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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Defamation case: Application filed in court for voice sample of Rahul Gandhi
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): An application for obtaining a voice sample of Rahul Gandhi was filed in an MP-MLA court here on Saturday during a hearing in a defamation case against the Congress leader over his alleged objectionable remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah in 2018.
The plaintiff Vijay Mishra's advocate, Santosh Kumar Pandey, said he filed the application requesting that a voice sample of Gandhi be collected and sent to a forensic science laboratory for comparison with a CD that has already been submitted to the court.
Rahul Gandhi's lawyers registered their objections to this demand. The next hearing in the matter is fixed for April 6, Pandey said.
On February 20, Gandhi, the Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli, had appeared before the court and recorded his statement, claiming the case was filed against him due to political vendetta.
He had also told the court that the audio and video evidence submitted by the complainant was incorrect and said he would present his own evidence.
In December 2023, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi after he failed to appear before it. He later surrendered before the court in February 2024 and was granted bail on two surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
The hearing was deferred on Friday due to a holiday on Ram Navami.
Pandey said that during the previous hearing, the complainant's side had filed an application seeking verification of audio and video evidence of the alleged statements made by Gandhi by matching them with his original voice.
The case stems from Gandhi's alleged objectionable remarks against Shah during the 2018 Karnataka election campaign. Following the remarks, Vijay Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj under Kotwali Dehat police station area in Sultanpur, filed the defamation complaint.
