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K’taka govt plans health survey for all residents, begins pilot in Chikkaballapura

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Coronavirus
The state government, however, has not issued an order demarcating the specifications of the survey.
The Karnataka government is mulling over maintaining a health-related database of all its residents. In a statement released on Monday, Karnataka Minister for Medical Education, Dr K Sudhakar, said that the Health Register would be maintained to keep a check on all the health issues that its residents face.  The survey will be piloted in Chikkaballapura, the constituency of Dr K Sudhakar. Minister Sudhakar held a meeting with officials attached with the Chikkaballapur Deputy Commissioner's office. However, the district administration did not clarify the parameters of the survey.  According to Chikkaballapura district officials, the survey has already begun in Gauribidanur taluk. “We went door to door in all 31 wards. We asked people about their health-related ailments. We wanted to see how many senior citizens, children and patients with high-risk categories are there. When we found any symptoms, we took swab samples,” a senior official with the district administration said.  He said that the survey was being conducted to determine whether there is community spread. So far, he says that they found no such evidence in Gauribidanur. The survey will now be conducted in Chikkaballapura taluk. TNM was not able to procure a copy of the questionnaire at the time of writing.  After the meeting, Minster Sudhakar announced that officials at various primary health centres, the Revenue Department, the Education Department and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers would conduct a survey of the health-related ailments of its residents.  The state government claimed that the data collected would be used to implement “citizen-centric schemes,” though further details were not immediately available.  This comes in the wake of the Union government making it mandatory for employees of the public and private sector to download the Arogya Setu app. Allegations of invasion of an individual's right to privacy have risen.  Speaking to TNM, Vinay Sreenivasa, a lawyer with Alternative Law Forum, said that unless the government issues an order regarding the specification of the survey, we cannot determine what laws it can violate.  “They will have to give specifics about what kind of personal information people are to be asked. The government cannot begin a survey without giving specifics and issuing a government order. That would be a violation of norms,” he said.
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Remembering ‘Nityotsava Kavi’ Nissar Ahmed, one of Kannada literature’s foremost poets

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Tribute
The poet, who passed away last Sunday in Bengaluru, won numerous awards including the Padma Shri in 2008.
Remembering Nityotsava Kavi Nissar Ahmed Kannada literature’s foremost poets
YouTube: ChukkuBukku Bandi
In 1968 poet Nissar Ahmed wrote the poem ‘Nityotsava’ for Akashvani (All India Radio) that earned him the title ‘Nityotsava Kavi’. The poem is an ode to a mother, mother Karnataka, or Kannada, and the song was popularised by Mysore Ananthaswamy, who sung it in Revathi raga. In an interview, the poet said that he didn’t want to be remembered for just ‘Nityotsava’. At an event in California, he was told once you’ve written something, a tune has been set and it is sung, then it’s the property of the land (Nadu) and people, and he responded with “Namo Namaha”. ‘Nityotsava’ is sung as an inaugural song at Dravidian University Kuppam in the four languages taught – Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam, each stanza translated. A poet was born Kokkare Hosahalli Shekh Haider Nissar Ahmed, who went by KS Nissar Ahmed, was born on February 5, 1936 in Devanahalli, Bengaluru rural. He earned a Master’s degree in Geology, worked as an Assistant Geologist in The Mysore Mines initially till that bored him. He then took up academia and worked as a lecturer in Geology in Bangalore, Chitradurga and Shivamogga from where he retired. It was at the Kavi Sammelana held on September 21 (Vijayadashami), 1959, presided over by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu at Mysuru, that Nissar Ahmed was first recognised by Kuvempu paving the way for a glorious and illustrious carrier in poetry. Nissar Ahmed was conferred numerous awards: The Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry (1982), Rajyotsava Award (1981), Nadoja Award (2003), Padma Shri (2008), Pampa Award (2017), and an honorary doctorate from Kuvempu University. He was also the 73rd President for the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Shivamogga in 2007. When the poet inaugurated the 407th edition of the Mysuru Dasara, he was asked how he felt about being bestowed an honour that has always been a Hindu’s. Annoyed, he replied, “This question is irrelevant. I feel nice. Only when you understand another religion, you really understand your own religion. Unless you have respect and sympathy for other religions, you will not be able to like your own religion. Anyway, such questions are politically motivated.” Nissar Ahmed translated Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream into Kannada. In 1963, he wrote the poem ‘Kurigalu Saar Kurigalu’ based on the Indo-China War of 1962. On the radio he had heard, “‘Why would the Chinese come from Piking through the Himalayas? Not a blade of grass grows here.’ But by then, they’d already reached Tezpur”. His satirical poem was a witty commentary and reaction to the government’s inability in anticipating attacks, reacting to war, and communicating with its people/public. ಕುರಿಗಳು ಸಾರ್ ಕುರಿಗಳು - ಕೆ.ಎಸ್. ನಿಸಾರ್ ಅಹಮದ್ ಕುರಿಗಳು ಸಾರ್ ಕುರಿಗಳು; ಸಾಗಿದ್ದೇ ಗುರಿಗಳು. ಮಂದೆಯಲಿ ಒಂದಾಗಿ, ಸ್ವಂತತೆಯೆ ಬಂದಾಗಿ ಇದರ ಬಾಲ ಅದು ಮತ್ತೆ ಅದರ ಬಾಲ ಇದು ಮೂಸಿ ದನಿ ಕುಗ್ಗಿಸಿ, ತಲೆ ತಗ್ಗಿಸಿ ಹುಡುಕಿ ಹುಲ್ಲು ಕಡ್ಡಿ ಮೇವು, ಅಂಡಲೆಯುವ ನಾವು ನೀವು - ಕುರಿಗಳು ಸಾರ್ ಕುರಿಗಳು; ನಮಗೊ ನೂರು ಗುರಿಗಳು. Just Sheep They’re all just sheep; Walking towards an end To be the leading one, to be one’s own Sniffing each other’s tails heads and voices lowered we who’re undercover looking for grass and twigs are Sheep, just sheep; And we have a hundred aims. Poetry of the world Nissar Ahmed was a member of various academic, scientific and cultural committees/boards, organised conferences. His numerous poems and short stories were published in books and magazines and featured in school and college textbooks. When he taught at City College, he always ended the class by summarising the lesson in Kannada. His works belonged to Navya Sahitya, a style of modern Kannada literature that seeks to express a newer sensibility. He said, “If people can’t understand my poetry, I have no right to publish it. I’ll just burn it.” In an interview, he elaborated on the circumstances that made him write the poem ‘Nimmodaniddu Nimmanthagade’. “In the 1960s, there was a sort of unhealthy competition among my contemporary writers, my colleagues, laced with a streak of casteism… If I wrote poetry that was easily understood by people, then you became a potboiler, and it pained me a lot. They would suspect about one’s caste and religion, and with a lot of pain, I wrote ‘Nimmodaniddu Nimmanthagade’.” (sic) He also wrote the poem ‘Benne Kadda Namma Krishna’, a popular song in praise of the god Krishna. The credit of the first recorded format of poetry in Kannada released outside the country goes to Nissar Ahmed. He initially tried to make the recordings himself, later IBH in Mumbai stepped in to buy and sell. Now it is sold and released by Lahari Audios. His poems range in topic and theme from musical, lyrical, nature-loving to witty and satirical. His poem ‘America, America’ called out America for its superiority complex and for destroying nations (Vietnam then, North Korea now) to maintain that superiority. It also hints at America’s effort to demonise Russia and China for their politics. His other works of poetry include ‘Manasu Gandhi Bazaru’, ‘Sanje Aidara Male’ and ‘Manadondige Mathukathe’. Last days Nissar Ahmed was diagnosed with cancer and was in the US with his daughters. In January, TOI reported that BBMP had decided to provide Rs 20 lakh medical assistance to the poet, after it was learnt that he and his son Naveed had been diagnosed with cancer, and the family was finding it difficult to meet the treatment expenses. Talking about the life he had lived so far, the poet said in an interview, “Although I feel a little weak physically, I’m alive in my thinking, and that is because I have lived a clean life. I have never nurtured any hatred towards anybody, nor do I think about anybody’s religious identity. For me, humanity is more important than one’s caste or religion.” Nissar Ahmed’s wife, Shanawaz Begum, was a school teacher and passed away earlier in 2019. The couple had two daughters and two sons. His son Naveed’s passing away earlier this year shook him. The poet died on Sunday in his Padmanabha Nagar house in Bengaluru. Vinay Kumar is a Bengaluru based freelance photographer and writer who drinks too much coffee.
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Pandemic far from over: Experts warn Bengalureans as restrictions ease

