruthvi Reddy, the state convenor of the party. Demanding that the Karnataka government withdraw the power price hike, AAP said that in the wake of the pandemic, while many governments across the world have provided financial support to the public, the state government has increased power prices by 6%, making it one of the most expensive states for domestic electricity. Earlier, the Congress, led by its state president DK Shivakumar, had threatened statewide protests starting from November 17 if the state government does not withdraw the tariff hike.

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NCB arrests three persons for smuggling hash oil from Andhra to Bengaluru

Crime

Officials found three packets, wrapped in brown cover concealed under the driver's seat which contained 3 kgs of hashish oil worth Rs 25 lakh.

TNM Staff

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Friday announced the arrest of three people belonging to an inter-state drug racket who were allegedly smuggling hashish oil into Bengaluru from Andhra Pradesh. The three persons - Ranjith RS, Ananth PD and Sarang KK - were caught near Devanahalli toll gate on Monday by a team of officials when they intercepted a car. They found three packets, wrapped in brown cover and concealed under the driver's seat which contained 3 kgs of hashish oil worth Rs 25 lakh.  The accused persons allegedly confessed that the drugs were sourced in Vishakapatnam and were planning to sell it through the contacts they had made in Bengaluru and Kerala. The vehicle was bound towards Bengaluru from Vishakapatnam and the three accused members also planned to travel towards Kerala.  "Of late, a syndicate from Kerala has been found to be involved in trafficking hashish oil from Andhra Pradesh to Bengaluru and Kerala and further export it to middle east, Maldives and Sri Lanka," a press release by the NCB said. Hashish oil is a narcotic drug extracted from a chemical content THC or Tetrahydracannabinol found in the stem of marijuana plants. Hashish as well as Hashish Oil have an intoxicating effect on the persons consuming it. "The said drug is used in rave parties and commonly used amongst film celebrities for addiction purposes. The commercial quantity under NDPS Act is 1 kg," read the press release.

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Not enough is done to combat pneumonia in children, say doctors

Health

According to doctors, a huge roadblock in the fight against the disease is the lack of a strong public healthcare infrastructure.

Shishir Rao

According to doctors in Bengaluru, the fact that child pneumonia accounts for 15% of child deaths under the age of 5, does not get as much attention as is necessary. Pneumonia is a respiratory disease that occurs when either a bacteria or virus infects the lungs, and the air sacs get filled with fluid. This hinders oxygen absorption in one’s body, which could lead to death. World Pneumonia Day is annually observed on November 12.   Child pneumonia is responsible for the deaths of around 8,00,000 children globally every year, roughly amounting to 200 deaths per day, according to UNICEF. In India, 1,27,000 children died due to the disease in 2018 alone, which translated to 14 child deaths every hour, according to UNICEF’s data. These deaths reportedly occurred mainly in low income sections of society, where access to healthcare is difficult.   The union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare started the ‘Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully' (SAANS) programme in November 2019, to act towards fighting infant mortality caused by pneumonia. With the programme, the government announced several measures to combat the disease, including providing oxygen and antibiotics at early stages of the disease. While many doctors appreciated this initiative, they felt that these measures are insufficient. According to Dr Shalini Sharma, a paediatric infectious diseases specialist, “One thing that needs to be done to fight pneumonia in children is to promote vaccination... vaccines are available for half of the infections that cause pneumonia in children, but these are not included in the compulsory vaccination schemes of the government. If this is done you solve half the problems before they arise.” Another huge roadblock in the fight to prevent pneumonia is the lack of a strong public primary healthcare infrastructure. The lack of good government health centres with adequate facilities leads people to instead approach local healers. Dr P Jagadish Kumar, who is a pulmonologist, says, “A more comprehensive approach should be made by the government where it addresses the health of mothers also who are breastfeeding and provides them a diet with vitamins and also supplements need to be given to them”. He adds, “The cost of healthcare is also a problem, by this poor people will look for alternatives such as Nati Vaidhyas (local healers) which will further reduce the chance of any actual treatment, if trust must be restored we need to provide free treatment and also conduct campaigns to educate them of the disease and show them the real cure.” Dr Vivek, also a pulmonologist, echoes this view, “Even COVID-19 can cause pneumonia and the only way to deal with it effectively is to develop good infrastructures in PHCs (Public Health Centres) such as providing oxygen ventilators... PHCs are where most of the low-income people go to immediately when they are ill.” He adds, “Air pollution is another big threat to children with pneumonia. This causes breathing distress and without oxygen the child dies; during Deepavali season this problem increases. To combat this the government needs to enforce green crackers and educate people from a young age the health problems that crackers cause.” The fight against child pneumonia is not an isolated one, and a wide-reaching, effective healthcare network is imperative to win the fight. Though many initiatives to combat the disease are launched, the money doesn’t reach everyone. India’s average spending per year is around $16, as of 2016. The WHO also recommends countries to spend 5% of their GDP on developing primary healthcare; in 2016, India spent only 0.9% of its GDP on developing this infrastructure. On the occasion of World Pneumonia Day this year, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare renewed its pledge to fight out child pneumonia. Hopefully, the coming years will at least see a reduction in the number of cases of pneumonia in children.

