“Our government has decided to consider journalists as frontline workers and accord priority in vaccination against Covid-19. We appeal to mediapersons, especially television journalists, to help us create awareness and avoid panic over the need for hospitalisation, oxygen, ventilators etc. You can help create awareness about who needs hospitalisation and who doesn’t. During times of a public health crisis, all of us have to come together,”  Yediyurappa said. Since the state is facing a shortage of vaccines, inoculating journalists under the ‘frontline workers’ quota may take a day or two to take off. 

State governments to recognise journalists as frontline workers. In April this year, the Editor’s Guild had even written to the Centre to acknowledge the work of journalists as frontline services.More than 150 journalists have died due to Covid-19 while on duty in India. Karnataka joined the likes of Punjab, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu in deeming journalists as frontline workers.

Opposition leaders as well as those from the BJP has been calling for the government to identify journalists as frontline workers and administer vaccines to them considering they report on the ground and come in close contact with Covid-19 patients and their kin apart from doctors, healthcare workers and crematorium staff. 

Former Union Minister and senior congress leader and M L C C .M Ibrahim mother Bibi Sara passed away at her residence at the age of 93 owing to age old related dieseases . she was discharged from hospital a few days ago .

NEW DELHI: More than 75 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine are available with states and union territories and they will receive over 48 lakh more within the next three days, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

Of this, the total consumption, including wastage, is 15,94,75,507, according to ministry data updated at 8 am.

“More than 75 lakh (75,24,903) COVID vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered.

“Furthermore, more than 48 lakh (48,41,670) vaccine doses will be received in addition by the states and UTs within the next three days,” the ministry said.

The government of India is leading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in collaboration with the states and UT through a “Whole of Government” approach.

Vaccination forms an integral component of the government’s five-point strategy for containment and management of the pandemic, it said.

The third phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive to cover people in the 18-44 age group started from May 1 and the registration for the eligible population groups commenced from April 28.

Potential beneficiaries can either register directly on the CoWIN portal (http://cowin.gov.in) or through the Aarogya Setu app.

Pramesh Jain

The South Division police of Kumaraswamy Layout police arrested a gang of three habitual  offenders and recovered 921 grams of gold valuables worth Rs 44.5 lakh from them.

The accused has been identified as,Yogesh alias Abhi alias Chapathi,24,resident of Chennammanakere achukkattu,Yeshwanth,22 of Electronic City and Mohan Kumar,29,of Banashankari.

DCP South,Harish Pandey told reporters,as on 17th April our Kumaraswamy layout police inspector Shivakumar received a reliable information from their source that three persons are moving suspiciously in front of jewelery shop near SBI ATM near Airtel office.

As soon as the information was received Inspector and team rushed to the spot and during questioning they dint give correct information and as the team got suspicious on the trio they checked their pockets and found gold ornaments in their possession.

The team arrested them while they were trying to sell the gold at a jewelry shop in KS Layout during lockdown.

The accused confessed that they had stolen the valuables in three different cases reported in the south division as in Chennammanakere achukkattu police station limits a Jewellery shop was burgled and team were formed to nab the gang.

A detailed investigation by the team has revealed that this is the same gang who burgled the jewellery shop and based on their statement the team recovered 921 grams of gold ornaments worth Rs.44.5 lakhs from them.

The accused are habitual offenders who met in the prison two years ago and ganged up.After coming out of prison they began to break into the locked houses and steal valuables.

The trio have been remanded to judicial custody while the police would return the valuables to the owners after obtaining permission from the court.

Finally Bengaluru Police Commissioner,Kamal Pant,has appreciated Addl CP West,Soumendhu Mukherjee,DCP South,Harish Pandey,ACP, Subramanyapura Sub-Division,TM Shivakumar,PI,P Shivakumar,PSIs,as,Subramani K,Nagesh HM,and crime staff as, Ravikumar,Siddaih,Kempegowda,Dinesh BV,Eshwarappa,Anekanth Bilagi,Sathish,Smt.Manjula,Smt.Jyothi and other staff has been appreciated for the exemplary work done by them in nabbing the notorious habitual HBT offenders and for the commendable job done by the team a suitable reward will be given to the team he added.

The New Indian Express on Saturday had reported about the scarcity of oxygen supply at hospitals across the district and warned about a possible tragedy in the near future if not addressed.

CHAMARAJANAGAR: Twenty-two persons who were undergoing treatment for COVID-19 succumbed  due to shortage of oxygen supply here on Sunday night. 

The New Indian Express on Saturday had reported about the scarcity of oxygen supply at hospitals across the district and warned about a possible tragedy in the near future if not addressed.

All the 22 persons were either on ventilator support or oxygenated beds and shortage of oxygen led to their deaths, their family members alleged. 

