Should handle COVID-19 third wave with 'total seriousness': Karnataka Governor
Bengaluru(PTI): Cautioning about the third wave of COVID-19, Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot on Wednesday, called on the citizens to handle the situation with "total seriousness" and said there should be no room for negligence.
Delivering his address after unfurling the national flag on the occasion of the 73rd Republic Day here, he complimented the state government for succeeding in reducing the effect of COVID-19 efficiently.
"We are now facing the 3rd wave of COVID-19. We should handle this situation with total seriousness and negligence has no room now. We must continue to observe the SMS mantra of - Social Distancing, Masking and Sanitization for the sake of everybody's health," the Governor said.
"My Government has worked day and night and with the support of the public we have succeeded in reducing the effect of COVID-19 efficiently. We have used this crisis as an opportunity to build on our strengths, to create additional health infrastructure and enhance production capacity of Oxygen cylinders and Ventilators," he said.
This is Gehlot's first Republic Day as the Governor of Karnataka.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, few of his cabinet colleagues and top government officials were among the select invitees, who attended the low-key event held at the Manekshaw Parade Ground here, by following the COVID protocols.
The Governor said different fields like management of Covid war room, Telemedicine, identifying the infected and quarantine observation were managed efficiently with advanced technology and this has resulted in less number of deaths in Karnataka when compared to other parts of the world.
"I also salute our field staff, Disaster Management Teams and the District Heads who effectively handled the challenge and mitigated the disaster of heavy rain in the North Karnataka region," he said.
Noting that Karnataka, being one of the progressive States in the Country, is implementing many schemes and programmes on the occasion of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' (75th Anniversary of Independence), Gehlot said, the State has announced 14 Amrit Mahotsav programmes and has prepared an implementation roadmap with targeted outcomes till August 15, 2023.
He also highlighted the government's focus on Watershed development, mobile and technology based crop survey, among others.
The Governor said an amount of Rs 14.23 crore from the Union Government and 13.39 crore from state government has been released under the modernization scheme for procuring weapons, vehicles and scientific equipment etc. to various units of police departments.
He said Rs 9.14 crore from the union government and 6.09 crore from the state government has been released for procurement of wireless equipment and added that Rs 30 lakh compensation has been paid to 173 families of Police personnel who died due to Covid-19.
Gehlot also noted that the Forest department has planted 2.39 crore saplings of different varieties in 37,745 hectares and 1.87 crore saplings were distributed to public to grow in agricultural and private lands.
Incentive of Rs 4.39 crore has been distributed to the farmers under Agriculture Forest Encouragement scheme.
Further, by taking action for comprehensive protection and conservation of the dwelling places of wildlife the State has 524 Tigers in its forest area and has been identified as the second State having the highest number of Tigers.
As per the census of 2017 there are 6,049 Elephants in Karnataka. This covers 25 percent of the Elephants in India, and the state stands first by having highest number of Elephants, he said.
The Governor also said that the classes for post-matric girl students, training them in self defense skills like Karate, Judo and Taekwondo have been started in backward class hostels.
"My Government prioritises women centric budgets and provides nutrition based food to pregnant ladies and nursing mothers, under Matru poorna scheme. This has been implemented in all districts of the State and 9.36 lakh beneficiaries have availed this facility," he added.
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.
US SC rejects 26/11 attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s plea seeking stay on his extradition to India
New York, Apr 7 (PTI): The US Supreme Court has rejected 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana's appeal seeking a stay on his extradition to India, moving him closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face justice.
Rana, 64, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles.
He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks. Headley conducted a recce of Mumbai before the attacks by posing as an employee of Rana’s immigration consultancy.
Rana had submitted an ‘Emergency Application For Stay Pending Litigation of Petition For Writ of Habeas Corpus' on February 27, 2025, with Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit Elena Kagan.
Kagan had denied the application earlier last month.
Rana had then renewed his ‘Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus previously addressed to Justice Kagan’, and requested that the renewed application be directed to US Chief Justice John Roberts.
An order on the Supreme Court website noted that Rana's renewed application had been “distributed for Conference” on April 4 and the “application” has been “referred to the Court.”
A notice on the Supreme Court website Monday said that “Application denied by the Court.”
Rana was convicted in the US of one count of conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorist plot in Denmark and one count of providing material support to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashker-e-Taiba which was responsible for the attacks in Mumbai.
New York-based Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra had told PTI that Rana had made his application to the Supreme Court to prevent extradition, which Justice Kagan denied on March 6. The application was then submitted before Roberts, “who has shared it with the Court to conference so as to harness the entire Court’s view.”
The Supreme Court justices are Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
In his emergency application, Rana had sought a stay of his extradition and surrender to India pending litigation (including exhaustion of all appeals) on the merits of his February 13.
In that petition, Rana argued that his extradition to India violates US law and the UN Convention Against Torture "because there are substantial grounds for believing that, if extradited to India, the petitioner will be in danger of being subjected to torture."
"The likelihood of torture in this case is even higher though as petitioner faces acute risk as a Muslim of Pakistani origin charged in the Mumbai attacks,” the application said.
The application also said that his “severe medical conditions” render extradition to Indian detention facilities a “de facto" death sentence in this case.
The US Supreme Court denied Rana's petition for a writ of certiorari relating to his original habeas petition on January 21. The application notes that on that same day, newly-confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio had met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington on February 12 to meet with Trump, Rana’s counsel received a letter from the Department of State, stating that “on February 11, 2025, the Secretary of State decided to authorise” Rana’s "surrender to India,” pursuant to the “Extradition Treaty between the United States and India”.
Rana’s Counsel requested from the State Department the complete administrative record on which Secretary Rubio based his decision to authorize Rana’s surrender to India.
The Counsel also requested immediate information of any commitment the United States has obtained from India with respect to Rana’s treatment. “The government declined to provide any information in response to these requests,” the application said.
It added that given Rana’s underlying health conditions and the State Department’s findings regarding the treatment of prisoners, it is very likely “Rana will not survive long enough to be tried in India".
During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi in the White House in February, President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved the extradition of "very evil" Rana, wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, "to face justice in India”.
A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations in Mumbai.
