Keep beef on the menu: Karnataka officials seek exemption from ban for zoo animals

Beef ban

Big cats like tigers and lions were put on a chicken diet during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, but only due to non-availability of beef.

Soumya Chatterjee

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With the stringent new anti-cattle slaughter law in place in Karnataka, zoos in the state have sought an exemption from the law owing to health concerns of big cats like tigers and lions, that are traditionally fed beef. Speaking with TNM, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Member Secretary, Zoo Authority of Karnataka, BP Ravi, said, “We have submitted to the government through proper channels to give us an exemption from this law after discussing with our department higher authorities. We have also discussed this with animal husbandry department officials.” Ravi said that historically, lions and tigers in the state’s zoos – like elsewhere in the country – were only given beef. It was only during crises such as during the coronavirus-induced lockdown for two months that the animals were given chicken due to unavailability of beef.   “During the lockdown, we could not source beef for the big cats in Bannerghatta zoo and we had fed them chicken. At that time the animals had put on weight, but epidemiologically, there was no change. We had confirmed this with blood tests done on animals across the state. But if these animals will only have to be given chicken long term, it may be a cause for concern,” he added. Vanishree Vipin Singh, executive director of Bengaluru Bannerghatta Biological Park, concurred. “Large carnivores like leopards, lions and tigers are traditionally given beef because they eat red meat if they are in the wild. For smaller carnivores like wolves, wild dogs and jackals, it is not much of an issue,” she said. On Monday, the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill 2020 was passed in the Legislative Council under controversial circumstances. The law was earlier cleared in the state Assembly in December 2020. The Bill was passed in the Council with voice vote even though the Congress had sought for a division of votes. The BJP has only 31 members in the Assembly, and hence would have needed the support of the JD(S) which has 13 members. The Congress has 29 members. However, the rules are already in effect with the Governor Vajubhai Vala promulgating the ordinance on January 5 on the same issue, based on the advice of the state cabinet. Read: Karnataka anti-cattle slaughter bill passed in Legislative Council Karnataka beef ban: Beyond restaurant menu, here's how things will change

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Wistron looking to resume operations in Apple iPhone plant near Bengaluru

Technology

Apple in a statement said that company officials and independent auditors are on site to ensure new systems are put in place.

TNM Staff

File image/PTI

Production at the Apple iPhone manufacturing plant in Kolar district near Bengaluru run by Taiwanese manufacturer Wistron is set to begin soon for the first time after the facility was shut in December, 2020 after incidents of violence. TNM had reported how on December 12, some workers at the facility took to vandalism after their repeated complaints about pending salaries and indiscriminate pay cuts fell to deaf ears.  Reuters quoted a company statement as saying, “We are looking forward to restarting our operations and welcoming back team members and we thank them for their patience and support as we worked through corrective actions,” Read: Wistron iPhone plant violence: Workers say months of pent-up anger behind outburst In a statement, Apple on Tuesday, said, "For the past eight weeks, teams across Apple, along with independent auditors, have been working with Wistron to make sure the necessary systems and processes are in place at their Narasapura facility. A comprehensive set of corrective actions has now been completed and Wistron has restructured their recruiting team and enhanced training and support for workers. As Wistron begins the process of hiring team members and restarting their operations, everyone at the facility will undergo a new training program to ensure they understand their rights and how they can raise any concerns.  Apple employees and independent auditors will remain on site to validate that the new processes are effective.” “We are dedicated to ensuring that workers are protected and treated with dignity and respect. Wistron remains on probation and we will monitor their progress closely,” the statement added. Read: Wistron admits lapses at Kolar iPhone plant, sacks India Vice President Subsequent scrutiny to the violence and its causes found Wistron guilty of violating several labour laws and saw its  Vice President (innovation business group) of Wistron Infocomm Manufacturing India, Vincent Lee removed as a disciplinary action. The company had also set up a 24-hour grievance helpline as a corrective measure. As a fall out of the same, Apple had also demoted Wiston to  probationary status for violating its ‘Supplier Code of Conduct’. Also read: Apple puts Wistron on probation, no new business till corrective actions are taken Losses from Wistron violence drastically downgraded from Rs 437 cr to Rs 52 cr. Here's why

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Karnataka private schools ask govt to cap fee cut at 15%, demand grants

Education

Suresh Kumar had said that schools cannot ask parents to pay more than 70% of the tuition fees for the academic year 2020-21.

