The plan will essentially federalize the current patchwork pandemic response, including spending $20 billion to speed up vaccinations.
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Friday, January 15, 2021
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Karnataka CM caught in ‘CD controversy’, Congress demands investigation into allegations
Basanagouda Yatnal said, “CM BS Yediyurappa has made ministers those who have blackmailed him using CDs for the last three months”.
Another political controversy is brewing in Karnataka after BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal alleged that a couple of the legislators who were given ministerial berths on Wednesday blackmailed the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa with a CD. The Opposition have asked for an explanation with KPCC President DK Shivakumar demanding a probe into the allegations. Speaking to reporters after Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced the induction of 7 new members to the Karnataka cabinet, Basanagouda Yatnal said, “CM BS Yediyurappa has made ministers those who have blackmailed him using CDs for the last three months. Three people, one political secretary and two (sitting) ministers, were blackmailing with some of his CDs One, who took oath as minister today, paid a sum to Vijayendra (Yediyurappa’s son) apart from using his CDs to blackmail him.” While the Chief Minister has chosen to not react to the controversy thus far, with more BJP leaders echoing similar sentiments, the Opposition has demanded that an investigation should be ordered by Yediyurappa. Addressing a press conference, DK Shivakumar said,"This is the voice of BJP leaders saying not Congress leaders. They say bribes were involved in selecting the cabinet ministers. What is the Income Tax department doing? Why is there no discussion about this? Why aren't they going for a suo motu case on this?,” Shivakumar said on Wednesday. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to call for action over the CD and the blackmail allegations. “MLA has openly claimed that many BJP leaders have got ministerial berth by blackmailing @BSYBJP using a CD.Does @CMofKarnataka have courage to file a criminal case against those who blackmailed him?,” he tweeted. “@BJP4Karnataka leaders have now come to sense about family politics of @BSYBJP There are defacto & dejure CMs in Karnataka. The real power is in the hands of Yediyurappa's son. Many know this truth,” he added. .@BJP4Karnataka MLA has openly claimed that many BJP leaders have got ministerial berth by blackmailing @BSYBJP using a C.D. Does @CMofKarnataka have courage to file a criminal case against those who blackmailed him? 1/2 — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 14, 2021 BJP is imploding in Karnataka with 20 BJP MLAs abusing CM Yediyurappa in public after Cabinet expansion. BJP leaders are saying Yeddy is being blackmailed by some MLAs using a 'CD' Nation Wants To Know what does this CD have? Do Modi/Shah know? BJP = Blackmailers Janata Party — Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) January 14, 2021 Yediyurappa’s son Vijayendra was at the centre of a controversy in October 2020 when the editor of the Kannada channel Power TV went into hiding and the channel was shut down. The incident followed allegations raised on the channel about a bribery scandal allegedly involving the chief minister’s family. Read: Bengaluru police search private channel after complaint related to ‘sting’ on BSY family
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Kodagu DC Annies Joy to leave post after two years
Annies took charge as DC of Kodagu in 2019 and was at the helm of the district during the 2019 floods and landslides.
Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy announced on Wednesday that she will be leaving her post, two years after she was appointed in 2019. Annies will be taking a leave of absence from Thursday to join her husband Stephen Mani, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer posted recently as the first secretary to the Indian Embassy in Washington DC in USA. "I have had a successful two-year tenure in Kodagu as Deputy Commissioner. Thank you everyone for the support and warmth provided. The beautiful memories in Kodagu will be cherished forever," she said in a statement. Speaking to TNM, "I made the request for a break. I am leaving to spend time with my family and my daughter Apoorva," Annies Joy said. She said that she will be returning to service later this year in a new role. Annies took charge as DC of Kodagu in 2019 and was at the helm of the district during the 2019 floods and landslides. It was a year after the devastating floods and landslides in the hilly district in 2018. In the months leading up to the monsoon, extensive preparations were taken up and district authorities worked with geologists to survey the areas affected. But their preparations were thrown out of gear when landslides struck in southern Kodagu, an area that was not heavily affected in 2018 A landslide in Thora village left 10 residents of the village dead and Annies Joy along with the then Superintendent of Police Suman D Penneker and the then Zilla Panchayat CEO Lakshmi Priya were praised for their response on-ground. The trio regularly made the journey to the landslide affected area in Thora, trudging through the slushy mud, to coordinate the search operations for the missing persons. "The residents of Kodagu remember the officers were coming to the landslide area in our village and speaking to Prabhu Kumar, a local who lost his family in the landslide," Vijay, a resident of Thora told TNM. In 2020, Annies was criticised for an FIR against journalists from the Cauvery Times for two articles which criticised the DC. An official in the DC office filed a police complaint against Vasanth, a reporter, and the editor of Cauvery Times, a Kannada paper. The articles, published in May and June 2020, criticised the district officials' handling of the post-lockdown rules of designated red and green zones. It also alleged through an anonymous letter that the DC and the then SP of the district were misusing disaster relief funds. Prior to this, Annies Joy moved quickly to shut down tourist spots in Kodagu in March 2020 before the national lockdown was announced. Residents in the district said that her background in nursing studies helped during the early days of the lockdown. Annies completed her nursing studies at the medical college in Thiruvananthapuram in 2009 before writing the IAS exam in 2012. Before her posting as Kodagu DC, Annies worked as the Assistant Commissioner of Bidar, worked at the Karnaataka Bhavan and as the CEO, ZP of Tumakuru.
