Over 1K children lost at least one parent during covid 2nd wave in Karnataka

News Network
June 23, 2021

Bengaluru, June 23: The government of Karnataka has identified as many as 52 children that lost their both parents and became orphans during the second wave of Covid-19. More than one thousand children lost at least one parent.

Presiding over a meeting convened to review the measures taken to protect children during the third wave of Covid-19 here on Tuesday, Women & Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle said the government has implemented bala seva scheme and bala hitaishi scheme for the welfare of such children.

The minister said she held discussions with relatives of such children and kids via video conference and gathered their opinions. Under bala seva scheme, each child would get Rs 3,500 per month and free education. Eligible children would get either a laptop or a tablet. It has been decided to provide a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to girls aged above 21 years.

She said under the bala hitaishi scheme, the government would establish a link between children with a single parent or those lost parents with donors. Parents who don’t have kids would also be allowed to adopt a child legally.

She said Davangere district has five children who lost parents due to other reasons, one child lost both parents due to Covid-19 and 125 children lost either their father or mother. She directed the officials concerned to upload the details of such children on the Bala Swaraj portal.

She said the department is taking all measures to tackle the third wave of Covid-19 that is likely to hit kids. As many as 1,875 children aged below 18 years of age contracted the Covid-19 infection during the first wave. As many as 2,283 children were infected by it during the second wave. But there was no child who was seriously ill.

District Health Officer Nagaraj said the district has seven lakh children aged below 19 years. It is estimated that 10 per cent children may contracted the viral infection during the third wave of Covid-19.

In order to tackle the third wave of Covid-19, 68 pediatricians have been identified in the district. A children's ward with 68 beds will be set up in the district general hospital, while ten beds with oxygen facilities will be set up in each taluk general hospital.

Each taluk will have two covid care centres for children. In total, 2,500 beds for children have been arranged.

A proposal has been submitted to the government seeking 60 ventilators, medicine. Training programmes would be conducted for doctors, asha, anganwadi workers and nurses in the first week of July.

MP G M Siddeshwara promised a 12-year old girl child from Honnali taluk who lost her parents due to Covid-19 that he would bear her higher education expenses.

MLAs Ramachandrappa, SA Raveendranath, Linganna, Zilla Panchayat Executive Officer Vijay Mahantesh, Superintendent of Police C B Rishyanth were present in the meeting.

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News Network
November 22,2025

Mangaluru: Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H has warned of strict action against individuals spreading rumours and attempting to create insecurity within the Muslim community and fuel hatred between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

Referring to a recent social media post alleging that police personnel had entered a masjid premises to check whether beef was being cooked, the commissioner said miscreants were attempting to push their communal agenda. 

“A group of people, both from Mangaluru and abroad, are trying hard to spread rumours. For the past 10 days, they have been attempting to rake up old issues, highlight routine matters as controversies, or fabricate news altogether,” he said.

He reiterated that any such attempts to disturb communal harmony would invite legal action. “Cases will be registered and the accused will be brought to book,” he stated.

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News Network
November 24,2025

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Israel has launched a new act of aggression on a residential neighborhood in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, killing and injuring about two dozen civilians.

The Israeli regime's military said in a statement that its forces carried out a so-called precise strike in a residential apartment in Dahiyeh in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday.

The aggression targeted residential areas, killing at least five people and injuring more than 28 people, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. 

Hezbollah announced the martyrdom of senior Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai and four resistance fighters.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned the airstrike, calling it a clear demonstration of Tel Aviv’s disregard for repeated international calls to halt violations on Lebanese soil.

“Israel refuses to implement international resolutions and all efforts aimed at ending the escalation and restoring stability,” Aoun said, urging the international community to take action to prevent further aggression.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also condemned the attack, holding the international community accountable. 

“The international community bears responsibility and continues to provide cover for these attacks as long as it does not restrain the occupiers,” said Ali Abu Shahin, a member of the group’s political bureau.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli army carried out a strike “in the heart of Beirut."

Netanyahu reportedly approved the operation following recommendations from top Israeli security officials.

Two senior US officials commented on the Israeli strike.

The first official said that Israel did not notify Americans in advance about the attack. "We were informed immediately after the strike was carried out."

The second senior official said that the "US knew for several days that Israel was planning to escalate its strikes in Lebanon, but did not know in advance the timing, location, or target of the strike."

Speaking from the site of the Israeli strike, Lebanese MP Ali Ammar condemned the attack as part of a broader campaign of aggression that has targeted "all of Lebanon since the Washington-sponsored ceasefire."

He stated that "any attack on Lebanon is a violation of red lines; this aggression is part and parcel of the entity that targets Lebanon's dignity, sovereignty, and security of citizens."

Ammar went on to say the resistance is responding with "utmost wisdom, patience, and will confront the enemy at the appropriate time."

"Unfortunately, the enemy is emboldened to commit its aggression by voices within Lebanon that have turned themselves into tools that support its aggression," he added.

The Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital is the latest blatant violation of the ceasefire Israel signed with Hezbollah in November 2024, which was intended to end hostilities that had escalated into full-scale war.

An Israeli strike on the Ain al-Hilweh camp near Sidon in southern Lebanon late Tuesday killed at least 14 people. It wounded several others, including young students, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The military claimed the attack targeted “a Hamas training compound” used to plan and carry out attacks against the regime -- a claim that has frequently been made without evidence.

Hamas rejected the allegations as “a blatant lie aimed at justifying the massacre,” stating it had “no military installations in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon” and that the targeted site was merely “an open sports field.”

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 4,000 people and displaced more than 1.2 million residents across the country since October 2023.

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News Network
December 1,2025

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Udupi, Dec 1: A horrific case of alleged rape has unfolded in Udupi, where a worker from a Hindutva organisation, previously arrested and released on bail for harassing a young woman, is now accused of waylaying and sexually assaulting her.

The arrested individual has been identified as Pradeep Poojary (26), a member of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's Nairkode unit in Perdur.

Poojary had allegedly been relentlessly harassing the young woman, pressuring her to marry him. When she bravely stood up to him and refused his demands, she filed a formal complaint at the Hiriyadka police station. He was subsequently arrested in that initial harassment case but was later granted bail.

According to police reports, driven by the same malicious grudge, Poojary allegedly intercepted the woman again on November 29. While she was walking through a deserted area, the accused is claimed to have threatened her by grabbing her neck. When she again refused to marry him, he allegedly proceeded to rape her.

The survivor immediately informed her family about the traumatic assault. Following this, her parents lodged a complaint at the Udupi women’s police station.

Police arrested Poojary again and produced him before the court. He has since been remanded to judicial custody.

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