Karnataka CM Yediyurappa has decided to conduct a one-day aerial survey, accompanied by a couple of cabinet ministers

BAGALKOT/VIJAYAPURA: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will visit flood-affected areas in North Karnataka on August 25. Heavy showers in the Western Ghats, basins of Krishna and its tributaries (Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Marakandeya, Dhudganga and Vedhaganga) have led to floods in parts of Belagavi, Bagalkot, Gadag, Dharwad and Vijayapura for the second consecutive year, affecting over 20,000 hectares of farmlands and damaging infrastructure in many villages and highways in the region.

Amidst the surging COVID-19 cases, the CM has decided to conduct a one-day aerial survey, accompanied by a couple of cabinet ministers.  

According to the tour programme released by Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the CM will leave Bengaluru at 9 am and will reach Sambra Airport of Belagavi at 10.15 am.

He will hold a review meeting with officials and elected members of Belagavi and Dharwad before leaving for an aerial survey of the region. Around 12.30 pm, he will arrive at Almatti and preside over a review meeting with respective district ministers of Bagalkot, Vijayapura and Gadag elected members. Later, he will conduct an aerial survey before leaving for Bengaluru via Belagavi.

Officials of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL) are making arrangements for the Bagina programme at Almatti Dam on August 25 though there is no mention of it in the itinerary released by the CMO. Last week, Yediyurappa had offered Bagina at KRS.  

RP Kulkarni, Chief Engineer of KBJNL, told TNIE, “In the tour programme, it has been clearly mentioned that the CM will visit Almatti Dam, but not about Bagina. The CMO will communicate with Vijayapura District Administration and not KBJNL. We are not taking chances and making all the arrangements for the Bagina programme.”

However, Deputy Commissioner P Sunil Kumar said, “The CM will visit Almatti Dam and then hold a meeting with the elected representatives and officials of the three districts before heading for an aerial survey. There will be no Bagina programme.”

While the recovery rate has shot up to 68.23 per cent, the mortality rate has dipped to 1.68 per cent, according to the state war room.

BENGALURU: Karnataka seems to have taken a better turn on the COVID front, despite recording 7,000-8,000 new cases daily over the past few days. While the recovery rate has shot up to 68.23 per cent, the mortality rate has dipped to 1.68 per cent, according to the state war room.

The recovery rate was a poor 35.29 per cent on July 20. From one of the worst recovery rates among the states almost two months ago, Karnataka has made a turnaround, almost equalling the national recovery rate of 68.45.

Moreover, Karnataka with a mortality rate of 1.68 per cent has bettered the national average of 2.02 per cent. Experts say a mortality rate of below 2 per cent is the norm to be maintained to keep deaths at the minimum. The state’s mortality rate had gone up to 2.08 per cent in the third week of July, and hovered around that till the last week of July, after which it has been steadily dropping.

But the positivity rate has been increasing, from 3.32 per cent on July 5 to 11.50 per cent on Sunday evening. This compares poorly with the national average of about 7 per cent. Dr Giridhar Babu, head of Lifecourse Epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India, and member of the Karnataka expert committee in the COVID task force, says, “Test positivity rate will increase as a function of increasing proportion of population getting infected and fewer tests done.

To decrease test positivity, it is important to expand testing following a syndromic approach for case detection—identifying and treating a syndrome with minimal or no requirement for lab support.” The state has conducted 24,13,951 tests, of which 6,61,791 are rapid antigen tests and 17,52,160 RT-PCR tests.

Cases see a dip at 5,000 plus positives

Bengaluru: Covid transmission in the state showed a slight dip on Sunday, registering 5,938 positives, as opposed to the usual trend of 7,000 to 8,000 daily cases. The state’s tally now stands at 2,77,814. Bengaluru reported the major chunk of new cases with 2,126, followed by Ballari (406), Davanagere (265), Koppal (256) and Shivamogga (246).

There were 68 fatalities, taking the toll to 4,683 cases. The number of critical cases saw a jump with 60 new patients admitted in ICU. With 4,996 patients walking out of hospitals on the day, the total recoveries is 1,89,564, with active cases at 83,551. ENS

DK Shivakumar had on Friday expressed doubts that his phone was being tapped, catching the government on the wrong foot.

