Aero India: Drones, paragliders, balloons barred in Bengaluru from Feb 1 to 8

Aero India 2021

Aero India 2021 is scheduled to be held from February 3 to 5 at the Yelahanka Air Force Base in Bengaluru.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant on Saturday prohibited flying of all sub-conventional aerial platforms like Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), drones and balloons, among others, in the city from February 1 to 8. The decision comes ahead of Aero India 2021, the biennial air show and aviation exhibition, which will be held from February 3 to 5 in Bengaluru. Flying of all sub-conventional aerial platforms such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Robotic Process Automation, paragliders, micro-lights, small aircraft, drones, QuadCopters and balloons are prohibited within the limits of Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate from February 1 to 8, Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said in an order issued on Saturday. Aero India 2021, the 13th edition of the air show and exhibition, is scheduled to be held from February 3 to 5 at the Yelahanka Air Force Base in the city's northern part. As a large number of delegates are expected to attend the event, all necessary security measures have already been put in place for the safety of the infrastructure and people at the venue. As part of the security measures, it is considered necessary to ban the flying of all sub-conventional aerial platforms, as they can be used to threaten, damage, harm people and properties on the premises of the event, the Commissioner said in the order. Aero India was last held in 2019. Among the highlights of the 13th edition, a B-1B Lancer heavy bomber of the 28th Bomb Wing based out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, United States, will perform a "fly-by".  The British defence company BAE Systems said it will showcase advanced platforms and weapon systems at the exhibition. In a press release, it said it will showcase a model of advanced trainer aircraft Hawk and laser-guided rocket APKWS at the exhibition that would be held in Bengaluru from February 3 to 5.

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Bengaluru to host air show Aero India 2021 on Feb 3: Three main highlights

Aero India 2021

The 13th edition of Aero India will have some protocols in place, including the mandatory COVID-19 test negative report.

TNM Staff

Airman First Class James Miller

The 13th edition of Aero India, touted to be the first global air show amidst the pandemic, is set to begin on February 3. The biennale air show and exhibition, hosted by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Exhibition Organisation, will be held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. During this show, manufacturers and service providers from the Indian aerospace and aviation industry meet potential buyers of their products.  In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, apart from the prerequisite protocols like wearing masks and sanitising hands, visitors will also have to do an RT-PCR test 72 hours prior to the event. Only those with a COVID-19 negative test report will be allowed entry. Ticket purchase and registration to attend the exhibition virtually can be done here. There will be a lot to witness during the three-day event, which is India’s first hybrid air show, where delegates will be able to participate physically as well as virtually. Here are the three highlights of Aero India’s latest edition. HAL displays There will be a unique flying display of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL’s indigenous platforms (both fixed and rotary wing), titled ‘Aatmanirbhar Formation Flight’. Comprising HAL products such as LCA trainer (LIFT Trainer), HTT-40, IJT, Advanced Hawk Mk 132 and Civil Do-228 will fly in a special formation, showcasing the spectrum of trainers and signifying self-sufficiency in the trainer segment. HTT-40, Advanced Hawk Mk 132 and Civil Do-228 will be available for customer demonstration flights. Sukhoi 30 MKI, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) will also take part in the flying display. The static display will include Do 228, Hindustan Turbo Trainer (HTT)-40 and LUH and ALH Mk III. HAL’s major attraction at HALL-E will be the Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) simulator. The simulator will have TEJAS–MAX cockpit as the mother-ship platform.  The immersive visualisation of the mission will be projected on a wider screen. American Heavy Bomber Fly-by An American B-1B Lancer heavy bomber will perform a fly-by at the Aero India 2021. Of the 28 Bomb Wing based out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, this bomber has the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the US Air Force. Considered the backbone of America’s long-range bomber force, B-1B has been built to rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against enemies anywhere in the world. The bomber has as many as 50 world records for speed, payload, range, and time of climb in its class. The heavy bomber’s fly-by symbolises the deepening of Indo-US defence and strategic planning between the countries. “US participation in Aero India 2021 reflects our increasingly close bilateral defence ties and our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” read the statement released by the US Consulate. US Air Force Band In addition to the fly-by, the US Air Force Band of the Pacific, which is based in Hawaii, is all set to perform at the event, along with Indian percussion (ghatam) artist Giridhar Udupa. The US Embassy has also decided to broadcast the performance — being performed in the spirit of bilateral support for India’s first hybrid defence exhibition — on a later date.

