Karnataka News

In order to decrease high infant and maternal mortality rates, Karnataka will introduce free pick-up-and-drop facility for expecting moms. The mothers-to-be will be provided with food, medical and recreational facilities free of cost. It will be helpful for the families that find difficult to reach hospitals on time as 5 of 1,000 infant deaths occur due to non-availability of transport.

According to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan survey, Karnataka has the highest dropout rate among Muslim students. On an average, 50,000 students from the community dropout of school each year, a majority of them at the high school level. One of the main reasons for increasing dropouts is that there are 520 Urdu-medium high schools against 2,411 Urdu medium primary schools.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, announced on Monday that students, teaching and non-teaching staff of government colleges in Karnataka, would soon get mid day meals at subsidized prices. The announcement was made at golden jubilee celebrations of the Government Women Polytechnic College in bangalore. In 2011, Bangalore University had introduced midday meals for PG students, particularly for women students.

Figures released by ministry of home affairs (MHA) reveal that out of total 2120 communal incidents in India, UP, MP and Maharashtra have 347, 299 and 326 communal clash records, respectively. Karnataka is fourth in India and tops in south India with 222 incidents of communal violence over the past three years followed by Kerala (126 cases).

A study by transport logistics solutions provider Radiant Info Systems has put Karnataka on top among southern states regarding booking travel tickets online. The daily sale of online tickets in Karnataka numbered 25,000 and 30,000 in January and July respectively. Online bus and railway ticketing across the country grew by 185% and 43% between January and July respectively.

Seven people died and 33 were injured on Thursday morning in a Volvo bus-fire that erupted due to the rupture of diesel tank after the rear part of the bus hit a bridge. The incident that happened in Haveri district of Karnataka is similar to the mishap death of 45 people on October-30 in Mehabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh.

A goods vehicle carrying construction workers from Yadgir district of Karnataka was overturned in Belgaum district(Karnataka) early on Saturday, leading to the death of 22 persons and atleast 30 people were injured. Karnataka CM has announced a compensation of Rs.1 lakh to the next kin of the deceased persons and has assured assistance to injured persons.

As per a report by an anti-corruption website (www.ipaidabribe.com), Bangalore is the the most corrupt city in the country, followed by Chennai. The report is based on confession of 22,378 individuals, who accepted of having paid a bribe, mostly for electricity connection, passport verification and admission to educational institutions.

The Bangalore police on Sunday night shut down over 1,000 ATMs in the city, which were lacking proper security measures. The ultimatum was issued in the wake of a brutal attack on Jyothi Udaya, 44, in a Corporation Bank ATM on November-19. Earlier, the government had ordered all banks to install CCTV cameras, fix alarm systems and post security guards.

The Karnataka government, in collaboration with three Californian universities and TiE Silicon Valley chapter, has created a fund of Rs 20 crore to provide grants to innovative ideas. The initiative, which is part of the San Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative, will award $30,000 (Rs.18 lakh) each to selected ideas that would then be expected to develop into viable business plans.

As part of a study tour, 30 Karnataka legislators are all set to fly out next month to exotic holiday spots in South America. The tour has fuelled controversy as it comes at a time when parts of the state are battling the impact of drought. The 10-12 day long trip is likely to cost the state about Rs.2 crore.

With the help of IIM Bangalore, CBI will soon become the first police organization in the country to adopt modern performance appraisal system for its personnel. CBI wants IIM-B to undertake study of core issues that affect the competence of the agency, and come up with scientific solutions to achieve excellence. CBI's present performance appraisal system is driven by statistics.

Ending months of speculation, former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa on Monday said he would return to the BJP. Yeddyurappa was made to quit as CM in 2011 over the findings of Lokayukta indicting him on illegal mining issue. Subsequently, he had formed KJP in December last year, ending his 40-year-long association with BJP.

An eight-year-old girl was washed away after she fell into an overflowing drain at Bilekahalli on Bannerghatta Road in Bangalore during heavy rain on Monday. Geetha had come to the city from Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore for Dasara holidays. The accident occurred around 7.30 pm when the girl stepped into one of the gaps between slabs covering the 4-feet deep drain.

Two people were killed as a building collapsed due to heavy rains in Bangalore late on Wednesday night. An old two-storied house collapsed in the city killing a father and son duo. Two others were also trapped under the debris but were later rescued. The house also partially damaged a neighboring building.

Anticipating a surge in bus traffic during Diwali, Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam Saturday announced that the state transport corporations would operate 9,088 special buses for five days, beginning October 17. The same number of services will also be available between October 22 and 26 for the benefit of commuters returning from their native towns.

A Manipuri student was beaten up in Bangalore on Wednesday by a mob for ignoring their demands that he speak in Kannada. The 26-yr-old T Michael Lamjathang Haokip sustained injuries on his head and back but is out of danger. "They said when you are in Karnataka, you have to speak in Kannada, otherwise get out," he said.

The Centre on Friday approved the Karnataka govt’s proposal to rename 12 cities of the states. Belgaum was renamed as Belagavi, Bangalore as Bengaluru, Mangalore as Mangaluru, Bellary as Ballary, Mysore as Mysuru and 7 other cities have undergone a name change. Notably, the change of name is in consonance with their pronunciation in Kannada.

A three-year-old girl studying in nursery class was allegedly raped inside a private school in Bangalore on Tuesday, police said. The girl was crying when her mother picked her from school and had symptoms of fever. She then told her mother about the rape. A criminal case has been registered and police is examining the CCTV footage from the school.

A 32-year-old software engineer from Bangalore was recently arrested on his wife's complaints of his being a homosexual. He has been booked under Section 377 which criminalises homosexuality, and under Section 420 for cheating. The wife had installed hidden cameras in the house after she suspected he was gay. She took the recordings to the police and filed a complaint.