BENGALURU:  Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh on Sunday demanded a proper investigation into KPCC President DK Shivakumar’s phone allegedly being tapped, and said the BJP is obstructing individual freedom. “It has been brought to the notice of the police department. For 10-15 days, there has been a lot of disturbance during phone calls,” he said.

Shivakumar had on Friday expressed doubts that his phone was being tapped, catching the government on the wrong foot. Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar and Union minister Pralhad Joshi had rushed to the government’s rescue, and reminded Shivakumar in not too polite terms that he had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate and IT officials and sent to prison, and is out on bail. Hence, he should not talk about phone-

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had rubbished Shivakumar’s claims. Congress working president Saleem Ahmed said Shivakumar was arrested after he “safely housed” Gujarat MLAs whom the BJP later poached, a price he paid for remaining loyal to the party.

Shivakumar’s phone was being tapped after the Jana Dhwani programme was launched to expose government corruption, he said, and claimed he had heard disturbances and echoes on the line, indicating that it was being tapped. Suresh said, “BJP is an expert in this… Instead of talking about what happened during our time (Congress govt), talk about what you are doing. It is the government’s duty to investigate it.” Last August, the BJP government ordered a CBI probe into alleged phone-tapping during the Congress-JDS government.

Minister, Yogeshwar meet Nadda to push for DyCM post

BELAGAVI: While the top BJP leadership and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa continue to keep party aspirants to the cabinet on tenterhooks about the upcoming reshuffle, a group of legislators headed by Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi is exerting pressure on the BJP high command for inclusion of at least three leaders from the Jarkiholi group into the cabinet.What Jarkiholi insisted before BJP national president J P Nadda is the inclusion of MLC C P Yogeshwar as Deputy Chief Minister. Sources said that Jarkiholi and Yogeshwar met Nadda in New Delhi two days ago, mainly to clarify the advantages the BJP will reap if Yogeshwar is  elevated to the top post.

Jarkiholi’s group has not conveyed to the party directly on who Yogeshwar should replace as DyCM, but it is said that the target is Laxman Savadi, Jarkiholi’s political bete noir in Belagavi politics. Both of them have been at loggerheads politically in some locally crucial elections, including the DCC Bank polls.

Sources close to Jarkiholi said both the minister and Yogeshwar are not on good terms with KPCC president D K Shivakumar. It was to promote Yogeshwar as another potential leader in Shivakumar’s Vokkaliga turf, that Jarkiholi joined the actor-turned-politician in Delhi to meet Nadda and push his case.Yogeshwar is also keen to find a crucial break in Vokkaliga turf to revive his fading political career.

However, the BJP is unlikely to remove Savadi to accommodate Yogeshwar, but may promote Yogeshwar to tackle Shivakumar politically, sources said. Jarkiholi had demanded the position of DyCM before he switched to the BJP along with his disgruntled MLAs, but settled for the high-stakes Water Resources portfolio. If sources are to be believed, Jarkiholi wants the BJP leadership to induct MLCs AH Vishwanath and MTB Nagaraj into the cabinet, and is lobbying for them strongly in New Delhi.

The party and Yediyurappa are expected to drop some ministers in order to accommodate Jarkiholi’s associates.With BJP caught badly in internal politics in the state, sources said it remains to be seen how Yediyurappa will tackle the situation to make way for a smooth cabinet reshuffle.

Meanwhile, Fisheries Minister Kota Srinivas Pujar was also in New Delhi to meet Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday.

BENGALURU: A minister from Karnataka is pushing for setting up of the Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation in Mysuru, cheerfully unaware that the heritage city is home to the Oriental Research Institute for decades. And neither did he check with his party colleague from the area about the grand plan.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Prathap Simha, left quite out of the loop, said that digitising of the manuscripts has already been taken up. “We were not informed by the minister. We don’t know about the meeting in Delhi,” Simha said.

