Bengaluru, Jan 29: A bill providing for imposition of penalty for contravention of rules under the Epidemic Diseases Act and for compounding of such offences was tabled in the Karnataka Assembly on Friday.

Besides, ten other bills, including one authorising the state government to investigate complaints in fraudulent transactions, were also presented.

The Karnataka Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020, tabled by Health Minister K Sudhakar, considers it necessary to amend the act to make provisions for imposition of penalty for contravention of rules and regulation made under act and for compounding of such offences.

According to the bill, whoever contravenes the provisions shall be punished with such fine as may be prescribed in rules or in regulations, which may extend to Rs 50,000 or with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to three months or both.

The Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (Amendment) bill, 2020 was tabled by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

The bill to amend the act of 2004 in its statement of objective states that it is to authorise the government or the District Magistrate or public authorities to cause investigation on the complaint or fraudulent transaction and to empower the Revenue Secretary or any government authority to investigate.

It also seeks to empower the Secretary to government or competent authority with powers of civil court to summon persons and documents, and empowers the government to appoint a competent authority in cases pertaining to any financial establishment which is spread over in more than one district.

Among the other bills tabled today are Karnataka Municipalities and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, Karnataka Municipalities (Second Amendment) Bill, Karnataka Lokayukta (Third Amendment) Bill among others.

Karnataka is at rank 10 among better performing states in vaccination coverage of registered Health Care Workers (HCW), as per data released by the central ministry of health.

BENGALURU: Karnataka is at rank 10 among better performing states in vaccination coverage of registered Health Care Workers (HCW), as per data released by the central ministry of health.Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday said the number of people vaccinated against Covid-19 in India since the nationwide drive was rolled out, reached 25,07,556 till 2pm Thursday.

“Lakshadweep (83.4 per cent), Odisha (50.7 per cent), Haryana (50 per cent), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (48.3 per cent), Rajasthan (46.8 per cent), Tripura (45.6 per cent), Mizoram (40.5 per cent), Telangana (40.3 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (38.1 per cent), Karnataka (35.6 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (35.5 per cent) are among the better-performing states with over 35% vaccination coverage of healthcare workers,” he said.

On the other hand, Tamil Nadu (15.7 per cent), Delhi (15.7 per cent), Jharkhand (14.7 per cent), Uttarakhand (17.1 per cent), Chhattisgarh (20.6 per cent) and Maharashtra (20.7 per cent) have less than 21 per cent coverage and need to improve, Bhushan said. The government has been urging healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, not to hesitate to get vaccinated, stressing that it is their social responsibility.

Meanwhile, the Union health ministry has issued detailed guidelines to states to ensure there is no wastage of Covid-19 vaccines and for that purpose, vaccinators at session sites have been allowed to add additional beneficiaries.

Gowda said he has written to the State Government to get final clearances within six months for the project so the scheme can be implemented without delay. 

BENGALURU: Two days after he announced that the Union Government had cleared the setting up of a plastic park in Mangaluru, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, DV Sadananda Gowda, urged the state to submit a detailed project report at the earliest. 

Pointing out that the Centre will fund 50 per cent of the project cost, with Rs 40 crore to be released in four instalments, Gowda said he has written to the State Government to get final clearances within six months for the project so the scheme can be implemented without delay. 

“The plastic park will be an ecosystem enabling common facilities – like characterisation, prototyping and virtualization, non-destructive material testing, incubation, training, warehousing, plastic recycling, tooling design, research & development, etc – to assist the plastics sector move up the value chain and contribute to the economy more effectively,” Sadananda Gowda said. 

“The Union Government will fund 50 per cent of the project cost, up to Rs 40 crore. The rest can be funded by the State Government via its existing entities like Karnataka State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) or through a new special purpose vehicle,” he added. 

According to the Union government’s scheme guidelines, the equity contribution of the State Government shall be at least 26 per cent of the cash equity of the SPV (excluding value of any land given as equity). 

However, the Bengaluru City police made several arrangements, set up check posts to stop the tractors from entering the city.

BENGALURU: Hundreds of farmers began their rally amidst police security in Bengaluru on Tuesday morning after the Republic Day parade. The farmers, to express solidarity with those protesting in Delhi against the farm laws, had decided to take out a ‘Tractor Rally’. 