Elected representatives point at the lack of coordination between the administrations of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar that resulted in the tragedy. 

Chamarajanagar district commissioner MR Ravi had earlier claimed that there is no shortage of oxygen further stating that most of the deceased were on ventilator support and others had co-morbidities that led to the deaths.

However, he did accept that the deaths were due to oxygen shortage and the incident has shaken the COVID patients as many of them are hesitant to get admitted to district hospitals. 

However, in a late light development on Sunday, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha intervened to address the issue and provided 50 cylinders from Mysuru after learning that the current stock will get exhausted 2 am.

Former Chamarajangar MP R Dhruvanarayan has demanded a judicial probe in this incident.

BENGALURU: The BJP managed to retain the Belgaum Lok Sabha seat and bag the Basavakalyan Assembly constituency while the Congress retained the Maski Assembly seat in the April 17 bypolls, the results of which were declared on Sunday.

Although Mangala was leading during the early rounds, Congress’ Satish Jarkiholi caught on and was leading by about 10,000 votes during the later rounds, but Mangala finally scraped through, by securing 4,36,868 votes.

10,631 NOTA votes in Belagavi seat

Interestingly, Independent candidate Shubham Vikram Shelke, who was backed by the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), managed to garner 1.16 lakh votes. A total of 10,631 NOTA votes were also polled. In Maski Assembly seat in Raichur district, it was turncoat versus turncoat. The BJP candidate Prathapgouda Patil, who was previously with the Congress and switched over to BJP, lost to Basanagouda Turvihal by about 20,000 votes.

Turvihal himself had switched to Congress from BJP just before the polls were announced. He secured 86,337 votes and defeated Prathapagouda Patil by a huge margin of over 30,000 votes. The JDS had not put up a candidate here. Patil’s resignation had necessitated the bypoll. The BJP’s candidate for the Basavakalyan Assembly segment, Sharanu Salgar, won against Mala Narayana Rao, wife of deceased Congress MLA Narayana Rao, in a triangular fight where the JDS had fielded Syed Yasrab Ali Qadri. Salgar polled 71,012 votes while his nearest rival polled 50,383 votes. Narayan Rao too died last year due to Covid-19, leaving the Assembly segment vacant.

Pramesh Jain

The Malleshwaram police registered a case under Disaster management act against one more private hospital for denying beds to the covid patients.

Senior officer,said,Based on a complaint by Suresh Rudrappa,health officer BBMP, Malleswaram,the police registered FIR against Vegas hospital situated on Mahakavi Kuvempu road in Malleswaram on Thursday.

Mr Rudrappa said that as per the guidelines by BBMP,hospitals are supposed to reserve 50 per cent of their beds to treat Covid patients referred by BBMP.

The hospital denied admitting the patients on two days between April  27 and 28 citing non availability of beds.

An ispections by the health officials found that the hospital management is lying and giving wrong information. 

This amount to serious lapses on the part of the hospitla during the time of crisis and hence liable to be prosecuted under DMA act,Mr.Rudrappa said he added.

Pramesh Jain

The Jayanagar police on Thursday arrested a housekeeping contractor from West Bengal for cheating people promising ICU beds in hospitals.

The accused has been identified as,Manish Sarkar,residing in Malleswaram area.

Senior officer, told media persons,that a complainant by name Stephen Raj filed a cheating complaint against Manish Sarkar he stated that the accused circulated his contact number on whatsapp groups promising to get the beds but after receiving money he has escaped.

It is alleged that Desperate people contacted him for beds following which Sarkar had taken money and escaped.

After receiving the complaint Jayanagar police inspector and his staff swung into action and based on the information and on technical inputs they picked him up for questioning.

During the investigation the accused confessed the crime and it is revealed that by using similar modus operandi,he had taken money from Stephan Raj,resident of Jayanagar who was looking for the beds for his mother.

Sarkar forced him to pay Rs.20,000,on the pretext of charges and commission and escaped on April 23.

However Stephan Raj’s mother failed to get to bed and succumbed the next day while his father who was also suffering  died on April 25.

After performing their late rites,Stephan Raj approached the police seeking action against Sarkar on Wednesday .

Based on the complaint,the police arrested Sarkar charging him under extortion and cheating.The police are investigating further to ascertain whether the accused had cheated others.

Meanwhile we appeal to citizens not to get lured by such claims.The BBMP will not charge money  and allotment of beds depends on the condition of the patient,he said.

A case under extortion and cheating has been registered against the accused and further investigation is on.

Finally Bengaluru Police Commissioner,Kamal Pant has appreciated Addl CP West,Soumendhu Mukherjee,DCP South,Harish Pandey,ACP, Jayanagar,Sub-Division,Shanthamallappa,PI, Sudharshan HV,and crime staff for the commendable job done by them and a suitable reward will be given to the team he added.