Asked whether he knew about the Oriental Research Institute, Ravi said the new heritage centre will give the state national status. “The Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation was announced in the Union budget by FM Sitharaman. Many states are also trying to bag this institute, which comes under the tourism department. It will provide job opportunities for locals. Mysuru is a heritage city and having the institute in Mysuru will be apt,” he said.

He will also be meeting Tourism Minister Pralhad Singh Patel to urge him to set up the centre in Mysuru. Since Nirmala Sitharaman is a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, the memorandum was also submitted to her. Ravi said that land was recently allotted for a Kannada Classical Language study centre.

He also reportedly met Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, and appealed for the construction of a full-fledged stadium at Chikkamagaluru, his hometown. He appealed to Sitharaman to announce a special package for distressed cardamom and pepper growers of Chikkamagaluru. The FM reportedly assured him that she would hold a webinar with the growers and take a decision.

Meanwhile, Fisheries Minister Kota Srinivas Pujar was also in New Delhi to meet Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday. He discussed the proposed sea food park at Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru, and sought grants for the same.

Karnataka Rains: The coastal regions and the northern parts of Karnataka bordering Maharashtra and Kodagu have been particularly badly affected

Bengaluru: Karnataka Weather Update: The water level in many rivers is above the danger mark.

Heavy rains across several districts in Karnataka, especially areas near the coast, have led to water level rising in the rivers. The state government has opened the gates of a massive dam in Uttar Kannada district to release water and avoid flooding the banks of the Kalinadi and Kadra rivers. Water from other dams has been released too.

The water level in many rivers is above the danger mark. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who is being treated for COVID-19 infection in a hospital, has released Rs 50 crore for initial flood relief work amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The districts that saw heavy rains are Kodagu, Gokarana, Chickmangaluru, Hassan and Mysuru.

The coastal districts of Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi have been badly hit, with the adjoining Kodagu district also bearing the brunt of heavy rains. Belgavi, which borders Maharashtra, and other northern districts are also badly affected.

Several areas in Kodagu, the source of the Cauvery river, are flooded

More heavy rains and thundershowers have been forecast in the state.

Several areas in Kodagu, the source of the Cauvery river, are flooded. Landslides have been reported from the Goa-Karnataka border.

“Red alert has been announced in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Chickamagalur, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Hassan due to heavy rainfall in the region from last two-three days,” said CS Patil, director of India Meteorological Department.

Bengaluru: Four Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) in Bengaluru were among the police officers transferred in a routine reshuffle among the IPS (Indian Police Service) brass in Karnataka as announced on Monday. IPS officers MN Anucheth, D Devaraja, Dharmender Kumar Meena, and Harish Pandey are the new DCPs in Bengaluru. 

MN Anucheth, the DCP of Whitefield Division, was transferred to the role of DCP Bengaluru Central, replacing Chetan Singh Rathor. 

D Devaraja, an officer of the Select List of 2015, will now take charge as the DCP of the Whitefield Division.

Harish Pandey, who was Superintendent of Police (SP) Intelligence Bengaluru until now, has been posted as DCP Bengaluru South.

Rohini Katoch Sepat, DCP Bengaluru South, was transferred to the role of Superintendent of Police, CID (Criminal Investigation Department), Bengaluru. 

Nikam Prakash Amrit, who was the SP, CID, Bengaluru until now, will be posted as the SP of Raichur district.

B Ramesh, DCP Bengaluru West, was transferred to the role of  Superintendent of Police, CID, Bengaluru.

N Sashi Kumar, DCP Bengaluru North, was transferred to the role of Superintendent of Police, Wireless in Bengaluru. Dharmender Kumar Meena replaced Sashi Kumar as DCP, Bengaluru North. 

Meanwhile, Iada Martin Marbaniang was transferred from his role of SP, Kalaburagi, and posted as the SP of Anti-Naxal Force, Karkala, Udupi. 

Suman D Pannekar, a 2013-batch officer, will take charge as Deputy Director, Karnataka Police Academy, Mysuru. 

Among officers of the rank of Inspector General, IPS officer D Roopa of 2000-batch, who was posted as Inspector General of Police (IGP), Railways, Bengaluru has been made the IGP and Secretary to Government (PCAS), Home Department. She will replace IPS officer Umesh Kumar.

