Though there is no definite treatment for the virus, one will not die, he said advising people to avoid public gathering and hand shaking.

BENGALURU: Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar has appealed to people not to wear masks if not needed, as it creates “unnecessarily panic”. He also cautioned the public against fake social media messages on coronavirus.

The minister said on Wednesday that although the World Health Organisation has prescribed a 14-day quarantine for people who return from countries infected with the coronavirus, “Our government has taken it further and advised a 28-day quarantine period.’’No coronavirus case is registered in Karnataka, he said.
“Till date, we have screened close to 40,000 passengers from 11 countries. Of them, 468 people are advised quarantine. Our government has taken all measures and geared up with more beds in all the 50 major government hospitals.  We were screening passengers from infected countries, but now, passengers coming from all the countries (will be screened),’’ he said.

As more than 25 Members of the Legislative Council on Wednesday raised their concern over coronavirus, Dr Sudhakar said many people are wearing masks even before they are advised to do so and this is creating panic.

He also said people should not heed fake messages on social media which are adding to the panic. Though there is no definite treatment for the virus, one will not die, he said advising people to avoid public gathering and hand shaking.

The minister, however, said there is no shortage of funds or masks. “We have ordered masks for the next six months and orders for anti-viral medicines will also be placed for the next six months,’’ he said. He said regular three-layer masks are used widely by people, but WHO has recommended six-layer masks.
Tests are done at virology laboratories at Bangalore Medical College and the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases that are accredited to the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals. The government has told NIMHANS to set up one as it is also accredited to NABH. “There is demand to set up similar labs in other regions in Karnataka, but there are no NABH-accredited hospitals (there)”, he said.

Their samples had to be sent to Hyderabad for testing, and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has told officials to purchase equipment to perform such tests in the State.

KAKINADA/VIJAYAWADA/ELURU/VISAKHAPATNAM: At least 11 people, including one from South Korea and some from the Gulf, have been kept in isolation in various hospitals across the State after they were suspected to have shown symptoms of coronavirus. All of them had been abroad in the last two weeks and were screened on arrival in India. Medical reports are awaited to confirm if they have been infected.

Their samples had to be sent to Hyderabad for testing, and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has told officials to purchase equipment to perform such tests in the State.

In East Godavari district, an anonymous late-night call made to the State helpline led to the isolation of a software engineer who returned from Seoul in South Korea. South Korea has recorded more than 5,300 coronavirus cases and 32 deaths.

Officials said they received the call from Vadapalem in Kothapet mandal alerting them about the techie, who had a cold and cough. The 35-year old landed in Delhi on February 22, and went to Hyderabad for five days. He reached his native place on February 29, and from Vadapalem, went to his in-laws’ house in Godasivaripalem in Mumadivaram mandal.

After receiving the call, health officials swooped down on the village, where they unsuccessfully searched for the techie. They then went to Godasivaripalem, found him, and performed medical tests. He was shifted to the Kakinada Government General Hospital and kept in isolation.

District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy, Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi and medical and health officials rushed to the hospital to take stock of the situation and the facilities available. Muralidhar Reddy said the patient is showing no signs of coronavirus, but will be kept in isolation till the test results confirm the same.

Medical and health officials are implementing mandatory safety measures in both villages the techie visited, the Collector said, adding that the house he stayed in has been isolated and residents of the village are being checked for symptoms such as cold and cough.

Meanwhile, eight people suspected to have COVID-19 symptoms were isolated in Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam districts on Wednesday. Five cases were reported in Visakhapatnam and three in Srikakulam district.

Of the five in Visakhapatnam, three persons hail from the same family. They arrived from Malaysia on Tuesday night and had also visited Singapore recently. They were taken directly from the airport to the isolation ward at Chest (ID) Hospital.

The other two persons, including a woman from Gajuwaka, arrived from Bahrain 10 days ago and complained of cold and cough on Wednesday. They too were shifted to the hospital’s isolation ward, State nodal officer for COVID-19 K Rambabu said.

Meanwhile, three persons from Kanchili were admitted to the isolation ward at Srikakulam government hospital. They returned from Dubai a week ago, and complained of cold and cough.

Similarly, two persons were placed in isolation at the Eluru government hospital after one of them returned from Muscat a few days ago and was staying in his uncle’s house in Pentapadu mandal. Both of them developed a cold and cough.

In Vijayawada, a 42-year-old man who returned from Germany and visited Hyderabad was isolated in the Government General Hospital.

The meeting, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Parliament, assumes importance as it comes against the backdrop of large-scale violence in northeast Delhi.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, their first meeting after the Aam Aadmi Party returned to power in the national capital for a third consecutive term.

The meeting, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Parliament, assumes importance as it comes against the backdrop of large-scale violence in northeast Delhi which has left around 42 people dead and 200 injured.

