Karnataka ministers to donate one year salary for COVID-19 relief work
Bengaluru: Ministers of Karnataka have unanimously decided to contribute their one year's salary for COVID relief work in the state. "We the ministers in Karnataka have decided to donate one year of our salary for COVID relief work," state Revenue Minister R Ashoka said here on Thursday.
Ashoka was briefing reporters about Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's meeting with the district officials to review COVID management and enforcement of lockdown.
The Minister said 230 acres of land across the state have been reserved for cremation purposes and accordingly, the Deputy Commissioners have handed over land to the Tehsildars.
In Bengaluru, three crematoria had developed problems following which three more were planned at Mavallipura, Giddenahalli and Tavarekere on the city outskirts.
However, two of them at Giddenahalli and Tavarekere with a capacity to cremate 70 bodies have become operational while the one at Mavallipura with a capacity to burn 40 will start operations soon.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who was present at the press meet, said the superintendents of police of all the districts have been directed to strictly impose the restrictions.
Permission has been granted to use 8,500 home guards for COVID related jobs, Bommai said adding, the state has decided to utilise 15,000 civil defence volunteers for tracking, tracing and home isolation of COVID patients.
The Minister noted that around 300 jail inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 following which the sanitisation of jails is underway while arrangements have been made to isolate the COVID patients in jail.
Meanwhile, the state government said in a statement that directions have been issued to the Deputy Commissioners to set up COVID care centres on priority basis.
Funds released to the deputy commissioners should be used for distributing medical kits to COVID affected, who are in home isolation, it added.
The CM directed the officials to ensure that all hospitals conducted an audit of oxygen and Remdisivir vials.
"The Chief Minister also instructed to ensure judicious usage of oxygenated beds, ventilators and Remdesivir, which should be given only to the needy.
DCs have been told to ensure timely oxygen supply to the hospitals," the statement read.
The government has also ordered a taskforce in Taluk and Gram Panchayat level to take care of infected people.
On testing, the government said the focus should be on symptomatic patients and the results must be given within 24 hours.
All backlogs shall be cleared soon, it added.
These directions came as the cases swelled in Karnataka to a new high of 39,000 cases a day on Wednesday alone leading to the unprecedented demand for ICU beds, oxygen and Remdesivir antiviral drugs.
To contain COVID, the government has imposed a lockdown starting from April 27 night to May 12 morning in the urban areas of Karnataka.
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Drug crackdown in Mangaluru: 25 arrested in 14 days, QR code tips aid police
Mangaluru: Intensifying action against drug peddling, Mangaluru City police arrested 25 people and registered 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. During the operation, police seized 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of Ganja, The Times of India reported.
City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy reportedly said, the QR code based anonymous reporting system, introduced to enable citizens and students to discreetly share information on drug-related activities, has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers.
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According to the report, so far this year, up to December 14, police have registered 107 drug peddling cases and arrested 219 accused. In addition, 562 cases were booked for drug consumption, leading to the arrest of 671 people.
During raids conducted this year, police allegedly seized large quantities of narcotics, including ganja worth Rs 88.7 lakh, MDMA valued at Rs 1.2 crore, and MDMA pills worth Rs 87,000. Other raids include charas worth Rs 1.7 lakh, hydro-weed ganja worth Rs 94.7 lakh, methamphetamine worth Rs 50,000, bhang chocolates worth Rs 6,800, cocaine worth Rs 1.9 lakh, and opium worth Rs 9,000.
In 2024, police arrested 160 peddlers in 88 cases, in addition to booking 1,026 cases for consumption and arresting 1,244 persons. In 2023, the police arrested 199 peddlers in 94 cases and booked 619 cases for consumption and arrested 749 persons.
"We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence," TOI quoted commissioner Reddy as saying.
To curb drug use among students, police also introduced random drug testing in colleges. Around 100 educational institutions were covered in the first phase, where nearly 6,000 students were screened. As per the report, about 20 students tested positive and were counselled. They will undergo follow-up tests in the next phase.
Reiterating a zero-tolerance policy, the commissioner reportedly said random testing would continue and colleges have also been directed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse at an early stage.
