Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja on Wednesday said that the outbreak of Nipah virus (NiP), which has claimed 10 lives, has been contained and there was no need to panic.

Seventeen people are being treated at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. The disease has been confined to Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.

But the minister said two new cases of patients with suspected NiP and fever were reported in Kozhikode and they were under observation.

Shailaja told the media here that though the virus had been contained, there was a need be alert.

“The entire expenditure of these patients would be borne by the state and there need not be any panic over bats. The government is awaiting the supply of ribavirin, a drug that’s commonly used for treating similar cases,” she said.

After presiding over the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the dead.

“We have also decided to give a government job to the husband of the nurse Lini who died after attending to Nipah virus patients in Perambra in Kozhikode,” he said.

“Their two children will be given Rs 5 lakh each and this can be withdrawn when they turn 18,” a statement issued by Vijayan’s office said.

Transmission of NiV takes place through direct contact with infected bats, pigs or from other NiV-infected persons.

Meanwhile, three teams of health experts deputed by the Centre are working in Kozhikode along with various teams of the state government, officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called up Karnataka’s newly swron-in Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and assured him of having good relationship with him on the state’s development issues, an official statement said.

“Modi called up Kumaraswamy and greeted him on becoming the chief minister and hoped to have good ties between the two,” said the Chief Minister’s office in a statement here.

Reciprocating Modi’s gesture, Kumaraswamy expressed willingness to maintain good relationship with the Prime Minister on development issues pertaining to the southern state.

Earlier, Modi congratulated Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara of the Congress on taking charge.

“My best wishes for their tenure ahead,” Modi said in a tweet after the swearing-in ceremony at the state secretariat here in the presence of national and reginal leaders from across the country.

Karnataka’s new Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will take the floor test in the Assembly on Friday to prove that the Janata Dal-Secular-Congress coalition government enjoys a majority in the house.

“I will take the floor test on Friday to prove that our coalition government has a majority in the Assembly,” Kumaraswamy told reporters after taking oath as Chief Minister in front of the state Secretariat building here.

Governor Vajubhai Vala directed Kumaraswamy on May 19 to take the floor test after forming his government with the Congress.

Expressing gratitude to the Congress for extending support to JD-S, Kumaraswamy said that a fractured verdict in the May 12 elections caused political instability in the state for a week, since no single party got a clear mandate to rule.

“The BJP, the single-largest party with 104 of the 222 seats that went to polls, backed off as it did not have a majority and its Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa bowed out three days after forming the government hastily,” he said.

“I would like to convey to the people of Karnataka that they need not worry about the survival or duration of our government even after the trust vote as we (JD-S and Congress) have buried the hatchet to work for the state’s development as alliance partners,” the Chief Minister said.

Allaying fears over the working of the coalition government, the JD-S leader said he was ready to shoulder the responsibility for socio-economic development of the southern state.

“Doubts about the our government’s survival are unwarranted as both parties are committed to provide an efficient administration for public welfare, especially of farmers, women, youths and senior citizens,” he said.

Though the JD-S won 37 seats, its effective strength in the 225-member house is 36, as Kumaraswamy won from Channapatna and Ramanagaram seats. The Congress has 78 seats.

With the support of one MLA each from Bahujan Samaj Party, a regional outfit, and an independent, the alliance has the combined support of 117 members as against a halfway mark of 111, excluding the Speaker, in the Assembly whose present strength is 222.

The elections for the 11 seats of Karnataka Legislative Council is scheduled for June 11.

In the wake of completing 6 years, B J Puttaswamy, D S Veeraiah, Raghunath Rao Malkapure, M B Bhanu Prakash of BJP, C M Ibrahim, M R Sitharam, Motamma, Sayyad Mudeer and K Govindaraj of Congress will retire from the Legislative Council on June 17.

Byrathi Suresh has resigned from the Legislative Council participation as he has been chosen as the MLA from Hebbal constituency. Somanna Bevinamarada likewise submitted resignation to the upper house as a protest as he didn’t get the ticket from BJP to challenge Assembly polls. But his tenure ends with others.

In the recently formed fifteenth Legislative Assembly, there are 221 individuals with BJP-104, Congress-78, JDS-37 and 2 independent MLAs. Elections for the Jayanagar and Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituencies are pending. The election is yet to be declared for the Ramanagar constituency which is abandoned by the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy as he is chosen from both the constituencies.

Election experts foresee that Congress-JDS coalition and independents may win 6, BJP may win 5 seats to the Legislative Council. May 31 is the last date to document nominations and June 4 will be the last date to withdraw it. Voting will be held on June 11 (9 am to 4 pm) and counting will be on June 11.

Unfazed by the fall of its 3-day government last week in Karnataka, a defiant BJP’s state unit will protest across the state on Wednesday against the formation of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government, said a party official on Tuesday.

“As the Congress-JD-S alliance hijacked the people’s mandate and formed an unholy alliance to form a coalition government on Wednesday, we are observing the occasion as the ‘anti-people’s mandate day’ across the state,” said BJP’s spokesman S. Shantaram in a statement here.

