Mudigere MLA M P Kumaraswamy has written to Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, alleging that the police forced him to pay a fine, though he was wearing a mask.

BENGALURU: Mudigere MLA MP Kumaraswamy has written to Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, alleging that the police forced him to pay a fine, though he was wearing a mask. In a letter to the minister, Kumaraswamy said that around 12.30 pm on Thursday, he was on his way to the Legislators’ Home in a rented car and was stuck in traffic in front of Seshadripuram Police Station, a policeman came near the car, and forced the driver to roll down the tinted window and asked him to pay the fine of Rs 250 even though he was wearing a face mask.I always use a mask since I suffered from Covid-19. But the police started arguing that we were not wearing the masks properly. I was really frustrated with the behavior of the police who were misusing their power. Since I am a responsible person, I did not argue with them and paid the fine. I wanted to bring the incident to the notice of home minister.”A police officer from the Seshadripuram police station said he learned of the incident, but a senior officer has to look into the matter to take action against the personnel who fined the legislator.

A total of 14 flights from these two regions landed during the day, said the official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

MUMBAI: As many as 1,206 passengers landed at the Mumbai international airport from Europe and the Middle-East on Thursday and 788 of them were quarantined in the city, a civic official said.

A total of 14 flights from these two regions landed during the day, said the official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Flights from the UK have already been suspended after a new variant of coronavirus was detected in that country.

Of 1,206 passengers, 788 were kept under institutional quarantine in Mumbai while the rest were sent to other states, the official said.

As many as 32 passengers were exempted from the mandatory institutional quarantine.

It could not be ascertained if any passenger had symptoms of COVID-19.

On receiving directives from the Central and state governments earlier this week, the BMC announced mandatory institutional quarantine for passengers arriving from the European countries and Middle East from Wednesday.

The Pune district administration has received a list of 504 passengers who returned from the UK in the last 28 days, an official said.

After a new variant of coronavirus was detected in the UK, the Union government had asked for tracing of passengers who arrived in India from the UK between November 25 and December 23.

“We have received a communication from the state government to trace the passengers who arrived in the district from the UK between November 25 and December 23.

“We have received a list of 504 passengers who will be traced and their RT-PCR test will be conducted,” said an official from the district health department.

The samples of those found positive for infection will be sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for genome sequencing to check if the virus is the same as the new strain, as per the Maharashtra government’s guidelines.

For those who have already tested positive after returning from the UK, their swab samples will be taken again and sent to the NIV for genome sequencing.

The local administration in Maharashtra’s Thane district has drawn up a list of 349 people who have travelled from the European country in the last one month, an official said on Thursday.

The administration is in the process of identifying and tracing people who have travelled from the UK since November 25, the official said.

Of the 349 travellers, 55 have come to Kalyan taluka from the UK and the process is underway to track them down, said Madhuri Phophle, PRO of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation.

The civic commissioner has also appealed to citizens to intimate the civic corporation about such travellers, the official said.

According to sources from the Thane Municipal corporation, the civic body has received a list of 134 persons, of which 72 have been traced.

Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has received a list of travellers and around 50 to 60 may be from Navi Mumbai, an official said.

The new strain of coronavirus found in Britain is reported to be spreading rapidly and is said to be highly infectious.

Singh said he himself is a farmers’ son and assured that the Modi government “will never do anything which is not in the interest of the farmers”.

NEW DELHI: Appealing to protesting farmers to come forward for discussions on farm laws, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the government will amend the legislations if they are not found beneficial.

Describing the protesting farmers as his own people, Singh said, “Those who are sitting on dharna are farmers and are born to farmers’ families.We have lot of respect for them.”

Addressing a rally at Dwarka in the national capital, Singh said he himself is a farmers’ son and assured that the Modi government “will never do anything which is not in the interest of the farmers”.

Requesting the farmers to try the new Agri laws as an experiment, the former BJP president said if these are not found beneficial, the government would bring all necessary amendments.

“Let farm laws be implemented for an year or two. Let’s try this as an experiment, and if found not beneficial for farmers, the government will be ready for all possible amendments,” Singh said.

Underlining that all problems can be resolved through dialogue, Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants talks with farmers to continue, and therefore, the government has extended an invitation to them.

Singh appealed to all protesting farmers to come forward for discussions on the farm laws.

Shah said if farmer organisations felt that any provision of the three new farm laws is against their interests, the Modi government was ready to discuss and consider the same with an open mind

NEW DELHI: No corporate can snatch away any farmer’s land as long as Narendra Modi is Prime Minister of the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday and asserted that the provision of MSP will continue and mandis will not be shut down.

Addressing a gathering in Kishangarh village in the national capital, Shah said if farmer organisations felt that any provision of the three new farm laws is against their interests, the Modi government was ready to discuss and consider the same with an open mind.

