Archives for April 2021
Congress-alliance candidates from Assam shifted to Jaipur, party fears ‘horse trading’
JAIPUR: About 20 candidates of the Congress-led alliance in the Assam Assembly polls were flown to Jaipur on Friday with the party claiming it feared “horse trading” by the BJP.
They were taken to Hotel Fairmont on the outskirts of Jaipur.
It is the same hotel where Rajasthan Congress MLAs were lodged during a political crisis triggered by the rebellion of party leader Sachin Pilot against CM Ashok Gehlot last year.
“Around 20 candidates have been shifted to Jaipur from Assam today,” said Congress chief whip in the Rajasthan Assembly, Mahesh Joshi.
“The candidates were brought here as a precautionary measure looking at several incidents in the past when the party could not form government due to horse trading by the BJP despite having majority,” another Congress leader said.
He said the candidates were shifted to Jaipur so that the BJP could not make any attempt to influence them.
The three-phase Assam Assembly elections concluded on April 6 and the results will be out on May 2.
UK Indians complain to PM Boris Johnson on ‘inaction’ in Samant case
Samant, the first Indian woman to be elected president of the OUSU, was forced to resign amid controversy over some of her past social media posts.
NEW DELHI: Over 100 organisations of the Indian diaspora in the UK have written to UK PM Boris Johnson expressing concern over inaction against an Oxford faculty member for his alleged Hindu hatred and bigoted views against former Oxford University Students’ Union (OUSU) president Rashmi Samant.
Samant, the first Indian woman to be elected president of the OUSU, was forced to resign amid controversy over some of her past social media posts.
“Dr Sarkar, a faculty member, instigated hate-filled trolls on social media against her which led her to go into hiding and finally leave the country. Dr Sarkar continued stalking her on social media, attacking her and her family for their Hindu faith which led her to severe depression and hospitalisation,” it said.
COVID-19 India Update tally climbs to 1,32,05,926 with over 1.45 lakh fresh cases
NEW DELHI: With a record 1,45,384 fresh cases, India’s COVID-19 tally has climbed to 1,32,05,926, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Registering a steady increase for the 31st day in a row, the number of active coronavirus cases in the country has gone up to 10,46,631, accounting for 7.93 per cent of its total caseload, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 90.80 per cent.
The active caseload was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12, accounting for only 1.25 per cent of the total number of cases in the country.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 1,19,90,859, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.28 per cent, the data stated.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, the 30-lakh mark on August 23, the 40-lakh mark on September 5 and the 50-lakh mark on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 25,52,14,803 samples have so far been tested in the country for the viral disease, including 11,73,219 on Friday.
The 794 fresh fatalities include 301 from Maharashtra, 91 from Chhattisgarh, 56 from Punjab, 46 from Karnataka, 42 from Gujarat, 39 from Delhi, 36 from Uttar Pradesh, 32 from Rajasthan, 23 each from Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 22 from Kerala, 17 from Jharkhand and 11 each from Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.
Of the total number of 1,68,436 deaths caused by COVID-19 in the country, Maharashtra accounts for 57,329, followed by Tamil Nadu (12,863), Karnataka (12,813), Delhi (11,196), West Bengal (10,378), Uttar Pradesh (9,039), Punjab (7,390) and Andhra Pradesh (7,279).
The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that a state-wise distribution of the figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
Body of accused in IUML worker death case found hanging from tree in Kerala
Kannur: An accused in the recent killing of a Youth League activist in a post-poll clash allegedly between workers of the CPI(M) and the IUML, was on Friday found dead in an isolated area at Valayam in Kerala, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Ratheesh Kooloth (36), a Panoor native, they said.
“Some locals informed the police about the body of an unidentified person found hanging from the tree. We circulated his photograph and found that he was an accused in the IUML worker death case,” a police official told PTI.
Youth League member Mansur (22) was killed when a group of people waylaid him and his brother Muhsin, a UDF poll agent, near their home. They hurled bombs at the duo before attacking Mansur with sharp weapons on April 6, witnesses had said.
Police said Ratheesh, a neighbour of the deceased IUML worker, was absconding.
Police have already arrested Shinos in the case.
The state police had on Thursday handed over the case to the district crime branch and a 15-member team had initiated probe into the incident.
IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty earlier said that his party lacked confidence in the probe team.
While the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has alleged that the ruling CPI(M) was behind the killing of Mansur, the Left party dismissed the charge and asserted that it was not a political murder.
AB De Villiers guides RCB to two-wicket victory over MI
Chennai: AB de Villiers rolled back the years with his beautiful yet brutal assault as Royal Challengers Bangalore pipped defending champions Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a last-ball thriller in the Indian Premier League opener here on Friday.
De Villiers smashed 48 off 27 balls after RCB were down in the dumps at 106 for 5. Harshal Patel capped off his dream day by scraping a single off the final delivery to reach the target of 160 in 20 overs.
Haryana’s Harshal, an eternal peripheral presence in the IPL, finally had his night under the lights with 5 for 27, which helped RCB restrict MI to 159 for nine.
MI again lost the first match as has been the tradition in the IPL but they lost it to de Villiers, who changed the script in a space of two overs by attacking the two MI spinners Rahul Chahar (0/43) and Krunal Pandya (1/25).
His attack prompted Rohit Sharma to finish his best bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s spell (2/26 in 4 overs) before the final over, from which seven runs were required.
RCB were in control when Glenn Maxwell (39 off 28 balls) came in and upset leg-spinner Chahar’s line with a reverse-pull boundary. He repeated the shot off the same bowler for a six and got another maximum off Krunal Pandya over long-on.
Skipper Virat Kohli (33 off 29 balls), who had launched into an experienced Marco Jansen in his first over, got a bit bogged down as the innings progressed. However, Maxwell’s attack meant that Kohli could take his time.
It was MI’s strike bowler Bumrah, who came back for his second spell at the back-10 and removed the Indian captain with an angular delivery.
If that wasn’t enough, Jansen, the 6 feet 8 inch youngster, banged one short that ended Maxwell’s potentially dangerous innings as the ‘Big Show’ once again promised a lot but delivered little.
After Jansen removed Shahbaz Ahmed, de Villiers announced his arrival with a six and a boundary off Chahar.
Earlier, Harshal produced a death over masterclass, which kept the MI total under check.
He picked up three wickets in his final over for a run and also became the first bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians.
Reserve opener Chris Lynn (49 off 35 balls) partially made amends for his part in a horrible mix-up that led to skipper Rohit Sharma’s (19 off 15 balls) run-out, by adding 70 runs in seven overs for second wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 23 balls).
That stand was the platform that MI needed to fire during the back-end.
Fresh from his exploits for India, Ishan Kishan blazed his way to 28 off 19 balls but Harshal got a few wickets in the final over to prevent MI from inflicting bigger damage.
On a Chepauk track where a good score is anything in the region of 150, the total was certainly par for the course.
Kyle Jamieson (1/27 in 4 overs) had an impressive IPL debut with his disconcerting bounce but the seasoned Yuzvendra Chahal (0/41 in 4 overs) has clearly lost his bearings for some time now.
But Harshal, Chahal’s Haryana teammate made it up with some accurate wicket-to-wicket bowling in the 18th and 20th over.
Lynn, who looked shaky during the first few overs, stepped out to loft Chahal for a six over long-on and another over wide of long-on off left arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed to get his rhythm back.
This was after he called Rohit for a non-existent single and then sent him back, only to find the skipper yards short of his ground.
Suryakumar (31 off 23 balls), at the other end, took off from where he left against England as he clipped Jamieson for a boundary, punched Chahal through covers off the back foot and then back-cut Dan Christian for another four.
The pitch that looked slow during the first four overs went out of the equation as runs came at a fair clip.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians: 159/9 in 20 overs (Chris Lynn 49, Suryakumar Yadav 31; Harshal Patel 5/27).
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 160/8 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 48, Virat Kohli 33, Glenn Maxwell 39; Marco Jansen 2/28, Jasprit Bumrah 2/26).
Karnataka Govt bans RTC employees strike as stalemate continues
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Friday banned with immediate effect the indefinite strike by employees of road transport corporations over wage related issues, which completed its third day, affecting bus services across the state.
Citing inconvenience caused to the public and the strike being against the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, the Labour department issued the ban orders.
