Karnataka news live: State reports 787 Covid-19 cases, 11 deaths

Karnataka on Saturday clocked 787 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the caseload to 29.73 lakh, while 11 deaths pushed the toll to 37,717. The day also saw 775 people being discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 29.21 lakh. Active cases stood at 13,307, a health department bulletin said.Bengaluru Urban accounted for the maximum number of 276 cases and four fatalities, it said.Dakshina Kannada district bordering Kerala remained a major COVID-19 hotspot with 127 fresh infections and one death.

Close on the heels of a Dalit family being penalised Rs 25,000 over their two-year-old son entering a temple in Kustagi, a Dalit man was forced to arrange a feast spending Rs 11,000 for entering a Lakshmi Devi temple in a village at Karatagi about 11 days ago, a police officer said. "Yes, it is true that the man spent Rs 11,000 to arrange feast for entering the temple. Our officers are investigating the matter," superintendent of Police T Sreedhara told PTI on Saturday.

Karnataka Minister for health and family welfare, Dr K Sudhakar on Friday slammed the Congress for using COVID-19 deaths to its political advantage.Speaking at the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, the minister said, "It is unfortunate that the Congress Party has stooped so low that it does not hesitate to use the unfortunate death of Covid victims to its political advantage."

Ten additional judges, who were elevated as permanent judges of the Karnataka high court, took the oath of office here on Saturday. Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Saturday administered oath to 10 judges. (PTI)

To curb protests near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, Belagavi police commissioner K Thiyagarajan has issued an order imposing section 144 in the vicinity of the building for a month. The order came into effect from midnight of September 24 and will end on October 23. Thiyagarajan has explained the reasons for the restrictions. NH4 runs close to the west gate of the Soudha and traffic flow is high. Protests and other gatherings can cause inconvenience to motorists and hamper the movement of ambulances and vehicles transporting essential goods.

Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has promised to hold the winter session at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, earmarking Rs 17 crore for the purpose in the supplementary budget. If the plans materialise, Belagavi will host a legislature session after a three-year gap. The last one was held in 2018. Floods and the pandemic prevented proceedings there in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

In just two months of its launch, the Citizen Participation Program (CPP) has had nearly 900 citizens enrolling themselves as Suchi Mitras (volunteers). The initiative by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) aims to enable solid waste management at micro and macro levels by training Suchi Mitras in every ward. The participants and volunteers will be divided at the lane, block, and ward level.

The popular Saundatti Yellamma temple in Savadatti taluk, Belagavi district, will finally open for devotees on September 28, for the first since March 24, 2020. The administration has made elaborate arrangements for the public to visit. While most temples in the state reopened after the two lockdowns were lifted at the end of the first and second waves, the Belagavi district administration did not permit the Yellamma temple management to resume operations. Devotees from across the nation visit the temple, and authorities feared it could be a superspreader.

In a huge relief for managements grappling with cluster cases on campuses, more than 90% of college students in Dakshina Kannada district, who are eligible to take the Covid-19 vaccine, have received at least one dose so far. Heads of institutions in the education hub of Karnataka say vaccination has helped them resume regular classes with confidence, especially since most students will get their second dose within a month or two.

With fresh Covid-19 infections under control, the Karnataka government on Friday allowed schools and colleges to conduct regular in-person classes for grades 6-12 with 100% student attendance from October 1, besides giving nod for cinema halls, movie theatres and pubs to operate with 100% capacity from October 3.

The Dakshina Kannada district administration is mulling on organising street festivals, including food and art festivals, during weekends in the city. A calendar of events will be prepared in advance, to inform people about festivals planned during the weekends, once the Covid-19 positivity rate reduces further, said deputy commissioner Rajendra K V, during an interaction organised by the Dakshina Kannada Working Journalists Association as part of World Tourism Day.

On the last day of the monsoon session, the assembly witnessed heated exchanges over the issue of the National Education Policy (NEP), which is being implemented in the state. Congress alleged that NEP had been pushed by RSS, terming it “Nagpur Education Policy”. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai latched onto the comment, saying: “If the opposition wants to claim that NEP was the brainchild of RSS, then I am proud to admit it. It is a policy which is from Indians, by Indians and for Indians, unlike the foreign policy which Congress introduced in 1986.”

Karnataka minister for health and family welfare, Dr K Sudhakar on Friday slammed the Congress for using Covid-19 deaths to its political advantage. Speaking at the Karnataka assembly, the minister said, "It is unfortunate that the Congress Party has stooped so low that it does not hesitate to use the unfortunate death of Covid victims to its political advantage." (ANI)