Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said the state government will be issuing an order banning the use of firecrackers during Deepavali, due to prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation.
"We have discussed it (cracker ban), we are taking a decision to ban the use of firecrackers during Deepavali..the government will soon be issuing an order to this effect," Yediyurappa said.
"We have decided that Diwali celebrations will be a very simple and low-key affair. The official order will be passed soon," he added.
Speaking to reporters here, he said due to COVIDand related reasons use of firecrackers are being banned this time.
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Several states including Rajasthan, Odisha, Delhi have already decided to ban firecrackers. State Health Minister K Sudhakar on Thursday said firecrackers can badly impact the health of those who have already been infected by coronavirus. He also said experts have advised to control their use, and a final decision will be taken after consultation with the Chief Minister.
Briefing about making Karnataka IT hub, he said, "I am happy to inform you that this is one of the biggest initiatives taken up by the government in industry partnership. I hope that this initiative will be a win-win situation for the Centre and the state and also for the industries. Our govt in collaboration with Tata Technologies is implementing up-gradation of 150 govt owned Industrial training institute (ITI) with an investment of Rs 4,636 crore. We are selecting ITI across all districts."
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