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Koppal: In the rice city Gangavathi taluk, rice threshing has started, but the rental price for the threshing machine has been burdensome for farmers. Farmers have to thresh rice by paying 4,500 rupees.”Using water from the Tungabhadra Achukattu region and the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal, according to district officials, rice has been cultivated in more than about 36 thousand hectares in Gangavati and Karatgi taluks. In Kanakagiri taluk as well, some farmers are cultivating rice using borewell water. With farmers in this region, known as the Rice City for cultivating various varieties of rice, the rental cost for rice threshing machines has become burdensome, creating a situation where farmers have to thresh rice despite the hardships.The shortage of agricultural laborers in farming activities is forcing farmers to rely on threshing machines. Currently, the southwest monsoon threshing season has begun, and farmers are preparing to thresh by using drought-resilient methods. Since all farmers have started threshing at the same time, demand for threshing machines has increased. Comparing with last year, there has been an increase of 600 to 700 rupees per hour. Last year, under the leadership of the tehsildar, a meeting was held and the rate was fixed at 2,500 to 2,600 rupees per hour. But this time, since the tehsildar did not hold a meeting and fixed no rental rate, threshing machine owners are singly raising prices and planning to charge 3,000 to 3,200 rupees per hour. It takes one and a half hours to thresh one acre of rice. Therefore, farmers have to spend 4,500 rupees to thresh one acre of rice. This is a burden on the farmers, and despite the economic hardship, they cannot leave the harvested crop unthreshed and are compelled to thresh it at a higher price.

Koppal: Even within the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which is intended to reimburse the expenses for surgeries of poor patients at private hospitals, money has been siphoned, and a private hospital doctor has been found to have siphoned 16,000 rupees for a surgery; the case has come to light only recently.The Ayushman Bharat scheme has been implemented to provide treatment to patients at private hospitals when government hospitals lack specialists, but there are incidents in the district where doctors at private hospitals are trying to make money under this scheme. Under the scheme, selected patients are to receive free treatment up to around 5 lakh rupees. The entire cost will be borne by the government for private hospitals. Private hospital doctors in the district are reportedly providing treatment under the scheme, extracting funds from the government while also siphoning money from the public. Such cases have come to light in Gangavati city. Read this too: A Aryan Khan controversy—Aryan Khan’s defiance shown to the crowd, Jamir’s son explains details.Doctors at the prestigious Mallikarjun Multispeciality Hospital in Gangavathi, Koppal district, under the Ayushman Bharat scheme performed kidney stone surgery for a patient selected under the scheme and siphoned 16,000 rupees. Read this too: Belagavi Session – Congress Legislative Party meeting on D-9.Lalita, a volunteer worker from Gangavathi city, was suffering from kidney stone problems. Due to a shortage of specialists at the government sub-district hospital, she went for treatment at Mallikarjun Multispeciality Hospital on Compli Road in the city. The hospital admitted the patient under the Ayushman Bharat scheme for surgery and performed the operation at 5:00 PM on September 7, 2024. At the time of admission, hospital staff took 5,000 rupees from the patient. After the surgery, it was claimed that medicines used for the surgery were purchased, and 6,000 rupees were collected. Finally, at the time of leaving home, another 5,000 rupees was taken as remaining bill. In total, 16,000 rupees were taken in three installments, and the hospital sent the patient away without providing any bill. Read this too: BJP criticizes the CM and CM, with DK Shivakumar presenting an affidavit pointing out the BJP’s remarks about the election.

Koppal: A young man who was seriously injured when a gas cylinder exploded in Hebbalu village in the Gangavathi taluk of the Koppal district has died today (D-17) despite treatment.Suresh (35), who was seriously injured in the collapse, has died. The others who were injured—Raj (38), Durugappa (27), Husennama (40), Nagaraj (18), Durugamma (17), Vishnu (16), and Shrikant (22)—are undergoing treatment. Read this too: Cylinder explosion – the entire house razed, 7 seriously injured. Koppal: In Hebbali village of Gangavathi taluk in the Koppal district, a gas cylinder exploded, and the seriously injured youth died today despite treatment. After the explosion, three severely injured people were admitted to Ballari hospital for further treatment. On Wednesday morning, Suresh died despite treatment. Huseinamma’s house had recently taken a cylinder. It exploded while being lit in the morning. The blast razed the entire house, and the walls of the neighboring houses were left cracked. Those standing next to the house also sustained burn injuries. Read this too: Police catch escape artist nabbed in Mangalore.