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Karnataka schools miffed with order to slash fees, say may go to court

Education

On Friday, Education Minister S Suresh Kumar had said schools cannot ask parents to pay more than 70% of the tuition fees for the academic year 2020-2021.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representative Image/ PTI

Private school managements in Bengaluru and across Karnataka are up in arms over the unilateral, steep fee cut ordered by the state government on Friday. School associations are also considering approaching the courts over the matter, citing that the resulting fund crunch will mean that they will not be able to pay their staff fully. Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on Friday had said that schools cannot ask parents to pay more than 70% of the tuition fees for the academic year 2020-2021. Further, schools have been ordered not to take any other payments such as development fees from parents for the current year, above the tuition fee. An order to the same effect was passed on Saturday. Read: Karnataka govt orders schools to slash fees for academic year 2020-2021 Even if parents have already paid such fees or tuition fees in excess of 70%, schools have been asked to refund the amount, or adjust it with the coming school year’s fees. “With respect to the 30% fee cut ordered by the state government, it will be actually around 50-60% of the fee that gets cut for schools who charge Rs 25,000 yearly for students. We do not know on what factors the government has decided this cut. This is because they have already curtailed development fees, term fees and special development fees; and the yearly increment has already been cut,” Sashi Kumar, President of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary School (KAMS) said. He added, “For most schools, entry-level admissions have not taken place for classes like LKG, UKG or first standard at all. All these deficits result in a cash crunch. Is it that the government wants private schools to pay only 50% of the salaries to the teachers and non-teaching staff? We may have to approach the courts, or the government has to come up with a solution rather than making this mess.” M Srinivasan, president of the CBSE Schools Association, claimed that the state government cannot enforce this order due to an ongoing litigation at the Karnataka High Court.  “We are considering all options and exploring if we should go to the courts again. Already we had approached the HC, challenging the state government’s amendment which has brought non-state board schools under the state government’s ambit. In that case, the HC in an interim order had said that the state government cannot take any coercive action until the court settles the matter,” he said. He added, “We have already lost more than 25-30% of our revenue, if you account for the 20-30% of parents who have anyway not paid the fees. Expense-wise, we have not saved money on anything other than transportation, for which most schools have voluntarily given part of the fees back to parents. How do we go and refund the money that parents have already paid, as we have spent it on salaries?” School managements said that instead of taking a unilateral decision, the government could have held discussions with both school managements and parents.   Srinivasan claimed that instead of this blanket fee cut, the government could have helped those parents who are struggling financially. “We need to help parents who cannot afford to pay, and we have already been doing so. But for parents who are ready to support the school and can do it, why is the government stopping this?” he asked.  

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New CM for Karnataka after Ugadi: BJP MLA Yatnal’s fresh claim

Politics

Yatnal has been openly critical of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa for the past few months.

TNM Staff

Senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Saturday once again talked about a leadership change in Karnataka, saying a new Chief Minister will assume office after Ugadi on April 13, the day the state celebrates New Year as per the Hindu calendar. The Bijapur city MLA, who has been openly critical of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa for some time now, even indicated that the new CM will be from the northern part of the state. "I will not go with open hands seeking a Minister's post here onwards. I have said one of our own will come in place (of CM) who can give the Minister's post. I have said that someone from north Karnataka will come..it will happen...wait and watch," Yatnal told reporters in Vijayapura. "...This will be very soon, as you (media person) said Ugadi... for the new year, new (CM)," he added. The former Union minister has for some time now repeatedly been speaking out against Yediyurappa and his style of functioning. He had in October said that Yediyurappa would not remain Chief Minister for long and the high command had decided that his successor would be from the north Karnataka region. He had also recently indicated the possibility of historical changes in the state after Sankranti. During the meeting of party legislators earlier this month, Yatnal reportedly had a face-off with Yediyurappa, as he objected to the "step-motherly" treatment meted out to some assembly constituencies and alleged interference of the CM's son B Y Vijayendra in the administration. Despite warnings by the BJP leadership against making statements in public on issues relating to the party and leaders, Yatnal had, after the cabinet expansion earlier this month, accused the Chief Minister of making appointments under blackmail without considering seniority or honesty. Read: Karnataka BJP leader says high command looking to replace CM Yediyurappa Also, there has been intense speculation in some quarters that the BJP high command is mulling a leadership change in Karnataka in the days to come considering Yediyurappa's age (77 years). Though the state BJP has rejected outright such speculations, it refuses to die down, with some in the party like Yatnal giving credence to it with their statements. Yatnal has publicly spoken out against BS Yediyurappa for some time now and in October 2020, he had claimed that Yediyurappa will be removed as Chief Minister and replaced by a leader from north Karnataka.

