Karnataka governor promulgates stringent anti cow-slaughter ordinance

Law

Under the new law, penalty for any other slaughter than what's allowed will range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh per animal and 3-7 years’ imprisonment.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

Slaughtering of nearly all cattle - cow, calf of cow, bull, bullock - is now illegal in the state of Karnataka as the Governor Vajubhai Vala has promulgated the anti-cattle slaughter ordinance. The Yediyurappa-led BJP government in the state passed the bill in the Legislative Assembly but failed to introduce the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill in the Legislative Council. The government then took the ordinance route and the cabinet passed the ordinance. According to the new law, only male or female buffalo above the age of 13 can be slaughtered. However, cow, calf of a cow, bull, bullock are prohibited from slaughter. This means that beef meat will be unavailable in the state and only buffalo meat from buffaloes above 13 years of age can be sold.  The existing Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964 had banned the slaughter of cows and calf of she-buffalo. However, the older law had permitted bull, bullock, buffalo (male or female) to be slaughtered if the animal was above 12 years of age, or if it was incapacitated for breeding, draught or giving milk due to injury, deformity or any other cause. Under the new stringent law, penalty for any other slaughter will range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh per animal and three to seven years’ imprisonment. It also gives the police power to search and seize on the basis of “reason to believe” that cattle is being sold, purchased or disposed of for the purpose of slaughter. The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly last month amid ruckus, wherein the Congress legislators walked out. The Bill was thus passed without any discussion. The Congress had said then that it would go the legal route to oppose the anti-cow slaughter law in the state.  The legislation also penalises people who indulge in smuggling, illegal transport, and atrocities on cow by slaughtering them. It could also effectively bring a beef ban in the state as it defines beed as the flesh of cattle.   

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Karnataka's annual birdwatching festival Hakki Habba kicks off

Environment

The festival, hosted by the state Forest Department, aims to promote the rich biodiversity of the BRT Tiger Reserve near Mysuru.

Sanjana Deshpande

The annual birdwatching festival popularly known as Hakki Habba kicked off on Tuesday, at the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Chamarajnagar near Mysuru. The three-day festival was started in 2015 by the Karnataka Forest Department, in a bid to create awareness about the environment and to attract more people to the cause of bird conservation. The festival also aids in finding birds that are largely seen only in the region and to make note of new species that fly in. “The organisers and forest officials involved create a checklist of the species of the birds they find,” said District Forest Officer Yelakundala. In the seventh edition of the Hakki Habba or Bird Festival, he said that they were hoping to revise the list as well as record new sightings. When asked about the activities planned to engage the participants over three days, the DFO added, “Lectures by experts have been arranged for. Before taking people on the field for bird watching, we brief the participants and other attendees. We also show films and documentaries and engage the audience.” The festival also aims to promote the biodiversity of the tiger reserve. The Director of the BRT Tiger Reserve, Dr Santoshkumar G, through the Hakki Habba, also aims at showcasing the unique and rich biodiversity of the sanctuary.  The attendees are made aware of the speciality of the landscape by the movies and tours organised. The tiger reserve is located at a crucial link between the Eastern and Western Ghats complex. From semi-arid to evergreen forests, the reserve boasts of diverse landscapes and wildlife within its limits. “The activities are mindfully planned so that people can spend more time on the field and engage. We believe this will inculcate interest towards bird and wildlife conservation,” added the DFO. The BRT Tiger Reserve has multiple variants of forest environments like moist deciduous, evergreen, semi-evergreen, scrub and so on, which attracts many types of birds including migratory species. The vegetation is ideal for birds breeding, officials said. In 2020, the Hakki Habba was hosted from January 17 to January 19 at Nandi Hills, Chikkaballapur.    

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Karnataka pvt schools’ association suggests steps to reduce fees

Education

The decision comes after a state minister appealed to parents and school managements to find a middle ground during the current crisis.

