Heena Sharma Blog

  Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and State COVID task force head Dr CN Ashwathnarayan on Thursday said that Mucormycosis or black fungus has been declared as a notifiable disease and none of the hospitals should give treatment for this disease without bringing to the notice of the concerned government authorities. Speaking to reporters during his visit to the Suttur Mutt, he said, "Government is providing treatment for black fungus in all the six division centres of the state and Mysuru Medical College will be providing the treatment in this region. Apart from this, the treatment is available in private hospitals also." He also said that the drug required for the treatment of black fungus is at present is being imported and now a few companies have come forward to manufacture here itself. Once the manufacture begins here, it would resolve the issue of shortage of the drug. Read More

  As many as 24 patients including 23 suffering from COVID-19 died in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar due to alleged oxygen shortage in the district hospital in the last 24 hours, officials said. A pall of gloom descended on the Chamarajanagar district hospital as the grieving kin of the deceased gathered after hearing the news. Family members of the dead also staged a demonstration at the hospital and alleged there was a shorten of oxygen and raised slogans. Chamarajanagar district in-charge Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is also the Primary and Secondary Education Minister, said he has ordered a death audit report from the district administration into the incident. He, however, maintained that all the deaths did not occur due to oxygen shortage. "It's not appropriate to say that all the 24 deaths happened due to oxygen shortage. These deaths had happened from Sunday morning to this morning. The oxygen shortage happened in the wee hours of Monday -- from 12.30 AM to 2

  Vaccination of people above 18 years of age, which was supposed to start from May 1, may be delayed as the vaccines have not yet arrived, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Friday. "We have made orders to Serum Institute in Pune for over one crore doses but the official news is that they are still not prepared to give it to us from tomorrow as scheduled," the Minister told reporters here. He asked people who have enrolled themselves on the Cowin portal for inoculation to refrain from going to vaccination centres on May 1. The Minister said the government will intimate the eligible people after confirmation from Serum Institute of India about the arrival of vaccines. "We have already paid Rs 400 crore to purchase one crore doses of Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India in Pune," the Minister said. Read More

  The Karnataka government has issued a set of guidelines for Muslims to follow during the holy month of Ramzan, in view of growing coronavirus cases in the state. The government said the growing cases call for strict compliance of COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour (CAB), especially during Ramzan as "people tend to congregate in large numbers". According to a circular issued by the government, people above 60, those with comorbidity, pregnant women and children below 10 years should remain at home. Large gatherings of people are prohibited and social distancing should be maintained at mosques. There should be markings on the floor of the place of worship to manage queues and face masks should be made mandatory. "Entry of visitors shall be staggered to avoid crowding," it said. Cough etiquette should be adhered to, thermal screening and hand sanitization should be done at the entrance of mosques, it added. Read More

  People in areas like UP’s Sonbhadra district have been skipping meals to compensate for the extreme decline in incomes since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Many of them are availing loans just to be able to buy food. These families were among those surveyed to find out the impact of lockdowns and the relief, if any, they got from the government’s stimulus package. About 68 per cent of the respondents have reported a fall in their incomes. Economic distress, the report says, has become a reality across states and sectors. Farmers are complaining about low prices and markets being shut, while shipowners rue slowing businesses and daily wage earners say they haven’t had any income in months. About 20 per cent of the respondents said they had to resort to selling durables so they could afford food. By April-end, Kerala had only a couple of dozen active cases and barely 500 new cases since 30 January. The state had claimed to have flattened the curve even while the rest of the country w

  In Punjab, the age group 0-50 accounts for 73.7 per cent of the total state case load. The mortality rate among those infected in this age group, however, is 26.8 per cent. The age group 51-90 accounts for 26.3 per cent of infections but has a mortality rate of 72.4 per cent. Comorbidities, experts say, are the major reason driving the high fatality rate among the elderly. Till August 28, about 17 per cent of infections were noted in the age group 41-50, some 15 per cent for those aged 51-60, around eight per cent for the 61-70 group and only three per cent for 71-80. An official further noted that diabetes is emerging as major problem in Punjab because of the state’s ‘rich diet and sedentary lifestyle’. This, he says, needs to be curbed along with following precautions like wearing face masks and maintaining social distance. Karnataka has seen over 40 legislators, across party lines, test positive for Covid-19 so far. Epidemiologists have now warned that those in public life must