TNM Staff

School associations from across all boards have urged the state government to limit the total fee cut to 15%  in a memorandum submitted by them, on Monday. They cited that slashing school charges will affect their ability to pay their staff and run operations of the school smoothly. Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on January 29, had said that schools cannot ask parents to pay more than 70% of the tuition fees for the academic year 2020-2021. Further, schools were ordered to halt any other payments like development fees over the tuition fee. The representatives of Independent Schools’ Federation of India, Karnataka ICSE Schools’ Association and Association of Managements of Primary & Secondary Schools of Karnataka met the Medical education Minister on Monday to discuss the same. PT Joseph, senior Vice president of the Independent Schools’ Federation of India, an association of CBSE and ICSE schools said that there should be no distinction between total fees and tuition fees. He further added that if schools were only allowed to collect tuition fees and give 30 % concession in that amount, nothing will be left for the schools. In a conversation with TNM, Joseph told, “The schools had already divided the fees on a 50-50 basis. With the halting of payment of activities, the 50% fee has already gone. If we give a concession of a further 30% in tuition fees, we are left with 25% to pay the staff and run the school operations. Coupled with implementation of the RTE policy, the schools are struggling financially. We want them to help our teachers and help us mitigate financial constraints.” The government has only consulted parents, leaving out the other two stakeholders, the school management and the teachers, said Joseph. The Associations also highlighted that the government had earlier stopped the annual increase in fees In the memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa, the associations stated that they demand, in lieu of the fee concession given to the parents, a grant to the school from the government in order to pay the salaries of teacher apart from asking for a concession of not more than 15%.  “Normally, 60 to 75% of the total fees collected is used for salary and wages. Under this order of the government, no unaided private school cannot survive,” the memorandum states. They also requested a waiver of property tax and electricity, telephone and water charges on compassionate grounds. 

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Kerala students coming to 5 Karnataka districts require COVID-19 negative test result

Health

The test certificates must not be older than 72 hours.

Prajwal Bhat

The Karnataka government has announced that students coming from Kerala to Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mysuru, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar districts must carry a negative COVID-19 test certificate that is not older than 72 hours. This applies to students living in hostels in Karnataka as well, the Health Department has specified. Day-scholars from Kerala who enter districts in Karnataka for studies will be tested once in a fortnight, the health department stated. The state government also encouraged educational institutes to conduct online classes for students from Kerala and urged students to avoid travelling to their native places frequently.  The health department also said that COVID-19 cases in northern parts of Kerala were factors in its decision. The order also cited a high positivity rate in RT-PCR tests done in four nursing institutes and 2 engineering institutes in Mangaluru since December 25, 2020. The test positivity rate was 6.8% among 2,806 cases. The Dakshina Kannada district administration held a meeting on Monday and decided to increase surveillance at the state border with Kerala. The Talapady border is just 22 kilometres south of Mangaluru city and many residents living near the border study in institutes in and around Mangaluru. Last week, TNM had reported that a college in Mangaluru had 49 COVID-19 cases among students from Kerala. The Aaliyah Institute of Nursing at Ullal was sealed by the city municipality after the cases emerged. After six students tested positive initially, all the students were tested and 43 more COVID-19 cases emerged. The samples of the students tested were sent to NIMHANS, Bengaluru for genome sequencing to determine if they were infected by a new variant of the novel coronavirus. During the lockdown imposed over the COVID-19 outbreak last year, an issue was reported between Karnataka and Kerala after Karnataka decided to close the state border even for patients in emergency cases. The dispute was resolved following the intervention of the Supreme Court.

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JD(S)-BJP field Basavaraj Horatti for Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council

Politics

The BJP and JD(S) formed the new alliance in a bid to outnumber the Congress in the Karnataka Legislative Council.