The dispute has been referred to the industrial tribunal, Bengaluru, for adjudication, it added
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa appealed to the employees to resume work even as he made it clear that it was not possible to meet their demand for wages as per the Sixth Pay Commission.
Also ruling out any talks, he asked them not to be stubborn under “someone’s influence” and understand the financial difficulties of the government in the present situation and cooperate by resuming services, in the interest of the public.
“I request the transport workers with folded hands..don’t be stubborn under someone’s influence.
Last year, despite COVID related issues when your corporations didn’t have money to pay your salaries, we paid it by utilising Rs 2,300 crore from the exchequer,” Yediyurappa told reporters here.
The CM clarified that implementation of the sixth pay commission report for RTC workers was not possible under any circumstances in the given situation.
With the government reiterating its stand on wages as per the Sixth Pay Commission, RTC employees decided to continue with the strike on Saturday as well.
Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, honorary president of Karnataka State Road Transport Employees League, said the strike would continue for the fourth day on Saturday.
He also urged the Chief Minister to hear them.
On Friday,as employees of all four transport corporations did not attend duty,buses continued to remain off roads across the state, including Bengaluru, affecting daily commuters.
Passengers travelling to and from distant areas and office-goers were the most affected.
Private buses, mini buses, maxi cabs and other transport vehicles, which authorities roped in to manage the crisis and help commuters, provided services to those stranded in different parts of the city and the state.
However, the number of passengers using private buses continued to remain low in the city, as people used their own vehicles or cabs, the Metro and auto rickshaws, especially in the city areas, private operators said.
The Metro has increased the frequency of its services between 7 AM and 9 PM.
Amid threats of ESMA and “no work no pay”, a few RTC workers returned to work and buses were reportedly operating on some routes in the city, along with police escort, sources said, adding there are similar reports from some other places in the state.
The Chief Minister pointed out that 85 per cent of the government’s revenue goes towards salaries for government employees, various kinds of pensions and other non-plan expenditure and only 15 per cent is available for developmental works.
“…In such a situation, transport workers should not be stubborn. We have fulfilled eight of your nine demands.
If there are any issues with those eight demands, rectifying it and seeing to it that you get its benefits is our responsibility and I will do it,” he said and asked them to cooperate and get back to work.
Noting that the Transport department is for the service of the people,he asked employees to ponder over whether it was fair to remain stubborn when people are facing difficulties.
He also said that many employees are now ready to get back to work voluntarily, as he assured them security.
Transport Department Principal Secretary Anjum Parvez on Thursday had said that the daily loss because of the strike is about Rs 20 crore.
RTCs that have been warning employees against continuing with the strike have started taking action against trainee employees and are issuing notices for absence from work.
To a question on whether he will call for talks, Yediyurappa asked “whom should I talk to? Through you (media) publicly I’m requesting.”
“…there is nothing remaining for talks. What is there to talk after fulfilling eight out of nine demands?
I’m not stubborn. As eight demands have been fulfilled, employees should come back and resume bus services. They should not fall prey listening to some people,” he added.
On his part Kodihalli Chandrashekhar said the strike would continue until the government understands the employees’ “justified demands.”
He also called on employees and their families to stage a protest at district and taluk centres in front of Deputy Commissioner or Tahsildar offices at 11 am on April 12 against the government’s stand.
7,955 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, 46 deaths
Bengaluru: Karnataka logged 7,955 new COVID-19 cases and 46 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 10.48 lakh and the toll to 12,813, the Health department said on Friday.
Out of the 7,955 fresh cases reported on Friday, 5,576 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.
The day also saw 3,220 patients getting discharged after recovery.
Cumulatively 10,48,085 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 12,813 deaths and 9,77,169 discharges, the Health department said in a bulletin.
0ut of 58,084 active cases, 57,706 patients are stable and in isolation at designated hospitals, while 378 are in Intensive Care Units.
Bengaluru Urban accounted for 29 of the 46 deaths reported on Friday, Mysuru had 5, Belagavi and Kalaburagi 2 each, and one each from Ballari,Bengaluru Rural, Bidar, Chikkaballapura, Chitradurga, Dharwad, Mandy and Uttara Kannada.
