Visa processing for UK will resume July 6

Visa processing for UK will resume July 6

01.07.2020 TOI 

Visa processing for the UK will resume in India on July 6 in a phased manner. UK visa application centres in Delhi, south Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata and Pune will open first. VFS is expected to announce on Wednesday when visa processing for some other countries will resume in India.

Thank you Doctors

Sudden notice to vacate hostel leaves BU students frazzled

FOR COVID CARE

Sudden notice to vacate hostel leaves BU students frazzled

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:01.07.2020

Chaos prevailed at Bangalore University’s hostel for SC/ST girls on Jnanabharathi campus. Reason: Students were asked to return and vacate their rooms at short notice. The government is taking over the building to convert it into a dedicated Covid hospital for patients with symptoms.

The students were contacted on Monday afternoon and asked to vacate their rooms by Tuesday. Those from districts like Belagavi and Raichur had to travel overnight, coughing up whopping sums on travel to reach the campus. The hostel has over 350 students, many of whom had returned home before and after the lockdown.

“My father and I started from Chitradurga at 10pm on Monday night. We packed tiffin, snacks, water and other essentials to ensure we didn’t have to stop on the way. We used public toilets in the morning and reached the campus by 6am. We paid Rs 8,000 for the cab. The journey has been tiresome,” said Roopashree BK, a student from Chitradurga.

For Anusha A, a student from Chintamani, the journey with her three friends cost her Rs 5,000. “We were among the luckier ones. There are others from far away districts, for whom the journey must have been even more expensive,” she said.

Even those within the city were hassled by the last-minute alert. “Getting a bus and taking all the luggage on it was very difficult. I waited for nearly an hour for a bus. There’s no common social media group for the students. So, some of them are still not aware of this development,” said Sangeetha HM, another student.

“The hostel also has students from other states and countries. They will either lose their personnel belongings or won’t be able to use them again once college restarts. Further, students from rural areas may not be taken back by their villages once they visit Bengaluru, because of the growing virus scare,” said another student, who alleged the officials were rude when they came to vacate the room.

According to a notification from BBMP, the BU SC/ ST hostel will be turned into a 400-bed hospital and the North East students hostel into a 350-bed facility.

BU officials have raised concerns over keeping the varsity offices open while the Covid facility functions from its campus.

TOLD TO PACK UP: A student leaves with her belongings from BU’s Jnanabharathi campus

The government told us to hand over hostels for a dedicated Covid hospital as soon as possible. While the hostel for NE students has been handed over already as it was yet to be occupied, BBMP was also keen on the BDA hostel for SC/ST students. The other hostels weren’t in good condition. We have students from other districts and states who have been affected by this sudden notice. We are requesting the government to give us some time to vacate the rooms. For students who cannot reach, we have to find a place to keep their belongings.

KR Venugopal

BANGALORE UNIVERSITY VC

Govt contemplates hiring 1.5k doctors, 6k nurses

Govt contemplates hiring 1.5k doctors, 6k nurses

Chethan.Kumar@timesgroup.com

01.07.2020

Bengaluru: The government may hire 1,500 doctors and 6,000 nurses, besides reserving one in four beds in every hospital that has a minimum 200 beds to treat the infected.

These were moot points at a meeting between experts and chief minister BS Yediyurappa last week. While the government has already decided to implement some of the recommendations, the CM has sought a formal report from Dr Devi Shetty and Dr CN Manjunath, both of whom participated in the meeting, before taking a decision on hiring doctors and nurses.

Shetty had suggested the government “hire/recruit 50 doctors and 200 nurses for each district hospital,” and to identify doctors with a minimum two years of experience in handling ICU facilities.

“...To use the services of MBBS doctors with fellowship in critical care medicine as a long-term strategy and to enforce a policy to reserve a minimum of 50 beds in hospitals with 200 beds or more,” Shetty said, according to the minutes of Friday’s meeting.

P Ravikumar, principal secretary, chief minister’s office (CMO), told TOI: “These are extraordinary times and the government will act on the suggestions immediately once the report comes in.”

Further, more than one of the four experts present at the meeting recommended that the government set up tele-ICUs at each district.

“Tele-ICU is the best model adopted in the state and action will be taken to ensure tele-ICU facilities in all the district hospitals, including Bengaluru,” chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar said.

Dr Giridhara Babu, professor, Indian Institute of Public Health, aside from recommending tele-ICUs, also said the government must keep at least 5,000 beds ready in the next two months, while Dr MK Sudharshan suggested that the government supply immunity boosters to patients and engage health workers or volunteers at the ward and booth level to tackle the pandemic in Bengaluru.

While Karnataka has more than 1.2 lakh registered doctors, sources say not more than 5% are with the government. As per an earlier analysis by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), of the more than 1 lakh doctors in Karnataka in 2018, only 5,047 or 4.8% were with the government.

In huge boost, private medical colleges in B’luru to allot 50% beds for Covid patients

In huge boost, private medical colleges in B’luru to allot 50% beds for Covid patients

CATCHING UP 11 Institutions Part With 4,500 Beds, 2,200 Of Which Have Already Been Notified

State Faces Huge Backlog In Testing

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

01.07.2020

Bengaluru: In huge relief for the government which has been grappling with a shortage of facilities, private medical colleges in Bengaluru have agreed to part with about 4,500 beds to treat Covid-19 patients.

Chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday held a meeting – the second in as many days – with representatives of private hospitals and medical colleges at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday and later said of the 4.500 beds, 2,200 have already been notified.

“There are 2,000 beds available in government medical colleges and those offered by medical colleges will be added to the tally soon,” Yediyurappa said. He said four of the colleges have set up Covid testing labs and new testing facilities will be set up in the other colleges too.

On Monday, the government agreed to a proposal to share 50% of beds in private hospitals on an equal basis to treat virus-infected patients and also to extend insurance cover and police security to private doctors and paramedical staff involved in helping coronavirus patients recover.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, medical education minister K Sudhakar said Bengaluru has the most number of private medical colleges “in the country”. Of the 14 colleges, he said 11 are private and three are government-run.

About 1,000 beds have been kept aside for Covid patients at three government colleges, while the 11 private colleges have a total about 10,000 beds between them. Following Tuesday’s meeting, managements of these colleges agreed to make 50% -- about 4,500 beds including ICUs -- available for Covid patients. They have also agreed to make available ventilators, experts, doctors and paramedical staff, Sudhakar said.

Noting that all 4,500 beds may not be available immediately as non-Covid patients may be undergoing treatment, Sudhakar said the managements have promised to ensure all beds are available within a fortnight.

“The central allotment committee that we have constituted in coordination with nodal officers appointed for each medical college will allot beds in a scientific manner,” he said. Rates fixed for private hospitals will be applicable for private medical colleges also.

Pointing out that stipend has been increased to 45% for government medical college students since the pandemic struck, Sudhakar said private medical colleges would also have to pay stipend. He said the department would ensure payment and will take action if managements fail to pay up.

SELF SERVICE: Shop owners in Basavangudi, Bengaluru, decided to voluntarily down shutters as a precautionary measure on Tuesday

No new relaxations; schools and colleges in K’taka shut till July 31

No new relaxations; schools and colleges in K’taka shut till July 31

Anil.Gejji@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:  01.07.2020

In line with the central government’s Unlock 2.0 guidelines, the Karnataka government on Tuesday declared schools and colleges, cinema halls, multiplexes, swimming pools, Metro services, marriage halls and gyms across the state will continue to remain closed till July 31.

However, the government announced no further relaxations in the second edition of unlock measures.

The order issued by chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar said Sunday curfew will be in force till August 2 and the 8pm-5am curfew every night till July 31. However, essential services and those arriving from other cities have been exempt from these restrictions.

Though the guidelines issued by the ministry of home affairs late Monday night made a few allowances, the Karnataka government decided to continue with the relaxations offered under Unlock 1.0 since the number of cases is on an upward trajectory in the past two weeks.

In containment zones, the state government will enforce complete lockdown by allowing only essential services.

Workers spray disinfectant outside the high court building in Bengaluru on Tuesday | P 2

No curbs on movement of people within, outside state

The government has given local authorities a free hand to identify buffer zones outside the containment zones. However, this will not apply to essential activities, including operation of industrial units in multiple shifts, movement of persons and goods on national, state and major district highways.

As per the state guidelines, online/distance learning will be permitted. Central and state training institutions will be allowed to function from July 15 with the standard operating procedure.

There will be no curbs on movement of people and goods within and between the states. Restrictions on small gatherings — not more than 50 attendees at marriages and 20 for funerals — will continue. Large public gatherings and congregations are prohibited.

Those who are not wearing a mask will be asked to pay a fine of Rs 200 in municipal areas and Rs 100 in rest of the state. Spitting in public and consuming of alcohol, paan, gutka and tobacco in public places will continue to be prohibited.

FULL COVERAGE: P 2, 4 & 5

TikTok stars migrate to other platforms

TikTok stars migrate to other platforms

John Sarkar & Pankaj Doval TNN

New Delhi: 01.07.2020

Within minutes of the order blocking TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps, SaltNPepper, a wannabe actor in his early forties, reached out to his near-one million followers, advising them to follow him on his new personal website as well as Instagram and YouTube channel. He was not alone, with many Indian TikTok influencers, whose accounts were inaccessible on Tuesday, doing the same.

Some even went to the extent of praising the government’s action and exhorted their followers to back them up by following them on other social-media channels.

The most popular social media channels due to the ban of TikTok include Instagram and YouTube, which hitherto had been losing the race in bagging new subscribers to the Chinese app.

However, many of the Tik-Tok influencers are worried that their popularity may not be matched so aggressively on the other American platforms which have “more sophisticated users and followers”.

TikTok and ByteDance’s other app, Helo, had a bigger appeal in the hinterland and rural and semi-urban India where they are widely followed. Instagram and You-Tube are more of a metro phenomenon, and are popular with upmarket advertisers.

Surbhi Sikri, a 22-year-old Tiktoker known as Revolver-Rani on the Chinese platform, had over 6 million followers. “My parents are a bit worried as I had taken this as my career. There are some financial problems in my family and this will impact my earnings by at least 50%,” he told TOI.

On an average, a reasonably successful TikTok influencer makes around Rs 2 lakh a month.

Apps must adhere to country’s data sovereignty: kant

New Delhi:

All apps released in the country must adhere to India’s data integrity, privacy, sovereignty and transparency, a top policymaker said on Tuesday, a day after the Centre banned 59 Chinese apps. “They must be transparent in origin & final destination of data. India has to be a data sovereign country. This is critical. Apps against whom action has been taken are lifestyle apps,” NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Twitter. AGENCIES