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1. Decode Karnataka | Ballari maternal deaths: Do India’s drug regulatory laws need a reform?
India ranks third worldwide as a producer of drugs and pharmaceuticals by volume, but poor quality manufacturing and improper testing continue to pose a problem. The recent deaths of five young mothers at Ballari District Hospital in Karnataka was only a stark reminder of this.
What does the episode say about the overall state of public healthcare in India? Are the existing drug regulatory laws enough to streamline the manufacture and supply of medicines in the country? How much power do States have in this process? We speak to Dr. Shaibya Saldanha, a Bengaluru-based obstetrician-gynaecologist, in this week’s episode of Decode Karnataka.
2. Road accidents in Bengaluru: 893 people killed in 2024
The Bengaluru city police recorded a total of 4,784 road accidents cases in which 893 people were killed and 4,052 people were injured in 2024. According to the statistics released by the traffic police, the number of accidents have declined by 3.9% compared to last year.
“The efforts made by BTP and all stakeholders towards improving road safety in 2024 has resulted in the reduction of fatal accidents by 1.26% in deaths due to accidents and by 1.90% in non-fatal accidents, taking the overall reduction to 3.97% in the total number of accidents compared to 2023,” officials said.
3. C.T. Ravi case: Basavaraj Horatti says no further action unless Laxmi Hebbalkar files fresh complaint
Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti on January 1, 2024, said that unless he receives a fresh complaint from Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar supported by audio-video evidence regarding what transpired in the Legislative Council on December 19, he would not be able to take any further step as he had already ruled on the issue.
The Chairman said that in the 113-year history of the Legislative Council, such an incident had never happened. “As a custodian of the House, of which I have been a member for 45 years, I am deeply pained by the incident. It should not have happened,” he said. He said that none, including the chief minister, had tried to pressure him and he would not yield even if anyone tried.
4. Karkala resident loses over ₹8 lakh to threat of ‘digital arrest’
A resident of Karkala in Udupi district fell prey to a call confining him to a room through ‘digital arrest’ and lost ₹8.93 lakh, despite awareness messages being sent on mobile phones by the Central government.
The scammer called 57-year-old Shivanand V. Padmashali claiming to be an officer from the Mumbai Crime Branch, and said a case had been registered against him for transfer of over ₹30 lakh to different bank accounts. Therefore, he would be confined to a room in his house by way of ‘digital arrest’.
Published – January 01, 2025 06:39 pm IST
