Karnataka CM Yediyurappa to interact with gram panchayats over high COVID caseload
Bengaluru, May 25: With the increase in COVID-19 cases in rural areas, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will interact with select gram panchayats reporting high caseload, via video conferencing on May 26, regarding containment measure.
"Tomorrow the Chief Minister will interact with select gram panchayats with high cases, via video conference," Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, he said with indications that COVID is coming under control in cities like Bengaluru, the government's focus is now on rural areas, and hence district administrations have been given greater responsibility, including, implementation of lockdown locally.
Noting that the steady decline in daily cases, especially in cities like Bengaluru, was a bit of an ease, the CM had said, however the situation in rural areas is not satisfying, and people there need to be more cautious.
Bommai said instructions have been given for micro contaminants in rural areas, PDOs (Panchayath Development Officers), health officers and police officers of the respective limits have been given the responsibility.
They have also been asked to ensure ration and medicine supplies to the needy, he said.
Instructions have been given to test primary and secondary contacts of those infected compulserly, and provide vitamin and zinc tablets to primary contacts.
Orders also have been issued to ensure that Doctors visit rural areas, he added.
On black fungus disease, Bommai said the state ministers have held discussions with Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilizer D V Sadananada Gowda, who has assured that the Centre will supply 1,000 vials of medicine for the treatment of Mucormycosis (black fungus).
".. instructions have been given to set up special wards in all the districts," he said.
Karnataka has reported 446 Mucormycosis or black fungus infections and 12 related fatalities so far.
The Minister said directions have been to make special arrangements, including setting up ICUs at pediatric wards in district hospitals, for the treatment of children, in the days to come.
There have been reports expressing concern that Covid will disproportionately affect children in the next wave, however, several experts have said that there is no reason to believe in it.
On increasing COVID deaths despite the number of cases gradually coming under control, Bommai said the virus in the second wave is spreading fast and within two to three days of infection, many are experiencing drop in oxygen level and they develop pneumonia like symptoms among others, unlike last the time.
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Cong performed better in Kerala, anti-incumbency trends influenced WB, TN: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the Congress had largely met or exceeded expectations in several States, even as results in some regions reflected shifting voter sentiments.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said the party accepted the mandate in Assam while performing better than anticipated in Kerala.
He also pointed to possible anti-incumbency trends influencing outcomes in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
“In Assam, we got the expected result, and we accept the people’s mandate. In Kerala, we have won more seats than expected. We anticipated around 76 to 80, but we have gone up to around 95,” Siddaramaiah said.
In West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, there may have been an anti-incumbency trend, and that could have influenced the results, he added.
Siddaramaiah also extended his congratulations to a new political entrant in Tamil Nadu, noting the emergence of a different electoral dynamic in the State.
“I congratulate the new entrant who has achieved success there,” he added.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said electoral outcomes in some States had diverged from the party’s internal assessments, reflecting evolving voter expectations.
“We expected a certain trend, but the results have been different. Political reading was wrong in some places,” he said.
“People were looking for change in some States, and that has been reflected in the results,” Shivakumar, who is also the Congress Karnataka unit president, said.
Referring to Kerala, he said the Congress-led alliance had benefited from public sentiment.
“There was already an expectation based on local body elections, and people had shown confidence in us. That has translated into a strong result,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
On Tamil Nadu, he acknowledged that the scale of political shift had come as a surprise.
“We expected to secure around 30 to 40 per cent of the vote share, but such a major shift was not anticipated. It shows that voter expectations were different,” he said.
Shivakumar added that electoral outcomes underscored the need for better political assessment in future.
“We have to understand these changes carefully. Political reading cannot go wrong like this,” he said.
