Category Archives: Uncategorized

Workshop for ASHA workers, mentors on bleeding disorders tomorrow

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technology, Uncategorized

Manipal :

Kasturba Hospital, Manipal and Manipal Haemophilia Society is organizing a one-day training program for ASHA workers and ASHA mentors for identifying persons with bleeding disorders in four districts of Karnataka at community health centre (CHC) , Kota in Udupi district on Thursday. Dr Ramachandra Bairy, district health and family welfare officer, Udupi will inaugurate the programme at the Kota CHC.

Kasturba Hospital, Manipal Haemophilia Society and Manipal University have initiated a project ‘IDEEA’ (Identification, diagnosis, education and empowerment for action) which is funded by Nova Nordisk Hemophilia Foundation, Switzerland. The project IDEEA aims at identification and diagnosis of all cases of bleeding disorders in the four districts of the state namely – Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Chikmagalur and Shimoga.

Lecture cum discussion will be organised to train ASHA workers on bleeding disorders. After the training, ASHA workers are expected to do house to house survey and identify persons with bleeding disorders at the earliest stage. All suspected persons with such disorders will be referred to the Hospital for further evaluation and treatment at a subsidized cost. Around 3,000 ASHA workers from neighbouring districts will be trained as a part of this project.

The authorities plan to cover a population of 56 lakh spread  over four districts. Manipal Haemophilia Society is a registered chapter of Haemophilia Foundation of India, New Delhi and affiliated to World federation of Haemophilia, Canada. It functions from Kasturba Hospital here. Manipal Hemophilia Society is involved in identification, diagnosing and providing comprehensive care to persons with haemophilia and von Willebrand disease.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Mangalore / by Jaideep Shenoy, TNN / December 12th, 2012

Doctors deliver hope to rural pregnant women

Science & Technology, Uncategorized

Hubli:

Rural pregnant women  face several disadvantages compared to their urban counterparts. They are more likely to receive delayed or inadequate parental care, factors that contribute to higher infant mortality. In Dharwad, a group of gynecologists hope to better their lot by voluntarily offering their services.

Karnataka State Obstetrics and Gynecological Association , which also includes doctors of Hubli’s Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) hospital, has initiated a unique pilot programme. The three-month programme ensures obstetrical care in rural areas, and enables healthy and full-term pregnancies for rural women in Dharwad district.

Apart from high infant mortality, many districts in north Karnataka have also registered high number of malnourished children. The region has also witnessed high incidence of deaths of women who have given birth to malnourished babies in Gulbarga, Bidar, Koppal, Raichur and other parts of North-Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnatak region. In Dharwad district, around 25 such postnatal maternal deaths have been recorded since January.

To educate mothers on how to take care of their yet-to-be-born child and themselves during pregnancy, teams of gynecologists have decided to tour all primary health centres (PHC) of the district. Each team will take turns for the visits on the first and third Thursday of every month, without depending on any aid or benefit from the government.

“Around 150 gynecologists from Hubli and Dharwad are members of the association, and we have chosen 25 specialist doctors from twin cities to visit 33 PHCs of Dharwad district. From January 3 we will initiate this programme in the entire state. Despite several attempts of the government, the number of maternal deaths has not come down. So we decided to do something,” said Dr M G Hiremath, state president of the Karnataka State Obstetrics and Gynecological Association.

FIRST TIME IN STATE

Dr N M Angadi, district health officer, Dharwad, said that there is only one specialist gynecologist for district hospitals. One doctor can’t manage the line of deliveries that come up and can’t visit every PHC of the district. Dharwad district association of obstetrics and gynecologists has come forward to help the pregnant women in the district’s villages. This is the first time in the state that any association of doctors has come forward to join the hands of government hospitals, he added.

source:  http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hubli / by J Abbas Mulla, TNN / December 11th, 2012

Kudubi tribals to meet at World Konkani Centre from Saturday

Uncategorized

Mangalore :

Leaders and representatives from 84 villages or ‘Vaalya’s of Kudubi tribe will meet to take stock of elements of their intangible cultural heritage such as traditional knowledge, skills and expressive culture that embody their Identity in a two-day workshop at World Konkani Centre, Shaktinagar from Saturday.

