Karnataka: Health Minister vows to bring in policies to promote Hindu way of life

News Network
November 11, 2020

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Bengaluru, Nov 11: Emphasising on learning the Hindu way of life and adopting ancient practices of wellness, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said he will bring in policies to introduce a holistic and comprehensive healthcare system in the state.

In an interview to news agency, Sudhakar, who is a medical practitioner, said, "One should learn the Hindu way of life. One should go back to our ancient practices so far as wellness is concerned."

"I am moving ahead to introduce this (ancient practices of wellness) in Bengaluru and Karnataka in a holistic and comprehensive manner. I am bringing in new policies," he said.

Sudhakar further said he would stress on prevention of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension etc.

To a query on the lessons learnt during the Covid-19 pandemic, Sudhakar said the health sector was 'neglected' all these decades.

Lamenting that the spending on public healthcare by all the previous governments had taken a backseat, he said this is an area where he would like to focus.

"We need to build a robust healthcare system, especially when primary and secondary healthcare should be robust. We should focus more on prevention of a disease," Sudhakar said.

Asked whether Ayurveda was of any help during the pandemic, the minister said he was not armed with any medical evidence to prove that it works the way allopathy does.

"I don't know whether Ayurveda and Unani have the same protocols as allopathy, but I know for a fact that Ayurveda is a great science, very ancient science, which works. All diseases cannot have the same protocol of treatment," he added.

The infection and mortality in Karnataka have come down drastically from over 10,500 fresh cases and over 200 deaths a day to somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 infections and 20 to 30 deaths a day.

Asked how it was reduced, the minister said after eight months with the virus, the medical world has developed a line of treatment after many trial-and-errors. "Since it is almost eight months now, a structured and specific treatment protocol has been achieved," he said.

He added that Karnataka had used technology to the optimum level by setting up a war room, tele-ICU connecting all the ICUs across all the districts of the state to ensure uniform treatment protocol.

The serological survey with a sample size of 16,700 people conducted in Karnataka indicated that about 1.93 crore people in the state had a brush with the virus. Responding to a query whether Karnataka was close to herd immunity, Sudhakar said it was quite natural to develop it.

"It is quite natural to develop it. This sample size is not very big. In a big dynamic country like ours, the spread of coronavirus is a reality. So more positive cases is a reality but herd immunity has to happen finally but we cannot predict when," he pointed out.

Herd immunity, also known as population immunity, occurs when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease and making its spread from person to person unlikely.

To another question on how Karnataka dealt with the pandemic, Sudhakar said the state was the first to use latest technologies.

"We were the first in many things like tele-ICU, using technology, 'Aptamitra' helpline, Quarantine mobile applications, home isolation applications -- We monitored the infected or primary contacts using technology, identifying the primary and secondary contacts and counselling," he explained.

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Agencies
March 28,2025

Udupi: Deputy Commissioner K. Vidya Kumari has directed officials to expedite land acquisition for designated industrial zones in the district to facilitate new industries. She issued these instructions during a meeting at Rajatadri on Wednesday.

Lands have been identified across various taluks for industrial development. The DC emphasized that KIADB must acquire these lands and ensure essential infrastructure—electricity, roads, and drainage—to attract industries and generate employment.

A total of 77 acres of private land has been acquired and compensated, including 31.2 acres in Kerebettu village, Hebri taluk, and 45.7 acres in Shivapura village. However, approval for 36.5 acres of government land is still pending. She instructed the forest department to assess whether this land falls under an eco-sensitive zone.

For the Belapu Industrial Area, the DC urged officials to accelerate minor land acquisitions for road expansion and commence construction at the earliest. She also mandated rainwater harvesting systems for all units in the Miyaru Industrial Area to tackle water scarcity.

Currently, 22 export-based units operate in the district. The DC encouraged further promotion of exports and an increase in their number.

