Heart screenings for children made mandatory in Karnataka schools: Health Minister
Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday announced that the government will soon classify certain ailments responsible for sudden deaths as ‘notifiable diseases’, while also introducing mandatory heart screenings for children below the age of 15 at the school level.
Speaking to the media at Vidhana Soudha after receiving a report from a committee headed by Dr. Ravindranath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, the minister said the new initiatives aim to detect heart conditions in children early and prevent fatalities.
“As part of this initiative, heart check-ups will be made compulsory for students under 15. This will help identify cardiac conditions at an early stage and provide timely medical intervention,” Rao said.
To spread awareness about heart attacks and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), related content will be included in school textbooks from the next academic year, the minister added. Until then, awareness will be raised through moral education lessons.
Highlighting the increasing number of sudden deaths occurring outside hospitals, Rao said post-mortem examinations will be made compulsory in such cases to determine the exact cause of death. He also announced that Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) will be installed in public spaces like railway stations and bus terminals to provide immediate response in cardiac emergencies.
The state also plans to implement mandatory annual health check-ups for government employees and contractual workers, the minister said. Similar requirements will be extended to employees of private companies, he added.
“All recommendations made by the expert committee will be discussed with the Chief Minister before taking final decisions,” Rao stated.
Expansion of 'Puneeth Rajkumar Vijayajyoti' Scheme
In another major announcement, the minister confirmed that the Puneeth Rajkumar Vijayajyoti Scheme, which is currently operational in 86 hospitals across the state, will be extended to include taluk-level hospitals. The scheme aims to support timely diagnosis and treatment of critical illnesses.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
