Bengaluru: Karnataka registered 1,431 fresh coronavirus cases taking its overall tally to 29,29,464 while 21 deaths took the toll to 36,979, the health department said on Sunday.

Also, Karnataka completed 4 crore COVID tests in the state on Sunday since the outbreak of the pandemic.

There were 22,497 active cases in the state while the recovery of 1,611 patients took the total recovery to 28,69,962.

Dakshina Kannada district, which borders Kerala, remained the number one COVID-19 hotspot. The district reported 311 infections and four fatalities, the highest among all the districts on Sunday.

Bengaluru urban district was the second major COVID hotspot with 305 fresh infections and three deaths.

The Karnataka capital has so far reported 12,32,902 infections and 15,937 deaths. There were 8,166 active cases.

Other districts too reported COVID-19 cases including 177 Udupi, 87 in Hassan, 83 in Mysuru, 82 in Kodagu, 64 in Uttara Kannada and 51 in Tumakuru.

According to the media bulletin, there were fatalities in 11 districts including Bengaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Kolar, Mandya and Mysuru.

Yadgir district recorded zero infections and zero fatalities. There were zero fatalities in 20 districts in Karnataka.

The department said in its bulletin that 1,52,767 COVID tests were conducted on Sunday including 1,23,150 RT-PCR tests and other methods.

With this, Karnataka has so far performed 4.09 crore COVID-19 tests in the state, it said.

There were 1,12,199 inoculations done on Sunday taking the total vaccination to 3.46 crore.

The positivity rate for the day was 0.93 per cent and case fatality rate was 1.46 per cent, the department added.

BENGALURU: By September 10, India’s Covid cases are expected to touch 32.8 crore (3,28,42,435) and deaths 4.40 lakh (4,40,220), as per an analysis by Jeevan Raksha. Karnataka’s Covid figures are expected to touch 29.50 lakh (29,50,000) and deaths 37,470. 

Some districts are worse off than others. The problem areas in terms of caseload are Bengaluru Urban, which added 24 per cent of the new cases in the state over the last four weeks, Dakshina Kannada, which added 18.4 per cent of the cases, then comes Mysuru, Udupi and Hassan.

 “Karnataka has to be ultra-careful and should not allow complacencies to seep in. Today, Karnataka has around 22,000 active cases. This is exactly at the same influx we saw right before the second wave swooped in the state in mid-March. In a matter of about just five to six weeks, Karnataka piled up 6 lakh active cases. The state government needs to have a separate strategy for Bengaluru Urban,” said Mysore Sanjeev, convener, Jeevan Raksha. 

As per their analysis, Karnataka’s 28-day Moving Growth Rate (MGR) stands at 1.5 per cent and the MGR of all districts must be brought under this figure to avert the third wave. Districts with MGR higher than that of Karnataka, between July 12 and August 12, are Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Udupi, Hassan, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajanagara, and Shivamogga. 

Sanjeev also pointed to the massive under-reporting of cases. In July, Karnataka reported 61,314 new Covid cases and 1,522 deaths. Astonishingly, 28,060 new insurance claims have been registered for Covid treatment in Karnataka, which means 46 per cent of them had health insurance coverage. 

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Bengaluru: Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy’s two cars which were parked outside his residence in Bengaluru were lit on fire by criminals late at night on Wednesday.

Reportedly, four of the accused arrived around 1 am and poured petrol on the MLA’s cars parked outside his residence and lit them on fire, completely burning them in the process. The CCTV camera near the premises has captured the criminals in the act, it is learned. 

A case has been registered at the Bommanahalli police station in this regard, and an investigation is underway.

Bengaluru, Aug 11: The fortnight-old Basavaraj Bommai government seems to have sailed through its first major challenge by mollifying a sulking Karnataka Minister Anand Singh who had dropped a hint that he would resign his position only to change his mind later.

Sources close to the Minister said he was keen on getting the forest department which he held in the previous B S Yediyurappa government, along with the energy portfolio. “Against his wish, he was given a tourism, ecology and environment portfolio,” they added.

As he expressed his displeasure, he also shut down his MLA office at Hospet in the newly carved Vijayanagar district.

Before meeting the Chief Minister in Bengaluru, Singh said in Hospet, “My political life started from this Venu Gopalakrishna Temple. I would like to tell you that I don’t know whether my political life may also end here.”

“If I have the blessings of Gopalakrishna, there may be a new beginning as well,” he added.

Singh had a meeting with the Chief Minister who was accompanied by Revenue Minister R Ashoka and BJP MLA Narasimha Naik alias Raju Gouda.

After the meeting, the Chief Minister said there were no differences of opinion between him and Singh and that both were “united”.

Conceding that Singh had wanted a “better” portfolio, Bommai said he explained to him the “prevailing situation” and assured him that he will speak to the party’s central leadership.

“His point was that he can take one more portfolio according to his capacity,” Bommai said.

Singh said he had a detailed discussion with Bommai and he has been asked to “go together”.

“It’s true that I had asked for a change in portfolio but I never said I am going to resign. The question of resigning does not arise at all,” Singh said.

He added that Bommai has assured him that the issue will be resolved by “sitting together”.

To drive home the point that the differences have been resolved and Singh was not going to resign, Ashoka said the minister would be hoisting the tricolour in Vijayanagar district on August 15.

Prior to meeting Bommai, Singh and Gouda had called on former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa at his residence and had a discussion for about 25 minutes.

After the meeting, Gouda told reporters that Singh explained his point to Yediyurappa. In reply, the Lingayat strongman asked both of them to be “calm and content”.

After Yediyurappa resigned on July 26, coinciding with his two years in office, Bommai succeeded him as Chief Minister on July 28 and on August 4, he expanded his cabinet with 29 ministers.