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Lockdown
As of Monday, several restrictions which were placed during lockdown were revised and people were allowed to go outside in Bengaluru.
Several individuals standing in line outside a liquor shop in Bengaluru with face masks on
Ravichandran N
Monday morning began with several Bengaluru residents lining up outside liquor shops and other establishments which had been shut down in view of the lockdown. People in the city have been allowed to travel in private transport between 7 am to 7 pm. However, even as certain aspects of life are staggering to normalcy, experts have warned that people must behave with caution to avoid further escalation of COVID-19 in the city. “The same measures which were advised during lockdown should continue to be practiced now. When going outside, people have to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Overcrowding of public spaces will only pose a risk of a sudden surge in cases,” explains Dr V Ravi, a senior neuro-virologist from National Institute of Mental Health Sciences (NIMHANS), who is a part of the core committee handling the coronavirus pandemic in Bengaluru. “Though many shops yesterday had mandated social distancing, there were several places where this was not followed. People must remain aware that we aren’t done with the pandemic just because some of the rules have been lifted,” he adds. Officials have also advised people to follow all the personal hygiene measures which have been in place during lockdown and have stated that people stay home unless absolutely necessary. Experts have also stated that masks or face covers should be used when going outside and should not be removed while outdoors, especially when speaking to others. “Elderly people, young children, pregnant women and other such vulnerable individuals especially need to take some precautions to ensure that they don’t fall sick. If anyone does fall sick, they should isolate themselves at home and not go out. If they find that they are not improving then they should visit a hospital as per the protocols,” adds Dr Nagaraj, director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bengaluru. “We saw many public spaces being overcrowded with individuals as some rules were eased on Monday, this is really alarming and can possibly give way for further spread of the infection to other individuals,” he says, drawing attention to what transpired in Singapore. At the start of the pandemic, Singapore was praised for its quick handling of cases. Officials in the city had aggressively identified and isolated individuals who were found to be positive. Contact tracing was also extensively done. All this ensured that hardly 600 cases were reported throughout the beginning of April. However, though clusters were quickly identified and contained, schools remained open and the economy was also functioning. This led to a surge of cases being reported, with Singapore confirming over 17,000 positive cases by the end of April. A strict lockdown has been since imposed in the country. Moreover, with India set to bring back citizens stuck outside of the country from May 7 onwards, and the lockdown regulations being lifted, experts are stressing the importance of following strict precautionary measures. Citizens stranded abroad will be brought back via aircraft and naval ships in a “phased manner”. Bengaluru is expected to see a big influx of people from abroad. Read: India to start bringing back citizens stranded abroad from May 7 “We aren’t out of the threat of the pandemic quite yet. The decision to lift lockdown in some areas has been taken after much consideration. In order to make sure that case load remains low, people should maintain the same level of vigilance. Stay home and stay safe, don’t go out unless absolutely necessary,” adds Dr Nagaraj.
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Many private schools in Bengaluru hike fees, despite govt order barring it

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Education
Parents who spoke to TNM also confirmed that some schools have hiked the transportation charges for the whole year.
Five primary school children in their uniform on their way to school some have water bottles
The Karnataka government had recently asked schools in the state not to hike their fees, despite this, a few schools in Bengaluru have been accused of hiking their fees. Parents also say that some schools are exerting pressure on them to pay the school fees immediately, even though it is uncertain when the schools will be able to function as normal again. They are demanding a hiked fee at a time of uncertainty when salaries and jobs are being cut. “We have no clue when the schools will reopen. We don't know when we will head back to work. Amidst all this, I received an intimation from the school regarding asking me to pay the fee. How can I pay the school fee when there are so many uncertainties? Besides hiking school fees, these schools have also hiked transport fees and expect us to pay without knowing when schools will start functioning for the academic year 2020-21,” says the petition to roll back the fee hike, which was started by a parent, Prashant Kamat. The petition has 4,216 signatures at the time of writing. Other parents who spoke to TNM also confirmed that some schools have hiked the transportation charges for the whole year, despite the uncertainty over when classes can resume. “These schools are also charging a hike in transportation fees even though practically no transportation is happening due to the lockdown that is in place,” said one parent. “We have appealed, and still the school has not responded to our queries.” A circular from the Department of Public instruction dated 28 April said that “private schools cannot hike their fees owing to COVID-19, but “are free to reduce their fees considering the economic scenario surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.” VIBGYOR, a popular private school in Bengaluru with several branches in the city, put out a circular in the app about payment of fees on April 5. The school has hiked the fee for most classes. For example, the fee for grade 3 in 2019-2021 was Rs 40,500 admission fee and an additional fee of Rs 1,09,200 to be paid in four instalments of Rs 27,300. This year, it has however been increased to Rs 43,800 admission fee and Rs 1,18,000 as additional fee. Schools in Karnataka are allowed to hike fees by 15% every year and VIBGYOR had hiked the fees before Karnataka came out with the April 28 notification putting a stop to this in this academic year. Parents allege that the school is not responding to queries about rolling back the fee hike. Instead, the school has been sending constant reminders about fee payments, they say. “We have been asked to pay the first instalment, no word on rollback,” a parent said. VIBGYOR’s spokesperson however called the allegation baseless. The spokesperson said, “ The allegation is false, baseless and untrue. The school is in compliance with the necessary guidelines issued by the concerned authorities in this regard.” This despite the parents having proof of the fee hike. One parent of a child studying in Global City International School, speaking on the condition of anonymity said that the school too has hiked fees as is normally allowed, but has not initiated a rollback after the April 28 circular. “Even though the notice was sent to the school, they have not responded. We have also raised the issue with the school but did not get any response,” a parent said. Parents of many other popular private schools in the city told TNM that the schools have hiked fees and are not willing to take it back. Jagadeesha, the Education Commissioner, speaking to TNM said that the concerned DDPI (Deputy Director of Public Instruction) is empowered to take action on such schools that do not abide by the government. “The school should be made aware of the circular, and if they still don’t comply, they can be taken into account by the DDPI, or parents can send a written complaint to the Commissioner of Education, and strict action will be taken.”
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Cab, auto drivers in Bengaluru remain helpless amidst lockdown