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Bengaluru riots case: HC asks cops to take all steps to arrest ex-Mayor Sampath Raj

Controversy

The HC has asked the investigating officer in the case to file a report listing all the steps taken to trace Sampath Raj on Nov 25.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka High Court on Friday asked the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru police to take all necessary steps to ensure the arrest of former Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj in connection with the DJ Halli riot case. The HC has asked the investigating officer in the case to file a report listing all the steps taken to trace the absconding accused in a sealed envelope on the next date of hearing in a case which has been fixed on November 25. HC said "IO shall file Report on the steps taken to trace the accused in a sealed envelope on next date of hearing Nov 25." #bengaluruRiots#riots — Mustafa Plumber (@plumbermushi) November 13, 2020 Raj, who is an accused in the case related to the mob violence in August in eastern Bengaluru, is absconding after being discharged from a hospital where he underwent treatment for COVID-19 since October 30. Police had said they had issued a notice to the hospital authorities on October 7 asking them to inform the police before discharging Sampath Raj. However, the hospital had discharged him without informing the police, following which another notice had been issued to hospital authorities, they said. A chargesheet filed by police in the case had said that  the bitter rivalry between Sampath Raj and Pulakeshi Nagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy (who was previously with the JD(S)) was one of the prime reasons for the riots to break out. During the 2018 Assembly elections, Sampath Raj was an aspirant for the party ticket from Pulakeshi Nagar. However, Srinivas Murthy, who had defected from JD(S) to Congress, was given the ticket to contest, the police had said.  Earlier Sampath Raj and his associates were questioned in August itself by the CCB following which Raj had approached the courts seeking anticipatory bail. It may be recalled that on August 11, a violent mob had partially burnt two police stations of KG Halli and DJ Halli, torched multiple vehicles and damaged the house of local MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy. The mob had gathered after the police had refused to file an FIR against Naveen, nephew of the MLA who had allegedly put up a provocative and communally-charged social media post.

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Karnataka reduces property registration fee for flats costing less than Rs 20 lakh

Property

The new rate will also cover industries buying land or buildings.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government has now reduced the property registration fee for flats which cost less than Rs 20 lakh from 5% to 3%. The decision was taken following a cabinet meeting held by Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. The decision was taken to increase the demand in the affordable housing sector. The new rate of 3% will also cover industries which are buying a property, whether it is a building or land, law and parliamentary affairs minister JC Madhuswamy told Times of India.  The fee cut could reduce the price for home buyers by up to Rs 40,000. However questions were raised over the fact that there are few apartments in Bengaluru which cost less than Rs 20 lakh and that a figure of Rs 50 lakh should be covered by the new rate. The development comes a month after Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra asked states to reduce stamp duty on registration of properties and help increase housing sales. In May, the state government had decreased the registration stamp duty for properties priced between Rs 21 lakh and Rs 35 lakh to 3%. The earlier rate was 5%. Last year, the state government had reduced the stamp duty for properties which cost up to Rs 20 lakh to 2%. In this case too the earlier rate was 5%. The decision was among other ones taken by the cabinet including the upgradation of 10 gram panchayats to town panchayats including Anavatti in Shivamogga, Holehonnur in Chikkamagaluru, Bajpe in Dakshina Kannada and Srirampura in Mysuru. New court complexes will also be built in Devadurga in Raichur district and Somwarpet in Kodagu district.     

