BELAGAVI  SATURDAY  NOVEMBER 21, 2020  `7.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION AXE REMDESIVIR FROM COVID TREATMENT PROTOCOL: W.H.O. The UN health body said on Friday there’s no evidence that the drug improved the prospects of hospitalised patients MAY STILL BENEFIT A SUBGROUP OF PATIENTS EXPERTS DIVIDED OVER ITS EFFECTIVENESS The new guidelines come a month after results of WHO’s multi-country Solidarity Trial revealed that the antiviral drug had no significant positive outcome on the chances of survival, the need for a ventilator, or the length of hospital stay in patients with severe Covid-19. The WHO, however, said there could still be a potential small benefit in a subgroup of patients ■ ■ Reactions to the WHO trial’s findings have been mixed with many health experts welcoming it while others expressing reservations A recent study by a group of doctors in Bengaluru found that the drug improved patients’ survival chances if given early. A US govtapproved study had also come out with a similar finding in April A24,000 THE COST OF A COURSE OF REMDESIVIR TREATMENT IN INDIA CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Door-to-door survey as Delhi ramps up response EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi AMID continuing surge in Covid-19 cases, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday sought to enforce pandemic discipline by meeting representatives of market associations and seeking their cooperation, while assuring he does not want to shut the markets down. He urged the representatives to provide masks for free to shoppers not wearing them. Parallelly, the gover nment sought to wield the stick, as it provided legal backbone to the penalty of a whopping `2,000 it intends to slap on those flouting the mask norm. To do so, Lt Governor Anil Baijal approved a proposal to amend the Delhi Epidemic Disease Management of Covid-19 Regulations 2020, to insert the penalty . Meanwhile, the Delhi government has begun a door-todoor survey to identify people having Covid symptoms. The massive exercise is expected to be completed in five days and cover over 57 lakh people. In all, 6,608 new cases were detected in Delhi that is already witnessing a third Covid wave, taking the cumulative cases to 5,17,238. Also, 118 deaths were reported in a 24-hour span. The air quality too continued to be poor with smog choking the city’s lungs. Neighbouring Haryana recorded its highest single-day spike with 3,104 people testing positive. In Maharashtra, the fresh case count is now averaging 5,000 as compared to 2,0002,500 last week. Wary of a second wave, Mumbai’s schools and colleges will not open till Dec 31. They were earlier slated to reopen on Nov 23. With a steady uptick in fresh cases in Gujarat, night curfew has been imposed in Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara, in addition to Ahmedabad. COV I D BAT T L E: W H E R E K’ TA KA STA N DS Recovery rate is at its highest: 95.81 % Positivity rate in the state had dropped from its peak of 12.54% on September 27, to 8.71% on November 20 Doubling period has increased significantly, with the state taking 68 days to double its cases Negative growth rate of active Covid cases Mortality rate is inching towards 1%, and currently stands at 1.33% P3 Oz expert flags threat to space infrastructure E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bengaluru WHILE satellite-enhanced capabilities for cyberspace are fuelling excitement globally , there are increasing concerns over the safety of space infrastructure to ensure cyber security, according to Tobias Feakin, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs & Critical Technology at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Feakin, who is the head of the Australian government’s international engagement to advance and protect its national security, foreign policy economics, trade, and devel, opment interests in the internet and in cyberspace, noted that cyber security through space infrastructure plays a crucial role with the enormous amount of bandwidth capabilities that satellites are now providing. Speaking at a session on ‘From Cyberspace to Outer Space: Innovating with Australia in a post-COVID world’ at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 on Friday he said , there is a huge amount of bandwidth uplift now with satellites catering to remote places rapidly with such capabilities also being , utilised in Australia’s development programmes in India. “Yet, just like a lot of legacy equipment, such as energy plant or piece of transportation or other critical infrastructure from decades ago, spacecraft too weren’t designed with cyber secuity in mind,” he said, pointing out that its need has been heightP4 ened now. RBI open to letting large firms own banks Feels private lenders will drive growth; wants to expand banking sector after strengthening supervisory oversight between banks and other financial and non-financial group entities, the internal group report noted. The suggestions are significant as the central bank has in the past been firmly opposed to allowing large corporate entities to own banks. The working group also suggested that large non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) with asset size of `50,000 crore and above, including those owned by corporate entities, be converted into banks subject to completion of 10 years of operations. This could benefit industrial houses such as Aditya S E S A S E N @ New Delhi IT is time to open up India’s banking sector to allow large