Organized by Karnataka Rajya Kudubi Samaja Sangha, Kudubi Koodukattugala Okkoota, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Kudubi Seva Sangha, Kompadavu and Kudubi Samajoddhara Sangha, Udupi district, the workshop will also focus on preparing a developmental roadmap for the community for the next five years.

The workshop is supported by World Konkani Centre in tune with the  Unesco  convention on safeguarding Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) which encourages widest possible participation of the community in all levels of Safeguarding of ICH of a particular community.

The Workshop is also part of KONTACH an initiative under Vision TVM of World Konkani Centre which aims at empowering Konkani speaking communities by helping them prepare roadmap for integrated development of the community and at the same time encouraging them to safeguard elements of their intangible cultural heritage.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Mangalore / by Jaideep Shetty, TNN / December 06th, 2012

Two govt teachers to learn more from Belgium

Education, Uncategorized

Bangalore:

How often have you heard of government teachers getting to go abroad? Two such teachers working in Davanagere and Dharwad schools have been selected to visit the University College of Arteveldehoge School, Ghent, in Belgium.

The offer is part of Gurupuraskar, an initiative by Shikshana Foundation. The teachers – Shivappa Badiger from Halumagulu in Davanagere, and  Somashekhar Kumtakar from Madhihonnalli – will get an opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with their counterparts for 15 days.

Last year, teachers from Belgium were hosted by Sikshana in Kanakapura taluk. They were impressed by the Nali Kali programme being implemented in state schools. In a return gesture, Belgium invited Karnataka teachers to share information about their educational system.

“I love teaching, especially in villages. There are no labs in our schools to teach Science. In mine, we have divided the classroom to make space for a lab too. During summer camps, we make low-cost models. I enjoy working with children,” said Somashekhar, who teaches Maths and Science.

“We will try to understand the techniques being used in Belgium and give suggestions to the department here for their implementation. They have one of the best education systems in the world,” said Shivappa, a  Kannada teacher.

“One of the things I’d like to focus on is techniques to explain difficult concepts to children,” added Somashekhar. The teachers will leave for Belgium on Thursday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / October 12th, 2012

Merc club rolls out in city

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Uncategorized
Some 60 Benz owners and authorised mechanics have come together to share expertise on the art of Mercedes maintenance 

K Subramani, 65, would always wonder why Benz classic car owners hadn’t got together, like the Yezdi or the Enfield group, despite there being a sizeable population of Merc owners in Bangalore. He need not wonder any more.

The Mercedes Benz India Group was formed a fortnight back with an initial membership of 60 in Bangalore and 200-odd members all over the country, to bring together passionate auto enthusiasts who want to preserve the classic cars. And Subramani, who has been driving his special edition w140 S500 Merc for 14 years, is one of the seniormost members.

The group, which has also roped in authorised Merc mechanics, has already met once. “We believe in encouraging, sharing, supporting, and enabling newbies and mature auto enthusiasts through the maze of the Indian classic and vintage scene. We have members across all age groups who will meet once a month with their classics. The group’s motto is to empower and equip the average enthusiast to enjoy motoring,” says Pramod Monnappa, committee member.
Apart from planning rallies, the once-a-month meet is aimed at sharing ideas and expertise, tackling problems, high governance standard and all activity related to preservation.
According to Nandish Palrecha, owner of a 1994 S320 w140, who is into retailing and distributing mobile phones, those whose cars are as old as 20 years come under the niche group. There are around 20 varieties ofclassics which are 15-20 years old.
“A Merc is generally the first point of success and is still the most sought-after vehicle. Our group has a healthy mix of people and seniors come with a lot of experience,’’ says Palrecha.
For Subramani, MD of United Exports which exports silk furnishings, his 14-year-old bullet-proof limousine is his second car. “I got to know about the group through Nandish,” he said. “At the first meet, we exchanged views about the problems, and how they can be solved without going to the garage. In fact, the Merc is a simple car and a lot of the problems can be fixed with the help of the internet,’’ he said.
In all these years, not once has Subramani thought of changing his 12-cylinder, petrol-driven car. “My bullet-proof limousine is exceptionally good and I will change it only if S600 is released in India,’’ he signs off.
To know more, contact: nandishpal@gmail or nikhil0673@gmail.