Shah blamed the Opposition, including Congress, for spreading lies about the minimum support price (MSP) and other provisions of the farm laws.

“The Opposition is speaking brazen lies. I again reiterate that the MSP will continue and the mandis will not be closed. Farmers’ welfare is the top-most priority of the Modi government,” Shah asserted.

The years-old demand of one and half times MSP on crops has been implemented by the Modi government during 2014-19, he said.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 96,93,173 pushing the national recovery rate to 95.75 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent

NEW DELHI:  India’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 1,01,23,778 with 24,712 new infections being reported in a day, while the recoveries surged to 96.93 lakh, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

The death toll increased to 1,46,756 with 312 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 96,93,173 pushing the national recovery rate to 95.75 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent. 

The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh for the third consecutive day.

There are 2,83,849 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 2.80 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past  60 lakh on September 28,  70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29,  90 lakh on  November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 16,53,08,366 samples have been tested up to December 23 with 10,39,645  samples being tested on Wednesday.

The 312 new fatalities include 93 from  Maharashtra, 34 from West Bengal, 22 from Kerala and 21 from Uttar Pradesh.

A total of 1,46,756 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 48,969 from Maharashtra followed by 12,038 from Karnataka, 12,024 from Tamil Nadu, 10,347 from Delhi, 9,473 from West Bengal, 8,245 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,085 from Andhra Pradesh and 5,243 from Punjab.

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 state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

NAGPUR (MAHARASHTRA): A 28-year-old man in Nagpur, who tested positive for COVID-19 on December 15, is suspected of carrying the new strain of COVID-19 found in the United Kingdom, administration of Government Medical College, Nagpur said on Thursday.

As per Dr Avinash Gawande, Superintendent, Government Medical College Nagpur, the patient, who returned from the UK on November 29, was tested at the airport on arrival but was found COVID-19 negative at the time.

“After seven days he stated showing symptoms and complained about the loss of smell. He was again tested for COVID-19 at Nandanvan public health clinic (PHC) and his Rapid Antigen test came on December 15,” said Dr Gawande.

He added that his family members were also tested positive for COVID-19.

“The family has a history of going to Gondia (in Maharashtra). On December 22, the man was admitted at the hospital. We collected two samples for testing. A sample has been sent for RT-PCR test and another to Pune for further examination,” the doctor added.

However, the Municipal Commissioner of Nagpur said that it cannot be confirmed whether the patient is carrying the new strain or not till the final test reports come.

“28-year-old male COVID positive patient, with travel history to the UK, has been admitted to a separate ward at Government Medical College Nagpur. His swab has now been sent to Pune for further investigation. After receiving the report from Pune, it can be said whether this patient is a new strain or an old strain,” said Radhakrishnan B, Municipal Commissioner, Nagpur.

Meanwhile, India has temporarily suspended all flight operations between India and the UK till December 31, 2020.

On December 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had informed the public that a new variant of the COVID-19 virus has been found in the UK.

“Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned,” he had tweeted.

Ramu Dosapati at Rice ATMRamu Dosapati

• Ramu Dosapati, an HR executive in a corporate firm, has been running a ‘Rice ATM’ – a 24X7 supply of rice and other rations for the needy in Hyderabad since April 2020.
• Over the months, Dosapati claims to have spent almost ₹50 lakh out of his own pocket.
• From lockdown days to during Hyderabad floods, Dosapati has been helping out the needy in the city.

In the gruelling months of the coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, several stories of migrant workers and the poor being stranded without jobs and money emerged. This also led to the emergence of stories of Sonu Sood and the likes – the real heroes who went out of their way to help people out. And in the southern state of Telangana’s capital city Hyderabad, one such story is that of Ramu Dosapati.

Dosapati, an HR executive in a corporate firm, has been running a ‘Rice ATM’ – a 24X7 supply of rice and other rations for the needy in Hyderabad since April, 2020. Over the months, Dosapati claims to have spent almost ₹50 lakh out of his own pocket and has no intentions of claiming it back.

Just about a month into lockdown, Dosapati’s younger son wanted to have chicken for his birthday. Dosapati went to the nearest shop to buy chicken, only to find a security guard buying chicken for ₹2000. “I was quite surprised as to why this lady is buying so much chicken. When I asked her I got to know she was buying it as a treat for migrant workers sheltered nearby, who had run out of food. When I asked her about her salary, she said it was ₹6,000. That made me think that if a lady with ₹6,000 salary can spend ₹2,000 on the needy, why can’t I do the same?,” Dosapati told Business Insider.

