Karnataka CM urges PM to supply 1,471 tonnes of oxygen and two lakh doses of Remdesivir
Bengaluru, Apr 23: Amid surging COVID-19 cases, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday urged the Centre to supply 1,471 tonnes of oxygen and two lakh doses of Remdesivir.
The CM made this request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the PM's video conference with chief ministers of 10 states, where coronavirus cases have exploded in an alarming proportion.
Karnataka had recorded 25,795 fresh cases and 123 deaths on a single day on Thursday.
"The state needs 1,142 tonnes of oxygen from April 25 and 1,471 tonnes of oxygen after April 30.The chief minister appealed to the Prime Minister to rectify the shortage of oxygen and immediately allocate 1,471 tonnes of oxygen," the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.
Yediyurappa said 500 tonnes of oxygen was used on Thursday.
"The Centre had supplied only 300 tonnes of oxygen.
If this situation persists, many healthcare centres may have to be shutdown," the Chief Minister pointed out.
Yediyurappa said the infection count was going up in an alarming proportion in Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Ballari, Mysuru, Hassan and Kalaburagi due to which the demand for Remdesivir injection has also spiralled.
"While the state is careful that there is no dearth of Remdesivir injection, the Chief Minister appealed to the Prime Minister to supply two lakh doses of Remdesivir in the next 10 days," the statement said.
Explaining the measures taken by the state government to tackle the Covid situation, Yediyurappa said the government has ordered private hospitals to reserve 50 per cent of beds for coronavirus patients.
The government has permitted the private hospitals to use nearby hotels as step-down hospitals while plans are underway to set up field hospitals with ICU facilities in the coming days, Yediyurappa told the Prime Minister.
He also apprised Modi about the stringent measures taken to curb the rising COVID cases in the state.
According to the Chief Minister's office, the Prime Minister emphasised on reforms of the healthcare system.
Underlining the need to strictly implement the precautionary measures and avoiding unnecessary hospitalisation, the Prime Minister asked the states to prioritise adequate and moderate use of oxygen.
"Modi advised that oxygen should be audited in all states so as to prevent its misuse.He also suggested that state governments should facilitate the smooth flow of oxygen tankers," the statement said.
For the judicious usage of oxygen and remdesivir injection, the Prime Minister asked the states to control the anxiety among people, the statement read, adding Modi asked states to rope in retired personnel to contain coronavirus cases.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Fascism will not be allowed to enter through the back door of vote rigging: CM Siddaramaiah
New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that fascism would not be allowed to enter India “through the back door of vote rigging” and called upon citizens to collectively defend the country’s democratic foundations.
Speaking after participating in an anti–vote rigging protest organised in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said the gathering was not merely a political demonstration but a stand to protect Indian democracy. “We have come to the heart of our republic not as Congress workers or voters, but as protectors of Indian democracy,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of the right to vote, Siddaramaiah said it was the most sacred right guaranteed by the Constitution and the very foundation of democracy.
“Through voting, a farmer shapes the future of his children, a worker safeguards his dignity, a youth realises dreams, and a nation expresses its collective will,” he said.
He accused the BJP-led Union government of attempting to undermine this right through what he termed systematic vote rigging, including the alleged misuse of the special revision of electoral rolls. “This power is being stolen repeatedly,” he alleged.
ALSO READ: Bantwal police arrest two men for illegal sale of narcotics, seize two vehicles, 810 gm ganja
Warning against authoritarian tendencies, Siddaramaiah said history had shown that dictatorship does not begin with violence but with the misuse of institutions and manipulation of democratic systems.
“Across the world, authoritarian regimes pretend to protect democracy while quietly subverting it. This is what the BJP is doing today,” he charged.
He alleged that the ruling party was controlling institutions, intimidating electoral machinery, distorting voter lists, suppressing voter turnout in opposition strongholds, and misusing money and power. “This is not mere maladministration. Vote rigging is an attack on the very idea of India,” he said.
Siddaramaiah further claimed that governments formed through “stolen votes” could not be considered democratic.
“Such regimes survive through fear, fraud and distortion of the people’s mandate,” he said, adding that vote rigging posed the biggest threat to the republic since Independence.
Praising Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah said he had shown exceptional courage in exposing alleged irregularities in voter lists, booth-level manipulation and “systematic, organised vote rigging” across several states, including Karnataka, Haryana and Bihar.
Referring to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah cited Mahadevpura and Aland constituencies as examples highlighted by Gandhi. In Mahadevpura, he said, thousands of allegedly fake and fraudulent voter entries and discrepancies in electoral rolls pointed to a narrow BJP victory. In Aland, he said, attempts were made to remove the names of legitimate voters ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
ALSO READ: Chamrajnagar: Woman arrested for selling ganja atop Male Mahadeshwara Hills
He noted that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recently filed a chargesheet accusing seven persons, including a former BJP MLA and his son, of attempting to delete the names of around 6,000 voters in Aland.
“This is a significant legal step in the fight against vote rigging,” he said.
Siddaramaiah concluded by stating that the fight against vote rigging was rooted in constitutional morality, Ambedkarite thought and the core principle of democracy. “Sovereignty belongs to the people, not to any party, regime or those who seek to steal elections,” he said.