source: http://www.BangaloreMirror.com / Home> News> City> Story / by S. Kushala (kushala.satyanarayana@timesgroup.com / Monday, October 08th, 2012

A toast to The Lalit Ashok’s chefs

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Uncategorized

What better way to celebrate an occasion than over food and wine with friends. And so, when it was time to celebrate the achievements of certain chefs in the city, Bangalore’s glitterati headed to The Lalit Ashok to make it an evening of fun and bonhomie.

Everyone raised a toast to Chef Nimish Bhatia, who was recently promoted as the Corporate Executive Chef, and cheered for Chef Subodh Goyal who is the hotel’s new Executive Chef.

The city’s gourmets enjoyed a delectable spread as they reminisced over their favourite memories with Chef Bhatia. We spotted stand up comic Rubi entertaining her friends while Abhay, Alok and Rishad were also seen having a good time with their pals.

source: http://www.articles.indiatimes.com / Home> Life & Style> Parties / TNN, October 07th, 2012

City Doctor-Couple awarded in the US for contribution to Ayurveda

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology, Uncategorized

Captions: 1) Dr. N.V. Krishnamurthy (left) receiving the award. 2) Dr. Poornima Krishnamurthy receiving the award.

Mysore, Oct.6:

City’s doctor couple Dr. N.V. Krishnamurthy and Dr. Poornima Krishnamurthy, Directors and Chief Consultants of Prajna Kuteera Ayurveda Centre and Abhijna International Academy of Ayurveda and Yoga, Mysore, were presented the Aryabhata award for excellence in ayurveda research and Dharma award for outstanding contribution to promotion of ayurveda globally, respectively.

The awards were presented to the couple at a glittering ceremony at Los Angeles, USA recently by AAPNA (Association of Ayurveda Professionals of North America). The ceremony was a part of the 4th Intl. Ayurveda Conference on Skin, Spa and Beauty at Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Poornima was also conferred upon the ‘Vachaspathi Award 2012’ for her presentation on The Beauty Concepts in Ayurveda, a paper prepared based on extensive research and documentation over the years. Her paper presentation was adjudged the best amongst all presentations from ayurveda practitioners who had attended from all over the world.

The couple, both gold medallists from the University of Mysore, are prominent scholars in ayurveda and yoga. They have been treating generic and degenerative diseases of patients from all over the world. Dr. Krishnamurthy is also the Head of the Department of PG Studies in Panchakarma at JSS Ayurveda Medical College.

Their medical institutions Prajna Kuteera and Abhijna Academy in Ramakrishnanagar and Keragalli have been rendering yeomen service to needy patients. The institutions are a part of Swami Vivekananda Research Institute of Medical Sciences and Rural Development Centre, Mysore

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / October 06th, 2012

India’s Karnataka begins electronic auction sales of manganese ore

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, Uncategorized

Singapore (Platts)

Indian state-owned trading company MSTC Ltd has begun electronic auction sales of minehead stocks of manganese ore available with Karnataka miner Sandur Manganese & Iron Ores (Smiore).

The auctions are on the lines of the iron ore e-auction sales the trader has been holding in the southern Indian state since September 2011.

An estimated 25,000-30,000 mt/month of manganese ore is expected to be auctioned over the next two to three months, Platts learnt from the Indian Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, which is overseeing the auction.

The first e-auction for manganese ore was held on September 21 in which some 27,560 mt were sold, a Bangalore-based monitoring committee official told Platts. The second auction is yet to be scheduled but is planned for the third week of October. Smiore has about 80,000 mt of manganese ore stock available to be auctioned over the next three to four months, the official added.

In the September 21 auction, the booking price of most cargoes was at a premium of about 25% on average over the respective floor price for lot sizes of 500 mt. Larger-sized cargoes were mostly sold at floor price levels, bid documents show.

