No new positive case of Nipah; 61 negative results: Kerala govt
Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): No new Nipah positive cases were reported in the state since September 16 with 61 more samples of persons who were in the high risk contact list turning up negative for the virus, Kerala government said on Monday.
State Health Minister Veena George told reporters that results of the genomic sequencing, to confirm there was no second wave of the virus outbreak, would be available by evening or tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Central teams were in the field and surveying all the relevant locations, the minister said.
"One of the teams might go back today," she added.
The last Nipah positive case reported in the state was on September 15.
The minister on Sunday had said that the situation was under control presently.
George had also said the four infected persons, including a nine-year-old boy, were getting better and the child has been taken off ventilator for the time being.
She had also said that samples from 36 bats have been taken and sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune to ascertain the presence of the virus among the mammals.
George further said that since all the infected persons got the virus from the same person -- the index case -- who died on August 30, it was clear that there was no second wave and that it was welcome news.
"It can also be proved through genomic sequencing which is being carried out," she had said.
Till Sunday evening, 1,233 contacts had been traced and of them 352 were in the high-risk category, she had said.
The minister had further said that as no new positive Nipah cases were being reported, the containment and quarantine measures would remain in place for 42 days from the last positive case reported.
The incubation period of the virus is 21 days and therefore, "a double incubation period of 42 days from the last positive case" is considered as the period during which caution has to be exercised, George had explained.
The total number of cases of Nipah infection confirmed in the state are six, of which two persons have died and four people are being treated.
The World Health Organisation and ICMR studies have found that the entire state, not just Kozhikode, is prone to such infections.
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Karnataka Cabinet ratifies decisions on internal reservation for SCs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet has ratified its earlier decisions on internal reservation for Scheduled Castes and approved key modifications to streamline recruitment, including withdrawal and reissue of notifications and adoption of a 400-point roster system.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil on Thursday said the Cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to implementing internal reservation within the 15 per cent SC quota and expediting long-pending recruitment across departments.
"The Cabinet ratified decisions taken in earlier meetings (April 16 and April 24) and made modifications regarding reservation policies," Patil said.
He said the government will implement internal reservation within the 15 per cent quota for Scheduled Castes in specified proportions and revise recruitment notifications accordingly, with a 400-point roster to be followed.
If fewer than three roster points for SC arise in recruitment, then all 101 Scheduled Caste communities will be allowed to compete under SC general, he said.
Patil added that recruitment notifications issued without incorporating internal reservation will be withdrawn and reissued in line with the revised policy.
"If the Supreme Court approves 24 per cent reservation for SC/ST, six per cent backlog posts will be filled," he said, noting that urgent steps will be taken to fill 56,432 approved posts.
The latest decision follows the Cabinet's April 24 resolution that cleared a revised internal reservation formula within the overall 15 per cent SC quota, paving the way for long-pending government recruitment. The government had approved 5.25 per cent reservation each for the "right-hand" and "left-hand" groups, and about 4.5 per cent for other Scheduled Castes, including nomadic communities.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had then said the categorisation was worked out proportionately within the constitutional ceiling. "From tomorrow onwards, the recruitment process will begin with the issuance of notifications," he had said after the April 24 Cabinet meeting.
He also noted that the SC quota was fixed at 15 per cent and ST at three per cent in line with the 50 per cent cap laid down in the Indra Sawhney case, while pointing out that the Supreme Court had permitted internal reservation within constitutional limits.