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Coronavirus
Lack of an economic package targeted for this sector both by the state and central government has left many of them in dire straits.
An autorickshaw in Bengaluru street
Like most workers in the unorganised sector, cab drivers in Bengaluru have been left to fend for themselves during the lockdown, with no government aid. Business has been down since mid-March, and their livelihoods have been paralysed due to the lockdown. Auto and taxi drivers have been left to survive on their savings, and the lack of an economic package targeted at this sector both by the state and central government has left many of them exposed to dire living conditions.  Many cab drivers who work for app-based services like Ola and Uber have not got any relief from the government or the cab aggregator majors. To protest the government apathy and lack of help by the companies, the drivers had held a symbolic protest last week by posting photographs of them holding empty plates. Speaking with TNM,  Tanveer Pasha, president of Ola Uber Drivers and Owners’ Association, said various deliberations on attracting the government’s attention have failed. “We drivers have not got any support from the government, nor the Ola, Uber companies. Only around 2000-3000 drivers have received groceries of a total of around 4 kilos from Ola. The groceries were not enough to last even 4-5 days,” he said.  Who has received the driver care funds? “The companies had publicly said that they will raise funds and give it to us. But we don’t know what has been happening after that. We have heard that these companies have raised around Rs 25 crore – and around 1,000 drivers have got Rs 750 each. Uber had said they will pay Rs 3,000 in installments of Rs 500 every week, but we haven’t received this,” he said.   Both Ola and Uber are crowdfunding driver care funds, but both companies are yet to give any clarity on how many drivers have been given these funds, and how much each of them has received.  “But many of the drivers who have worked on both the apps have not got any of those benefits. We don’t know on what basis they are choosing the beneficiaries, and what exactly is the number,” Tanveer added. Drivers on both apps are not “employees” but gig economy workers, and do not receive employment benefits.  Narayan Swamy, who is the president of Adarsh Auto Driver Union, said, “Nobody from our union has got any government benefit. So far, I have got a ration kit from the Infosys Foundation as one of my friends’ wife knew they were giving them out to needy people. Other than that we have not got any help from the government or any other agencies.”  Swamy added, “Many of my friends who drive auto on Ola and Uber have not got any help either from the companies.”  Altaf, an auto driver, also said he has not got any help either from the government or from the app-based company that he frequently operates on. “Since the beginning of the lockdown till now, I have not got a single rupee or grain, either from the government or the companies. I had tried calling the helplines of both the companies but have not got any help. I have small children at home and we are forced to eat food prepared by social workers,” he said. However, both Ola and Uber said that they have helped, monetarily or otherwise, impacted drivers, and shared some driver testimonials. Their detailed statements are carried below. Ola said any cab or auto driver who is in need of medical assistance can call their helpline 08046831460. Pasha said that he had also contacted automobile majors like Maruti and Toyota for help, too, as most of the cabs are manufactured by them. “Only Bajaj had acknowledged our problem. We are yet to hear from them further.” Similarly, Hamid Akbar Ali from the Airport Taxi Association said, “We have been trying to reach the Transport Minister for a long time. We have tried to reach the CM’s office and have given our memorandum. Day before we met Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition, he assured us that he will take up our issue with the CM. Business has been zero since March last week, we are forced to borrow from friends and relatives to survive.” He said the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation arranged ration for some 500 drivers which lasted for more than two weeks  Ola and Uber statements Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson and Head of Communications at Ola said, “Drivers and their families across the country are facing a lot of distress due to the extended lockdowns to arrest the contagion of COVID-19. Ola has fully waived off the lease rentals, akin to an EMI, for driver partners who operate vehicles owned by Ola’s subsidiary, Ola Fleet Technologies under its leasing program as well as offered a pre-approved interest-free credit of upto Rs 1200 per week under ‘Sahyog’ program to help manage their household expenses during this time. Through a tailored insurance offering, all eligible Ola driver-partners and their spouses shall be covered by a floater sum of Rs. 30,000 under which they can receive a compensation of Rs 1000 per day for a maximum of 21 days for an individual from the date of a positive diagnosis for COVID-19.”  He added, “To ensure our partner’s physical and mental well-being, we have partnered with MFine app, through which they can access free online doctor consultations. Any case of a medical emergency in the family during these times of limited income can be a huge financial strain on them. The Ola Foundation's Drive the Driver Fund aims to help any cab, auto or taxi driver across India and their immediate family member with financial support. We have received tens of thousands of requests from across the country. Our teams are working round the clock to provide support to thousands of driver-partners across the country who have reached out over the past few weeks. The Ola Foundation will continue to extend the support through this initiative, to drivers across the country, as we come out of this phase stronger together.” An Uber spokesperson said, “Driver partners are at the heart of everything we do and their wellbeing is Uber’s key priority. To help them during the Coivd-19 pandemic, we created the Uber Care Driver Fund, with an initial commitment of Rs 25 crore from Uber. For greater impact, we welcomed contributions from our employees, citizens, NGOs and corporate partners to the fund. Over the last two weeks, we have disbursed grants to more than 75,000 drivers. As Uber raises additional money, we’ll continue to distribute grants to as many drivers as we can, as quickly as possible. Uber’s financial package has been warmly acknowledged by thousands of drivers. It is in addition to other livelihood opportunities being created for them through tens of thousands of free rides that are being offered to various state governments, and for services provided on UberMedic, UberEssentials and last mile deliveries. Other forms of our support to drivers during these challenging times include a waiver of lease rentals, facilitating EMI relief, rolling out an additional insurance policy and offering drivers access to online medical services, such as DocsApp, at no charge.”
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Bengaluru liquor shop owner booked after bill of Rs 52,841 went viral

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Liquor
Restrictions were put in place regarding how much alcohol could be sold to a person- but this was flouted.
Bengaluru police has booked the owner of a liquor store in the city after a customer purchased liquor worth for Rs 52,841 and his bill was circulated on social media.  In Bengaluru, restrictions were put in place allowing liquor stores to sell only three bottles of spirits and six bottles of 650 ML beer or 12 bottles of 330 ML beer per person. However, an unidentified customer who shopped at Vanilla Spirit Zone, a liquor outlet on Tavarekere Main Road in the city, purchased liquor worth Rs 52,841. A first information report was filed against the owner of the liquor store."We have booked a case against licensed shop owner S Venkatesh for reportedly selling Indian made liquor (IMFL) and beer to a buyer on Monday more than he is permitted under the Karnataka Excise Act section 36," Bengaluru South Excise Deputy Commissioner A Giri said. "Preliminary investigation revealed that 17.4 litres of IML was sold against the permissible limit of 2.3 litres and 35.1 litres of beer against the legal limit of 18.2 litres," Giri added. Venkatesh, however, told the police that the buyer paid for the liquor bought by him and seven of his colleagues at the same time from the shop as they entered together. "We are investigating to ascertain if Venkatesh violated the license conditions by paying for liquor bought by his friends with him at the same time," Giri added. Excise department officials said that they are also trying to trace the customer who bought the liquor. Another bill reportedly from an outlet in Dollars Colony in Bengaluru showed that liquor worth Rs 95,347 was bought. The police and the excise department is investigating this bill too to check if the liquor store violated regulations. Liquor stores opened across the state for the first time in over a month on Monday, prompting long queues outside stores. The state excise department estimated that liquor worth Rs 45 crore was sold in the state on Monday.   3.9 lakh litres of beer and 8.5 lakh litres of liquor were sold from 9 am in the morning to 7 pm in the evening on Monday. An Excise department official stated that the value of the sale of liquor in the state before the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak, was between Rs 90-95 crore. 
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Why BS Yediyurappa has appealed to migrant workers to stay back in the state

