1. ‘You Aren’t Indians’: BJP Men Heckle Bengaluru Students Opposing CAA
A group of BJP workers heckled students of a Bengaluru women’s college, after the students opposed to the party workers putting up a pro-CAA banner on the college walls without permission. The mobile phone recordings of the argument that ensued show the BJP workers shouting at the students that they were not Indians.
“You are not concerned about citizenship, you are concerned about yourself… you are not Indians.” said a BJP worker. It was also alleged that the BJP workers called the students Pakistanis and asked them to go to Pakistan. The incident took place on Wednesday, 8 January, when a group of BJP workers put up a banner on the walls of Jyothi Nivas College (JNC) in Bengaluru’s Koramangala.
(Source: The Quint)
2. CM Likely to Go in for an Overhaul; Some Ministers May Get the Sack
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is reportedly toying with the idea of not just expanding his Cabinet but also overhauling it, by dropping some ministers and inducting a few fresh faces, in an effort to maintain caste and regional balance.
He is expected to go to Delhi next week to hold meetings with the party high command to get the expansion and reshuffle cleared.
Of the maximum strength of 34, the Cabinet presently has 18 people, including the chief minister, leaving 16 berths vacant. Of this, 11 will go to former Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs who defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party and won the bypolls. Two are expected to be kept vacant for N Nagaraju (MTB) and R Shankar, who may be made MLCs in June and ministers later.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru Fined Rs 1 lakh for Flouting Biomedical Waste Laws
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has fined JP Nagar branch of Manipal Hospitals Rs 1 lakh for violating waste management rules. Taking to Twitter, IAS officer D Randeep, who is the Special Commissioner of Solid Waste Management, said, “Staff of the hospital has been found handing over Medical Waste mixed with dry waste to Open Lorry by Marshal. Penalty challan raised for Rs.1 lakh. Bio-medical waste is to be handled as per Bio-medical Waste Rules 2016 only.”
Biomedical waste is any waste generated during the process of diagnosis and treatment of humans or animals from hospitals, veterinary hospitals, clinics, research institutes, chemists, diagnostic centres etc. Biomedical waste is highly toxic and has the risk of causing injuries or infections during handling and disposal. A major part of biomedical waste includes used needles, scalpel blades, anatomical body parts, blood samples, contaminated body fluids, dressings and IV lines.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Tour Operator Held for Fake ISRO Visit Permit
A 36-year-old travel agency owner who used fraudulent means to cash in on the interest generated by Isro’s endeavours among students across the country has landed in police custody.
Harsha, a resident of Kamakshipalya and owner of Shiv Package Tours, Nagarbhavi, was arrested for allegedly forging a letter of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) granting permission to 63 students and faculty of a private school in Maharashtra to visit the institution’s Peenya facility from where Chandrayaan-2 mission was tracked.
The incident came to light when the 63-member touring party arrived at Isro Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) office in Peenya on Saturday. The students and teachers of the school in Khopoli, an industrial city in Raigad district, Maharashtra, were in Bengaluru as part of their oneweek educational tour of South India.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Metro Rail Smart Card Discount Reduced From 15% to 5%
Regular users of Namma Metro who have smart cards will have to shell out more for their daily commute.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited on Wednesday announced that the discount offered on smart cards will be reduced from the current 15% to 5%. This will come into effect on 20 January for all smart card holders on both Green and Purple Lines.
The BMRCL, in a press release, cited various reasons for this decision from rise in operational costs to a poor showing this financial year.
(Source: The Hindu)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)