Bengaluru Dec 27 PTI Karnataka logged 289 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths on Monday taking the total number of infections to 3004876 and the toll to 38316 The day also saw 254 discharges taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 2959082 a health department bulletin said Bengaluru Urban continued to top in number of cases 172 as the city saw 155 discharges and two deaths The total number of active cases in the state is now 7449 While the positivity rate for the day stood at 049 per cent the Case Fatality Rate CFR was 138 per cent Besides the deaths in Bengaluru Urban one fatality each was reported from Kodagu and Uttara Kannada Among the districts where the new cases were reported Bengaluru Urban accounted for 172 Kodagu 37 Tumakuru 15 Dakshina Kannada 12 followed by others Bengaluru Urban district topped the list of positive cases with a total of 1261728 followed by Mysuru 180231 and Tumakuru 121317 Among discharges too Bengaluru Urban was on top with 1239277 followed by Mysuru 177699 and Tumakuru 120080 Cumulatively a total of 56056875 samples have been tested in the state so far out of which 58495 were done on Monday alone PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Dec 26 PTI The Karnataka government has decided to impose night curfew for 10 days from December 28 between 10 pm to 5 am Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Sunday The government has also announced certain restrictions for New Year related parties and gatherings amid fresh COVID-19 concerns with new clusters emerging and increasing threat of the new Omicron variant of Coronavirus From December 28 onwards for about ten days to begin with we would like to watch by calling a night curfew invoking Section 144 from night 10 PM to the next morning 5 AM Sudhakar said Speaking to reporters after a high-level meeting of senior Ministers officials and the COVID technical advisory committee chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai he said there is a curb on functions and gatherings for the New Year There will be no functions parties in the external premises especially for those celebrating with DJs and large gatherings they have been completely banned in Karnataka he said The Minister also said that in places like eateries hotels pubs and restaurants can have 50 percent of the seating capacity of the premises PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Nov 26 PTI Five illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were nabbed in the city on Friday Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said terming such entrants as a threat to national security and assuring that the state government was taking efforts to identify those bringing them in Official sources said the City Crime Branchwith the assistance of other agenciestraced and arrested the Bangladeshis from Kadugodi area here following which a case was registered against them under the Foreigners Act Today our CCB have taken five illegal Bangladeshi immigrants into custody further investigations are on regarding how they came or were brought in They were arrested in Bengaluru Jnanendra said Speaking to reporters here he said illegal immigrants are a danger to national security and hence they are being nabbed Our government has taken special caution regarding illegal immigrants Police have been directed to make a list of illegal immigrants in their police station limits and bring them to our detention centre he added Responding to a question the Minister while conceding that there are reports of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants working as labourers in coffee estates and building construction workers said our aim is to finish the forces that are bringing them in So our police are investigating to identify the source Very soon they too will be nabbed and we will try to extract information on how many illegal immigrants they have brought in and where all they are placed Then they will be brought to the detention centre from where they will be deported he said The danger is many of these illegal immigrants have Aadhar and ration cards Jnanendra said adding that there is a network that is working on making these documents available to them especially in Assam and other border states We have brought this to the notice of the Centre and the respective states he said PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Nov 17 PTI JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday alleged that a former Chief Minister from the Congress who also desires to hold the post in the future as well was making attempts to lure in his party leaders especially from the old Mysuru region Though Kumaraswamy did not wish to take the name of the Congress leader it appeared to be directed at former Chief Minister and now Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah There was no reaction as yet from him or the Congress Yesterday a MLA friend of mine came and discussed with me saying that a senior Congress leader who wants to become Chief Minister and was also the CM in the past has called him twelve times asking what he has decided on joining Congress stating that JDS has no future Kumaraswamy said But the MLA directly replied that he was in JDS because of his good relationship with Kumaraswamy and not for any position and politics he told reporters Kumaraswamy said the MLA even showed him details of the number of times he received calls from the Congress leader and said despite making his stand clear the leader kept repeatedly calling him Im aware that there have been constant attempts to brainwash JDS leaders who have a hold on their constituency but it will be ineffective he added There have been speculations within JDS circles that some of its sitting legislators and leaders may jump ship to other parties ahead of the 2023 assembly polls JDS MLA from Chamundeshwari segment G T Devegowda and Gubbi legislator S R Srinivas have given enough indications about joining Congress in the days to come Kumaraswamy who did not wish to name the Congress leader when reporters asked him said why should I tell the name He is the Congress leader I dont want to talk about anyone They have been making efforts for the last three years Im aware of it Let them