Second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams were administered the shot, as well.
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Friday, December 18, 2020
Karnataka schools get ready to reopen from Jan 1 for Classes 10 and 12
On the recommendation of Karnataka Technical Advisory Committee, schools in Karnataka are set to resume classes from Jan 1
PTI
Schools in Karnataka are gearing up to resume regular classes for 10th and 12th standards from January 1 and classes 9 and 11 from January 15 following the Karnataka Technical Advisory Committee's (K-TAC) recommendation to reopen schools closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Leader of the Opposition as well as the Left parties have hailed the K-TAC's move to resume classes in schools. Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Leader of the Opposition and and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he was impressed with the state's measures in curbing the Covid-19 cases. "I welcome the state government's decision to reopen schools as it is the right time to do so since the positive cases have declined considerably," he said. Siddaramaiah, however, cautioned that the state should roll back its decision if the number of infections go up in future. "It is the same K-TAC that is assessing that the second wave might be sweeping across the state in February and March, so, the state government should be careful enough to take steps keeping these scenarios also in mind," he said. The Communist Party of India's state unit welcomed the K-TAC's recommendations and stated in its statement that it will give much relief to the rural and urban poor students who lack facilities for on-line classes. "Many urban poor and rural students are facing the threat of losing the academic year due to lack of facilities. Once schools reopen, these students will be able to make up for losses," the CPI said. "Our demand is that schools must reopen from kindergarten itself. Let there be no staggered reopening," the CPI stated. Attacking the state government, the CPI quipped that when a child can accompany the parents to a shopping mall or theatre, why can't he/she be allowed to study in schools? "Why the disparity and for whose benefit is it?" the CPI questioned. The K-TAC gave this recommendation after holding a meeting in which issues over the reopening dates were discussed. The meeting was also attended by the Education Minister and department officials. Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said that prior to reopening, the dates will be discussed with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and will be finalised after framing the Standard Operating Procedure.
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Karnataka Council ruckus: Chairman issues show cause notice to House Secretary
The Council had witnessed a high drama on Tuesday with BJP-JDS and Congress members hurling abuses and pushing each other and Deputy Chairman being pulled down from the Chairman's seat.
Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman K Pratapachandra Shetty has issued a show cause notice to the Council Secretary for her alleged dereliction of duty and exceeding jurisdictional limits during the proceedings of the House on December 15 when it witnessed a ruckus over a no-confidence motion against him. Asking the official to explain why action should not be initiated against her, he also issued an order to the secretary, K R Mahalakshmi, seeking a report on what all happened in the House from the beginning till he came and adjourned it. In the December 16 show cause notice, Prathapchandra Shetty raised questions regarding her conduct being an officer holding administrative responsibilities of the proceedings and accused her of irresponsibility, dereliction of duty, and functioning by exceeding her jurisdictional limits. The Council had witnessed a high drama on Tuesday with BJP-JDS and Congress members hurling abuses and pushing each other and Deputy Chairman being pulled down from the Chairman's seat, over a row pertaining to the no-confidence motion sought to be moved against Prathapchandra Shetty. Amid the pandemonium and chaos which many senior members termed as a "black mark" and "unprecedented" in the Council, it was adjourned sine-die within minutes after it met for the day. "The happenings on December 15 including- ruling party members restricting my entry to the House as its Chairman and their conduct against the rules has come under intense criticism in the media, and this has brought disrespect to the legislative council and its traditions which has over a century old history," Prathapchandra Shetty said. He sought a report on the happenings in the Council in order to provide an authentic explanation as the head of the house in response to the criticisms about the ruckus. The Chairman said on viewing the video recording of the house proceedings of that day, he came across several instances of "dereliction of duty" by the secretary. She aided the Deputy Chairman, who had occupied the chair "against rules", by providing him some documents. This was an evidence of dereliction of duty by the Secretary as an officer holding administrative responsibilities of the proceedings, he contended. He asked the Secretary to provide an explanation within 48 hours as to why action should not be initiated against her under the Karnataka Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules. The ruckus in the council followed the attempt by the ruling BJP and JD(S) to take up the no-confidence motion against Prathapchandra Shetty, despite it not finding mention in the day's agenda. Prathapchandra Shetty had rejected the notice for the motion citing procedural lapses and pointing out that no specific charges were made against him. However, insisting on going ahead with it, BJP and JD(S) had attempted to take up the motion by having the Deputy Chairman on the chair. In their defence both parties had said Shetty cannot hold the proceedings as Chairman, as the no-confidence was against him and that he did not enjoy the support of majority members of the House. This was resisted strongly by the Congress, resulting in unruly scenes with members from both sides hurling abuses and pushing each other and Deputy Chairman being pulled down from the Chairman's seat. Prathapchandra Shetty was elected as the Chairman of the council during the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.