Among the districts where new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 5,576, Mysuru 283, Kalaburagi 211, Bidar 186, Hassan 153, Tumakuru 145, Vijayapura 127, Chikkaballapura 119, Dakshina Kannada 115, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district headed the list of positive cases, with a total of 4,70,014, followed by Mysuru 57,668 and Ballari 40,395.
Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban was on top with 4,22,719, followed by Mysuru 54,911 and Ballari 39,168.
A total of over 2,24,58,762 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,35,163 were on Friday alone.
CM Yediyurappa Urges striking KSRTC workers to come back to work
Bengaluru: Bus services were hit in Karnataka for the third consecutive day on Friday, as the stalemate continued with employees of the road transport corporations, who are on an indefinite strike on wage related issues, and the state government sticking to their stand.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa appealed to employees to resume work, even as he made it clear that it was not possible to meet their demand for wages as per the 6th Pay Commission.
Also ruling out any talks, he asked employees not to be stubborn under someone’s influence, and understand the financial difficulties of the government in the given situation.
“I request the transport workers with folded hands don’t be stubborn under someone’s influence.Last year, despite COVID related issues when your corporations didn’t have money to pay your salary, we have paid it by utilising Rs 2,300 crore from the government’s exchequer,” Yediyurappa told reporters here.
“Understand the financial situation of the government and cooperate by resuming the bus services in the public interest,” he said.
The chief minister clarified that the implementation of the sixth pay commission report for RTC workers was not possible in the given situation.
With the government reiterating its stand, RTC employees decided to continue with the strike on Saturday as well.
Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, honorary president of the Karnataka State Road Transport Employees League, said the strike will continue for the fourth day on Saturday.
He also urged the Chief Minister to hear them.
On Friday, as employees belonging to all the four transport corporations did not attend duty, buses continued to remain off the roads across the state, including Bengaluru, affecting daily commuters.
Passengers travelling to and from distant areas and office-goers were the most affected.
Private buses, mini buses, maxi cabs and other passenger transport vehicles, whom authorities have roped in to manage the crisis and help commuters, were seen providing services to stranded passengers in different parts of the city and the state.
However, the number of passengers using private buses continued to remain scarce in the city, as people were using their own vehicles or were seen using cabs, metro and auto rickshaws, especially in the city areas, private operators said.
Metro has increased the frequency of its services between 7 AM and 9 PM.
Amid threats of ESMA and “no work no pay”, some RTC workers have returned to work and buses are said to be operating on some routes in the city along with police escort, sources said, adding there are similar reports from few other places in the state.
The Chief Minister said 85 per cent of the government’s revenue is spent on salary for government employees, various kinds of pensions and other non-plan expenditure, and only 15 per cent is available for developmental works.
“In such a situation, transport workers should not be stubborn, we have fulfilled 8 of your nine demands. If there are any issues with those eight demands, rectifying it and seeing to it that you get its benefits is our responsibility and I will do it,” he said and asked them to cooperate and get back to work.
Noting that the Transport department was for the the people’s service, the chief minister asked employees to think whether it is fair to remain stubborn when people are facing difficulty.
He claimed many employees were now ready to get back to work voluntarily, as he assured them security.
RTCs, which has been warning employees about continuing with the strike, have started taking action against trainee employees and are issuing notice for absence from work.
Responding to a question as to whether he will call for talks, Yediyurappa asked “whom should I talk to? Through you (media) publicly I’m requesting.”
“…there is nothing remaining for talks. What is there to talk after fulfilling eight out of nine demands. I’m not stubborn. As eight demands are fulfilled employees should come back and resume bus services, they should not fall prey listening to some people,” he added.
On his part, Kodihalli Chandrashekhar said the strike will continue indefinitely till the government understands the employees’ justified demand.
He also urged the employees and their families to stage a protest at district and taluk centres in front of Deputy Commissioner or Tahsildar offices on April 12, against the government’s stand.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat tests COVID-19 positive, hospitalised
NAGPUR: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has tested coronavirus positive and has been admitted to a private hospital in Nagpur, sources said on Saturday.
Bhagwat was admitted to the COVID-19 ward on Friday, hospital sources said.
He is stable and under observation, they added.
An RSS functionary also confirmed that Bhagwat has tested positive for the viral infection.
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