Congress take whomever they want Im not worried as my party workers are strongly with me he said adding that he was surprised to see that the leader who claims that JDS is finished was in a pitiable situation of luring JDS leaders In response to a question Kumaraswamy said it was not the case of one legislator several of his party leaders have been contacted Finishing JDS by the next assembly polls is their Congress leaders aim and desire but it wont get fulfilled he said adding that the attempts to lure regional party leaders was more in the old Mysuru region Congress and JDS are traditional rivals in the old Mysuru region JDS has already announced mission 123 winning 123 seats in the 224 member assembly to bring the party to power independently after the 2023 assembly polls PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Nov 17 PTI Karnataka would soon come out with a Research and Development policy that would make RD an integral part of schools colleges universities and even private institutions Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday Shortly we will come out with a RD policy wherein we want RD in schools colleges universities and private sector institutions as well as we want to encourage garage oriented RD centres We want RD to percolate to that level he said Speaking to reporters here he said it will be a spectrum of different fields as innovation is limitless Responding to a question the Chief Minister said the Bengaluru Tech Summit BTS that began today is a very big event through which the government wants to scale up innovation to the next level More than 7000 delegates from all over the world are participating in it by virtual mode We expect many companies which are participating envisage interest in most of the cutting edge technologies and high-tech fields like artificial intelligence semiconductor renewable energy aerospace and come to Karnataka he said Further assuring full cooperation for those keen on setting up their RD units and innovate in Karnataka Bommai said we have created necessary infrastructure and a very good ecosystem for them Those already into innovation and those who want to come into innovation will be accommodated We want those already into innovation to scale up and the new ones will be encouraged with necessary hand holding The 24th edition of the three days BTS which is Karnataka governments flagship event was inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today BTS 2021 with its central theme Driving the Next will witness the coming together of global tech leaders Indian corporate and startups from IT Deep tech and Biotech deciphering the future showcasing disruptive technologies forging partnerships and alliances officials have said PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Sep 29 PTI Karnataka logged 539 fresh COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths on Wednesday taking the total number of infections to 2975067 and the toll to 37780 The day also saw 591 discharges taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 2924693 Bengaluru Urban accounted for most number of infections 239 as the city saw 141 discharges and seven deaths The total number of active cases in the state stood at 12565 While the positivity rate for the day was 048 per cent the Case Fatality Rate CFR was 315 per cent Dakshina Kannada was behind Bengaluru Urban in number of deaths 3 followed by others Among the districts where the new cases were reported Bengaluru Urban accounted for 239 Dakshina Kannada 75 Kodagu 36 Mysuru 31 Tumakuru 22 followed by others Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases with a total of 1246139 followed by Mysuru 177905 and Tumakuru 120162 Among discharges too Bengaluru Urban was on top with 1222479 followed by Mysuru 174892 and Tumakuru 118724 Cumulatively a total of 47504490 samples have been tested in the state so far out of which 111538 were on Wednesday alone PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Sep 22 PTI Karnataka logged 847 new COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths on Wednesday taking the total number of infections to 2970208 and the toll to 37668 The day also saw 946 discharges taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 2918890 Out of 847 new cases reported on Wednesday 312 were from Bengaluru Urban as the city saw 219 discharges and six deaths The total number of active cases in the state is at 13621 While the positivity rate for the day stood at 057 per cent the Case Fatality Rate CFR was 236 per cent a health department bulletin said Coming behind Bengaluru Urban in number of deaths was Dakshina Kannada 5 and Udupi 2 followed by others Among new cases Dakshina Kannada accounted for 108 Mysuru 74 Shivamogga 52 Udupi 48 Hassan 46 followed by others Bengaluru Urban district topped the list of positive cases with a total of 1244364 followed by Mysuru 177474 and Tumakuru 119986 Among discharges too Bengaluru Urban was on top with 1220878 followed by Mysuru 174498 and Tumakuru 118469 Cumulatively a total of 46633670 samples have been tested in the state so far out of which 146772 were on Wednesday alone PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Sep 20 PTI Karnataka Public Works Minister C C Patil on Monday admitted that 99 per cent of speed breakers on the states highways and roads are unscientific The Minister said this in the assembly while responding to a question raised by senior Congress MLA K R Ramesh Kumar during question hour seeking details on authorized roads humps or speed breakers on the 52-km Hoskote-Madikere Cross road and 82-km national highway 234 connecting Mulbagal and Chikkaballapura Patil in his written reply said the 52-km road has 33 authorized raised pedestrian crossings and that 70 out of 84 road humps on NH 234 are unscientific Unhappy with the answer Kumar asked Are there any procedures for this Is there anything-why it should be put and by whom If there are so many unscientific humps are there no officials Why do you lay the roads spending crores Questioning whether officers dont conduct inspections he demanded that the minister suspend the engineers concerned If you suspend officials then such speed humps will goif there are some protests by locals humps are