Karnataka eases lockdown norms further, lifts several restrictions
Bengaluru: Easing COVID-19 induced lockdown norms further, the Karnataka government on Monday allowed buses of all the four state transport corporations to operate, except in red and containment zones, from tomorrow.
Private buses have also been permitted to run their services, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa told reporters here.
Only 30 people would be allowed to travel in the buses and wearing of face masks and maintaining physical distancing are mandatory, he said.
Bus fares would not be increased, he added. Inter-state transport would not be allowed, except in emergency cases.
Auto and taxis were also given green signal to get on to roads, but there should be only three passengers, including the driver. In maxi-cabs, the maximum number should be four passengers, including driver.
Trains can operate within the State but not inter- state services till May 31. Saloons can also pull up their shutters. Parks have been allowed to open from 7 am to 9 am and from 5 pm to 7 pm, Yediyurappa said.
Except shopping malls and cinema halls, all shops can open, he added. The chief minister said night curfew would continue from 7 pm to 7 am and there would be a complete lockdown on Sundays.
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Women BJP MLAs protest against opposition in UP assembly premises
Lucknow (PTI): Women BJP MLAs held a protest in the Vidhan Bhawan complex before the one-day special session of Uttar Pradesh assembly, slamming the opposition for defeating the passage of a bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Law, in the Lok Sabha.
This followed another demonstration by Samajwadi Party MLAs, who alleged that the BJP was misleading public in the name of women's reservation.
The women BJP legislators assembled in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue in the assembly premises, holding banners inscribed with the slogan "Insult to Matrushakti (women's power), India will not tolerate it". The protesting members entered the main hall of Vidhan Bhawan carrying the banners.
Participating in the protest, the state Minister for Women Welfare and Child Development, Baby Rani Maurya, told reporters that all opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, had opposed the women's reservation, a stance for which they would have to pay a heavy political price.
"On this issue, all of us women stand united. We will ensure that we secure our reservation," she said.
BJP MLA Ketki Singh remarked that their protest represents the collective outrage of millions of women across the state.
Singh asserted that the opposition has betrayed women by creating hurdles in the path of women's reservation. The current demonstration is merely the beginning, and very soon, women from every street, intersection and household will join the protest movement, she said.
Minister Vijaylakshmi Gautam said, "We strongly condemn the despicable act committed by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in an attempt to hold back 'half the population' (women). Their action was directed against the very bill that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced to empower and strengthen Nari Shakti (women's power), and which he strived to pass expeditiously."
Uttar Pradesh assembly is holding a one-day special session on Thursday. During the session, the government is set to move a censure motion against the opposition parties over their failure to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, in the Lok Sabha.
