COVID-19: 29 new cases confirmed in Karnataka; total number of infections at 474
Bengaluru: Twenty-nine new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Karntaka, taking the total number of infections to 474, the State government said on Friday, and appealed not to stigmatise those affected by COVID-19 and their families.
The appeal from the government came as the last rites of a 75-year old woman COVID-19 patient from Bantwala in Dakshina Kannada, who died on Thursday was performed amid stiff resistance from locals.
"Just because of one is infected by COVID-19, he or she should not be stigmatised, no family should become untouchable. Last evening after the elderly woman's death lot of resistance came for her last rites in Bantwala...finally officials had to intervene," Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka said.
Recollecting similar incidents in neighboring Tamil Nadu, the Minister speaking to reporters said, such acts of not allowing last rites of those affected by the virus is inhuman, it may be due to lack of education or knowledge, and we as a society need to work on it.
Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar too said, many people are treating corona as a social stigma, it is not right and there is no reason to get frightened about it, as the infection can be cured in most cases.
As of 5 pm on April 24, cumulatively 474 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, it includes 18 deaths and 152 discharges, the department said in its bulletin.
Out of 304 active cases, 299 COVID-19 positive patients (including one pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while five are in ICU.
Seven patients who have recovered have been discharged on Friday.
Twenty-nine new cases have been confirmed for COVID-19 in the state.
Of these, 19 are from Bengaluru urban- eleven are contacts of a 54-year old labourer, who tested positive on Wednesday; five of them accused in Padayarayanapura violence; two with history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI); and one with the history of Influenza Like Illness (ILI).
While, three from Bagalkote, two each are from Belagavi and Vijayapura, one each are from Tumakuru, Mandya and Chikkaballapura.
Twenty-four out of 29 cases are contacts of patients already tested positive, while two each are with history of SARI and ILI, and the other is with travel history to Surat in Gujarat.
Contact tracing has been initiated and is in progress for all the cases, the department said.
Responding to a question, Suresh Kumar said totally 116 people were arrested for the violence let loose on health workers in Padarayanapura here last week, and were placed in Ramanagara jail, along with 17 other prisoners- totally 133 people have been shifted to Hajj Bhavan in Bengaluru, which will become a quarantine zone.
Five people among those arrested for Padarayanapura incident and kept in Ramanagara jail testing positive had triggered sharp reactions from the opposition Congress and JD(S) as they hit out at the government for shifting the accused to Ramanagara, which hitherto remained a green zone with no COVID-19 cases.
Asked about the decision to shift convicts to Ramanagara jail, Kumar said, "it was an administrative decision by the prison department."
From across the state most number of infections have been reported in Bengaluru urban with 120 cases, followed by Mysuru 88 and Belagavi 45.
Out of the total 152 patients discharged so far maximum 49 are from Bengaluru, 33 from Mysuru, eleven from Dakshina Kannada.
While among the dead are four each from Bengaluru urban and Kalaburagi, two each from Chikkaballapura, Dakshina Kannada and Vijayapura, and one each from Belagavi, Bagalkote, Gadag and Tumakuru.
A total of 35,958 samples were tested so far, out of which 3,836 were tested on Friday alone.
So far 31,914 samples have reported as negative, and out of them 3,740 were reported negative on Friday.
Meanwhile, Karnataka is likely to start Convalescent Plasma Therapy for COVID-19 patients, who are critical, from tomorrow, Medical Education Minister Sudhakar said.
On the other hand, furthering the lockdown relaxation in a bid to revive the state s economy, Karnataka Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar has allowed rural industries in nine COVID-19 free districts will be allowed to start operations.
Industries located in the rural areas of Yadgir, Koppal, Shivamogga, Chikmagalur, Kolar, Chamarajnagar, Raichur, Haveri and Hassan have been permitted to operate, it said.
The Commissioner Health and Family Welfare Services has issued a circular based on order from state government for RT-PCT testing of all asymptomatic police personnel involved in quarantine, isolation, surveillance activities of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state.
Accordingly, it has been decided to go in for one-time linear screening of front-line workers of Bengaluru City Police, it said.
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Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