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Lockdown
The government wants to resume economic activities, especially construction work, and is keen to retain the labour force.
PTI : Image for representation
Transport facilities for migrant workers in Karnataka seeking to return to their homes in other states was restricted on Tuesday. This, after Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa appealed to migrant workers stranded in the state due to COVID-19 lockdown not to leave for their home towns and instead assured them work, pointing to easing of norms allowing construction and industrial activities in non-red zones."I appeal to labourers with folded hands don't pay heed to any rumors, it is the responsibility of the government to see to that you get work at the place you were working... don't take hasty decision of going to your natives. Stay here and work, as in the past," Yediyurappa said on Tuesday. Sources in the Karnataka government say that there are lakhs of migrant workers in Bengaluru and one train accommodates just 1,200 workers. Therefore, the government will have to arrange trains for a whole month if all workers have to be transported. Another reason behind the appeal is that the government wants to resume economic activities, especially construction work, and is keen to retain the labour force. There is also within the industry and government that given their experiences in the past few weeks, many of them may choose not to come back after the lockdown is lifted, thereby seriously impacting the workforce.  Karnataka also wants states like Bihar, Jhrkhand and Uttar Pradesh to assure that these workers would be allowed to enter their respective states and will be placed in quarantine. "Until the states permit, we will not send the workers from here. They should stay in the camps they are staying in and the government will ensure that they will be given ration,” R Ashok, Karnataka Revenue Minister told reporters on Monday night.    On Tuesday, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a meeting with members of the state’s builders’ association in Bengaluru to discuss the problems faced by migrant workers in the city. The Chief Minister’s Office confirmed that the builders appealed to the Chief Minister to restrict the travel of migrant workers back to their homes stating that “unnecessary travel of migrant workers has to be controlled”. The builders explained that they had set up colonies for workers with essential facilities and pointed out that construction activities had already begun. The Chief Minister also plans to reach out to migrant workers with messages in their respective languages. The message reads, "We intend to resume the economic activities soon. Government has already held meetings with representatives of associations of commerce and industries in this regard. Therefore it is my sincere request to all the migrant workers to stay back in the State and cooperate with us to resume the economic activities once we receive directions from Union Government," reads the message.  The Karnataka government facilitated the movement of migrant workers in six trains on May 3 and 4 with around 1200 workers aboard each train.  Migrant workers in a discussion with Bengaluru (West) DCP Ramesh Banoth Groups of workers from Danapur in Bihar, Jaipur in Rajasthan and Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, were charged full travel fares for their travel home with the workers who left for Danapur in Bihar paying Rs 1050, which is slightly more than the general sleeper ticket price of around Rs 900. But even after the sixth train departed for Danapur from Kolar’s Malur station on Monday night, hundreds of migrant workers agitated against officials at the Banappa Park in Bengaluru on Monday night. The workers said that they had registered themselves on the Seva Sindhu portal set up by the Karnataka government to facilitate the movement of migrant workers. “If they arrange the train today, we will go. We are a group of eight workers and we all want to go back home. Since we’ve filled the form, we have not been informed when we will be able to leave,” says Deepak, a migrant worker from Jharkhand who works as a mason in Bengaluru’s Sanjaynagar area.  Read: BJP says 85% fare subsidy for special trains: Harping on a mere technicality?'We want to go home' An official in the CMO told TNM that Revenue Minister R Ashok and Education Minister S Suresh Kumar are trying to dissuade migrant workers from returning to their homes.  However, TNM spoke to scores of migrant workers who intend to return to their homes saying that they would prefer to be with their family members until the restrictions put in place over the coronavirus outbreak are lifted completely. Some of them had even expressed their intention to go home and be with their families to Suresh Kumar, when he visited colonies of migrant workers on Saturday. “We want to return home because we are struggling for food and water here”, said a migrant worker from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh who works as a painter in Kolar district of Karnataka. He even said that he walked from Kolar to Bengaluru with a group of 15 people, a distance of 65 km. “When we reached Majestic in Bengaluru, we were told to make a list of 1200 people heading to our town and pay ticket prices. We are appealing to the government to please send us home,” the worker said. He added that he had registered himself in the Seva Sindhu portal but he, and thousands of other workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand were asked to leave from Majestic and are currently holed up at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumakuru Road waiting for the state government to make arrangements to go home. Activists advocating for the welfare of the workers demand that the workers be given free travel to their hometowns if the workers want the same.  
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For second day in a row, COVID-19 recoveries exceed active cases in Karnataka

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Coronavirus
As of Tuesday, the number of active cases was at 312 while the number of discharged cases was 331.
A medical care professional manning a testing booth in Delhi
Representational image/PTI
For two consecutive days, the number of recovered patients from the novel coronavirus disease in Karnataka outnumber those who are still undergoing treatment at the medical facilities. On Tuesday evening, the state health bulletin said, “As of 5 pm of 05th May 2020, cumulatively 673 COVID-19 Positive cases have been confirmed in the state, it includes 29 deaths and 331 discharges.” With this, the number of active cases stands at 312 while the number of discharged cases is 331. On April 27, one person infected with the virus killed himself during the course of treatment at Victoria Hospital. The bulletin said that of the remaining 312 cases, 306 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals across districts in stable condition while six of them are under intensive care treatment. Similarly, on Monday too, the number of active cases were 301 while the number of discharged patients were 321. However, on May 3, Sunday, the number of active cases was higher at 295, compared to the number of recovered patients in the state which was at 293.    Bengaluru city, which is the most affected part in the state, has been witnessing the trend of more recoveries than active cases over the last three days. As of Tuesday, among the 153 cases in the capital city, 75 persons were discharged while six persons succumbed to their comorbidities. Mysuru which is the second-most affected district has eight active cases out of the total 88 cases and has not reported casualties. Belagavi and Davangere, which saw a spike in cases recently, have the highest number of active cases as of Tuesday, with 44 (of 71) and 39 (of 44) cases respectively
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On second day of liquor stores opening, Karnataka sells alcohol worth Rs 197 crore

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Lockdown 3.0
Excise Department officials say that before lockdown, the average sale of liquor per day amounted to Rs 90 crore.
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The Karnataka government on Tuesday said that the state has generated Rs 197 crore in liquor sale in a single day. This amount, Excise Department officials say, is higher than the average income generated in the state per day before the lockdown, which was Rs 90-95 crore.  However, on Tuesday, the state reported the sale of 4.21 lakh boxed cases of Indian Made Liquor. That is 36.37 lakh litres of IML, which amounted to Rs 182 crore. In addition, 7.02 lakh litres of beer was sold on Tuesday for Rs 15 crore. On Monday, the Karnataka government allowed retail liquor stores with CL2 and CL 11 licences to open for business on a stipulated condition that the liquor would be rationed.  “Shops with all licenses opened today (Tuesday). Yesterday (Monday) some shops didn't open, there were hiccups with supply but it has been sorted out,” Rajendra Prasad, additional commissioner for IML with the Excise Department said.  However, curbs have been placed on purchase of alcohol. Retail outlets are allowed to sell three bottles of alcohol and six bottles of 650 ML beer, or the equivalent of the same quantity in smaller bottles per person. Liquor sales are only permitted between 9 am and 7 pm in non-containment zones. An unidentified customer who shopped at Vanilla Spirit Zone, a liquor outlet on Tavarekere Main Road in the city, purchased liquor worth Rs 52,841. A first information report was filed against the owner of the liquor store, TNM had earlier reported. On Monday, the state reported earning Rs 45 crore with the sale of liquor. This indicated huge loss in liquor sales as the revenue generated due to liquor sale is averaged at Rs 90 crore. The sale on Monday indicated a 50% dip in average sale.  “It is not normal for such huge sales and it will reduce in the coming days. This is only the second day and on Monday, there was another issue of customers not knowing locations of shops that were open,” he added.  
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Karnataka govt orders not to pay additional DA instalments to govt employees

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Salary
The govt decided not to pay the additional instalments of dearness allowances with effect from Jan 1, 2020 to govt employees and pensioners in view of the COVID-19 crisis.
The Karnataka government on Tuesday decided not to pay the additional instalments of dearness allowances with effect from January 1, 2020 to government employees and pensioners in view of the crisis arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking a cue from the Centre's orders freezing the dearness allowance and dearness relief to central government employees and pensioners respectively at the existing rates sanctioned with effect from July 1, 2019, the Karnataka government today ordered not to pay the additional DA instalments."The additional instalments of Dearness Allowance with effect from January 1, 2020 payable to State Government employees and pensioners including employees and pensioners on UGC/ICAR/AICTE/NJPC scales of pay shall not be paid," the government order issued by the Finance Department read. The additional instalments of Dearness Allowance due from July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021 shall also not to be released until further orders, the government order said. However, Dearness Allowance will continued to be paid at the existing rates, the government maintained. The state government noted that as and when the decision to release the future instalment of Dearness Allowance due from July 15, 2021 is taken by the Government of India, the applicable rates of Dearness Allowance effective from January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021 will be restored prospectively and will be subsumed in the cumulative revised rate effective from July 1, 2021. It also clarified that the employees and pensioners are not entitled to the arrears of dearness allowance for the period from January 1,2020 till June 30,2021. These orders will apply to the full time government employees, employees of zilla panchayats as well as full time employees of aided educational institutions and universities who are on regular time scales of pay. These orders will also apply to the employees covered under the Karnataka Daily Wage Employees Welfare Act, 2012 and also employees of Boards, Corporations, Local Bodies; employees of the government and autonomous industries under the control of state government whose dearness allowance order is being regulated with reference to the orders issued by the state government from time to time, the order said.
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Industry leaders ask Karnataka govt to identify target list of 100 firms

