"Only God Can Save Us From Coronavirus": Health Minister B Sriramulu
Courtesy: NDTV
Bengaluru: As India's coronavirus tally continues to surge, the health minister in Karnataka - which has logged over 47,000 patients so far - on Wednesday said that "only god can help save us" from the highly contagious illness. B Sriramulu's remarks came as Karnataka replaced Gujarat as the fourth-worst affected state in the country after Maharashtra (2.75 lakh cases), Tamil Nadu (1.51 lakh cases) and Delhi (1.16 lakh cases).
"Worldwide the number of coronavirus cases is increasing. All of us should be alert. Whether you are a member of the ruling party or in the opposition, rich or poor... the virus doesn't discriminate," the 48-year-old BJP leader told reporters.
"The cases (in the state), I am sure 100 per cent, will only go up in the next two months. One can keep claiming that it's because of government negligence or irresponsibility of ministers or that cases are up because of a lack of coordination among the ministers. All of these allegations are far from the truth. Only God can save us from Corona," he added.
In the last 24 hours, Karnataka was among the five states in the country that reported the highest number of new infections, the government said this morning.
It recorded 3,176 new patients and 86 deaths linked to the illness taking its tally to 47,253 total cases; a total of 928 patients have died due to illness so far.
A week-long lockdown began on Tuesday night in the state capital Bengaluru, where a sharp spike has been recorded recently, to break the chain of transmission. Fresh curbs have also been announced in Dharwad, Mangalore and adjoining areas.
On Monday, the state government decided that priority would be given to rapid antigen tests, which began in the state over the weekend. The district authorities were advised to use these test kits wisely, mainly for emergency cases where a quick result is essential. One lakh test kits have been bought and distributed in the districts.
Across India, over 9.68 lakh cases have been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic; 32,000 new patients were recorded in the last 24 hours in the country's biggest single-day surge.
While, the government has eased restrictions as a part of "Unlock2", several states, including Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, are imposing restrictions again to check the spread of the highly infectious virus.
Worldwide, the situation is quite similar as nations reimpose lockdowns to curb the spike in cases.
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Two held at Bengaluru airport with hydroponic ganja worth Rs 5.79 cr
Bengaluru (PTI): Two people were arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport here for attempting to smuggle hydroponic ganja valued at Rs 5.79 crore, upon their arrival from Bangkok on Wednesday, officials said
They seized 16.54 kg of hydroponic ganja, which was concealed in the checked-in baggage, the Bengaluru Customs said in a post on 'X'.
Both the accused were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, it said.
Meanwhile, the Customs officials at the Bengaluru Airport also disposed of 287.5 kg of Ganja (Hydroponic Weed) and 1.17 kg of Cocaine seized under the NDPS Act, 1985, in accordance with CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs) Disposal Manual on March 17, it said in another post.