TNM Staff

Representational image

A major association of private school managements in Karnataka recently called for a reduction in fees in its member schools in light of the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown. Among other things, the detailed ‘Fee Advisory’ issued by the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary School (KAMS), which has close to 4,000 members, requested the schools not to pay the full year’s fees at one time. It also asked school managements to provide more time to parents to pay their ward’s fees based on a written declaration.  This decision by KAMS comes just days after Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar appealed both to parents and private school managements to reach a middle ground regarding the current crisis. The economic slowdown has resulted in many parents struggling financially and failing to pay fees for their children. Similarly, some school managements have said that they are struggling to maintain their running costs without the fees. Incidents were reported of schools threatening to stop online classes for students who failed to pay their tuition fees, and urged the government to fix a minimum fee structure for the private schools. Some parents had also resorted to protests alleging government inaction in regulating schools demanding steep fees. The advisory issued by KAMS suggested that schools whose fee structure is more than Rs 25,000 per annum can reduce 20% to 25% or more of their fees in the “best interest of students continued learning and support the parents” during the present circumstances. For schools which have fees less than Rs 25,000 but more than Rs 15,000 a year, KAMS suggested that special development fees be relaxed for the current school year. Further, for schools whose annual fee is less than Rs 15,000, they can reduce their term fee to a maximum of 10% of their whole tuition fee.  KAMS also urged schools to determine if fees of extracurricular activities like sports/ cultural activities can be waived off too. The note added, “Minimum charges for computer usage considering 30% depreciation and transportation maintenance apart from running cost can be considered yearly overall expenditure and be divided among students.”

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From Bengaluru to the airport for Rs 10: Why new train service is a game changer

Transport

Five trains are now plying between the city and the airport, offering a new path for thousands of passengers and workers.

Prajwal Bhat

Bengaluru airport halt station

On Monday evening, Rahul Bhakta, a 27-year-old resident of Bengaluru, frantically checked cab fares to Bengaluru International Airport, located 35 km from the city centre. The aircraft maintenance engineer had a flight to Chennai at 8.30 pm but scrolling through his phone, his face fell as he saw that the cab fare was almost half the cost of his flight ticket.  “It looked like it was going to rain and that would mean a price surge in getting a cab,” Rahul said. He considered taking the bus to the airport but it still set him back by Rs 270. “There was also the evening rush-hour traffic,” says Rahul. Until Monday, a bus or a cab were Rahul’s only options of public transport to the airport from his home in Kalyan Nagar. But a newly-launched service is now changing that and adding a third option to the mix  — a suburban train from the city to the airport at just Rs 10.  “The timings matched my flight. The station was 15 minutes from my home so I went there and asked at the counter. They said that the train to the airport has started,” said Rahul, holding up his ticket.  Five trains will operate from Bengaluru to the airport for the next few months — two trains will leave the KSR Railway Station at 4:45 am and 9 pm and three other trains will operate from Yelahanka (7 am), Yeshwantpur (8:30 am) and Cantonment (5:55 pm) stations. Five more trains will operate in the other direction from the airport to the city, with the earliest train at 6:23 am and the last train at 10:38 pm. The five trains plying between the city and the airport could make a world of difference for the 25,000 people who work at the airport as well as flight travellers and those who accompany the passengers to the airport.  According to officials at the Bengaluru International Airport, the daily traffic at the airport is around 30,000. The halt station was built by Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), the company which manages the airport. “Till yesterday, there was no option to go to the airport without spending at least Rs 250. The train service is also a cheaper and safer way to commute to the airport since you are not exposed to the pollution of road traffic. These trains can take around 700 people considering the [physical] distancing rules. So the service can now be used by around 3500 people every day. The railways should aim to increase this number,” Rajkumar Dugar, convenor of  Citizens for Citizens (C4C), and one of the activists who advocated for the airport halt station, said.  Rahul boarded the train at 6 pm and was the sole passenger to disembark at the airport about an hour and seventeen minutes later. Though the train provides an affordable and traffic-free path to Bengaluru’s airport, and has been a long-standing demand from activists, there is still little awareness among prospective passengers.  And while Rahul was familiar with the service, he still nervously glanced at his phone every few minutes to follow the train’s path. Channasandra station: 6:24 pm. Bettahalasur station: 6:55 pm.  “It is a new route and there was confusion among travellers. I kept checking the progress of the train on my phone because after all, I had boarded after seeing a Facebook post. I was still unsure that the train would take me to the airport,” said Rahul.  To his relief, the train reached the newly-built airport station at 7:12 pm after leaving Cantonment Railway Station at 5:55 pm. The halt station is located near the boundary of the airport and a free shuttle bus awaited Rahul.  Rahul reached the airport at 7.30 pm, an hour before his flight. “I spent Rs 60 for the auto and the train ride and I didn’t get late for the flight. Even though the train was delayed by 20 minutes, the ride was definitely more comfortable than being stuck in Bengaluru traffic,” a beaming Rahul said.  Delays mar first day of service However, all was not well during the launch of the service on Monday. The first train left KSR Station at 4.45 am amid fanfare and with high-profile passengers on-board. But commuters complained that the train from Yeshwantpur to the airport at 8:30 am was delayed by an hour. The train travelling from the airport to Cantonment Station was similarly delayed and only arrived at 9:30 pm, an hour late.  Mohan, who manages an electrical shop in Chikkaballapura, is a regular commuter on the route from Yeshwantpur which extends beyond the airport. He said that there were no delays in the route in the weeks before the airport service was launched. “Today was the first time in a while there was a long delay, both while going towards the airport and later while coming back to the city,” Mohan says.  A railway official played down concerns over the delays stating that it will review the trains in the line and decongest it. “We will be addressing the issues that came up on the first day,” a railway official says.  The 24-km of rail line between Yehalanka and Devanahalli is a single track, which means that trains can only go once every 30 minutes in either direction. The airport halt station lies in between these two stations. “Ideally, the railways should take up doubling work on this line,” Mohan says. Rajkumar Dugar however explains that since a double line may take years to build, upgrading the railway station in Doddajala to a crossing station at the cost of Rs 10 crore will ease the congestion. The Doddajala station, which is over 100 years old, is the penultimate station before the airport halt station while travelling from the city.  Read: Upgrade Doddajala station to make airport line a success: Rail activists in Bengaluru Despite the challenges, commuters like Rahul say that the airport train is the only sensible mode of transportation to the airport. “When a cab ride can cost as much as a plane ticket, having a cheap train service to the airport is essential. I will be encouraging people to use this service. It can be improved but if you plan in advance, this is a great alternative to go to the airport,” Rahul said, adding, “The railways should ensure that there are minimal delays.”