They are expected to discuss various issues related to the development of the national capital.

On February 25, Home Minister Amit Shah had discussed the situation with the Delhi chief minister and leaders of various parties.

The AAP formed government in Delhi for the third time on the trot after it swept the February 8 elections, winning 62 of the 70 seats in the city.

The BJP bagged the rest of the seats.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the decision will help boost the income of farmers.

NEW DELHI: Export of all varieties of onion will be free from March 15, the government announced on Monday, lifting around six-month-old curbs on shipments of the bulb following a correction in prices and improvement in local supplies.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) also announced removing the minimum export price (MEP) for outward shipments of the commodity.

“The export of all varieties of onions has been made free without any condition of letter of credit and MEP, with effect from March 15, 2020,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

Farmers in several parts of Nashik district in Maharashtra agitated over falling onion prices, with an official informing that average per quintal price for Monday was Rs 1,450 at Lasalgaon, the country’s largest market for the kitchen staple.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the decision will help boost the income of farmers.

The government last week decided to lift the ban on export of onions in view of projected sharp fall in prices due to bumper rabi crop.

In September 2019, the government banned onion exports and also imposed an MEP of USD 850 per tonne.

The move came after prices started skyrocketing due to supply-demand mismatch. In December last year, the prices hit Rs 160 per kg in certain parts of the country. The prices are hovering at around Rs 30 per kg at present.

Expected monthly harvest in March is over 40 lakh MT compared to 28.4 lakh MT last year, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had tweeted on Wednesday.

There was a shortage of onion as kharif crop was adversely affected due to excess rains and floods in key producing states, including Maharashtra.

Currently, the arrival of rabi (winter) crop of onion has begun in small quantities and would increase from mid-March onwards. Exports of onion are expected to arrest sharp the fall in domestic prices.

Opposition MPs including those belonging to the Congress, Left, TMC, SP, BSP and DMK were up on their feet shouting slogans and accused the government of failing in its duty.

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Monday adjourned till 2 pm after the entire opposition vociferously protested over the issue of communal violence in the national capital, with members alleging that the government slept while Delhi burnt.

Opposition MPs including those belonging to the Congress, Left, TMC, SP, BSP and DMK were up on their feet shouting slogans and accused the government of failing in its duty.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the issue was definitely important but the priority should be to restore normalcy and then discuss ways and means of preventing it.

When his appeals to members to resume their places went unheeded, he adjourned proceedings till 2 pm.

Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad charged that the Central government “slept” when violence rocked Delhi for three days.

While members shouted slogans such as ‘Delhi is Burning’, three TMC members sported black bands on their eyes.

Naidu ordered them to remove them as sporting badges is not allowed inside the house.

The members complied, but the vociferous protests continued, forcing the adjournment.

Earlier, when the House met it mourned the death of former member A V Swamy, followed by Naidu reading out a record of department-related standing committees that considered demands for grants for 24 departments.

He said the proceedings of the House during the first half of the current Budget session were “largely purposeful” with 96 per cent sitting.

The House in the second half, that began Monday after a three-week break, would be more meaningful, he hoped.

Naidu said he has received notices from members of opposition parties seeking adjournment of proceedings to discuss the present situation in Delhi and other parts of the country.

“The matter is definitely important and deserves to be discussed,” he said, adding he will admit a discussion and allot time after discussing with the minister concerned as well as the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition.

“Our priority should be restoring normalcy. We should see that normalcy is restored and then we can discuss ways and means of preventing it (such violence),” he said, adding he wanted the House to send out a message in one voice on the issue.

Let peace be restored, he said.

However, members continued their protests, forcing the adjournment.

The violence in Jafrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi has left at least 42 dead and over 200 injured.

Congress, Trinamool and AAP MPs staged separate dharnas on Monday near the Gandhi statue in Parliament, demanding answers from the government on the Delhi riots on the first day of the second half of the Budget Session.

Covering their eyes with black bands and holding a finger on their lips in an apparent imitation of the Gandhi’s Three Monkeys, MPs like Mohua Mitra, Sukhendu Shekhar Rai were part of the protest.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Shashi Tharoor and others held placards demanding answers on the Delhi riots and the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah.

Another protest, this time by four AAP MPs — Sanjay Singh, Bhagwant Mann, N D Gupta and Sushil Gupta — was held in front of Gandhi statue of Parliament against violence in Delhi.

They raised slogans of “BJP murdabad”.

At least 42 people died and more than 200 were injured during the communal riots in northeast Delhi.

Opposition MPs have also given notice in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the Delhi riots.

Those who gave notice include Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, NK Premachandran (RSP), PK Kunhalikutty (Muslim League), Elamaram Kareem (CPIM), Binoy Viswam (CPI).