Umesh Kumar, who was until now PCAS, will be posted as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), CID, Economic Offences, Bengaluru.

These transfer orders were along expected lines as the order for the transfer of the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner was made on Friday. While senior IPS officer Bhaskar Rao was transferred out from his position as Commissioner of Police for Bengaluru City, he was replaced by his 1990-batchmate, Kamal Pant. 

Bhaskar Rao has now taken charge of the ADGP Internal Security Division, Bengaluru.

Responding to a question on dropping the chapter in class 7, officials said it should be noted that the students study about Tipu Sultan from classes 6 and 10.

Chapter on Tipu Sultan dropped from class 7 social science textbook to reduce syllabus this year

The chapter on controversial 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and his father Haider Ali are among those that have been dropped from the class 7 social science textbook, following the Karnataka government’s decision to reduce the 2020-21 syllabi due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the chapters on Tipu Sultan have been retained in the class 6 and 10 books, official sources told news agency Press Trust of India.

According to Nasheman news the revised syllabus uploaded on the Karnataka Text Book Society (KTBS) website shows that in class 7, social science text, chapter 5 that deals with Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, Historical places of Mysore, and Administration of Commissioners have been dropped.

The Department of Public Instructions decided to reduce the syllabus for the year 2020-21 in view of the pandemic and disruption in the academic calendar for the year, that has been brought down to 120 working days.

Responding to a question on dropping the chapter in class 7, officials said it should be noted that the students study about Tipu Sultan from classes 6 and 10.

A couple of months ago, amid the growing clamour from some BJP leaders to remove a chapter in the textbook glorifying Tipu Sultan, the government had constituted an expert committee to look into it.

The committee however had recommended that the ruler cannot be ignored from the school syllabus.

Commenting on the development, Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar said that the BJP government was taking such decisions with a political agenda in mind.

Pointing out that Tipu Sultan was a historical figure, Mr Shivakumar had said “History is history…you cannot change history. We will not accept it. Congress will take it seriously by setting up a committee to look into it.”

Soon after coming to power, the BJP government in Karnataka had scrapped the birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan, an annual government event the party had been opposing since 2015 when it was launched during the Congress rule, led by Siddaramaiah.

The BJP and some other organisations have been strongly opposing Tipu Sultan, calling the erstwhile Mysore king a “religious bigot”.

Tipu Sultan was considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company. He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort at Srirangapatnam against the British forces.

Tipu Sultan, however, is a controversial figure in Kodagu district as Kodavas (Coorgis), a martial race, believe that thousands of their men and women were held captive during his occupation and subjected to torture, death and forcible conversion to Islam.

He was also accused of execution of Mandyam Iyengars at the temple town of Melkote in Mandya district on the day of Deepawali as they supported the then Maharaja of Mysuru.

However, the scale of such suppression is disputed by several historians, as they see Tipu Sultan as a ruler who took on the might of the British.

While BJP and some other organisations see Tipu Sultan as a “religious bigot” and a “brutal killer”, a few Kannada outfits call him “anti-Kannada”, saying he had promoted Persian at the cost of the local language.

Mangaluru: A private hospital in the city has been accused of not treating a man who was injured in an accident on the grounds that he was Covid-19 positive.

Siraj, 26, an auto-rickshaw driver, was injured in his right leg in the accident that occurred in Padu near Neermarga on July 15 and was admitted to the private hospital. He said that the doctors took a sample of his throat swab before treating him and assured that they would operate his leg after two days. On July 17, when his Covid-19 test report showed that he was infected, however, the doctors said that they would operate only after he recovered from Covid-19, said Siraj.

“The doctors did not give me anything to alleviate the terrible pain too. I was shifted to the District Wenlock Hospital when I requested, but I was still charged Rs 23,000,” he has complained.

He added that district hospital doctors are treating him for the Covid-19 attack. “The treatment will continue for 10 days, but they have cast my leg in plaster for now,” Siraj said.

District health officer-in-charge Dr. Rathnakar said that they could operate only after Siraj recovered from COVID-19. “This is a serious case of injury and requires us to take a lot of precaution while operating,” he explained.