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Watch: Residents of Karnataka village form guard of honour for retiring school teacher

Human Interest

Madhukar S Nayak, served as a teacher in the Government Junior Primary School in Dandebagh village in Uttara Kannada district for 35 years.

Prajwal Bhat

An elderly man wearing a simple shirt is surrounded by a group of children and young men standing on both sides of him. As he walks past each person, the elderly man shakes their hand and at the end of the line when a child falls at his feet, he ushers him aside and bows down to the ground in prayer. The outpouring of emotion was witnessed on the day Madhukar S Nayak, the beloved teacher of Government Junior Primary School in Dandebagh village in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, retired from service on December 31. Madhukar (60), served as a teacher in the government school in Dandebagh near Gokarna for 35 years before retiring last week. The school has around 27 students and Madhukar, who was one of two teachers at the school, will now be replaced after over three decades. He was widely respected in the community in Dandebagh. The heartwarming moment shared by Madhukar and the residents of the village was highlighted by The Kokum Trail, which documents stories from Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. Ankura Nayak, who was present at the school on the day of Madhukar’s retirement said, "It was not just an occasion for students. I saw parents of the students, old students, panchayat members, the village doctor, other retired teachers who taught in that school previously, shopkeepers from the neighbourhood and even other members of the community. It was an outpouring of emotions." She explained that parents in the village look up to the teacher for advice. "Since the parents of this community lack formal education, they trust the teacher and place him on a pedestal where they entrust him with the responsibility of raising their child. In the process of this relationship, they form a bond where the teacher becomes a crucial part of their family matters as well," Ankura said. "Whenever they have a decision to make, be it buying a new boat (for the fishermen community) or even applying for a loan, they always consult the teacher first as they already have established this familial relationship of trust and responsibility. The teacher also becomes a part of this relationship as every decision affects his student’s well-being," she added. Madhukar taught junior primary school students a variety of subjects including the 'nali kali' (play and learn) classes in which learning is infused with a mix of activities for the students. But over the past year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Madhukar has had limited opportunities to teach his students. "I have missed the students in these last few months. We taught students briefly  before this was stopped in October. Schools have not restarted for primary school children since then," Madhukar said.   The Karnataka government's Vidyagama scheme, a continuous learning programme which involved teachers taking classes in community spaces, was halted in October after reports of COVID-19 cases. Despite this, the youth club in the village and other residents were keen to wish Madhukar on the day he retired.  "The love and respect was always there and they said that they wanted to attend the retirement function at the school. I feel blessed and happy that they were able to see me on my last day," Madhukar added.

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Bird flu outbreak in Kerala: Officials in neighbouring Karnataka on guard

Bird flu

In neighbouring Kerala, Alappuzha and Kottayam district authorities have already started the procedure to cull thousands of birds.