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Investment
The comes amid reports about companies being reportedly interested in moving their manufacturing bases out of China.
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Amid reports about companies being reportedly interested in moving their manufacturing bases out of China, industry leaders on Tuesday asked the Karnataka government to identify a target list of 100 firms to reach out to for attracting them to the state."Given the interest shown by some companies in moving their manufacturing bases out of China, the industry leaders recommended that the state government identify a target list of 100 firms to reach out to for attracting to the State, and work out a strategy to bring them to Karnataka," a release by the state industries department said. The industry leaders assured cooperation from the private sector in reaching out to and facilitating interactions with CEOs of these companies, it said. With an objective of attracting industrial investments in Karnataka, given the changes in global economy due to COVID-19 pandemic, a high-level meeting with leading industry leaders of the state was held under the Chairmanship of Minister of Large and Medium Scale Industries, Jagadish Shettar. Nandan Nilekani, Non-Executive Chairman, Infosys, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson of Biocon, and Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-Founder and former CEO of Infosys, participated in the video conference. During the meeting, Shettar recounted the steps taken by the government for reopening the industries at short notice post COVID-induced lockdown and spelt out the intent of further improving the investment climate to attract industries to Karnataka, the release said. It said the industry leaders appreciated the government's initiatives in controlling the spread of the pandemic in the state and recommended that it showcase its efficient handling of the situation to attract investors to Karnataka. To boost the industry sentiment in the state, industry leaders suggested improving the Single Window Clearance System for approvals, easing land acquisition regulations and leveraging the knowledge base of Bengaluru to promote technology-based manufacturing. Shettar informed the industry leaders that government was in the process of notifying a new industrial policy for the state and also that a special relief package for MSMEs is under discussion.
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Karnataka's labour laws fail its domestic workers: Why it needs a relook

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Labour rights
With the lockdown affecting their employment, there is an urgency to bring in a new legislation to protect the rights of domestic workers.
Domestic workers in Bengaluru
Have you ever imagined working a job with no scope for a pay hike, where you are met with realities of harassment and abuse, and are fearful of the repercussions of taking the legal recourse? This is the reality that domestic workers in Karnataka and even across India have been facing for decades. When the lockdown began due to the coronavirus pandemic, we witnessed the privileged upload videos of doing household chores and “recognising the importance” of domestic workers. And yet, this sector of employees in Karnataka and across the country have long been underpaid. The trafficking of women and children for domestic work too remains largely unrecognised.  Stuck in the situational necessity of supporting their families and providing better livelihood options for their children, domestic workers in Karnataka have long struggled to be recognised as a workforce. Comprising largely women, the domestic workers’ endeavour to stop the cycle of abuse, harassment and injustice, has only been met with multiple hurdles in the form of governments in the state failing to push for a stronger legislation that recognises their rights. Karnataka, however, is one among few states in India, along with Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Rajasthan, Kerala and Jharkhand, which have issued a notification declaring that domestic workers must get minimum wages.  According to the revised notification issued by the Department of Labour and Skill Development in 2017, the minimum wages set for domestic workers for washing clothes, dishes, cleaning and cooking, is Rs 37.50 for the first hour followed by Rs 22.50 for every successive hour. The minimum daily wage for eight hours of work is set at Rs 195 and the monthly wage is around Rs 5,070.  However, the lack of a strong policy to protect their rights has resulted in the minimum wages notification being a paper tiger, while domestic workers still continue to struggle for adequate wages.  Inadequate income and the struggle to demand for more Manjula, a 35-year-old domestic worker in Bengaluru is employed in three households in the Koramanagala and Teachers’ Colony. In the 12 years she has worked in this sector, Manjula has never been allowed the privilege of demanding a pay hike. “My employers have always said, ‘well, if it’s not you, then there will be someone else to work for the money I am paying’,” she said. Manjula’s husband is employed with a packing and moving company. The lockdown has resulted in reduced familial income and she is now the sole breadwinner for her family.  “I have to pay school fees. I have two kids and we decided to send them to a private school so they can learn English and earn good money. Even before the lockdown, we struggled to pay the fees,” she said.  Manjula earns Rs 8,000 per month and works at four different households everyday. With the lockdown, she is now able to resume work in only two households as two other employers have let her go.  “The government itself has said we should be paid Rs 5,000 per household but the problem is big. If I file a complaint with the government, they will begin an inquiry and call my employer. My employers will let me go and find someone else. This is just like that. I have complained once before and lost employment. It took me four months to look for employment again,” Manjula said.  Many domestic workers in Karnataka face similar struggles. Manjula, however, maintains that there are only a few employers, who pay domestic workers enough money and also ensure that they are not overworked.  “We have to go the extra mile and do extra work. Or we won’t be able to ask for a pay hike. I have been struggling to get a pay hike since the last two years. I only asked for a Rs 500 increment but my employers refused,” she added.  No redressal for abuse, harassment In 2018, Anuroopa*, a 22-year-old woman from Mahatrashtra’s Satara, came to Bengaluru to work as a domestic worker at the home of a family of six in Bengaluru’s Teacher’s Colony. Anuroopa’s father died that year due to a heart-related ailment. With her brother unwilling to work, she decided to take the job in Bengaluru, which promised to pay Rs 10,000 per month on the condition that she stay with the family. Anuroop heard of the job through an employment agency.  For nine months starting February of 2018, Anuroopa said she endured verbal abuse and harassment, as she wanted to send money back home to her mother and brother. She said that her employers would give her two slices of bread with a cup of coffee for breakfast. Her next meal was dinner, which included two rotis and a small cup of dal.  “I started getting weak. No matter how hard I worked or cleaned, it was never enough. There was a man, his wife, two children and the man’s parents. Except for the children, all four of them would hurl abuses at me. They would also beat me up. By October, I had lost a lot of weight, I had become too weak to work. So, I just left one morning without telling them,” she said.  Like Anuroopa, many women and adolescent girls are brought in from other states to perform domestic work. Geeta Menon, founder of Stree Jagruthi Samiti, an NGO that fights for the rights of domestic workers, said that she has seen many cases of trafficking of women for the purpose of domestic labour and that there is a need to regulate employment agencies and this can happen only if there is a strong legislation to protect the rights of domestic workers.  Why Karnataka needs a strong legislation for domestic workers Geeta Menon, who helped bring together the Karnataka Domestic Workers’ Union, maintains that although domestic workers constitute a significant portion of the country’s workforce, these workers rarely get time off, are often overworked, underpaid, and do not have benefits including health insurance and pension.  “With a strong legislation, this sector of unorganised workers must be recognised as a workforce first and foremost. There must be mechanisms to ensure that their grievances are addressed effectively and action is taken so it doesn’t affect their chances of losing employment,” she said.  Stree Jagruthi Samiti and the Karnataka Domestic Workers’ Union conducted extensive consultations with domestic workers in the state and formulated a draft policy for the workforce.  The policy includes a definition of who a domestic worker is and the various categories of jobs performed. The policy calls for decent work conditions, limitations in working hours, workable living wage, rest periods, paid leave, sick leave and maternity leave. It also calls for pension and insurance benefits.  “The policy or a new legislation should include institutional mechanisms to provide social security, social protection, fair terms of employment, a process to register themselves as domestic workers, form their own associations and unions and also promote skill development as domestic work requires a certain skill set,” Geeta Menon added. In 2009, the Karnataka government had set up the Unorganised Workers Social Security and Welfare Board. Domestic workers were recognised as workers under the unorganised sector in 2004 in the state. However, Geeta Menon maintains that the board has not taken any measures to push for a strong policy and has neither effectively implemented the minimum wage notification.  “There are no laws to mandate implementation of the minimum wage notification for domestic workers. The officers at the board end up telling domestic workers to settle the dispute themselves. These women are scared of going to the police due to stigma. There is a need for a strong legislation first to protect their rights and then to regulate employment agencies,” she added.  According to Chidanand, Joint Secretary of the Unorganised Workers Social Security and Welfare Board, the government is issuing ID cards to recognise domestic workers as a workforce. However, there has been no move to introduce such a legislation. “Currently, the problem is that people do not want to pay more. If we intervene, these domestic workers will lose their jobs. If the government passes a law that has certain regulations, we can implement it,” he added.  Maitreyi, a lawyer with Alternative Law Forum, says that there are provisions under the Minimum Wages Act and the Inter-State Migrant Workers Act, which allow for the state governments to formulate new laws to protect them.  “More than 5% of domestic workers in Karnataka come from other states through contractors. Most of them come through placement agencies. They come from impoverished families in states like Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc. Besides, state governments have issued advisories to protect domestic workers and that constitutes as an order,” she added.  On March 31 earlier this year, in the case of Alakh Alok Srivastava versus Union of India, the Supreme Court stated, “Disobedience to an order promulgated by a public servant would result in punishment under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. An advisory which is in the nature of an order made by the public authority attracts section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. We trust and expect that all concerned namely, state governments, public authorities and citizens of this country will faithfully comply with the directives, advisories and orders issued by the Union of India in letter and spirit in the interest of public safety,” the order read. This was a case that dealt with the plight of migrant workers due to the COVID-19 lockdown.  In March this year, the Karnataka government had issued an advisory asking those persons, who employ domestic workers, to not deduct their pay and to not terminate their employment during the lockdown. However, after the Supreme Court ruling, which states that an advisory is in the nature of an order, the state government has not followed up on implementing this advisory.  “This means that an advisory too must be obeyed. The government must begin implementing it effectively. That’s where the problem lies,” Maitreyi added.  *Name(s) changed. 
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K’taka customers late on paying electricity bills to receive measures for assistance