companies to own banks, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In its report released Friday , an internal RBI panel headed by RBI Central Board Director P K Mohanty said industrial houses can be allowed to promote banks after the Banking Regulations Act is amended to this effect. The supervisory wing of the re gulator must also be strengthened to prevent connected lending and exposures huge relief for women, as in most matrimonial disputes, husbands understate their income, but are called out in court due to lack of proof. The order came on an appeal filed by Rahmat Bano of Jodhpur wherein the commission rejected the I-T depart- K A N U S A R D A @ New Delhi IF you suspect your estranged husband is concealing the size of his gross income to avoid paying maintenance, just file a Right to Information (RTI) application with the income tax department to ferret out the data. The Central Information Commission recently upheld the right of a spouse to get the data through the RTI mechanism. The order came as a LITTLE did this doctor expect that a lost SD card of his mobile phone would make him the target of extortionists. Dr Prakash Baburao, a resident of Dattagalli in Mysuru and practising in Periyapatna, had lost the chip which contained some objectionable videos. Unfortunately for him, the SD card landed in the hands of Naveen, a resident of Periyapatna, who approached the doctor in January and demanded money Naveen and his accom. plices even threatened to upload  It also recommended minimum initial capital requirement for licensing new banks be doubled to D1,000 crore for universal banks and enhanced toD300 crore from D200 cr for small finance banks Birla, Bajaj, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Sons that already have large NBFCs with more than a decade of operations. Back in the 1990s, when RBI ment’s spin of her being a third party to block information. The CIC also rubbished the argument that seeking such information is out of the ambit of the RTI Act. It directed Jodhpur’s I-T department to provide the data to Bano within 15 days. PLUGGING THE LOOPHOLES “If false statements and misrepresentations are made, the court may consider initiation of perjury proceedings and for contempt of court,” a Supreme Court bench recently said The order came days after the Supreme Court tightened the rules regarding grant of maintenance in matrimonial cases. Henceforth, both spouses will have to make full disclosure of their income and assets from the date the maintenance application is filed. The court noted that in many cases, husbands refuse to pay maintenance or alimony by disposing of their assets and claiming reduced income. SPACE COLLABORATION P E A R L M A R I A D ’ S O U Z A @ Bengaluru K’taka signs 8 MoUs Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government on Friday announced eight MoUs and intentions for collaboration with partner countries. Countries like Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the USA showed their intent in partnering with Karnataka in the areas of skilling, R&D, ecosystem connects, life science and biotechnology, healthcare, etc. A little over a month after Sweden approved a site to launch small satellites at Esrange Space Center in North Sweden on October 14, the Sweden Space Corporation has made an offer to private Indian companies to bring rockets to launch small satellites from their new launchpad. Confirming this to The New Indian Express on the sidelines of Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 on Friday Arne Christer Fugle, sang, Sweden-based European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut who is now Adjunct Professor in Space Physics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, however, said no rocket building facilities would be provided in Sweden for these companies. Fuglesang explained that rockets built and assembled by Indian companies could be transported into Sweden to the site, and Swedish satellites to be launched will not weigh more than 150kg. A l t h o u g h a n ap p e a l i n g o f f e r, t h e feasibility for Indian startups remains a question, said a source from the industry The . four startups in India that are working on launch vehicles to release 150-kg satellites into space, are yet to prove their launch capability Neither is there a private launch . site for the same in India. Indian space startups, at the moment, are waiting for the space P4 policy to be released. the videos on social media. The doctor gave in and paid up Rs 30 lakh at different intervals. A few months later, Naveen and his aides Harish, Shivaraj, Vijay and Anitha from Periyapatna and Hunsur again approached him and demanded Rs 70 lakh more and threatened to release the videos. Unable to meet their demands, Baburao, who is also the president of the BJP Periyapatna taluk unit, complained to the Mysuru police on November 11. The Kuvempu Nagar police picked up all the five accused on November 15. The police said the gang used women for extortion and targeted doctors, government officers and business people. Incidentally Naveen is an expelled , member of the BJP Yuva Morcha. The police have recovered a car which the accused that bought with the money they extorted from Baburao, but are yet to recover the cash. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police Prakash Gowda clarified that it was a case of blackmail and honeytrap. This is not a case of honeytrep, but of blackmail. We are also investigating other cases involving the accused and the video footage found on the SD card Prakash Gowda, Deputy Commissioner of Police tional now. While private banks recorded sustained growth over the years, there’s a long way to break into the global top 100. Currently, only the government-owned State Bank of India figures among the top 100 global banks by size. Large private banks including ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank have sizes lower than that of Spanish Banco de Sabadell, which ranks 100th. RBI has sought comments from stakeholders on the internal group’s report by January 15, 2021, after which P10 it will take a final call. EXPRESS READ Sonia reaches coastal Goa on medical advice New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday reached Goa from Delhi for a few days after doctors advised her to get away from air pollution. P8 Biden wins Republican stronghold Georgia Washington: US President-elect Joe Biden has won Georgia, becoming the first Democrat to win the state since 1992. Kannada groups call for bandh on December 5 Launch satellites from our launchpad: Sweden to Indian cos A lost chip, and a heavy price to pay @ Mysuru  Promoters’ stake be raised to 26% from the current 15% over 15 years, the report suggested doled out its first set of licences for private banks, it had left out industrial houses. However, the P K Mohanty panel, whose brief was to review the extant ownership guidelines and cor porate structure for Indian private sector banks, said private banks will be crucial for the future growth of the banking sector, which is currently dominated by governmentowned lenders. Fourteen licences for universal banks have been issued in the private sector since 1993, out of which only 10 are opera- Info on husband’s income just an RTI away IN A SOUP EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE HIGHER PROMOTER STAKE EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru CHIEF’S SORTIE Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria takes off on his maiden flight in a Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), indigenously designed and developed by HAL, in Bengaluru on Friday | EXPRESS ‘Treasure hunters’ desecrate idol at Hoysala-era temple B R U D AY K U M A R @ Hassan SUSPECTED treasure hunters have desecrated and broken the idol of Goddess Mahakali at the historic Lakshmi temple in Doddagaddavalli of Belur taluk late night on Tuesday However, the . idols of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, opposite the Mahakali idol were untouched. The incident came to light when the temple priest went to offer puja to the deity on Friday morning. The miscreants have gained entry into the temple, located on the outskirts of the village, by breaking open the main door. The over 900-year-old temple was built during the reign of Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana in 1113 AD. The Chatuskuta temple of the Hoysala style of architecture, was constructed by sculptors Pariyatra Mahavadda, Kullana Rahuta and his wife Sahaja Devi. Like the Hoysala temples in Belur and Halebid, the Lakshmi temple, with unique sculptures carved around it, also draws hordes of tourists and is conserved and maintained by the Archeological Survey of India. Condemning the incident, Shivasugnana Murthy swamiji of Aremadanahalli Mutt, Arkalgud, has urged the district authorities to arrest those responsible and to take steps to install a new Mahakali idol at the earliest. Locals alleged that the Archeological department has failed to provide security to the historic temple which has very rare idols and sculptures. “The incident wouldn’t have happened if security personnel had been posted”, rued one of the villagers. Hassan Rural police visited the spot. The broken idol of Goddess Mahakali at the 900-year-old Lakshmi temple in Doddagaddavalli of Belur taluk. DC seeks report from department Hassan District Deputy Commissioner R Girish has asked officials of the Archeological department to submit a detailed report regarding the incident and measures being taken to conserve the monument. RAISING the heat, pro-Kannada organisations have called for a dawn-to-dusk ‘Karnataka bandh’ on December 5 to protest against the State Government’s decision to constitute a Maratha Development Board. The organisations have demanded that, except for essential services, all other businesses and services remain shut from 6 am to 6 pm. The members of organisations said protest demonstrations will also be held at interstate borders in the state and they will not allow the government to set up the Maratha Development Board office in Vidhana Soudha. The CM had earlier stated that the bandh will not be allowed. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj said they will go ahead with the bandh on December 5 and will not reconsider the decision at any cost. “Let them put us in jail, we don’t care. What was the need for a Marata board in Karnataka? This is not acceptable” he insisted. Hoteliers, taxi unions and hund re d s o f p ro - K a n n a d a organisations are supporting the bandh, he claimed. They will also take out a rally from Town Hall to Freedom Park in Bengaluru. Nagaraj also appealed to farmers’ associations to join the protest. Starting Monday, the activists plan to close the borders at Ballari (November 23), Koppal (Nov 24), Hubballi-Dharwad (Nov 25), Attibele in Bengaluru (Nov 26), K R Puram in Bengaluru (Nov 28), Mysuru Bank Circle (Nov 30), Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (December 1), Davanagere-Chitradurga (Dec 2), Mysuru-Mandya (Dec 3) and Chamarajanagar (Dec 4).