putto whom have you given this state to Conceding that road humps have become a menace Patil said suspending officials was not the solution and that unscientific road humps come up at the behest of locals and at several instances they get it installed by getting the contractor in the absence of officials I agree that of all speed breakers 99 per cent wont be scientificwith the help of district Deputy Commissioners and Police we will make all honest efforts to remove unscientific road humps he said adding that this problem was not created overnight Further Kumar questioned Patil as to why he was not applying his mind with regard to the road leading to the Kempegowda International Airport You have the police to check speeding You also allow tempos auto rickshaws and scooters on the same road People wanting to catch their flights on time get late he said PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Sep 18 PTI The Karnataka government on Saturday restrained officials from going before the media to air their grievances or share opinions other than for bonafide official purposes It also put a stop on officials using social media as a platform to project government or department achievements as personal achievements and asked them to use accounts or handles created in the name of the administration to share official information Government officials making unwarranted statements through press statements and press conferences have come to the governments notice As such incidents will have ill-effects on the administrative system and cause embarrassment to the government The government has viewed such conduct of the officials seriously an official circular said Signed by Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar it said officials have hence been prohibited from making unwarranted statements through press statements and press conferences other than for the purpose of performing bonafide official duties Citing service rules the government said disciplinary action would be taken against officials found making use of unwarranted platforms to express their personal opinion and indulging in any act that causes embarrassment to the government in violation of rules and policies It further said officials can only use the media to share official information on government programmes and for necessary official duties but not to air their grievances Use of social media platforms to project government or department achievements as personal achievements have been strictly prohibited the circular further said At the time of publicising information on department achievements and government programmes officials instead of using their personal social media accounts should use accounts or handles created in the name of the government or administration it added The circular has come after Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Thursday had told the legislative assembly that the government will instruct the Chief Secretary to take action against overacting officials who directly go before the media to level charges or air grievances He was responding to an issue raised by JDS leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his party MLA Sa Ra Mahesh accusing some IAS officers of making allegations against legislators before the media Mahesh was referring to IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri who was previously the Mysuru Deputy Commissioner both of whom had accused each other of irregularities PTI KSU APR APR

Bengaluru Sep 17 PTI The Karnataka government on Friday tabled a bill in the assembly to ban online gambling or betting in the state and providing for a maximum imprisonment of three years or fine of up to Rs one lakh for any violation The Karnataka Police Amendment Bill 2021 was tabled in the assembly by Home Minister Araga Jnanendra The bill to amend the Karnataka Police Act of 1963 states games means and includes online games involving all forms of wagering or betting including in the form of tokens valued in terms of the money paid before or after the issue of it or electronic means and virtual currency electronic transfer of funds in connection with any game of chance However it does not include lottery or wagering or betting on horse races run on any race course within or outside the state The Bill in its statement of objects and reasons says that it is considered to amend the 1963 Police Act to provide for enforcement of provisions of the Act by making offences under certain sections as cognizable offence and non-bailable except Section 87 gaming in public streets which is made cognizable and bailable It will include the use of cyberspace including computer resources or any communication device as defined in Information Technology Act 2000 in the process of gaming to curb the menace of gaming through internet and mobile apps It provides for enhancing punishment for gaming to wean citizens away from the vice of gambling extending to three years and fine up to Rs one lakh It said the punishment for the first offence would be six months imprisonment and fine of Rs 10000 for the second one year imprisonment and fine of Rs 15000 and for the third offence 18 months imprisonment and fine of Rs 20000 Persons aiding or abetting such online gaming would also be punished it added There is no extra expenditure involved in the proposed legislative measure it said Instruments of gaming include any article intended to be used as a means of gaming including computers computer system mobile app or internet or cyberspace virtual platform computer network computer resource any communication device electronic applications software and accessory the bill said Also means of online gaming any document register or record or evidence of any gaming in electronic or digital form the proceeds of any online gaming or any winning or prize in money or otherwise distributed or intended to be distributed in respect of any gaming it added The state government had in July informed the High Court hearing a petition seeking a ban on all forms of online betting and gambling that it had drafted a Bill Last November Tamil Nadu had promulgated an ordinance banning online gambling and earlier this year Kerala too had imposed a ban on online rummy games PTI KSU APR APR