CM Yediyurappa cautions of spike in COVID cases in state; Asks officials to bring down death rate
Bengaluru: Cautioning about high number of COVID-19 cases being reported from the state, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday asked the district administrations to work towards bringing down the death rate.
He said providing immediate treatment to those with COVID-19 symptoms and saving the lives of those infected is his government's priority.
The Chief Minister also instructed officials to see to it that there are no issues or complaints regarding relief to those affected by the recent floods triggered by heavy rains in the state.
"COVID infections in the state are increasing day by day...due to some reasons in Bengaluru and few districts the cases are increasing in a big way. With the state reporting a higher number of cases, it is something that we have to take seriously," Yediyurappa said.
Speaking at the virtual meeting with Deputy Commissioners, Zilla Panchayat CEOs, SPs and Health Officers of all districts, he said following the unlock phase, almost all economic activities have resumed, as it is inevitable for people to live with COVID.
"Taking precaution for not getting infected and paying special attention to bring down the death rate is vital," he said, noting that the government was taking all measures to control COVID-19.
Further asking officials to ensure that needy patients get treatment from trained doctors and thereby bring down the death rate, Yediyurappa said the government's priority is providing immediate treatment to those with symptoms and saving the lives of those infected.
He also issued a series of instructions for increasing tests, making adequate number of testing kits available, appointment of doctors, strengthening booth level taskforce, ensuring the availability of oxygen, beds and ventilators, also conducting door-door surveys, efficiently identifying contacts, among others.
"Already counselling of PG medical students has been completed and over 900 doctors will be appointed to districts soon," he added.
For some time now, Karnataka has been reporting over 100 deaths daily and among the districts, Bengaluru Urban tops the tally.
According to Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, the death rate in the state is at 1.62 per cent and the government intends to reduce it to below 1 per cent.
As of September 9 evening, cumulatively 4,21,730 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 6,808 deaths and 3,15,433 discharges.
Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 1,57,044 infections.
Out of 9,540 fresh cases reported in the state on Wednesday, 3,419 cases were from the city alone.
Noting that loss to the state due to recent floods is to the tune of Rs 8,071 crore, the Chief Minister said information in this regard has been shared with the central team that visited the state to assess the damage.
He hoped that the information shared with the team and the reports that it will submit to the central government will be helpful in getting more relief funds.
Yediyurappa instructed officials to take forward the relief and rehabilitation work without giving room for any complaints, adding that to address the situation arising out of floods and COVID-19, Rs 460 crore has been released from State Disaster Relief Fund, and there is no dearth of funds.
The Chief Minister has already indicated that he will also be going to New Delhi to seek more relief from the central government.
Pointing out that funds have been released to accounts of Deputy Commissioners of districts, he asked them to work in coordination with district in-charge ministers and secretaries to bring the coronavirus and flood situation under control quickly.
Asking officials to resolve issues if any, Yediyurappa during the meeting sought information, among others, on measures taken to control COVID-19 in their jurisdiction and about providing relief to those who have lost their houses due to floods.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