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Mission 2022 – Revitalising Bengaluru: What’s the catch?
Core functions like water supply, urban planning, even the management of some lakes and parks, and others are not devolved to the BBMP and instead have been appropriated by the state government.
Today several leading dailies featured full page advertisements from the Government of Karnataka announcing ‘Bengaluru Mission 2022’. This follows the Chief Minister’s press meet announcing a mission of ‘Revitalising Bengaluru’ through four urban development programmes under his direct leadership, namely, ‘Enabling Faster Commute’, ‘Swachcha Bengaluru’ (Cleaner Bengaluru), ‘Hasiru Bengaluru’ (Greener Bengaluru) and ‘Citizen Connect’. Some of these programmes are unquestionably welcome and long overdue, such as the conversion of two large swathes of available land in the city – the Mysore Lamps Factory and NGEF areas – into tree parks and lung spaces, lakes rejuvenation, etc. The trouble begins, though, in letting content dictate ownership. Roads, signals, waste management, lakes, parks, citizen participation in the city, and in fact 18 specific functions of urban management are supposed to fall under the purview of the city government, aka, the municipal corporation or BBMP. Specifically, as per the 12th Schedule of the 74th Amendment to the Constitution, the state government is obligated to devolve to BBMP: 1. Urban planning, including town planning 2. Regulation of land use and construction of buildings 3. Planning for economic and social development 4. Roads and bridges 5. Water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes 6. Public health, sanitation conservancy and solid waste management 7. Fire services 8. Urban forestry, protection of the environment and promotion of ecological aspects 9. Safeguarding the interests of weaker sections of society, including those with physical and intellectual disabilities 10. Slum improvement and upgrade 11. Urban poverty alleviation 12. Provision of urban amenities and facilities such as parks, gardens, playgrounds 13. Promotion of cultural, educational and aesthetic aspects 14. Burials and burial grounds; cremations, cremation grounds and electric crematoriums 15. Cattle pounds; prevention of cruelty to animals 16. Vital statistics including registration of births and deaths 17. Public amenities, including street lighting, parking lots, bus stops and public conveniences 18. Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries Unfortunately, and in contravention to it, core functions like water supply (BWSSB), urban planning (BDA or other), slum improvement (KSCB), even the management of some lakes and parks, and other functions are not devolved to the BBMP and instead have been appropriated by the state government. While the sole purpose of the 74th Amendment is the autonomy of local governments (their funds, functions and functionaries) with regard to state governments, we not only see intrusion by the Karnataka government, but even the Government of India! Programmes like Urban Renewal Missions, Smart Cities, Swachh Bharat and, most recently, the Prime Minister even mentioning piped water supply, all encroach into Hudson Circle’s self-rule from Vidhana Soudha and, even worse, Delhi. It is tempting to conflate inefficiencies and even perhaps negligence (pavement deaths, pedestrian deaths, etc.) on the part of BBMP, with the appropriation of city functions by the state or the Union. This is especially the case with Mission Bengaluru 2022 when the content is seductive and public imagination drools over highway quality back alleys in Ramamurthy Nagar and Hulimavu, glossy lakes, and a fragrant, green city. The delusion here is three-fold and manifestly endangers the republic: First, the report card of the Karnataka government, when assessed on performance of its designated roles and obligatory functions, ranges from unimpressive to shocking. A few examples from the recently published National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS-5): Public health: Infant Mortality Rate is over 3x the WHO recommended rate, as per NFHS-5 data. Sex Ratio of children born in the last 5 years is 910 for 1,000 males, as opposed to a number over to 950; that is tens of thousands of female babies eliminated. More than one-third of Karnataka’s children, its