Karnataka: Fresh guidelines issued for night curfew, weekend curfew; Details here
Regulations issued for marriages, funeral, religious places
Bengaluru: Karnataka government on Friday issued fresh guidelines to contain the COVID-19 pandemic during the festival season. The fresh guidelines will come into effect from 7 August 2021 and will remain in place until 16 August 2021.
According to the order issued by the Chief Minister, night curfew will continue to be imposed from 9 pm to 5 am across the state and weekend curfews will be imposed in Belagavi, Bidar, Vijaypura, Kalaburagi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru, and Chamrajnagara districts.
All the social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural-religious functions, and other gatherings and large congregation will be prohibited.
However, marriages, family functions are permitted to be continued to be conducted involving not more than 100 people strictly following COVID-19 appropriate behavior. Cremation/funerals allowed with a maximum of 20 people.
Places of worship Temples:
Mosques, Churches, Gurudwaras, and other religious places are allowed to open and related activities pertaining to the places of worship are permitted strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behavior.
However, Jathras, temple festivals, procession, and congregations are not allowed.
Weekend Curfew Guidelines:
All-State and Central Government offices and their Autonomous Bodies, Corporations, etc, dealing with an emergency, essential services, and COVID-19 containment and management duties shall be fully functional and officers/personnel of the same shall be allowed unrestricted movement.
Telecom, Internet Service providers, Companies dealing with emergencies and essential and services and requiring operations 24/7 shall be allowed movement on producing valid ID issued by the company.
Patients and their attendants/persons requiring emergency need, eligible people intending to take vaccination shall be allowed movement with minimal proof.
Shops groceries:
Shops dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, dairy and milk booths, and animal fodder and street vendors shall be allowed to function from 5 am to 2 pm.
Standalone liquor shops and outlets, take away only, allowed from 5 am to 2 pm. Home delivery of all items shall be encouraged 24x7 to minimize the movement of individuals outside their homes. Restaurants and eateries shall be allowed only for take-away and home delivery.
Train, Air travel:
Movement of trains and air travel is permitted. The movement of Public Transport, private vehicles, and taxis to and from airports, railway stations, and bus terminals/stops/stands is allowed for facilitating the movement of passengers by air, rail and road. The movement will be allowed only on displaying valid travel documents/tickets and strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behavior.
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Kangana Ranaut sparks row: Claims Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem
New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.
The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.
When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.
"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."
Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."
Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."
Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.
"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."
मनरेगा का नाम बदलने की केंद्र सरकार की कवायद महात्मा गांधी के प्रति उनकी ओछी मानसिकता और असम्मान का प्रमाण है। सरकार पहले 'पूज्य बापू' के नाम का शिगूफा छोड़ती है और फजीहत होने पर अब 'विकसित भारत-गारंटी फॉर रोजगार एंड आजीविका मिशन (VB-G RAM G)' जैसा नाम थोपना चाहती है। बार-बार नाम…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 15, 2025
गांधी जी ने ‘रघुपति राघव राजा राम’ को लेकर नेशनल एंथम बनाया था
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 16, 2025
BJP MP कंगना रनौत
चलो भाई आज नया नेशनल एंथम भी पता चला है!
BJP में एक से एक शिरोमणि भरे पड़े हैं 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/9DvyV5xLb1