He retained most of the ministers in the Yediyurappa government barring a few who were dropped including senior BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar. Barely a fortnight after Bommai took over as CM, dissidence seems to be growing among a section of BJP MLAs and ministers over the cabinet expansion.

Sources in the BJP said MLAs S A Ramadas, Abhay Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, M P Renukacharya, Arvind Bellad, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Umesh Kumathalli are among those sulking over denial of ministerial berth to them.

Another sulking minister N Nagaraj (MTB), who had accepted the decision of the Chief Minister, told reporters on Wednesday that Bommai had promised him his portfolio would be changed and he has faith in him.

Nagaraj and Singh were among the 17 Congress and JD (S) MLAs, who were disqualified in 2019.

Later, 16 of them joined the BJP and became legislators again after winning byelections. A majority of them became Ministers.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Election Commission on Wednesday said polls for the city corporations of Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi, along with bypolls to a few other urban local bodies, will be held on September 3.

Counting of votes will take place on September 6 and the model code of conduct will come into effect from August 16, it said.

Elections will be held for a total of 252 wards across seven urban local bodies. They includecity corporations of Belagavi (58 wards), Hubballi-Dharwad (82), Kalaburagi (55), along with the Doddaballapur City Municipal Council (31), Tarikere Town Municipal Council (23), Bidar City Municipal Council (2) and Bhadravathi City Municipal Council (1).

While the last date for candidates to file their nominations is August 23, the last date to withdraw papers is August 26.

According to the commission, there are a total of 14.01 lakh eligible voters, with the highest being in Hubballi-Dharwad – 8.11 lakh.

Elections are being held as the term of some of these local bodies has ended and due to orders of the High Court, the Commission has said.

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday appointed MPs Syed Naseer Hussain and Chhaya Verma as its whips in the Rajya Sabha, a party statement said.

“Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has appointed MPs Syed Naseer Hussain and Chhaya Verma as whips of Congress Parliamentary Party in Rajya Sabha,” the party statement by Congress chief whip in the Upper House Jairam Ramesh said.

The Congress has appointed Mallikarjun Kharge as leader of the Opposition and Anand Sharma as deputy leader of the Congress in the upper house and the move is seen as a measure to strengthen its floor management in the Rajya Sabha.

The party now has the same number of whips and chief whips in the upper house as in the Lok Sabha.

BENGALURU: Even before the new government has fully settled down to business, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa put new Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the party in a tight spot by his controversial statement and objectionable remarks against opposition Congress leaders.

On a response to the media citing some Congress leaders’ ‘joker’ jibe at him, a rather upset Eshwarappa referred to his opposition colleagues as ‘sons of prostitutes’. Political rivals hitting each other below the belt is not new in state politics, but this was a new low.

Upon realising he had crossed the Lakshman Rekha in public discourse, the minister withdrew his comment and requested the media not to play it up. 

However, Chief Minister Bommai, apparently not knowing about Eshwarappa’s follow-up comments, initially went on to defend his minister’s aggressiveness. “It is not a provocative statement,” Bommai said, responding to a question if action would be taken against the minister for his remarks during a party workers’ meeting at Shivamogga on Sunday.

“It is true that violence is not an answer to violence, but Eshwarappa was giving expression to his pain as party workers were murdered in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Karwar and Sirsi,” the CM said. But with the opposition Congress seething with anger over Eshwarappa’s Tuesday offensive, which came in addition to his Sunday remarks, Eshwarappa was made to retract.

Taking umbrage, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said the BJP leader “lacked culture”. “Those with civility would not use such derogatory words in public life! What administration can anyone expect from such people,” he said, adding that people in public should be ready to accept healthy criticism. He didn’t, however, elaborate how calling a minister ‘joker’ came under civil criticism.

KPCC president DK Shivakumar and senior Congress leader and MLC BK Hariprasad also hit out at Eshwarappa. “The entire State is watching him. He had taken an oath that he will not hate anyone and take everyone along. He has failed to honour that and stooped to such low levels. Congressmen in this State will answer him at the right time and place,” Shivakumar urged the new chief minister to take a befitting step against Eshwarappa’s no-holds-barred remarks.

State Congress working president Ramalinga Reddy too added that BJP should take action against Eshwarappa for hurling “abusive language”, and even demanded a first information report (FIR) be filed against the minister for hurting sentiments.

BENGALURU: Admissions for first-year PU courses began officially across the state on Tuesday.Director of Pre-University R Snehal said admissions for the year 2021-22 for first PU students were to start the day following declaration of SSLC results. The department has allowed admissions up to August 31. During this period, students will have to pay their fees as well. Online classes will start on August 16.

A late fine will be levied on admissions that are held thereafter. For those getting admitted between September 1 and 11, a late fee of `670 will be levied. Meanwhile, those getting admitted between September 13 and September 25 will have to pay a special fine of `2,890. Schools will have to pay the fees to the department of PU in a day of students paying the fee.

In the meantime, the Registered Unaided Private Schools Management Association (RUPSA) has written to Minister for Primary and Secondary Education B C Nagesh, to make arrangements for students who have written the SSLC examination to be admitted to PU or an equivalent grade.

RUPSA President Lokesh Talikatte said a letter in the regard has been sent to the government twice. He said that last year, only 6.23 lakh students were given seats in PU colleges. This year, 8.7 lakh state board students alone have completed Class 10, and if other boards are considered, the state is looking at over 12 lakh students applying for first PU or its equivalent grade. 

Talikatte requested that provision be made for admissions for the additional 3 lakh SSLC students who cleared the examination this year. He said that although there is unlimited intake in government PU colleges, there are just 1,234 such colleges, and they have only 6,250 permanent lecturers. He said now is the time to appoint more lecturers.