April 24: Karnataka reports 60 new COVID-19 cases, zero fatalities
Bengaluru, Apr 24: Karnataka recorded 60 fresh COVID-19 cases and zero fatalities on Sunday, taking the total infections in the state to 39,46,934.
For almost a month, the fatalities have stood at 40,057 due to nil COVID-19 deaths, said the state health department in a bulletin.
Of the total infections, Bengaluru Urban district saw 57 while Chitradurga, Dharwad and Vijayapura reported one infection each. There were zero infections in 27 districts of the state.
Sixty-three people were discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 39,05,159 till date, the bulletin said.
Active cases stood at 1,676 and the positivity rate for the day was 0.72 per cent.
As many as 8,263 tests were conducted, including 6,673 RT-PCR tests. The total COVID-19 tests done so far is 6.58 crore.
Also, 7,208 people were administered vaccines on the day, taking the total vaccinated count to 10.57 crore till now, the health department further said.
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Govt to set up Bureau of Port Security to boost port, vessel security
New Delhi (PTI): To beef up the security infrastructure of ports, the government will set up a statutory body -- the Bureau of Port Security -- that will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information of ports and vessels, officials said on Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened a meeting for the constitution of the dedicated body, the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), which was attended by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, an official statement said.
Emphasising that there is a need to establish a country-wide robust port security framework, Shah directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.
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The meeting also noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework shall be replicated in the aviation security domain, the statement said.
The new body, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will be constituted as a statutory body under the new Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, and will work under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), it said.
Headed by a senior IPS officer as its director general, the BoPS will be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities.
"During the transition period of one year, the director general of shipping shall function as the director general of BoPS," the statement said.
"The BoPS will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats," it said.
The government has designated the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a recognised security organisation (RSO), responsible for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for port facilities.
The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will train and build the capacities of private security agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.
"These agencies shall be certified and appropriate regulatory measures shall be introduced to ensure that only the licensed PSAs operate in this sector," the statement said.