However, the Bengaluru City police made several arrangements, set up check posts to stop the tractors from entering the city.

On Tuesday morning, the tractors which arrived from different districts around the city, to participate in the rally were stopped in the outskirts and the farmers were asked to go by car, bus or bikes but not in tractors. 

Later, the police permitted only 10 tractors to be part of the rally. 

The rally so far has been peaceful and there have been no altercations between the farmers and the protestors in Bengaluru. But, stopping of the tractors has
irked the farmer leaders. Kurubur Shanthkumar, farmer leader said that farmers are on the way and more gatherings will be held in the evening. 

“About 5000 farmers are in the freedom park and all tractors have been stopped by the police and we condemn their actions,” he said.

Senior traffic police officers from Yelahanka, Hebbal said that most of the tractors were stopped in the outskirts and the farmers used their own vehicles to reach Freedom Park. There was no traffic jam and also vehicles were less on-road following the Republic day holiday.

Meanwhile, scores of students from Mysore University took out a silent protest in front of the university campus demanding the repeal of farm

Just like previous Aero India editions, the Kempegowda International Airport will partially shut operations for a week due to the closure of airspace over Bengaluru.

BENGALURU: Just like previous Aero India editions, the Kempegowda International Airport will partially shut operations for a week due to the closure of airspace over Bengaluru. Beginning a few days before the show and till its conclusion, the airport will not operate flights for a total of 33 hours.

The biennial air show and aviation expo will be held from February 3 to February 5 at the Air Force Station at Yelahanka. The partial closure will begin on January 30 and will continue till February 5, and the daily closure ranges from a minimum of three hours to a maximum of six hours a day.

According to an airport source, the South Runway, the only runway operating t present, will be closed. The NOTAM (Notice to Airmen), which contains information on change in any aeronautical facility, stated, “As a consequence of airspace closure in connection with Aero India Show 2021, KIA will be closed for aircraft operations.”

The academic calendar for colleges is prepared considering a 6-day week, said deputy chief minister Dr Ashwaththanarayana, who is also the minister for higher education.

BENGALURU: The Department of Higher Education has prepared the calendar for the academic year 2021-22, Engineering, graduate and postgraduate classes will start from October 4, said Deputy Chief Minister of Higher Education, Dr CN Ashwathanarayana.

The draft calendar of programme for colleges and universities has been formulated taking into account the COVID-19 situation and was proposed during a meeting with vice chancellors in the state on Tuesday.

The UGC Guideline has accounted for at least 90 working days each semester.

The academic calendar for colleges is prepared considering a 6-day week, said deputy chief minister Dr Ashwaththanarayana, who is also the minister for higher education.

Graduation, Postgraduate and Engineering classes for the year 2021-22 will commence from October 4.

Graduation Classes 2020-21

• The 1st and 3rd semester classes will end on March 31. Exams will begin on April 30.
   
• The 2nd and 4th semester classes begin May 2 and end on August 31. Examinations for this semester end on September 30.
   
• Fifth semester classes for undergraduate students will end on February 28 and exams will end on March 31.
   
• Sixth semester classes begin on April 1 and end on July 31. Exams will end on August 31. The results of this semester exam will be published on September 10, 2021.

Engineering 2020-21

• The 1st, 3rd and 5th semester classes will end on March 31, 2021. Tests end on April 31, 2021.
   
• The 2,4th and 6th semester classes will begin on May 2, 2021 and end on August 31, 2021. Examinations end on September 31, 2021.
   
• The 7th semester classes of the Engineering Department will end on February 28, 2021. The exams will end on March 31, 2021.
   
• The 8th semester classes begin on April 1, 2021 and end on July 31, 2021. The exams will end on August 31, 2021 and the result will be published on September 10, 2021.

Under Graduate courses 2021-22
 

• In the year 2021-22, 1st, 3rd, and 5th semester classes will begin October 4 and will end on January 31, 2022. Examinations are due to end on February 28, 2022.
   
• Classes for the 2nd, 4th, 6th semester for the year 2021-22 will begin on March 1, 2022 and end on June 30, 2022. The exams will end on July 31, 2022 and the result will be published on August 14, 2022.

Engineering 2021-2022

• The 1,3,5,7th semester classes in Engineering will begin on October 4, 2021. These classes will end on January 31, 2022, and exams will end on February 28, 2022.
   
