UTK mulls regulating private hospital fees in Karnataka

July 1, 2014

Bangalore, Jul 1: Expressing concern over heavy medical fees in private hospitals, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader said that the state government will explore the possibility of controlling such fees through health department.

Replying to a query from BJP member Tara Anooradha ?in the Legislative Council, Mr Khader said it has come to the notice of the government that private hospitals were charging exorbitant rates for medical procedures and treatment.

He said that the State government will explore whether it was legally possible for the health department to regulate the rates for various medical procedures and facilities charged by private hospitals, labs, medical related units.

The minister, however, said that at present there is no provision to regulate the rates in private hospitals. “We will explore whether amendments can be brought to the Karnataka Private Medical?Establishments Act, 2007 to regulate the rate charged by private hospitals,” he said.

The Act aims at regulating private medical establishments, including diagnostic centres, health clubs and alternative medicine centres to ensure that people get quality healthcare.

The minister informed the House that as many as 3,622 private hospitals, blood banks, labs and other medical-related units have violated norms of by not displaying the rates charged for various medical procedures and facilities.

That 's not all. As many as 1,628 medical establishments have not even registered themselves which is mandatory under the provisions of the KPME?Act.

Mr Khader also said his department would take steps to ensure all medical establishments are registered within three months. Show cause notices had been served on 709 establishments, he said.

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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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