The meeting was attended by Joint Director of Industries Nagraj V. Naik, KIADB Development Officer Srinivasa Murthy, Small-Scale Industries Association District President Harish Kunder, Deputy Director of the District Industrial Center Seetharam Shetty, District Skill Development Officer Arun B., and others.

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News Network
March 20,2025

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New York: An Indian national enrolled as a postdoctoral fellow in the US has been detained by immigration authorities, said a media report, less than a week after a Columbia student from India self-deported following allegations of activities supporting Hamas.

Badar Khan Suri's lawyer claimed that he is being punished “because of the Palestinian heritage of his wife — who is a US citizen — and because the government suspects that he and his wife oppose US foreign policy toward Israel.”

He is a former student of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Suri is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

A report in Politico said that Suri, who was studying and teaching on a student visa, has been “detained by federal immigration authorities amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on student activists whom the government accuses of opposing American foreign policy.”

The report said that “masked agents” arrested Suri from outside his home in Virginia Monday night.

A petition filed by his lawyer Hassan Ahmad said that he was taken to a facility in Virginia and is “expected to be transferred soon to a detention centre in Texas.”

The Politico report said that Suri’s lawyer has filed a lawsuit for his immediate release.

“The agents identified themselves as being with the Department of Homeland Security and told him the government had revoked his visa,” the lawsuit says, according to the Politico report.

The report added that according to Suri’s petition, he was put in “deportation proceedings under the same rarely used provision of immigration law” that the government has invoked to try to deport Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and legal permanent resident arrested for his role in leading campus protests at Columbia against Israel. 

The petition says the couple has “long been doxxed and smeared” on anonymously run, far-right websites due to their support for Palestinian rights. The petition adds that Suri’s wife Mapheze Saleh has been alleged to have “ties with Hamas” and once worked for Al Jazeera.

The petition further notes that Suri has no criminal record and has not been charged with a crime. Ahmad said he had not been able to contact Suri as of Wednesday evening.

“We’re trying to speak with him. That hasn’t happened yet,” Ahmad said.

“This is just another example of our government abducting people the same way they abducted Khalil.”

According to his profile on the website of Georgetown University, Suri completed his PhD in Peace & Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi in 2020. 

He wrote his thesis on Transitional Democracy, Divided Societies and Prospects for Peace: A Study of State Building in Afghanistan and Iraq in which he underlined the complexities involved in introducing democracy in ethnically diverse societies; as well as challenges to project state building.

He has travelled extensively in the conflict zones of India, Pakistan, Balochistan in Iran, Iran, Turkey, Kurdish Areas in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and its southern region, Egypt and Palestine.  

The Politico report quoted a statement from a Georgetown spokesperson as saying that Suri is an "Indian national who was duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention. We support our community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable. We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly," the spokesperson said.

Suri's detention comes less than a week after Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, self-deported after her visa was revoked for allegedly “advocating for violence and terrorism” and involvement in activities supporting Hamas.

Srinivasan had entered the United States on an F-1 student visa as a doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, the Department of Homeland Security had said.

It added that Srinivasan was “involved in activities supporting” Hamas, a terrorist organisation.

The Department of State had revoked her visa on March 5. The Department of Homeland Security said it has obtained video footage of Srinivasan using the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home App to self-deport on March 11. 

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News Network
March 21,2025

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly on Friday passed Bills doubling the salaries of the chief minister, ministers, and legislators, adding an annual burden of ₹62 crore on the exchequer.

The CM's monthly salary will increase from ₹75,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, while ministers will see a 108% hike, from ₹60,000 to ₹1.25 lakh. MLAs and MLCs will get ₹80,000 per month, up from ₹40,000, and their pension will rise from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000.

The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill and the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill were passed without debate, as the Opposition BJP protested in the well of the House.

The Bills cited the rising cost of living as justification for the hike. The Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council chairperson will now receive ₹1.25 lakh per month, up from ₹75,000.

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