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'Ask high command': BS Yediyurappa to disgruntled leaders
Yediyurappa on Wednesday expanded his 17-month-old government by inducting seven new Ministers and dropping Excise Minister H Nagesh.
IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATION: PTI
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday asked BJP leaders, who are airing their discontent about missing out on a cabinet berth, to take up the matter with the national leadership. He also urged them to refrain from making any remarks which will affecting the party’s image. The chief minister had expanded his cabinet on Wednesday after much deliberations and the exercise already saw some aspirants who could not make it publicly air their displeasure. "If the BJP MLAs have any objection they can go to Delhi, meet our national leaders and give them all the information and complaints they have. I won't object to that but I ask them not to damage the party's reputation by talking ill," Yediyurappa told reporters in Bengaluru. Noting that the central leaders will take a call on their complaints, he said the seniors in the party are aware of the facts. Later, speaking to reporters in Davangere, he insisted he could do what was within his limits, on the matter and warned those speaking ill about him. Yediyurappa, however, did not respond to queries on the non-induction of Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA Munirathna, a former Congress man who joined the saffron party, despite the former's promise to induct him in his council of ministers. Yediyurappa on Wednesday expanded his 17-month-old government by inducting seven new Ministers and dropping Excise Minister H Nagesh. The other aspirants-- Basanagouda Patil, M P Renukacharya, Sathish Reddy, Thippa Reddy, S A Ramadass and A H Vishwanath, who could not make it have been quite vocal in expressing their displeasure. Yatnal in particular has been critical of the chief minister and even alleged his family of 'hijacking' the party. He had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end dynastyic politics from Yediyurappa's family in Karnataka, which has a chief minister, an MP (B Y Raghavendra) and a BJP state vice president (B Y Vijayendra). "The CM has made those who are blackmailing him as Ministers. Three people- one political secretary and two Ministers have been blackmailing with some of Yediyurappa's CDs for three months. One who is becoming Minister today along with CD blackmail was also involved in payment of money to Vijayendra (CM's son)," Yatnal had said. Vishwanath on Thursday called upon people to discuss the 'Son Stroke', a jibe seen as targeting the chief minister's family. "Let the discussion start from Raichur. The topic is Son Stroke. I hope you understand it," Vishwanath said in an apparent reference to Yediyurappa allegdly giving prominence to his children and family members in the party. He said the Janata family was decimated in the 1990s due to 'son stroke', whether it be Ramakrishna Hegde, S Bangarappa, J H Patil or H D Deve Gowda, apparently referring to family politics involving these leaders. "Now the same son stroke is hitting the BJP. If that continues in the state there will be son stroke in Karnataka," Vishwanath said. He had earlier switched over from the JD(S) to BJP and resigned from the Assembly in 2019 leading to the toppling of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, headed by H D Kumaraswamy. The dissenting MLAs were upset that region wise, Bengaluru and Belagavi got more prominence in the cabinet. In terms of caste equation, the Veerashaiva-Lingayat and Vokkaliga legislators got more representation.
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Yelachenahalli-Kanakapura road Bengaluru metro line inaugurated by CM Yediyurappa
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri participated in the event from New Delhi through video-conferencing.