  Around 43 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in India have been recorded from just three states, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the Union health ministry said on Monday. It asserted that the Centre is regularly engaging with the states and Union Territories that are reporting a spurt in cases and those with a higher fatality rate. Such states and Union Territories have been advised to undertake aggressive measures to ensure higher testing, effective clinical management to lower fatality and save lives along with efficient monitoring at various levels, the health ministry said. "India has registered 78,512 cases in the last 24 hours (August 30). Hence the report by certain media entities of about 80,000 cases in the last 24 hours is without any basis," it said. Read More  

Tamil Nadu has directed schools to declare holiday and also ordered closure of malls, movie theatres in the state’s border Taluks till March 31 amid the coronavirus outbreak . On Sunday chief minister K Palaniswami called for closure of schools for students in LKG to fifth standard across the state. He also asked malls and movie theatres in Theni, Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, Nilgiri, Krishnagiri, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Tirupattur, Ranipet, Erode, Dindigul, Dharmapuri and Virudhunagar districts to remain shut till March 31. Schools in these Taluks are already closed. The CM also ordered setting up of quarantine wards near the airports in the state for passengers with COVID-19 symptoms. To prevent the spread of the virus from neighbouring states, he ordered setting up of monitoring centres and checkposts in the border districts. Read More

KSP Recruitment 2019: Karnataka State Police (KSP) has issued a recruitment notification for 3,026 vacancies for the posts of Civil Constables and CAR/DAR Constables. All eligible and interested candidates can apply on the official website of Karnataka State Police on ksp-online.in . The last date to apply for Karnataka constable jobs is October 17, 2019, and the last date to submit the Karnataka state police job application fee is October 19, 2019. Candidates, who wish to apply for the post of constables in KSP, need to pay Rs 250 (Rs 100 for reserved category candidates) for KSP online application form 2019. The age limit of a candidate should be between 18 to 25 years. The Karnataka State Police Recruitment Board will conduct the selection process based on the candidates’ performance in the Karnataka state police exam and interview. KSP vacancy 2019 details Civil Constable: 2013 posts CAR/DAR Constable: 1013 posts Karnataka constable eligibility criteria Civil Cons

Out of the 77 newly-elected legislators who have declared criminal cases against themselves, 54 MLAs have declared serious criminal cases, like murder and attempt to murder Karnataka Election 2018 News : There has been a steady rise in the number of MLAs with a criminal background in the   Karnataka assembly. Among the 221 newly-elected MLAs, 77 (35 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves, of which 54 MLAs have declared serious criminal cases, like murder and attempt to murder. In 2013, the   Karnataka assembly   had 34 per cent of MLAs having criminal cases against them, while in 2008, the proportion of elected MLAs with a criminal background was 24 per cent, says an analysis by the Karnataka Election Watch and Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has bagged the highest number of seats at 104, has 42 (41 per cent) MLAs with criminal backgrounds, followed by the Congress at 23 out of their 78 and 11

In a joint petition in Supreme Court, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) had sought a stay on the oath-taking taking ceremony of BJP's chief ministerial candidate Yeddyurappa Karnataka Election 2018 News : The Supreme Court, after a midnight hearing on Thursday, refused to stall the swearing-in of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader B S Yeddyurappa as Karnataka's new Chief Minister. The court, however, made it clear that the swearing-in and the government formation would be subject to the final outcome of the case before it. The top court sought the letters which Yeddyurappa had written to Karnataka Governor informing him his election as BJP legislature party and posted the matter for further hearing at 10.30 am on Friday. In a midnight legal push, the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) had approached the   Supreme Court   seeking an immediate intervention by the chief justice to stay the move, which it termed as an "encounter of the Constitution&

The Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) with 18.3% vote share and the Indian National Congress (38%)-a combined vote share of 56.3%-may get to form the government in the state. Karnataka Election News : The   Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)   won 36.2% of the votes in the Karnataka election–it’s highest ever since the party first contested state elections in 1983 . However, the   Janata Dal-Secular (JDS)   with 18.3% vote share and the   Indian National Congress   (38%)–a combined vote share of 56.3%–may get to form the government in the state. The JD(S) vote-share of 18.3%, according to leads and results, was its lowest in nearly two decades since 1999 when it had a vote-share of 10.4%. The Congress vote-share of 38% is the highest among the three parties and the highest the party got since the 1999 elections when it had a vote-share of 40.8%. Although the BJP vote share was 1.8 percentage points lower than the Congress’, the former is 26 seats ahead of the

