Minister promises ‘universal health coverage’ for all people in Karnataka

DHNS

June 16, 2017

Bengaluru, Jun 16: Health Minister K R Ramesh Kumar said the government will provide ‘Universal Health Coverage’ to all classes of people in the state.

Replying to K Gopalaiah (JD-S) in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, the minister said irrespective of APL or BPL status, all should get healthcare. Nobody should depend on private hospitals.

“Our plan is to extend health services to all. After being treated at a government hospital, a patient may visit private hospitals for secondary and tertiary treatment. The government will have to bear the cost in such cases. A decision in this regard will be taken at the next state Cabinet meeting,” he said.

The minister said the aim is to provide quality health cover to all sections of society, including taxi drivers, auto drivers and domestic helps.

Hearse van

Replying to Sudhakar Lal (JD-S), the minister said that the government has been providing hearse van facility in all government hospitals. The transport is provided from hospitals to places where the last rites are conducted. The government has given strict directions to hospitals to provide free hearse van facility, he added.

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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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