Bengaluru, Oct 14: As many as 2,070 cattle have died due to the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in Karnataka, while about 19,000 are affected, the state government said on Friday.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has ordered releasing Rs 13 crore for the treatment and vaccination of cattle suffering from this viral disease and also to provide relief to those who lost their cattle due to it.

He instructed officials to intensify the vaccination drive, especially in Haveri and Kolar districts where the prevalence is high, a government statement said.

"This disease has been noticed in 4,380 villages of 160 taluks in 28 districts. Of the total 45,645 cattle afflicted by this disease, 26,135 have recovered and 2,070 have died," the statement said.

It added that Rs two crore had already been released as the compensation for those who lost cattle.

"An additional Rs five crore will be released towards the treatment of diseased cattle and Rs eight crore for vaccinating them," the statement said.

The Chief Minister was quoted as saying that as many as 6.57 lakh cattle have been vaccinated.

As per guidelines of Government of India, even the healthy cattle within five km range where this disease has been noticed, must be vaccinated.

"The vaccination must be done on priority in the chronically affected districts," the Chief Minister said and directed officials to immediately obtain 15 lakh doses of vaccine from companies approved by the Government of India.

The Chief Minister noted that lumpy disease does not spread to people by drinking milk from the ailing cows, and awareness in this regard must be created on a big scale.

Steps must be taken to check this disease in the badly-hit districts such as Haveri and Kolar; preventive steps should be taken so that it does not spread to other districts. The vaccination drive must be intensified, he said.

LSD is a contagious viral disease that affects cattle and causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death. The disease gets spread by mosquitoes, flies, lice, and wasps by direct contact among the cattle, and through contaminated food and water.

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Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government will come up with new regulations aimed at reducing the influence of smartphones and social media on children.

A meeting on the issue was chaired by state Education Minister Praful Panseriya with senior officials on Thursday, during which he highlighted the adverse effects of excessive social media use on children. He emphasised that new rules would be implemented to reduce mobile phone usage and encourage greater focus on sports.

“Teachers will be banned from using mobile phones in the classroom, and strict measures will be taken to ensure that primary school children do not come to school with mobile phones,” the statement read under the new rules.

Panseriya said that their aim is to keep the kids away from the devices and bring them to playgrounds and study tables.

The minister further stated that a circular outlining these changes would be issued for children, parents, and teachers. The initiative will be developed in consultation with Children’s University, Teacher's University, and practicing psychiatrists.

Additionally, teachers will be encouraged to engage students in productive activities such as reading and sports instead of allowing smartphone use for social media. Parents will also be urged to limit their own social media use in front of children and and ensure the latter are not using smartphones.

The minister expressed hope that other states will follow Gujarat's lead and adopt similar measures.