280 hospitals in Karnataka to provide free treatment to accident victims

Bengaluru, Mar 3: The State government is all set to launch the Mukhyamantri Santwana Yojana, that will provide free relief to accident victims, on March 8, Minister for Health and Family Welfare U?T?Khader said here on Wednesday

Speaking at an event organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), Khader said that the State government will provide Rs 25,000 relief to the accident victims for the first 48 hours under the scheme.

“It is not just the people of this State, others too are eligible to avail treatment. Even if an outsider meets with an accident in the State, he will also be eligible to avail the benefits under this scheme,” he added.

A total of 280 hospitals across the State have been identified to offer the scheme. Apart from taluk-level hospitals, district-level hospitals and medical college hospitals, 80 private hospitals have been empanelled under the scheme.

Khader added that fully equipped blood banks would be set up in all districts and blood collection centres would be set up in all talkus across the State. However, the minister did not divulge details on the amount set aside for these under the State budget.

Following recommendations by the FKCCI for more dialysis centres in rural areas, Khader said that the State would soon have dialysis centres set up on a public-private-partnership model basis at all taluks.

“The government can have several dialysis centres but finding manpower has remained a challenge. Hence, to address this, we will partner with NGOs,” he said.

Garbage crisis

When representatives of the FKCCI spoke about the garbage crisis in Bengaluru, the minister said that until a solution is found to address the garbage issue, there can be no end to communicable diseases.

“There are so many lakes in the City. How many of them are cleaned at regular intervals? Not even 40 per cent of what we consume as drinking water is fit for human consumption. Even the civic body has to do its bit,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, P?S?Ramkumar, member, FKCCI urged the government to improve tele-medicine to save the a patient's travel cost and time. “On an average, if people in Bengaluru have to avail treatment, Rs 5 crore is spent on travel alone. If tele-medicine can be improved, at least 80 per cent of the travel can be cut down,” he said.

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very well done sir, your have done a very good move in this, it will save our youngsters lives.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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