Karnataka to effect steep hike in penalty for not wearing masks
Bengaluru: The penalty for not wearing a mask in public places will be hiked to Rs 1,000 in urban areas and Rs 500 in rural areas, subject to approval by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said on Wednesday.
At present, the fine amount is Rs 200 and the steep hike has been proposed in view of people not wearing masks in public places as required to check the spread of COVID-19.
It has also been decided not to allow more than 50 people in events, including weddings, and strict actions will be initiated against the organisers on violations, also buses (public transport) can operate with 50 per cent capacity, the Minister said.
"In recent times, people have been showing negligence by not wearing masks. Hence, the fine has been increased from Rs 200. The fine will be imposed on those not fully covering their nose and mouth with masks," Sudhakar was quoted as saying by his office in a release.
The fine will be imposed and collected by police stations in their respective jurisdictional areas, he said, after a high-level meeting with officers regarding the COVID situation in the state, where the positive cases tally breached six lakh mark on Wednesday.
The decision had been taken after careful consideration of recommendation by the senior officers, he said, adding the official directive on the penalties will be out on Thursday, after discussing it with Yediyurappa.
Noting that no more than 50 people can attend social, religious, political gatherings as well as weddings and other cultural ceremonies, Sudhakar said, actions will be initiated against the organisers or owner of the organisation if more people are found gathering.
Markets, malls and other public places cannot have more than five people in a group. A distance of 6 feet must be maintained between the people in the group.
If found otherwise, a fine will be imposed on the owner of the organisation or shop, he said.
The Minister further said, buses (public transport) can operate with 50 per cent capacity and conductors will be instructed to allow only those with masks.
The government has also chalked out a special plan to raise awareness about Covid19 by roping in politicians, sports and film stars, religious leaders to make short clips of videos.
According to the release, fifteen districts in the state have been recording a higher percentage of the cases, and the Minister held a meeting via video conference with district administrations of Mysuru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Tumakuru, Shivamogga, and Koppala.
On the occasion, instructions were issued to the Deputy Commissioners, District Health Officers and other officials concerned to reduce the Covid-19 positive cases in the districts, it said, adding that a similar meeting will be held with the rest of the districts in the days to come.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