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Lockdown
This is one among a slew of compensation measures announced by the Karnataka government for sectors who have been facing losses due to the lockdown.
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The Karnataka government on Wednesday announced incentives for consumers who pay their electricity bills on time and also announced measures for those who are unable to do so. The state government added that incentives and concessions will be given to the consumers who pay the bills in the stipulated time and those who pay the bills in advance. The government said that there will be a reduction in the interest on the amount for the delayed payment and an opportunity will be provided for the payment of the balance bill amount in instalments. The government, in an official release, stated that electricity connections will not be disconnected till June 30 for the consumers who have not paid the balance amount of electricity bill. However, officials have not specified what incentives will be given for those who pay their bills on time or in advance. An official from the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) told TNM that the consumers will be billed in the month of May for the past two months, March and April, combined. Meanwhile, for MSMEs, who have also suffered production losses due to the lockdown, the Karnataka government has decided to waive the monthly fixed charges of electricity bills for two months. “The payment of fixed charges in the electricity bills of the large industries will be deferred without penalty and interest for a period of two months,” the government release said.  These announcements were a part of a slew of compensation measures announced by the Karnataka government on Wednesday for sectors who have been facing losses due to the lockdown, like farmers, hospitality service providers, auto and taxi drivers, flower growers etc.  It was earlier reported that the Karnataka government held consultations with experts to help mitigate the social and economic impact of COVID-19 in the state.  The Planning Department, with the help of Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES) and Data Analytics Centre and with the help of interns and the faculty support, is trying to design the projects to conduct impact analysis across the divisions on various issues, the concept note said. What is required is an immediate assessment of the current situation and, with new ideas, design short, medium and long-term policies, it said. During the lockdown period, production almost came to a standstill in the state, whose GDP at current prices is estimated (2019-20) at 15,50,297 crore and the average per day works out to be Rs 4300 crore. It is assumed that the loss would continue for a longer period if the lockdown is extended and even after that, it will require some time for revival. (PTI inputs) 
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Why did over 50 people attend Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s wedding? K’taka HC asks

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Coronavirus
The court asked the state government why it did not restrict the number of guests who could attend the wedding.
After former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy were heavily criticised for conducting a wedding during the lockdown, the special division bench of the Karnataka High Court have questioned the Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner as to why officials had not imposed a cap on the number of people who could attend Nikhil’s wedding on April 17.  The bench, comprising Chief Justice Abhay Sreenivas Oka and Justice BV Nagarathna,  questioned the government while hearing a Public Interest Litigation that demanded action against Kumaraswamy for flouting lockdown and social distancing norms.  The court questioned the Karnataka government on how the Deputy Commissioner was allowed to grant blanket permission without imposing limitations on the number of guests who could attend the wedding at Kumaraswamy’s farm house in Ramanagara. According to the permission letter, any representative of HD Kumaraswamy could attend the wedding. The court also asked the state government to submit details about vehicle movement and the number of passes issued.  During the video conference of the hearing, the government told the court that it had allowed 80 to 95 people to attend the wedding, The Hindu reported.  Responding to submissions made by the state government, the court said, “We are not concerned about the matter of this marriage itself, prima facie, the entire objective of the lockdown is defeated if the state and Union governments allow more than 50 persons to attend a ceremony,” The New Indian Express quoted Chief Justice Abhay Oka.  However, the bench also noted that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had only allowed wedding ceremonies to take place on May 1, with not more than 50 people while maintaining social distancing.  “If it is the state government’s policy to permit weddings without any restrictions on the number  of guests, then other people must also get the same benefit. Many people have cancelled weddings because of the lockdown,” the bench observed.  Chief Justice Oka further directed both the Centre and the state government to issue a clarification on whether the Deputy Commissioner has powers to grant permission to hold weddings, regardless of the number of people who attend the function.  “As the guidelines issued by the MHA on April 15 do not indicate the number of persons allowed to attend weddings, does it mean any number of persons could have been allowed to attend such functions prior to the May 1 guidelines,” The Hindu report quoted the bench as saying.  The Chief Justice also orally observed that the state government should accept that not restricting the number of guests for the wedding was a mistake. The next hearing is scheduled for May 12. 
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Migrant workers in Bengaluru allegedly beaten and kicked out of homes