The Durgadevi Jatra festival of the city village goddess Durga Devi saw a grand procession as various worship rituals were performed on Sunday. From the morning, various puja rituals including Abhisheka, adornment, and Maha Mangalarati were performed for Durga Devi. On the concluding day of the festival, women along with their families visited the temple, received the goddess’s darshan, and some women offered obeisances and sought the goddess’s blessings. In order to prevent crowding inside the sanctum of the temple, the police personnel stood in a line for the devotees to queue up and receive darshan.In the morning, after most of the devotees received the goddess’s darshan, they rejoiced by tossing coins in the air. Prasadam arrangements were also made.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Bollagere, has ordered Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited, whose branch office is in Ballari, to pay the health insurance settlement amount to Rajeshkumar Suran, a resident of Gundamm Camp in the taluk, along with a penalty for service deficiency.The complainant Rajeshkumar paid an insurance amount of ₹5 lakh for the period from April 10, 2022 to April 9, 2023, with an insurance premium of ₹24,149. The second complainant, Shobha Devi Rajeshkumar, fell ill and was admitted to hospital for treatment on March 4, 2023, and was discharged after four days. During this period, she had obtained prior approval to receive cashless treatment.Based on prior approval, the second complainant paid ₹2.49 lakh to the hospital where the treatment was received, through NEFT. Later, the complainants received treatment at Gangavathi Siddheshwar Nursing Home and Exare Clinic for upfront hospital expenses, and paid ₹49,852, for which they submitted receipts.

“Everyone must come together to ensure the effective implementation of the state government’s five guarantees schemes,” said Venkatesh Babu, the president of the Guarantee Schemes Administrative Committee.Speaking at the progress review meeting of the Guarantee Schemes held on Monday at the Mandhan Hall of the city taluk panchayat, he said, “All eligible beneficiaries of the Anna Bhagya scheme must receive rations every month as a mandatory provision. The ration should be distributed by the end of the month by the fair price shop operators,” he instructed the Food Inspectors.They instructed that bus facilities should be provided for school-college children so as not to cause any trouble, and that officers must take action to ensure that beneficiaries do not get excluded from the guarantee schemes such as Gruhalakshmi, Shakti, Yuvanidhi, Gruha Jyoti, and Anna Bhagya. They also directed that beneficiaries who have died should be removed from the schemes.Speaking at the Taluk Panchayat EO Ramareddy Patil said, “Implementation department officers must achieve 100% progress. Identify eligible families who have been left out of the schemes and provide them with government facilities.” The implementation department officers of the five guarantee schemes submitted a progress report to the meeting.

Emphasizing the need to meet the various demands of migrant laborers, a protest was held in the city on Wednesday under the State Migrant Workers Federation.The protest demanded that the state implement a separate Welfare Board to provide job security and social security to migrant workers in the Maharashtra and Kerala models, extend facilities to identified unorganized workers, provide a compensation of ₹1 lakh for natural deaths, increase the funeral assistance to ₹25 thousand, and enforce the Karnataka Unorganized Workers’ Welfare Fund scheme for migrant workers and other unorganized workers.The APMS (Apmci) migrant workers’ hardship fund scheme initiated earlier has been highly beneficial for the poor migrant workers, and it should be continued with ongoing financial support from the government and the APMS committees, and the medical reimbursement scheme should be continued. They urged the government to implement model housing schemes for all homeless migrant workers through various housing schemes at both the state and central government levels.

The Bhavi couple who had gone for the photoshoot died in an accident, which occurred near Chikkabenkall village in Gangavathi taluk, in the district. Dream Cut Short: Couple Killed by Lorry The unfortunate incident occurred near Dasanal in Gangavati taluk, specifically near the Bandral – Venkatagiri Cross. The victims were identified as: Kariyappa Irakalagad (26) Kavita Pawadeppa Madiwala (19) The tragic accident took place when a lorry, reportedly carrying stones, collided with the motorcycle on which the couple was traveling. Both Kariyappa and Kavita died on the spot. The Last Journey Home The accident happened when Kariyappa was dropping Kavita, a resident of Mushtur village in Karatagi taluk, back to her village. Marriage Scheduled for December 20-21 The young couple was just on the brink of starting their new life together. Their wedding was scheduled to take place on December 20th and 21st. Adding to the tragic irony, they had just completed their pre-wedding shoot at Pampavana in Munirabad, Koppal, before the fatal journey. The death of the couple, who nurtured hundreds of dreams, has cast a pall of deep silence and sorrow (neeravamouna) over the two families and the entire village. A case has been registered at the Gangavati Rural Police Station regarding the accident.