With 141 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, Karnataka nears 3000-mark; toll reaches 2922
Bengaluru: The coronavirus related fatalities in Karnataka rose to 49 with the death of a 47-year-old woman while 141 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Saturday taking the infection tally to 2,922, Karnataka minister S Suresh Kumar said.
Among the fresh cases, 90 are inter-state passengers, he told reporters.
The deceased woman from Bidar was admitted on May 24 and died on May 28 at a designated hospital in Bidar, Kumar, minister for primary and secondary education and spokesperson for COVID-19 in the state, said.
The woman was diagnosed with influenza-like illness with a history of paralysis and was bed-ridden besides having hypertension and convulsions, Kumar said.
According to him, the total cases include 997 discharges, 1,874 active cases, 49 COVID-19 deaths, and two non-COVID related deaths.
Of the total active cases, 15 are in the ICU, he added.
The new cases comprise 33 in Bengaluru, 18 in Yadagir, 14 in Dakshina Kannada, 13 each in Udupi and Hassan, 11 in Vijayapura, 10 in Bidar, six in Shivamogga, four each in Davangere and Haveri, three in Kolar, two each in Kalaburagi, Mysuru, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad, and one each in Belagavi, Chitradurga, Tumakuru and Bengaluru Rural, the health department said in its bulletin.
The minister said the government has issued an order regarding relaxation of curfew on Sundays.
According to the order issued by Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, there will not be any curfew on Sundays throughout the day following request from people.
As per the previous order, curfew was from 7 am to 7 pm on Sundays.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