future, are stunted. Meanwhile, 44% of women experience spousal violence. Public education: Women with 10+ years of schooling, that is till Class 5, is just 50%, while women with internet access is only 35%. It goes without saying that no one reading this article in English will ever send their children to a public school. It bears mention here that underwhelming performance, even negligent performance is not unique to the Karnataka government, and pervades most state governments. The Government of India performance, in the meanwhile, on its own functions, like the national economy, speaks for itself. Second, even in the ambit of infrastructure and amenities, where the Karnataka government has already usurped functions despite Constitutional directive, its record is sub-par. Bengaluru’s water & drainage (BWSSB), pollution control (KSPCB), and even select roads and flyovers under KRDCL or PWD are unfinished, unkempt or poorly done (Cauvery underpass to the infamous, once signalled Richmond Flyover.) The urban planning and transport/traffic management functions for Bengaluru are world renowned for all the wrong reasons. Ditto for the Indian government with its urban renewal missions. Swachh Bharat planted the 100% Open Defecation Free flag for all of India in 2019. However, the 3rd Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) in 2019 shows that close to one-fourth of schools do not have usable toilets (no water). The Centre for Policy Research in 2019 published that one-fourth of the rural population was still practising open defecation and certainly, a walk down Bengaluru’s roads for an hour has visible proof. Finally, federalist laws, including the 74th Amendment, imbue exclusive powers to different governments for the crucial reason that diverse citizens get the best possible governance, services and redressal mechanisms. That is the very reason for subsidiarity, so the lowest possible functionary is responsible for that service. Elevation of any public service to a tier higher than obligatory creates insurmountable space between citizens are its delivery channel. It’s hardly reasonable if the toilets promised by GoI are not delivered for citizens to camp out in Delhi, awaiting audience with the Prime Minister. Or to breach the Vidhana Soudha for clogged stormwater drains. Yes, local officers are available but they are unaccountable for failures. Only elected governments can be held accountable, and hence the need for local governments. The three tiers of government are not hierarchical, they are parallel and devised to best serve the people’s diverse needs. It’s not the onus of the state government to reign in an errant corporation; it is the people’s, in the Indian state. Mayors do not “report to” Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister is no state’s boss. Therefore, urbanites must ask ourselves why the Union Secretariat and the Vidhana Soudha concern themselves with Bengaluru’s day-to-day amenities, and why we abet that escape from their truly lofty jobs: making the right laws for the state or country, handling lakhs of crores of revenues and budgets, and delivering to national and state schemes and agenda. Well, what is the worst that can happen? It already has. The people of Bengaluru have already lost much democracy – read accountability – with the stripping of several key essential functions from the BBMP. Now, more have been announced. As wonderful as some of the measures in Revitalising Bengaluru: Mission 2022 are, they belong in a Bengaluru Mayor’s press meet. Just like the college professor gets no marks for teaching his neighbour’s daughter her elementary school geography, and none of us would want our accomplishments or plans or products to be handled by our peers, similarly, there is no report card for the Government of Karnataka or GoI as glorified Bengaluru councillors! Tara Krishnaswamy is a co-founder of Citizens For Bengaluru, a grassroots citizen’s collective working on improving the quality of life with decentralised and citizen participatory local governance. Views are author’s own.
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K’taka govt submits report on Wistron violence to Centre, blames ‘overtime’ for unrest
The Additional Chief Secretary of the Labour Department Rajkumar Khatri wrote to the Union Ministry of Labour on Thursday regarding the unrest.
