Future of nursing students in jeopardy as INC de-recognises Karnataka’s nursing colleges

Mangaluru: District minister Dinesh Gundu Rao directed the district administration of Dakshina Kannada to conduct an inquiry into the alleged substandard work in the Riverfront project, which is being undertaken by Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL) in the city.

At a Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting on Friday, MLC Ivan D’Souza and Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath brought the issue of the collapse of a retaining wall constructed by the side of the Nethravati River in Boloor to the minister’s attention.

The minister stated that a detailed report should be submitted within a week. Raising the issue, D’Souza mentioned that despite having access to advanced technologies, MSCL has failed to ensure the quality of work.

He added that people have been blaming the representatives for the lapses of officials. Officials of the MSCL explained that a 740-metre-long retaining wall was constructed by the side of the river, as part of the 2.1km riverfront project. Since soil could not be filled during the work, a portion of the retaining wall, about 12-metres-long, collapsed during the rain. The contractor has been asked to reconstruct the wall, the official said.

In response to a query, an MSCL official stated that two cases pertaining to the riverfront project are pending before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Mangaluru: A wave of joy and nostalgia has swept over Tulu-speaking communities in coastal Karnataka with the exciting news that Tulu is now included in Google Translate. This significant development promises to elevate the language’s popularity and recognition on a global scale, filling hearts with pride and happiness.

"The addition of Tulu to Google Translate is a monumental achievement for the language and its speakers," beamed Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy chairman Tharanath Gatti Kapikad.

He expressed that the community is overjoyed, believing this step will expose Tulu to a broader audience, allowing people worldwide to appreciate its richness and beauty.

"With Tulu now available on such a widely used translation platform, the coastal district anticipates a surge in interest and curiosity about our language and culture. We also hope this recognition will help bring due prominence to the language. The people of Tulunadu have long been advocating for Tulu to be included in Schedule VIII of the Constitution and to be declared an official language of Karnataka," he shared.

Kapikad noted that while the academy did not directly influence this development, the introduction of Tulu Wikipedia has also played a crucial role in garnering recognition, as there are now several articles in Tulu on the platform. He encouraged people to send feedback to Google Translate to help improve the feature further.

MLAs D Vedavyas Kamath, U Rajesh Naik, Gurme Suresh Shetty, and others also praised Google Translate for adding the language. "I express sincere gratitude to the Google team for making Tulu available alongside 110 other languages," Kamath said with heartfelt appreciation.

This moment is not just a technological advancement but a celebration of Tulu heritage, invoking memories of a rich past and hopes for a flourishing future.

An elderly man from Karnataka’s Shivamogga who had tested positive for Zika virus, died late Friday. Since the patient had comorbidities, doctors are yet to ascertain whether his death was directly caused by the virus.

Nonetheless, this is the first reported incident of death in Karnataka of a patient with traces of the deadly virus in his body this year. Another patient infected with the virus in Shivamogga is currently under treatment at home.

District health officer (DHO) Dr Nataraj said the 74-year-old man who died was suffering from breathing problems and other age-related issues. "He died at his residence in Gandhinagar after being discharged from the hospital," Dr Nataraj said. The patient was admitted to a private hospital on June 18.

After his blood and urine samples were tested, the hospital referred the results to McGann Hospital. Experts at McGann analysed the samples and forwarded them to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Bengaluru for a final report.

On June 21, the report from NIV confirmed that the patient was infected with Zika virus. Since then, he was under treatment at a private hospital.
However, despite his unstable condition, his family insisted on getting him discharged against medical advice. The patient was taken home early on Friday. He passed away later that night.

"Zika virus has no special treatment, except for symptomatic treatment, like any other viral infection," the DHO explained.

"Every day, we analyse all test reports and if there is any suspicion, we send the sample in question to NIV for confirmation. Samples collected from pregnant women with symptoms are taken special care of and are invariably sent to the NIV," the DHO further said.

Symptoms

Zika virus is transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquito bites that happen mostly during the day. Patients showing symptoms such as headache, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis must be monitored for more than a week, a health official said. Seeking medical advise during the first few days after contracting the virus is crucial.