CM asks officials to bring down positivity rate to less than 5% in Karnataka

News Network

June 10, 2021

Bengaluru, June 10: Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday held a video conference with the deputy commissioners of eight districts and expressed concern over Covid-19 cases not decreasing as expected.

Pointing out the poor show in containing the pandemic in Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Mysuru, Mandya, Shivamogga and Tumakuru districts, Yediyurappa asked the officials to continue the lockdown restrictions.

With just four days left to ease the curbs, which are in effect since April 27, he told them that a decision regarding these districts will soon be taken.

"The cases have come down due to the stringent measures adopted by the state government during lockdown but they are not decreasing in these eight districts as expected. The chief minister expressed his anxiety over the increase in cases in rural areas," a statement issued by the chief minister's Office said.

Of the total cases in the State, 65,000 active cases come from these eight districts and the rate of decrease in the cases are least in these districts, the statement read.

The chief minister instructed the officers to bring down the positivity rate to less than five per cent, the CMO said.

The chief minister instructed the officials to strictly ensure compliance of preventive measures to contain the pandemic. He also directed them to abide by the guidelines in the micro containment zones, the statement said.

Yediyurappa asked the deputy commissioners to intensify Covid-19 tests, especially in Belagavi, and give the RT-PCR reports within 24 hours of the test.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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