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Coronavirus
Employees of Moriz Hotel In Whitefield were kicked out of their home on the night of May 4. They say they have not been paid for 2 months.
Migrant workers walk home after lockdown
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Harrowing tales of migrant workers being harassed, abused, forced to work and not being allowed to return home are stark realities that have emerged since the lockdown. And now, the cancellation of the Sharmik Trains from Karnataka has only added to their troubles. In Bengaluru’s Whitefield, a group of 11 migrant workers have been through traumatic experiences. From not being paid salaries since March to being kicked out of their homes by their employer, this group of migrant workers has slept on footpaths and has not eaten a single meal since the night of May 4.  Amit Mahali, a 32-year-old migrant worker from West Bengal, was employed as a kitchen helper at the Moriz restaurant in Bengaluru’s Whitefield. Amit Mahali and his colleagues, who worked as kitchen staff and waiters at the restaurant, were living in a room provided to them by their employers, which is located close to the restaurant.  “Since March, we have not been given salaries. When we asked the manager there, he said that the business is low due to the lockdown and we would be compensated when business picks up. On May 2, we asked our owner to give us the money as we wanted to return home. He just refused and said he can’t give,” Amit said.  On the morning of May 4, Amit and the other employees of Moriz allegedly asked their employer to pay them their salaries once again and were turned away. On the night of April 4, Amit and another colleague, Rohit Routia, were the last ones to go to sleep. They were sleeping on a mat close to the door of the room’s entrance.  “The owner and some of his men knocked on the door. I opened the door. Rohit was behind me. They just told us to vacate the space immediately. I told them that we would not unless we are paid the outstanding amount we are owed. The owner’s men beat us up and pushed us out. They threw all our belongings outside,” Amit added.  It was past midnight when Amit and 10 of his roommates gathered their belongings from the road and began walking. With nowhere to go, they decided to sleep on the pavement for the night.  “We didn’t have enough money either. On Tuesday morning, we gathered whatever money we had and rented a room in Kadugodi. We don’t have enough money to continue living here,” he added.  Amit tried calling the Karnataka helpline for migrant workers hoping to get food. However, he says that he was unable to communicate with the operator as he could not understand Kannada. “I tried talking to them in Hindi. I can’t speak it as well as Bengali so there was a problem. But I assumed they knew that we wanted food because I kept telling them. I also gave my address. We waited the whole of Tuesday hoping they would send food but nothing happened,” he said.  On Wednesday afternoon, the Labour Department got in touch with Amit after intimation from the media. He is now hoping to get some food for him and his friends. “I wanted to file a police complaint but when I discussed it with everyone, it seemed like more trouble. We don’t have much money to fight this. I hope our owner gives us the money we are owed,” he says.  
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Meet two Bengaluru teens who raised almost a lakh to help women migrant workers

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COVID-19 Relief
The two class 10 students have so far distributed these kits to 1000 people.
School student distributes sanitary pads relief package to migrant women in Bengaluru
When the class 10 board exams were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bengaluru-based students Tia Poovayya and Niketa Khanna, were initially elated like many of their peers. “No exams, and we get to chill at home, we thought,” Tia says. However, not long after, the 16-year-olds realised that there were a lot of people who were left in the lurch due to the lockdown, and were having difficulties accessing even basic necessities. “As soon as we realised this, we wanted to do something. We wanted to make arrangements for things that were scarce. For instance, there were already volunteers, NGOs and government provisions for food. But the same couldn’t be said about things like sanitary napkins,” Tia explains. “In fact, our domestic worker came and asked my mother if she could give her some pads because she was not able to get any,” Niketa adds. And so, about two weeks ago, the girls decided to prepare relief kits – each containing one soap, seven shampoo sachets, sanitary napkins, and a mask – that they could distribute among migrant women workers, girls and those living in slums. They call this initiative Aurat Arogya. They started asking their family and friends for contributions on social media and WhatsApp. Initially, the donations flowed in from people they knew, but as the WhatsApp message started circulating, they started getting donations from people they didn’t know. Within a week, they had raised around Rs 80,000. And on April 29, Niketa and her aunt accompanied the Koramangala police officials – to whom they handed over the kits – to two settlements in Koramangala and distributed the kits to 1,000 women and girls. “It was an eye-opening experience,” Niketa says. “The first girl I met shared my name. Somehow that made me emotional. Many of them were quite grateful for these kits, which touched me. It strengthened my resolve to do seva (service) for people who are doing seva for me.” While Tia was not able to go for the distribution of the kits, she says that the experience made her realise her privilege. “There is so much more happening than we realise. And if you are fortunate, and have the capability to help someone in need, you should. It is the duty of the society to take care of their own, which includes the less privileged.” Tia and Niketa sourced the material for the kits from Metro Cash and Carry stores. They also say that the police have been quite forthcoming and helpful about their initiative, arranging car passes for movement and distribution of the kits. The girls are already working on a second round of crowdfunding and relief work and this time, they hope to help around 1,500 women and girls. They have already raised around Rs 20,000. To contribute, get in touch at auratarogya@gmail.com, or message them on Instagram on the handle @aurat.arogya. They can provide you with details for bank transfer, Google Pay or Paytm there. Children in other parts of the country have also been involved with relief work in their own way. A class 12 student, Aryaman Khosla, raised close to Rs 8.33 lakh for providing ration to children and parents that work with Bengaluru-based Parikrma Humanity Foundation, Deccan Herald reported. The organisation educates children from 105 slums in the city’s free of cost. In Chennai, the children’s choir from the NalandaWay Foundation – which educates children from disadvantaged backgrounds – performed with musicians and actors like Anoushka Shankar, A R Rahman, Farhan Akhtar, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, among others on May 3 to raise relief funds. The digital concert was called ‘I For India’ and 28 children from Delhi and Chennai participated in it. The proceeds from the same went to GiveIndia’s India COVID-19 response fund, reported The Hindu. In Kolkata, a six-year-old child artist named Debangkita Banerjee started singing at local marketplaces when it was allowed to raise money for COVID-19 relief. She also donated her savings worth Rs 10,000 and ultimately raised Rs 80,000 in total, reported The New Indian Express. Children in Ahemdabad, Gujarat, meanwhile, donated their piggy bank savings to the PM CARES Fund and for direct relief initiatives, PTI reported.  
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No change in power bills, BESCOM clarifies after residents question higher charges

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Lockdown
There have been no changes in the tariffs either.
Men fix power lines on an electricity poles
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The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) began issuing bills this week after a month-long gap, but city residents immediately began to question whether their electricity bills had been inflated.  However, this is not the case. Due to the lockdown, officials could not take metre readings in the month of April, and bills were generated based on the average electricity usage of the customer for the previous three months.  For the bill in May, residents would have had to pay for the usage in March and April (since metre readings resumed). For residents who paid the April bill (the average amount calculated average of past three months) online through the BESCOM website or other payment portals, the same has been adjusted in the May billing cycle.  There have been no changes in the tariffs, officials said.  Like many other electricity suppliers in the country, BESCOM charges different tariffs based on usage to incentivise lower consumption. Aside from fixed charges and other additions, domestic users in Bengaluru pay Rs 3.75/unit for the first 30 units, Rs 5.20/unit for the next 31-100 units and Rs 6.75/unit for the next 101-200. Rs 7.8/unit are for subsequent usages in a month.   For the calculation of two months’ bill, BESCOM approximately doubled the slabs to 1-61, 61-203 and so on. Which means, Rs 3.75/unit is being charged for use of 1 to 61 units, and so on. The utility company reasoned that since many customers are staying in their homes during the lockdown, the consumption is much higher. The arrival of summer, as well as increased usage of computers and laptops for those working from home, has also added to the domestic power usage.  In a detailed statement, BESCOM said, “In domestic category, due to various reasons including an increase in the use of fans, ACs, and as many of the IT and BT (Information and Bio-technology) as well as other sector personnel are working from home, the maximum demand reading and consumption has gone slightly higher in the month of April. Consequently, the metre reading done in the month of May has been high for the domestic category.” It added, “Also, the unpaid amount of the April month has been added resulting in a higher amount. BESCOM categorically makes it clear that all rationals have been followed while calculating the electricity bills.” In case consumers still feel that the bill charged is higher than the actual consumption, BESCOM has requested them to call 1912.  
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Still waiting to go home, migrant workers in Bengaluru unaware that trains are cancelled