Screengrab from protest video
After the Union Labour Department of India demanded an explanation from the Karnataka government regarding the vandalism at Wistron Infocomm’s iPhone factory in Kolar, the state government has submitted its report. The report states that there was a “technical malfunction” in the system of recording employees’ attendance and that the work hours were increased by four hours per day. The letter, which TNM has accessed states that the preliminary investigation suggests that the unrest was mainly due to the increase in work hours from 8 hours per day to 12 hours. It also noted that Wistron had not addressed the issue of attendance recording malfunction in the new systems installed after March 2020. “Technical fault in software of the attendance system not capturing the attendance of workers correctly was not addressed immediately. It is noted that there was disparity in the attendance captured by the access system in the factory and actual attendance of the worker which led to payment of leases wages owing to the reduction in the number of days of presence captured by the system,” Additional Chief Secretary Rajkumar Khatri wrote in his letter to the Union Labour Ministry. Several employees that TNM spoke to had pointed out that they were marked as on leave despite turning up for work. Many also said that though they worked overtime and the overtime wages were not credited with the salary. The salaries too arrived late, between 10th to 12th in a month. The Additional Chief Secretary’s letter also states that Wistron had not maintained a robust redressal system to address and rectify complaints raised. “A robust redressed system to address complaints arising out of attendance and overtime wages was not in place,” it states. Sources with the Labour Department told TNM that Wistron initially had a biometric system of recording attendance. However, after the coronavirus pandemic, the company changed the system to one of access cards to ensure physical distancing. “Multiple inspections after December 12 found that the access cards were not functioning properly. When employees asked about the reduction in pay, some of them were told there was a technical glitch and that it would be rectified. This did not happen,” a senior Labour Department official said. The source further stated that Wistron had disbursed employee payments to the contracting companies. Contract workers were sourced from 7 contract agencies namely Innov source private limited, Creative Engineers, Needs Manpower support services, Randstand, Quess Corp Limited, Adecco Group and United (housekeeping), without including the outstanding amount for the previous months, which allegedly also irked employees. In the early hours of December 12, many employees of Wistron vandalised the factory. The violence erupted after talks with the company’s HR Department failed.
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Wistron iPhone factory violence: SFI leader Srikanth released after questioning
SFI leaders that TNM spoke to said that Srikanth was not present at Wistron when the vandalism took place.
The Kolar police had detained Srikanth, the taluk president of Students' Federation of India (SFI), in connection with the vandalism at Wistron's iPhone manufactory. However, he was released after questioning on Friday. The Kolar Police had detained Srikanth after BJP MP from Kolar, S Muniswamy, had accused members of the SFI of taking part in the vandalism at the factory. He had also accused SFI members of planning the violence. On Thursday, the Kolar Police detained Srikanth based on a WhatsApp message that was circulated, which claimed that SFI activists and workers of Wistron were to hold a protest outside the Kolar Collector's office on December 12 at 11 am. Speaking to TNM, Vasudeva Reddy, State Secretary of SFI, said that the police released Srikanth as they did not find any evidence against him. "There was a message circulated about a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner's office. There were no SFI people at Wistron when the violence occurred. The police accused Srikanth of being at the factory but he was not there at all. Let them check call record details," Vasudeva Reddy said. He alleged that Srikanth's detainment was politically motivated. "We took him into custody for questioning based on information we received. Whether he was at Wistron's plant or nor on December 12 is irrelevant as this was related to planning the protest. We have taken his statement and released him," Inspector General of Police, Central Range, Seemanth Kumar Singh said. On Wednesday, Kolar MP Muniswamy had alleged that SFI activists had held multiple meetings with employees of Wistron and that they had planned the protest in advance. "SFI people had conducted meetings to protest against Wistron. We have evidence and have given it to the police. There are also WhatsApp messages on the protest plan. Workers should speak to the department if they have problems. Even if they protest, it should be peaceful. We are giving full support to the company. PM also looked into it. Investigation is going on," Muniswamy said. Rubbishing Muniswamy's statement, Vasudeva Reddy said that Muniswamy was trying to place the blame on SFI when none of their cadres did "anything wrong". "Muniswamy said that outsiders created the ruckus at Wistron. "This is a politically provocative statement as SFI and BJP have had differences in Kolar. The police did not find any evidence against Srikanth, which is why he was released. We are going to pursue legal action against Muniswamy for defaming Srikanth, who has done nothing wrong," he added.
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Few guardrails to keep people from cutting in line for Covid shots
As soon as more doses become available to wider categories of people, much of the immunization program will rely on the honor system.
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