• Classes for the 2,4,6,8th semester will begin on March 1, 2022 and end on June 30, 2022. Examinations for this semester will expire on July 31, 2022, and will be published on August 14, 2022.

Postgraduate classes 2020-21

• The 1st semester classes end on April 1, 2021, and the exams end on March 31, 2021.
   
• Classes for the 2nd semester will begin on May 2, 2021 and end on August 31, 2021, and the results of these tests will be published on September 30, 2021.
   
• The 3rd semester classes will end on February 28, 2021 and the exams will end on March 31, 2021.
   
• The 4th semester classes will begin on April 1, 2021 and end on July 31, 2021. Examinations for this semester will begin on August 31, 2021 and the exam result will be published on September 10, 2021.

Post Graduate Classes 2021-22

• Classes for the 1-3th semester will begin on October 4, 2021. Classes for these three semesters will end on January 31, 2022. Examinations for these semesters will end by February 28, 2022.
   
• The 2nd and 4th semester classes will begin on March 1, 2022 and end on June 22, 2022. The exams will start from July 31, 2022 and results will be published on August 14, 2022.

Similarly, the State Government is also pushing farmers into a corner by adopting the laws, along with the prohibition on cow slaughter, he noted.

MYSURU/SHIVAMOGGA/CHIKKAMAGALURU: Rejecting the Centre’s proposal to put the farm laws on hold for two years, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader Kodihalli Chandrashekhar said they will go ahead with the tractor rally in Bengaluru on Republic Day in solidarity with their counterparts in Delhi.Instead of heeding to farmers’ demands, the Centre is pushing half-hearted solutions. Similarly, the State Government is also pushing farmers into a corner by adopting the laws, along with the prohibition on cow slaughter, he noted.

The governments have targeted to open up the farming sector for their crony friends, and Karnataka was among the first to come out with ordinances for these anti-farmer laws. We will protest until they are revoked,” Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) leader Kodihalli Chandrashekhar asserted.Chandrashekar said the rally will start in Bengaluru right after the Republic Day address by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and will be taken out through the main roads in the city to culminate at Freedom Park. 

“We will not resort to any violent methods,” he maintained and added that there is no reason for the authorities to deny them permission since it is the right of the public to celebrate Republic Day.
Farmers from Mysuru will also take part in the rally along with farmers from other districts. “There is no animosity between farmer organisations and everyone will be united in the rally,” he added.

In Shivamogga, KRRS and Hasiru Sene honorary president H R Basavarajappa said that farmers will take out a parade in the state capital in their tractors, bullock carts and other vehicles. Farmers from across the state, the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, Karnataka Janashakthi Vedike and other organisations have extended their support. Well-known writers and authors from across the state will take part as well, he said.

Basavarajappa noted that around 25,000 to 30,000 farmers will take part in the parade and from Shivamogga district, more than 1,000 farmers are expected to take part.Karnataka Janshakti Vedike secretary K L Ashok, in a press release, stated that 2,000 farmers from each district will participate in the massive Republic Day parade in Bengaluru.

The detained included a contractor of a stone crushing facility where the blast occurred when a truckload of gelatin sticks went off, police said.

BENGALURU: Two people have been detained and a high-level investigation ordered into the explosion in Shivamogga district which left at least six dead, police said on Friday.

The detained included a contractor of a stone crushing facility where the blast occured when a truckload of gelatin sticks went off, police added.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expressed grief over the loss of lives in the blast at the stone crusher facility at Hunasodu in Shivamogga, his home district.

A high-level investigation into the accident has been ordered and stringent action would be taken against the guilty, he said.

He said he had been in contact with senior officials since last night and dispatched teams to carry out rescue operations.

“My deepest condolences to the bereaved family members. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” the Chief Minister tweeted.

Meanwhile, the authorities have not ruled out the possibility of the death toll increasing.

“There are rumours that at least 10 to 15 people have died. Let the police complete their investigation,” Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner K B Shivakumar told PTI on Friday.

The sound of the blast, which was initially thought to be an earthquake, was heard in neighbouring Davangere, Chikkamagaluru and Uttara Kannada districts.

In Shivamogga, the effect was severe as some houses developed cracks, roof tiles and window panes shattered into pieces.

The vehicle was badly mangled and the bodies of the victims were dismembered beyond recognition.