1. Beyond Carlton says NCRB data on fire accidents and fatalities needs to be cross-checked
The number of fire accidents and fatalities have drastically declined in India since 2015, data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows, but Beyond Carlton, a civic group formed to work on fire safety following the fire accident at Carlton Towers in Bengaluru in February 2010 that claimed nine lives and caused injuries to over 70 persons, argued that the data needs to be ‘cross-checked’.
Beyond Carlton released a report ‘Fire Safety in India: A Beyond Carlton Perspective’, in Bengaluru on February 15, to mark the 15th anniversary of the tragic fire accident. According to the report, while the country reported 27,976 fire accidents in 1999 and only 7,566 accidents in 2022, the fatalities due to fire accidents have also come down from 27,561 in 1996 to 7,435 in 2022. The downward trend starts from 2015.
2. G.T. Deve Gowda says clean chit to Siddaramaiah in MUDA case vindicates his rejection of calls for resignation
Senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Deve Gowda, who is having an ambivalent relationship with his party, has defended Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after the Lokayukta police gave him a clean chit in the probe into alleged irregularities in allotment of sites by MUDA to his wife.
Mr. Deve Gowda criticised the hasty demands for the Chief Minister to step down, stressing that an FIR alone does not imply guilt. He said, if all those named in an FIR have to resign, then most ministers, including those at the Centre, have to resign. Merely registering an FIR does not imply guilt, he added.
3. Samsung to offer STEM training to students at GSSS Institute in Mysuru
Samsung R&D Institute India, Bangalore (SRI-B) commenced its flagship global citizenship programme, the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC), at Geetha Shishu Shikshana Sangha (GSSS) Institute of Engineering and Technology for Women in Mysuru.
According to SRI-B, the SIC programme focuses on core technology skills, including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Big Data, and Coding & Programming, and is especially designed by Samsung’s global R&D experts to make India’s youth industry-ready.
4. Kundapura accident victim’s organs donated
The family of Raghavendra (35), who met with a road accident on February 17 at 12.20 a.m. at Kundapura in Udupi district, has helped save the lives of a few patients by donating the organs of the deceased on February 19.
The victim was admitted to Kasturba Hospital, Manipal but his health condition deteriorated rapidly despite exhaustive medical intervention. Once he was declared brain dead by a panel of expert doctors in accordance with the Transplantation of Human Organ Act 1994, his family decided to donate his organs, thereby offering a lifeline to others in need.