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Maryland confirms case of Covid-19 variant from South Africa

The news comes after South Carolina announced the first two U.S. cases of the variant Thursday.

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CDC issues rule requiring travelers to wear face masks

The CDC’s new order goes further than an executive order signed by President Joe Biden last week.

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5 docs in Karnataka get COVID after first vaccine shot, health officials allay fears

COVID-19

The vaccines being provided in India are effective only after the second shot is given. Doctors say people who get the first shot should continue to follow all precautions.

Soumya Chatterjee

IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATION: PTI

Five doctors in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district have tested positive for the novel coronavirus a week after they were administered the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine. However, health authorities and experts have said that this does not mean that the vaccine is ineffective. The Union government and other health authorities in the country have said that both vaccines (Covaxin and Covershield) approved for use in India will be effective only after the second shot, which is to be given 28 days after the first shot. This means that those who receive the first shot of the vaccine should follow all precautions like wearing masks, hand washing and avoiding crowded areas. Further, experts advise that even those who are fully vaccinated — that is, those who have received both shots of the vaccine — should follow all precautions until a significant percentage of the population has been vaccinated. In this instance, local health officials say that it is highly likely that the five doctors had contracted the virus prior to getting the first jab. “All the five doctors are attached to the district hospital and the government medical college here. They are in the 40-50 age group and have mild symptoms. Of the five, some took Covishield while some of them were given by Covaxin last week,” Dr MC Ravi, District Health Officer, Chamrajanagara, told TNM. He added, “It is highly likely that their incubation period of catching the virus had started before they took the vaccine. They were tested only after they started showing symptoms. This issue is not related to vaccination and we are tracing contacts of these doctors.” Experts speak Dr Jacob John, a noted virologist and former professor at Christian Medical College in Vellore, said this development is not surprising. “The vaccine first dose induces immunity very partially only about two weeks later, and that too is yet to be defined very well due to lack of experience. Partial immune response will mean that a serious disease will be rendered milder. But here, the two week period was not available. It is only 5-10 days after the second dose, that the efficacy for Covishield is in the range of 60-70%,” he said. He added, “Here in this case, it means they were probably infected before, or on the day they were given the vaccine. This is because the incubation period is 5-10 days and sometimes up to 14 days.” He further said that those vaccinated should wear masks and follow other COVID-19 guidelines until two weeks from the second shot. “After that there is a small chance that people are protected from disease but not the infection. A transient infection may occur until the disease is very low in the community. The second reason to wear a mask is for discipline and public education,” he added. When asked if these doctors should be given the second shot at a later date, Dr John said that won’t be necessary and they will probably be better protected from getting the infection. Health dept to review development Dr Rajani Nageshrao, State Deputy Director (Immunisation) told TNM that she has sought details on how and when the doctors were given the vaccine shot and when they contracted the infection. She said after gathering the details a meeting will be held with Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Department, and other officials regarding this development. As done in other parts of the country, doctors and other frontline workers are being vaccinated on priority in this first phase of the vaccination drive. According to the state COVID-19 War Room report, Chamarajanagar district has reported 23 cases in the last seven days and has a recovery rate of 97.8% since the onset of the pandemic. The district has a positivity rate of 0.4% and no fatalities in the last 15 days.

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