State Governor Vajubhia Vala invited JD-S legislative party leader H.D. Kumaraswamy to take oath as the 25th Chief Minister on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on the grand steps of the state secretariat (Vidhana Soudha) in the presence of national and regional leaders and about an estimated 1 lakh people.

“Thousands of our party cadres and functionaries will stage a black flag demo at cities and districts to draw the people’s attention to the opportunistic alliance of the duo to keep the BJP out of power,” Shantaram noted.

Party’s state unit President and its three-time Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will lead the demo at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the city centre at 11:15 a.m. ahead of the oath-taking ceremony in the evening.

Party’s state unit general secretaries Shobha Karandaleje, Arvind Limbavalli R. Ashok and N. Ravi Kumar, Lok Sabha member from Bengaluru Central P.C. Mohan will be present on the occasion.

“We have also decided to boycott the swearing-in of Kumaraswamy and Congress state unit President G. Parameshwara as Deputy Chief Minster as they don’t have the mandate or moral ground to form the government,” another party official told IANS here.

In the May 12 election, voters gave a hung assembly in 222 constituencies, with 37 for the JD-S, including one from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), 78 for the Congress and 104 for the BJP, which fell seven less than the 111-halfway mark for a simple majority and passing the floor test.

Film celebrities like R. Madhavan, Siddharth and Jayam Ravi have condoled the death of civilians killed in police firing during ongoing anti-Sterlite protests in Tamil Nadu’s Toothukudi district.

Thousands of people from nearby areas allegedly attacked the District Collectorate demanding closure of the Vedanta Group-run company on Tuesday.

The Tamil Nadu government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the police firing, which left nine people, including a girl, dead. The inquiry will be conducted by a retired judge. At least 60 people were injured.

Here’s what the celebrities had to say:

Siddharth: Each and every bullet in the chests of dead protestors will come back to haunt this sham of a government in Tamil Nadu. Deepest condolences and prayers for the murdered innocents and their families. What a dark day in our history.

R. Madhavan: This is totally tragic and unacceptable. It’s simple the will and the voice of the local people there has to adhered to. Why can’t somebody hear them? Heart goes out to the families-police firing in Sterlite protests kills, Rahul Gandhi says “Murder”.

Karthik Subbaraj: Shocking and horrible! Feeling really sad for innocent people shot dead by the police… Really scary about our rulers and their governance and some corporates are more evil than we can imagine.

Jayam Ravi: Who gives one human the right to take the life of another? Strongly condemn the mass killing of innocents during the Sterlite protests. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.

Vishal Dadlani: Indian citizens shot down for protesting against a chemical company now! What the hell is going on? This is deranged!

HD Kumaraswamy is in the habit of fighting since his school days as many of his classmates still remember in a jovial way.The incident happened while he was in the 7th standard.In another incident a Principal chased him on his motorbike as the then college student Kumaraswamy was fleeing after biting a lady lecturer for having caught him copying!

He’s in the habit of a fighting mood aspiring for leadership during his school days also,recollects Krishnakumar of Hassan.He’s the classmate of HDK.

The year happened to be 1973-74 and HDK was studying in the 7th standard at the Government Middle School in Holenarasipur town.Then he wished to become a monitor of the class.However another student was also eyeing on the ‘position’.So HDK’s arguments with him reached a stage where both of them were above to indulge in fisticuffs.However late Basavaraju,Sevadal teacher admonished them and prevented a scuffle underway…

…Yet HD Kumaraswamy managed to become monitor of the class,recalls Krishnakumar. He’s sitting in the same bench along with HDK and still remember those good old days when the latter used to come to school carrying school books in a aluminium box.

HD Kumaraswamy completed his primary education at Holenarasipur and joined the St.Joseph’s High School on Salagame road at Hassan for high school education.Many of his old classmates have settled down in Hassan and Holenarasipur and still enjoy the close proximity with him.

Many still have the friendly relations to such an extent that they prefer to call him by his name.It’s also by and large the same sort of affection being extended by Kumaraswamy,say his old classmates.He continues to remember and cherish the old days and rejoices remembering his pals and teachers.

In another incident Kumaraswamy was caught red handed copying while being in the degree college by a lady lecturer.He immediately bit her hand and started running.The incident came to the notice of Dr Rajagopalacharya who was principal of the college for 18 years from 1972 on wards.He immediately started his motorcycle and started chasing him.

He also succeeded in catching hold of him physically and took him to the police station where the principal was reprimanded by the police officer.He’s worried as to what would have happened to him if at all the student had also carried a knife with him!

After the incident HD Devegowda insisted that his son’s transfer certificate be issued.But Rajagopalacharya was stubborn enough in not letting it till Kumaraswamy completed the three years degree.He also remembers that Kumaraswamy had inquired about him after becoming the chief minister.

Hindusthan Samachar/Manohar Yadavatti