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Coronavirus
The state government is facing criticism for creating conditions of forced labour; the workers – whose services the state and its interests clearly need – are being kept in the dark, and are living in unhygienic spaces.
PTI : Image for representation
The blue tarpaulin and tin-roofed sheds in which Tahir Ali lives in Mahadevapura, a suburb in Whitefield in Bengaluru, are hidden from view if you drive past the main road. Luxury apartment blocks tower over the settlement where migrant workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand reside.  On Wednesday, Tahir, 22, and a group of six workers from the settlement turned up at the Mahadevapura Police Station, clutching application forms and photocopies of their Aadhaar in their hands. “We were told to bring the application forms and give it to the police wala,” says Tahir. He is unaware that the Karnataka government decided to cancel trains meant for inter-state travel of migrant workers on Tuesday. “We have not been told anything about trains being cancelled. We were told we will get a call when the train is ready to take us,” adds Tahir.  A migrant worker at the Mahadevapura police station in Bengaluru He is not alone. Like him, thousands of migrant workers in Bengaluru hoping to return to their homes are unaware that the trains were cancelled on Tuesday. The service was stopped after Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a meeting with builders who demanded that workers be made to stay back, or the ‘economy would collapse’.  By then, the Indian Railways had operated eight trains from Bengaluru with 1200 passengers in each train to transport workers to three states - Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. In another part of Whitefield, migrant workers who turned up at the Varthur Police Station hoping to return to their homes were dispersed by the police. Visuals show police aggressively dispersing the people gathered using lathis.  However, police officials attempted to play down the incident. “There were around 20 migrant workers who came to the police station asking when trains will be arranged for them. We told them to register in the Seva Sindhu portal and tried to disperse them, and asked them to remain at their site. But at this point, someone argued with the police and we tried to make them leave,” says Praveen Babu, inspector of Varthur Police Station.  It is not just the workers who are unaware of the state government’s decision. Police inspectors in Bengaluru’s Whitefield division too were unaware of the cancellation of trains for inter-state travel of migrant workers.  “We have estimated that there are over 20,000 migrant workers who intend to return home. Most of the workers are from four states - Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Whenever they want an update on the arrangement for trains, they turn up at police stations but there is no clarity on when arrangements will be made for them,” an official involved in arranging transport for migrant workers told TNM. Migrant workers in Mahadevapura, Bengaluru Officials estimated around 10,000 workers from Bihar and around 4,000 workers each from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, living in Whitefield, are among those who wish to return home. Contrary to earlier reports, the official says that only around 25% of migrant workers are from the construction sector. Most workers are security guards or those who work in hotels, paying guest accommodations and malls. These workers are now camped in settlements arranged by their company or the state government.  This reporter visited multiple settlements; in most places, living conditions were cramped and unhygienic.  In settlements of workers involved in the construction of the Bengaluru metro construction, over 200 people lived in a three-storey building. Others slept on bunk beds cramped into rooms with 20 or more people. “We have lived here without work for more than 40 days. Now, we simply wish to go home and be with our families,” says Gadadhar Behera, a security guard from Orissa.  Living conditions at a migrant workers' settlement near Kudlu Gate, Bengaluru Gadadhar’s words are echoed by scores of migrant workers in his settlement, and the workers’ sentiment is painfully obvious to officials. “In almost all cases, the workers are the sole breadwinners of their families and they have the moral responsibility of going back and spending time with them. The psychosis has set in that even if they die, they want to be at home,” says an official who was involved in surveying migrant workers in the Whitefield division who wished to remain anonymous.  According to the same official, the government’s decision to suspend the train service does not take into account the wishes of thousands of migrant workers who simply wish to return home.  Settlement of migrant workers in Mahadevapura, Bengaluru Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have hailed the move to stop inter-state trains citing that it will help restart economic activities in the city.  Stoppage of inter-state trains by Sri @BSYBJP is a bold and necessary move. It will help migrant labourers who came here with hopes of a better life to restart their dreams. Also, it will kickstart economic activities full throttle. Karnataka will emerge out of this stronger! — Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) May 6, 2020 However, over 500 individuals and organisations wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa condemning the state government’s decision and calling for it to be revoked. In the letter, it was stated that the cancellation of trains violates the workers’ right to movement and infringes their basic freedom, while also subjecting the workers to forced labour.  “We demand recognition of the autonomy and dignity of the migrant worker to decide their travel plans. No one should be forced either to stay back or to return to their home states. We demand that the Karnataka government abide by the Constitutional framework and immediately make the necessary arrangements to ensure that any worker wishing to return is allowed to do so at no cost, and in a safe and dignified manner,” read the letter.  “Even if work resumes, people here are unwilling to go to work. We wish to return home and be with our families,” says Tahir.  
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Delivery executive in Bengaluru tests positive for coronavirus

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State officials confirmed he was involved in delivering non-essential goods and has been at home since the nationwide lockdown came into effect.
A person who worked as a delivery executive with an e-commerce company is among the 20 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Karnataka on Wednesday. The 25-year-old patient from Bengaluru delivered non-essential items, and  has not been out to make deliveries since the lockdown came into effect on March 25.  In the health bulletin released on Wednesday, officials stated that the 25-year-old delivery executive was the contact of a 45-year-old man who tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. The elderly man had a history of influenza-like illness. Health Department officials are currently tracing people who may have come in contact with the delivery executive while he remained at home during the lockdown period.  Among the 20 cases reported in the state on Wednesday, two cases were from Bengaluru, while 13 cases were reported in Bagalkote district who were contacts of a 23-year-old woman with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) who tested positive on May 3.  Three new cases were reported from Dakshina Kannada district, which included an 11-year-old girl and a 35-year-old woman. Both are contacts of a patient who earlier tested positive for the virus. The girl and the woman are residents of Boloor in Mangaluru, district officials confirmed. One case each was reported in Vijayapura and Kalaburagi districts of Karnataka. The total number of novel coronavirus cases in the state increased to 693 with 29 deaths. 354 people have recovered from the infection. In Karnataka, the highest number of coronavirus cases have been reported in Bengaluru Urban district with 155 cases while Mysuru and Belagavi districts have reported 88 and 71 cases respectively. 
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Karnataka reports 20 new COVID-19 cases, 13 from Bagalkote

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On the positive side for the state, the number of active cases reported was lower than the number of recoveries for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
Image for representation/PTI
Thirteen of the 20 new cases of COVID-19 which were reported in Karnataka on Wednesday were from Badami in Bagalkote district. 12 of them are contacts of the same person— patient 607— a 23-year-old woman based in Badami. Speaking to TNM, District Surveillance Officer Dr Desai confirmed she did not have a foreign travel history. “All those who have tested positive today are from the same village and they are her (P-607’s) neighbours. We are yet to ascertain how she (P-607) contracted the infection. Maybe one of the patients who tested positive today was the root patient,” he said. Dr Desai was implying that since the source of patient 607’s infection is unknown, perhaps one of her 12 contacts who tested positive today could have been an asymptomatic patient until now, who had contact with someone who did have travel history. He added, “The 23-year-old woman is now on the path of recovery in Hubballi. She had travelled with symptoms to Dharwad where she was tested and admitted to a hospital for treatment.”   The only person among those who tested positive from Bagalkote on Wednesday who is not a contact of P-607 is an 18-year-old woman. With this spurt of cases, Bagalkote now has a total of 48 cases with 30 patients still in hospitals. 17 persons have recovered, while one person has succumbed to the disease, making it the fifth most coronavirus-affected district in Karnataka. Taking into account the last five days, the district has witnessed an average compounded daily growth rate in COVID-19 cases of 9.9%. Compounded daily growth is the average growth in the number of cases over the last five days compared to the number of cases on the first of the five days. Only Davanagere had a worse growth trajectory of 34.5%. The compounded daily growth for the whole state is 3%, the State War Room report said.  With this, the total number of cases in Karnataka has gone up to 693. So far, the state has seen 29 COVID-19 related deaths and 354 persons have been discharged following recovery. Other cases reported on Wednesday were one each from Vijayapura and Kalaburagi, three from Dakshina Kannada, and two from Bengaluru Urban district. The latter is still the worst affected in the state with 155 cases, and the highest number of active cases at 74. However, on the positive side, the number of active cases in Karnataka is lower than the recoveries for the third straight day.
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