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Medical colleges in Karnataka affiliated to RGUHS to reopen on Dec 1

COVID-19

Degree colleges in the state will reopen from Nov 17 for the first time since the lockdown.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday announced that all medical, dental, AYUSH, paramedical, nursing and pharmacy colleges affiliated with the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences will reopen from December 1. In a tweet, Dr Sudhakar said, “I request the administration of  colleges and students to strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by the government.” This development comes after the government had announced earlier this month that degree and engineering colleges in the state will reopen starting November 17. In guidelines issued by the government earlier this week, it has been said that all staff and students will have to undergo RT-PCR tests three days prior to the college reopening, according to the new guidelines.  It also said that colleges should map closest primary health centres so that students and staff can get tests done for free. In addition to the mandatory masks rule, teachers will have to wear a visor too. During the first phase of reopening, colleges won’t be allowed to keep their canteens and libraries open, and this will be applicable until further notice. The class leaders (among students) have been asked to keep a check on fellow students in case anyone exhibits any COVID-19 symptoms. Cultural activities and other activities like National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) cannot commence now College managements have to ensure that they regularly spray and sanitise door-knobs, lift buttons, handrails, chairs and benches with disinfectants All educational institutions in the state have been closed since mid-March when the state government announced a lockdown in wake of the pandemic followed by more stringent lockdowns announced by the union government. Speaking this week, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar clarified that no decision has been reached yet regarding reopening of schools.

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Mysuru City Corporation limits expanded

Civic Issues

Legislators from Mysuru lauded the move, stating that it would bring more revenue for development.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday gave the nod for the creation of new municipal councils, and also including several villages in the periphery of Mysuru, into the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) limits. The cabinet approved the creation of the Hootagalli Municipal Council, which will include the villages of Belavadi, Hottagalli, Hinakal and Koorgalli from the Chamundeshwari assembly constituency. In addition, Bogadi, Srirampura, Kadakola and Rammanahalli will be incorporated into the MCC’s limits. Since 2011, several legislators from Mysuru district have had the long-standing demand of expanding the city’s limits into a “Greater Mysuru”, much like Bengaluru city. With the construction of the Ring Road in Mysuru’s periphery, the demand for including villages close to this stretch into the MCC’s limits grew stronger. However, multiple municipal councils have checked this from happening. Most recently, on October 29, the MCC’s council blocked Chamundeshwari MLA GT Devegowda’s request to induct these villages into the cabinet. Speaking to TNM, an official with the Chief Minister’s Office said that Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha and GT Devegowda had been lobbying for upgrading several gram panchayats to the status of municipal councils. They also lobbied for including villages in the periphery of the Ring Road in Mysuru into the MCC. “Although this was not on the agenda of the cabinet meeting on November 12, in the last minute, it was added to the schedule on the insistence of Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj,” the official said.  Sources said that the decision was taken quickly, to ensure that the move to upgrade the gram panchayats is not delayed by another five years as the GP elections are slated to occur in December this year. “If gram panchayat elections are held, then the members have the right to move the court, seeking a stay on the cabinet’s decision. In order to stop that, MLA GT Devegowda and MP Pratap Simha had held talks with Byrathi Basavaraj many times,” the source added.  With this move, MCC officials said that the new areas will have to be notified as wards and elections for these wards will have to take place. With the inclusion of the new areas, the MCC is now eligible for more funds allocated by the state government. The Karnataka Municipal Act 1976 allows the inclusion of villages in the periphery of the city into its municipal administration body, if these areas offer potential for growth of the city. Since 2011, demand has been growing in Mysuru to expand the city limits, which was set in 1995. Legislators from the region in consecutive governments had pointed out the lack of development in the city’s peripheral areas, due to a fund crunch in gram panchayats.  MLA GT Devegowda said that the move would definitely bring in more revenue for the city from both the union and state governments. “There is a need to improve the financial position of the city corporation. Over the years, many industries and commercial establishments have cropped up in Srirampura, Kadakola and surrounding areas. If Mysuru should witness development, it needs money and this was a move to ensure that,” GT Devegowda added. 

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