IANS

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The ruling BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) coalition has fielded senior JD (S) member Basavaraj Horatti for the post of Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council. Horatti, who has been a Member of Legislative Council (MLC) for seven times, was accompanied by both JD(S) and BJP members, including the leader of the House in the Council Kota Sreenivasa Poojary, while filing his nomination on Monday. Congress party member Naseer Ahmed has also filed his nomination for the post. BJP member MK Pranesh got the Deputy Chairman's post after being elected on January 29. According to the terms discussed, the JD(S) member was to receive the Chairman’s post after former Chairman K Pratap Chandra Shetty tendered his resignation. With the combined strength of BJP (31) and JDS (13) — 44 crossing the majority mark in a house of 75 members — Horatti's victory has reportedly foregone conclusion, as both parties have officially formed an alliance. The Congress, with a strength of 29 members, has fielded Naseer Ahmed as its candidate, to force voting on the floor of the House and 'expose’ JD(S) alliance with the BJP. On January 29, BJP MLC MK Pranesh was elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council with the backing of JD(S). Even then, the Congress party had fielded its senior leader KC Kondaiah as its candidate. However, in the election held through headcount process, Pranesh secured 41 votes. As many as 24 Congress members had voted against him though. Then Chairman K Pratap Chandra Shetty declared Pranesh elected after the headcount. After this, Shetty, the council chairman who is a Congress member, resigned from his post on February 4. During the winter legislature session in December last year, the BJP had moved a no-confidence motion against Shetty after gaining the upper hand (31 seats) in the Council. However, the process turned out to be a messy affair with the Council witnessing uproarious events on December 15. When the joint session started in the last week of January, the BJP, which found that the chairman was himself resigning, had not pressed for a discussion on the no-confidence motion. On February 4 evening, Shetty announced his resignation in the House.

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Vijaynagara becomes Karnataka’s latest and 31st district

Governance

The iconic cluster of monuments at Hampi, a UNESCO world heritage site, will be part of the new district, Vijaynagara.

IANS

PTI

On Monday, the Karnataka government issued an official gazette notification announcing Vijaynagara as the state’s 31st district, which was carved out of the ore-rich Bellary. Vijaynagara will have six taluks: Hosapete, Kudligi, Hagaribommana Halli, Kotturu, Hoovina Hadagali and Harapanahalli. Bellary district, on the other hand, will have five taluks — Ballari, Kurugodu, Siraguppa, Kampli and Sanduru, with Bellary taluk as its headquarters. The iconic cluster of monuments at Hampi, a UNESCO world heritage site, will be part of the new district, Vijaynagara. On November 18 last year, the state cabinet had given in-principle approval for creation of Vijayanagara district. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa wrote to Chief Secretary in September 2019, stating that keeping public and administrative interest in mind, it was necessary to create the new district; noting that some parts of the Bellary district were about 200 km from the present headquarters.  However, the government's plan to create Vijayanagara district had run into opposition, especially from within the party, including BJP MLA Somashekar Reddy. Minister for Infrastructure Development, Haj and Wakf, Anand Singh, who is also the Bellary district in-charge, had anchored the efforts for the new district. In his bid to bifurcate Bellary and Vijaynagara, Singh ran into a feud with the Reddy brothers — G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakara Reddy and G Somashekara Reddy. Anand Singh, who contested from Congress in 2018, had deserted BJP but re-joined a year later in 2019. His demand for the new district then began taking shape. Many within the ruling BJP had criticised the move in 2019, stating the decision to create a new district was being taken under pressure from Singh, in return for his role in BJP coming to power. Singh is one of the 17 MLAs who defected that led to the fall of the previous HD Kumaraswamy led Congress-JD(S) coalition government. He had cited the demand for a separate Vijayanagara district as one of the reasons for his resignation from the Congress. Undivided Bellary was politically significant, comprising nine Assembly constituencies, of which the Congress represents five constituencies and the BJP has four constituencies.

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Democrats push temporary Obamacare expansion in Covid bill

The bill, which the Ways and Means Committee will mark up later this week, would fully subsidize ACA coverage for people earning up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level and those on unemployment insurance.

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