The floor price for ore cargoes containing 36-68% Mn had been set at Rupee 6,500/mt ($125/mt). A 500 mt lot of this ore grade was sold at Rupee 7,950/mt and another at Rupee 7,800/mt.

A 4,012 mt cargo of the same ore grade was auctioned at Rupee 6,500/mt to SAIL Refractory Unit, a part of state-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd (Sail). All prices are on ex-stockyard basis. Royalty charges of 4.2%, VAT of 4%, and forest development tax of 12% are additional.

Smiore had been forced to suspend manganese mining operations in addition to iron ore production when Karnataka’s mining ban took effect in August 2011.

Prior to the ban, the company had had environmental clearances to mine up to 600,000 mt/year of manganese ore though production itself had averaged only 300,000 mt/year.

With the Indian Supreme Court and allied investigative authorities reassessing ore production limits in the wake of the illegal mining scandal in the state, Smiore would be permitted to mine only up to 180,000 mt/year of manganese ore when it is allowed to resume mining operations, a Bangalore-based company official told Platts.

It could take another two months for Smiore to resume manganese ore production, the official added.

Smiore operates a 4,000 mt/month silico-manganese smelter at Vyasanakere in Karnataka’s Bellary district, some 60-70 km east of Sandur. The works hosts two furnaces of about 2,000 mt/month capacity each but only one furnace is presently operational, producing about 1,500-2,000 mt/month of silicon manganese, the official said. The furnace is fed with manganese ore from stocks presently available with Smiore.

Although MSTC has been conducting e-auction sales for Karnataka-origin iron ore since September 2011, it was only in May this year that the Supreme Court permitted the sale of silico-manganese ore from Smiore’s stocks, Platts noted from the company’s announcement to the Bombay stock exchange earlier this year.

Only domestic end-users are permitted to bid in the auction sales while traders and exporters are barred from participation.

source: http://www.platts.com / Singapore (Platts) / Home> News & Analysis /  October 03rd, 2012

–Anitha Krishnan, anitha_krishnan@platts.com –Martin O’Rourke, martin_orourke@platts.com

KVG Bank opens all-woman branch in Dharwad

Business & Economy, Uncategorized
Hubli, SEPT. 30:

Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVG Bank) opened its all-woman brach at Malamaddi in Dharwad.

According to Muralinath Gupta, general manager, KVG Bank, “Women form an important part of our organisation and we have converted one operational branch as women branch.”

Shilpadevi Shettar, wife of Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, opened the branch.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Industry & Economy> Banking / by Our Bureau / September 30th, 2012

Pasha, the Jumbo Tailor

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel, Uncategorized

The Dasara elephant gracefully carries the ambari weighing about 800 kgs during Jumboo Savari, unmindful of its pain and irritation to the skin. However, there is a caretaker for the jumbo, who sees to it that the gentle giant does not get hurt in the process of carrying the howdah. The success of whole Dasara procession lies on his craftsmanship.

Elephant tailor Pasha, who stitches the gaadi, namda, chaapu for placing the howdah on the back of the pachyderm, works gently with the awl (large needle) ensuring that the elephant does not get injured.

His work is not an easy one, which should be carried out with patience. He first measures the length and breadth of the elephant’s back and then stitches the accessories.

Pasha was entrusted the job in 1971. Though he officially retired in 2006, the Forest Department seeks his skills every year for this unique work of stitching the decorative and protective covering for not only the howdah-carrying elephant but also for all other jumbos taking part in the procession.

Before retiring, he was the mahout of elephant ‘Sarala.’ His guru Sulthan Saab was the mahout of ‘Biligiriranga’ which carried the howdah in the jumboo savari earlier. He began stitching gaadi when he was a young boy and then went on to sew gaadi to Rajendra, Drona and now Balarama, Gajendra and other elephants.

Pasha is now passing on his tailoring skills to Balarama’s mahout Thimma, Arjuna’s mahout Vasantha and Masthi, mahout of Abhimanyu. Though his successors are now ready, Pasha hesitates to leave his favourite vocation.

Pasha’s life has not been a rosy one. Once an angry elephant broke his knee when he was in Bangalore for Rajyotsava function. After the incident, fearing his so

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Feature Articles / September 25th, 2012