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.
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Kerala polls: Vijayan, Revanth Reddy trade barbs as campaigning ends
Kannur (Kerala)/Hyderabad (PTI): A war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy turned acrimonious on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The two leaders sparred on the virtual world as well, exchanging letters on their respective social media handles.
The escalation came after Vijayan, responding to Reddy's earlier remarks, used Malayalam expressions considered nearly derogatory, signalling strong disapproval of the Telangana CM's comments.
Reddy, campaigning for the UDF in Kollam district, hit back swiftly, likening Vijayan to PM Narendra Modi.
He said he would take any personal remarks from the senior leader as a "blessing" considering his age, but objected to what he described as insults directed at the people of Kerala. "But you cannot abuse our Kerala people," he said, hours before campaigning drew to a close.
The controversy began after Reddy had said "nee po mone Vijaya" by invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's blockbuster movie "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier in the day, while reacting to Reddy's earlier remarks, Vijayan said a CM must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such dignity was being followed.
In his response to a query, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as nearly derogatory for Reddy, signalling his strong disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Sharply reacting to the CM's objectionable remarks, Congress leader V D Satheesan said Vijayan appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that any further deterioration in his conduct would have brought "greater embarrassment" to the state.
After the critical remarks during the press meet, Vijayan wrote on his 'X' handle that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects. Reddy's statements lacked factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached with the 'X' post addressing the Telangana CM, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
He also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya". He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya".
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.
Reddy in his letter questioned the veteran Marxist leader's claim that Kerala would become the first state to completely eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025 had been achieved. Further, he chooses to conduct himself respectfully and gracefully in his criticism of the Kerala government's performance, whereas Vijayan opted to use language of poor taste.
Reddy, in his letter on X, said that while he respects NITI Aayog's corruption rankings, he wants to know why the infamous gold smuggling case, linked to individuals connected to the CMO, remains unresolved, and why 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has not been accounted for.