  As the fate of politics in Karnataka hangs in balance, the key lies in the fact as to who Governor invites to formally form the government first Karnataka Election 2018 News : As counting for Karnataka Assembly polls has ended, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 103 seats and is leading is one, emerging as the single largest party. The Congress party stood on the second position with 78 seats, while former prime minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) party bagged 37 seats. Apart from this, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party and independents won one seat each . The Karnataka Assembly election results threw up an unexpected suspense today, as a simple majority tantalisingly eluded BJP and the Congress quickly proclaimed support to third-placed JD(S) to keep the saffron party out of power. As the results of the poll in the state have left Karnataka Assembly in hung, the final deci

The Congress has led the BJP in terms of vote share by over a percentage point, but the latter has maximized its winnings in its areas of influence Karnataka Election 2018 : On the cusp of delivering a crushing defeat to the Congress in Karnataka Assembly election 2018, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday was on course to emerge as the largest single party in the state. But the 110-seat halfway mark of the 222 constituencies that went to the polls on Saturday was still eluding the party at the time of filing of this report. Elections to the remaining two seats will be held on May 28. Interestingly, the Congress led the BJP in terms of vote share by over a percentage point. But, the BJP maximized its winnings in its areas of influence. If the Congress’ vote share was 38 per cent, the BJP's was 36.7 per cent. The Janata Dal (Secular) proved that prophecies of its demise were premature. The JD(S) was on course to match its 2013 tally o

Karnataka election result 2018 will be declared today. Backing the exit polls, the Satta Bazaar is of the opinion that Modi wave is still intact and is betting big on a BJP win. LIVE updates Karnataka Election 2018 : The Karnataka Assembly election 2018 result will be known on Tuesday as counting of votes began at 8 am. According to the procedure, postal ballots are being counted first. According to TV reports, early trends show Congress leading in 75 seats, the BJP in 99, the JD(S) in 41, and others in two seats. "All arrangements have been made for counting of votes in 222 seats from  8am  onwards at 38 centers in 30 districts, including five in Bengaluru where polling was held in 26 of the 28 segments," Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said. A record 72.36 per cent of the 50.7 million (5.07 crore) electorate cast their votes, with 27,908 electors in defence services exercising their franchise through postal ballots. The Electio

Karnataka election result 2018 will be declared soon. Backing the exit polls, the satta bazaar is of the opinion that the Modi wave is still intact and it is betting big on a BJP win. LIVE updates Karnataka Election : The high-stakes battle for the 222-seat Karnataka Assembly ended on Saturday and India will soon know the outcome. The counting of votes is underway, and according to the procedure, postal ballots were counted first. Initial trends are expected to be in by 9 am. "All arrangements have been made for counting of votes in 222 seats from 8 am onwards at 38 centres in 30 districts, including five in Bengaluru where polling was held in 26 of the 28 segments," Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said. A record 72.36 per cent of the 50.7 million electors cast their votes, with 27,908 in defence services exercising their franchise through postal ballots. The Election Commission has deployed 16,662 personnel for counting of votes amid tight security. "Postal

The state’s capital, Bengaluru, is facing power outages for long hours with elections around the corner Latest News  :  In 2017-18, Karnataka’s agriculture sector received, on average, six hours of power per day–lowest among the states for which data were available–according to latest national data. With 70% of the state’s population dependent on agriculture, and 70% of the state’s cultivable land dependent on low and erratic rainfall, power supply for irrigation is crucial ahead of elections to the state’s assembly on May 12, 2018. Rural Karnataka, which accounts for 154 (69%) of the state’s 224 legislative constituencies, remains the primary focus of the election. Nearly 61% of Karnataka’s population lives in rural areas, and 54.6% of the state’s workforce is employed in agriculture and allied activities. Karnataka’s farmers are battling drought and water shortage, and have been under dire financial duress, with the state recording second highest number of farmer suici

In the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly election 2018, Congress’ Rajya Sabha member M V Rajeev Gowda says Siddaramaiah’s Karnataka model has beaten BJP’s Gujarat model on several key indicators Election News   :  The Siddaramaiah-led Congress   government in Karnataka has outperformed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) so-called ‘Gujarat model of development’ on most indicators, says the Congress’ Rajya Sabha member and research department chief M V Rajeev Gowda. A professor of economics and social sciences at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, from 2000-2014, Gowda has a doctorate in public policy and management from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. In an interview with Archis Mohan, Gowda says investment and job generation in Karnataka have been much higher than Gujarat. Edited excerpts: Is the Karnataka   election yet another in a series of elections or do you think it would be a narrative-setting election for the next year, including for the