PTI

Representational image

Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Tuesday directed health officers in border districts of the state to remain vigilant in the view of avian flu outbreak in some Indian states like Madhya Pradesh, and neighbouring Maharashtra and Kerala. He also said guidelines would be issued to all the districts to take necessary action. "The avian flu was first noticed in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Though no cases (of avian flu) have come to my notice yet, I have told the health officers in the border districts to be alert," Sudhakar told reporters In neighbouring Kerala, Alappuzha and Kottayam district authorities have already started the procedure to cull thousands of birds, including ducks to check the spread of the virus. The symptoms shown by infected birds with influenza are: tremors, diarrhoea, head-tilts and paralysis. TNM has reported that disease is found to spread rapidly. According to the World Health Organisation, chances of humans being infected with the virus H5N8, that is reported in Kerala, is low, though the chance cannot be totally excluded.  To a query on a few teachers and students contracting coronavirus after the reopening of schools for grade 10 and PU-II year students, the minister said there was no need to panic. ".. I want to say that schools and colleges are functioning properly and children have started coming. People have to cooperate for the academic progress of the students," Sudhakar underlined. The Health Minister stressed that the government was alert and if at all students and teachers get infected then there is an improved medical system in place in the state. On the UK returnees, he said 37 of them have tested positive for coronavirus. Ten among the 37 who returned from the UK were found to be carrying the mutant of coronavirus. As 75 UK returnees have not yet been traced, the Minister said he would speak to the Home Minister afresh on this issue

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Fact check: Image circulated as Rs 35 cr cheque paid by Vijay Mallya to BJP is fake

Fact Check

Several persons are claiming that the disgraced business tycoon wrote a cheque of Rs. 35 crore to the BJP before he fled the country.

Alt News

File image/PTI

A picture of an Axis Bank cheque has been causing quite a stir on social media recently. The cheque is of the value Rs 35 crore and has been allegedly issued by Vijay Mallya to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Mallya’s purported signature also appears at the bottom. The cheque is dated November 8, 2016. Several users are claiming that the disgraced business tycoon wrote a cheque of Rs. 35 crore to the BJP before he fled the country. Facebook page ‘AggBani’ posted this image with a Punjabi caption, where it received more than 66,000 shares at the time of writing. (Archive link) ਇਹ ਕਲਾ ਧੰਨ ਮੋਦੀ ਨੇ ਲਿਆਦਾ ਵੇਖ ਲਉ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਲਈ ਫੰਡ ਲਏ ਤੇ ਹੁਣ ਅੰਨ ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਤੇ ਤਲਵਾਰ ਧਰੀ ਫਿਰਦਾ Posted by AggBani on Wednesday, December 23, 2020 Another Facebook page called ‘Ramaz Punjab di‘ also shared the photo and accompanying claim. The picture is viral on both Twitter and Facebook.   In this article, we will share a few pointers that prove the cheque is fake. The cheque is dated November 8, 2016, but the businessman had fled the country on March 2, 2016. Furthermore, there are several issues with the cheque itself. 1. First of all, the full form of BJP is misspelt as ‘Bhartiya Janta Party’ instead of ‘Bharatiya Janata Party’. 2. Two slanted lines can be seen in the middle of the cheque. No such lines are normally drawn while writing a cheque. 3. Vijay Mallya’s signature is also fake. We found his real signature online and the two look nothing alike. The real signature can also be seen in one of Mallya’s tweets from June 2018. 4. The cheque has been issued on behalf of Glamour Steels Private Limited. The directors of this company are Amit Kumar Saxena and Mukesh Kumar. In May 2017, AAP leader Kapil Mishra had displayed to the press similar cheques allegedly issued to the Aam Aadmi Party. One of these was from Axis Bank. A comparison of the one shown by Mishra and the viral image confirms that both are, indeed, the same. The only difference is that the cheque issued to the Aam Aadmi Party is not dated.5. Furthermore, ‘Thirty Five Crore only’ and ‘35,00,00,00’ have been written in the same handwriting in both. On July 18, 2018, Boomlive had published a fact-check report on the cheque. A morphed cheque was circulated on social media with the false claim that Vijay Mallya paid the BJP Rs 35 crore before he fled India. This fake cheque was also used by rebel AAP leader Kapil Mishra back in 2017 to target the Aam Aadmi Party. (This article was first published on AltNews. You can read the original article here.)

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