Senior advocate Sarajevo Havana, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference, had said that he is supporting Center on the question that no reference is needed to a larger bench.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday said there are no reasons to refer a batch of pleas, challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre’s decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 on August 5 last year, to a larger seven-judge bench.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice N V Ramana pronounced the order.

The apex court had on January 23 reserved its order on the issue of whether the batch of pleas would be referred to a larger seven-judge bench.

Article 370: 5 judge Constitution bench of the SC held that there is no need of setting up a larger bench

Opposing the plea, the Centre had said that abrogation of provisions of Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, has become a “fait accompli” leaving the sole option to accept the change.

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference, had said that he is supporting Centre on the question that no reference is needed to a larger bench.

A number of petitions have been filed in the apex court including those of private individuals, lawyers, activists and political parties and they have also challenged the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which splits J&K into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The Supreme Court had earlier heard the detailed arguments and submissions from the respective petitioners and respondent, including that of the Centre’s, and had reserved its judgement on the batch of petitions.

In August last year, the government abrogated Article 370, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the region into two Union territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Lambada.

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma took stock of the situation at a meeting with Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbai and top police officials and civil administration.

GUWAHATI: A person was stabbed to death in Shillong on Saturday as parts of Meghalaya continued to remain tense following Friday’s clashes at Ichamati in East Khasi Hills between members of Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and non-tribals at a meeting over Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and Inner Line Permit (ILP).

Friday’s clashes had left one person dead and several others injured. Fresh violence erupted in Shillong’s Bara Bazar area on Saturday and a vegetable vendor was stabbed to death and at least six others injured. 

The incident forced the authorities to re-impose curfew. It was imposed for 10 hours in Shillong and its adjoining areas on Friday night. Mobile internet services have also been suspended in six districts for 48 hours from 10 pm of Friday while SMS services have been limited to five per day.

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma took stock of the situation at a meeting with Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbai and top police officials and civil administration. He also met Governor Tathagata Roy and briefed him on the law and order situation. A probe into Friday’s violence was ordered.

Madhya Pradesh is planning reservation in educational institutions, and it will be more than 5 per cent, water resources minister said.

BHOPAL: After Maharashtra, now Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh could reserve seats for Muslims in educational institutions. Dropping hints about the reservation, Madhya Pradesh Water Resources Minister Hukum Singh Karada, on Saturday, said, “We too are preparing a detailed plan for minorities. You will see that we’ll provide more relaxation than what Maharashtra has announced. I won’t be able to give details, as I’m not authorised to make any announcement, but I can assure that the relaxation would be more than Maharashtra.”

Speaking to journalists in Agar-Malwa district, Karada said, “Just wait and watch, surely our government will give a more liberal message soon.” Sources within the state Congress confided that there is a plan to grant reservation to Muslims in educational institutions in Madhya Pradesh. On Friday, Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik informed the state legislative council that their government will pass legislation to extend five per cent reservation to Muslims in educational institutes. Malik on Saturday said that the Maharashtra BJP leaders were trying to create confusion among people on reservations to the Muslim community but the Maha Vikas Aghadi will manage to dispel all doubts. 

Reacting to Karada’s statement, BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said the Congress is showing its “true colours”. Stressing that the BJP will oppose the decision, he said, “After more than doubling the honorarium of Muslim clerics, now the state government… is planning to grant reservation to Muslims, which is against the Constitution. The BJP is opposed to providing reservation on religious lines, so we’ll protest.” 

The quarantine period will continue for about a fortnight for the 76 indians and 36 foreigners including Bangladeshis, Chinese, Africans and an American.

NEW DELHI: All the 112 people, housed at an ITBP quarantine facility after being evacuated from Wuhan in China, have tested negative for coronavirus after their first samples were taken, an official said on Saturday.

“The samples of all the 112 people were sent to the AIIMS and the reports are negative. The quarantine period will continue for about a fortnight,” a spokesperson for the border guarding force said.

Seventy-six Indians and 36 foreigners were taken to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force quarantine centre in the Chhawla area of the national capital on February 27 after they were flown in from Wuhan city on an IAF transport plane.

The group of foreign nationals comprise 23 from Bangladesh, six from China, two each from Myanmar and Maldives, and one each from Madagascar, South Africa and the USA. “The second samples of the inmates will be taken on the fourteenth day of the quarantine period and all those whose results are negative will be released from the ITBP centre,” the spokesperson added.

Earlier, India had similarly evacuated around 650 Indians from Wuhan on board two Air India flights who were kept at the same ITBP facility and one prepared by the Army in Manesar near here. All these people were later found negative for the virus and they were allowed to go home after over a fortnight of quarantine.

A team of doctors, paramedics and others will be present at the quarantine facility round-the-clock and the inmates will be provided facilities like food, bed and indoor entertainment to spend time, the spokesperson said.