The Karnataka government will examine whether employees in the state's film industry, hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, could be considered as frontline workers and facilitate them get vaccinations, Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwathnarayan said here on Sunday. Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwathnarayan said the film industry was one of the sectors which had been severely hit on account of the pandemic and induced lockdown. "The film industry has been in difficulties since March 2020 and their distress has been continuing due to restrictions on shooting activities and closure of theatres.
Organisations and donors should come forward generously at this juncture to help film artists considering the plight they have been facing," he said. The government would examine whether they could be considered frontline workers and facilitate them get vaccinations, he said. The DCM today symbolically distributed food kits donated by a charitable trust to supporting artists of Kannada films.
He also announced a personal aid of Rs 1,000 each to 200 supportive artists during the occasion. As part of the financial package announced by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa recently, artistes and art teams will be given Rs 3,000 each, benefitting 16,095 of them and it will cost Rs 4.82 crore.
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Sunday said health infrastructure in the state has been ramped up significantly to control the pandemic, despite the revenue crunch. Capacity to test 1.5-2 lakh samples per day, availability of 1,015 Metric Tonnes of oxygen and more than 22,000 oxygen beds, supply of Remdesivir as per requirement are among various measures initiated by the state government, the Minister's office said in a release. The Departments of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education have worked in synergy towards improving health infrastructure in Karnataka, it said, claiming that this has helped the state mitigate the impact of the second wave and provide timely treatment to the patients.