In the next few days, Dosapati got to work. He went with the security guard to the place where the migrant workers were and made a list of 192 people who needed ration and other necessary items. “There were people who wanted to go back to their hometowns by walking over 400-500 kms, I asked them to stay back and told them I would help them out,” he said.

He started out an initial ₹1,50,000 from his savings to feed the needy. But the amount could only result in ration for a few days. And as the word spread about the Rice ATM, more and more people came forward asking for help. “Then I went to the local kirana store owner and requested him to lend out ration on my word. I broke my provident fund and showed him the receipt for the same, assuring him that the money would come to me and I would pay him,” he said.

Giving up his 3 BHK dream to feed the needy

Dosapati, who currently lives in a 1 BHK with his wife and two sons, also wanted a bigger 3 BHK. “My sons have been fighting for a long time as they want separate rooms,” Dosapati tells us. He had even selected a 3 BHK and sold land in his ancestral village for ₹38.5 lakh.

But one morning at 6 am, his apartment guard woke him up saying about 50-60 people had gathered outside and wanted to meet him. The word about ‘Rice ATM’ kept spreading and people wanted help. “That’s when my wife supported me and asked me to go ahead and carry on with the initiative,” he said.

He gave up on the 3BHK house and instead directed the money to helping out more people, even when floods struck Hyderabad.

Over time, there has been an outpouring of support from other groups and people to help his initiative, which Dosapati vets before taking any help. It’s been over 250 days since Dosapati has been running this initiative, and for now there’s stopping him.

Kolkata, Dec 22: Senior BJP leader and party MP Saumitra Khan on Tuesday sent a divorce notice to his wife Sujata Mondal Khan, a day after she joined the Trinamool Congress.

Khan’s lawyer sent the mutual divorce notice, where several marital issues were cited for seeking the separation.

Sujata Mondol Khan, the wife of BJP MP from West Bengal’s Bishnupur on Monday found her marriage on the rocks when her husband of 10 years threatened to divorce her after she joined the ruling TMC.

Claiming that “misfit and corrupt leaders” were getting more importance in the BJP than those loyal to the party, she shifted allegiance to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.

A furious Khan hurriedly called a press conference on Monday evening where he announced his decision to “sever the 10-year relationship”.

“You (Sujata) have come this far as you had chanted Jai Shree Ram, chanted in favour of (Narendra) Modiji, as you were the wife of Saumitra Khan,” a livid Khan said.

“Please refrain from using the ‘Khan’ surname hereafter, please don’t refer to yourself as Saumitra Khan’s wife. I am giving you all the freedom to chart your political destiny. But please don’t forget you are siding with those who had attacked your parents’ residence in 2019 after I joined the BJP,” Khan had said.

Washington, Dec 22: A Democratic American lawmaker on Tuesday urged the Indian government to provide safety to the protesting farmers as he hailed the recent offers of dialogue and a proposal from India’s Supreme Court to set up mediation.

India has called the remarks by foreign leaders and politicians on protests by farmers as “ill-informed” and “unwarranted”, asserting that the matter pertains to the internal affairs of a democratic country.

“We have seen some ill-informed comments relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said early this month.

“I call on India’s government to demonstrate its commitment to democratic norms by guaranteeing protesters’ safety and by treating them with respect. Democracy demands this much,” Congressman David Trone said.

Trone, who represents the sixth Congressional District of Maryland, also expressed concern over reports of violence used against the protesters. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2018.

“I further welcome the government’s engagement with the protestors, including recent offers of dialogue and a proposal from India’s Supreme Court to set up mediation,” he said in a statement.

“As we continue to watch the democratic process unfold in India, where stakeholders from all sides are included, I’m hopeful to see a path forward that respects the rights of all Indians,” said Trone, who previously was owner of a major American wine retailer.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting on various borders of Delhi since November 26, seeking repeal of three farm laws enacted in September.

Dubbing these laws as “anti-farmer”, these farmers claim that the newly enacted legislations would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. There have been multiple rounds of talks between representatives of the protestors and the Indian government but the logjam continues.

“The partnership between the United States and India has grown exponentially over the course of the past several years based on shared interest in a variety of areas: from security and trade to climate change and human rights,” he said.

“Our relationship with India not only helps anchor US policy in the Indo-Pacific, but it serves to set an example for cooperation that extends far beyond our two countries. As President-elect (Joe) Biden takes office in January, I look forward to working with the new Administration to strengthen this partnership based on the democratic values President-elect Biden has espoused throughout his career,” he said.

Trone said India’s citizens, like those of the US, have a longstanding tradition of engaging in a civic debate that aims to hold the government accountable to its people.

“We are reminded of this as thousands of Indians have taken to the streets in recent weeks to peacefully protest implementation of new laws. Their demonstration is an exercise of the democratic process, one that grants civic rights and freedom of expression, he said.