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday flagged off the metro extension line between Yelachenahalli and Silk Institute over the Kanakapura Road in south Bengaluru. This extension covering 6.3km will have five more stations. The public can use the service starting from Friday. Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri participated in the event from New Delhi through video-conferencing. "The extended service is part of the metro project's second phase, covering more areas in the tech city for commuters living in the southern suburb," said an official. The extended service project is two-year behind schedule for various reasons, including land acquisition, shifting of utilities and displacing houses and shops that were on the route. "The service will be open for the public from Friday after its inauguration on Thursday. As the service is being operated under Covid-induced guidelines, the frequency will be regulated to prevent crowding in the six-car coaches," said the official. Metro service resumed on September 7 in phases after remaining suspended since March 25 when the lockdown was enforced to contain the virus spread Besides wearing a face mask, commuters have to maintain social distancing and use only smart cards with online re-charge to avoid physical contact through tokens. "Though the six-coach train has capacity to carry 1,800 commuters, only 400 are allowed in each ride till further order," said the official. Similarly, about 50 commuters are permitted to be on the platform for the next train at a time to avoid crowding and maintain social distancing. "The trains run at a frequency of five minutes during peak hours and 10 minutes during non-peak hours," added the official. As the most popular transport mode for its punctual, efficient and cleaner service in air-conditioned coaches, the metro was ferrying over 4-lakh commuters on the twin routes, covering 42.3km across 40 well-lit stations during the pre-Covid days. Commuters are screened at the entrance to ensure only those who are negative enter the station, with face mask or face shield. Sanitisers are kept at the entrance of the stations for hand-washing by commuters. Spaces have been earmarked on platforms and inside coaches to maintain physical distancing between commuters to sit or stand while travelling.The Bengaluru metro rail service on the north-south corridor (green line) would be extended from Thursday covering 6.3km and five more stations, an official said on Wednesday.
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Bengaluru metro: Feeder services on 4 routes on new Kanakapura Road corridor
Two out of the four new services will originate at Silk Institute metro station.
IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATION: PTI
The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) said on Wednesday that it is extending its metro feeder services to the Yelachenahalli-Silk Institute line, which will be inaugurated on Thursday and commence operations from Friday. In a notification, the BMTC announced four new routes for metro feeder buses, and two of these routes will originate on the Silk Institute station. The Kanakapura Road section of the metro i.e. the Yelachenahalli-Silk Institute is the first corridor under phase 2 of Namma Metro that will become available for public use. Phase 2 was sanctioned in 2014 and was supposed to be completed by 2018, but got delayed. This extension of the existing green line of the metro is an elevated 6.4 km long section. In the notification, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said that the metro feeder services on the Yelachenahalli-Silk Institute corridor will begin from January 14 (Thursday), and the new routes will be operational from the next day. The new metro feeder routes are: “Currently, the BMTC is operating 944 trips with 107 schedules towards Jambusavari Dinne/Anjanapura, 451 trips with 63 schedules towards Vasanthapura from Konanakunte Cross and 1,134 trips with 121 schedules on Kanakapura Road to different areas,” BMTC said in its notification. The metro corridor along the Kanakapura Road is set to connect residents with Majestic, Yeshwanthpur, Vijayanagar, MG Road and Baiyappanahalli, among other places in Bengaluru. The corridor will be opened after several delays. After the 2018 deadline was missed, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation had said that the line would open in August last year. However, attributing the delay to COVID-19, the opening was postponed, until now.
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20k doses of Covaxin reach Bengaluru, to be used alongside Covishield
The state had already received 8 lakh doses of Covishield from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India since Tuesday
The first batch of Covaxin from Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech of 20,000 doses meant for healthcare workers and other frontline workers, as part of the first phase of vaccination, arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday morning as scheduled. The state had already received 8 lakh doses of Covishield from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India since Tuesday. "The state will soon receive 20,000 doses of Covaxin from Hyderabad by air and these will be used to inoculate 16 lakh frontline warriors across the state in phase one from January 16 onwards," Karnataka Health Minister Dr Sudhakar K had said earlier in a statement. "Covaxin has 5ml vaccine in a vial as against 10ml vaccine in Covishield vial. We can vaccine 20 people with one vial on average," he added. The second consignment of 1.5 lakh doses of Covishield reached Belagavi from Pune by road in refrigerated vehicles. The Serum Institute sent 6.5 lakh doses of its vaccine by air cargo to Bengaluru on Tuesday for distribution in 8 districts in the region. "The doses are packed in 14,700 bottles, with each bottle having 10 units (ml). The vaccine will be administered twice with a 28-day gap between first and second dose," said a state health official. The vaccines have been stored in cold chambers at 3 degree Celsius temperature. About 36,000 doses have been allotted for frontline warriors in Belagavi district. The department has trained about 28,000 health workers to inject the vaccine at 180 centres in the state's northwest region spanning Bagalkot, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Koppal, Uttara Kannada and Vijayapura districts. The vaccine will be administered at 235 sites across the state, and cold chains have been set up to store them in all the 30 districts. Task forces have been formed to supervise the exercise. The state will get 13.90 lakh doses of vaccine in the first phase.
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