JSS Polytechnic for differently abled receives National Award

Education, Records, All

Mysore, Feb. 17:

Recognising the yeoman service being rendered by JSS Polytechnic for the Differently Abled in Mysore, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, honoured the Polytechnic with the National Award (Additional) 2012 under the category “Best Institution Working for the Cause of Persons with Disabilities.”

The award was presented to Nanjundaswamy, Principal of the Polytechnic, by President Pranab Mukherjee on Feb.6 in a function held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Kumari Selja, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment and D. Napoleon, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, were present.

The differently abled need equality, opportunity and accessibility in all respects to prove their abilities and not the mere sympathy. Knowing this philosophy, the JSS Mahavidyapeetha established JSS Polytechnic for the Differently Abled in Mysore in 1991 with the support of the Dept. of Technical Education and Govt. of Karnataka under its World Bank Assistance Scheme.

The Polytechnic was the first of its kind in India which started to provide formal professional education at diploma level exclusively for the Differently Abled.

The new campus of the Polytechnic was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Jan.3, 1999 in the presence of Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji, President of JSS Mahavidyapeetha.

Initially, three diploma courses namely Architecture, Computer Science and Commercial Practice were started as aided courses. Three more diploma courses were added later in Jewellery Design & Technology, Electronics & Communication Engineering and Computer Applications for the Visually Impaired.

Totally, 439 differently abled candidates are studying during the current academic year 2012-13 in the Polytechnic and about 75% of them are hearing impaired.

About 1,100 differently abledcandidates have obtained diploma from the Polytechnic so far. Many of them are well placed in educational institutions and companies like IBM, Wipro, Infosys, Excel Soft etc.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 17th, 2013

Lending a voice to the voiceless

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Jaydev of Radio Active—R. Samuel

Bengaluru:

It began as a project for the mass communication class in Jain University. A radio programme is a standard part of any mass communication course, but Radio Active soon became much larger than that.

Started in 2007 by a group of students, it wasn’t long before it burgeoned into a full fledged community radio service. Tucked away in the basement at the Centre for Management Studies, is a group of people who have become the lifelines of their communities, the repressed, under-represented marginal groups for whom life is a sordid, hopeless affair.

Jaydev, a 20-something student at Mitra Jyoti, an NGO which caters to the blind, might have had almost no chance at making it in this world. He first came to Radio Active, a shy, awkward young man. Today, he can handle the station if he has to and focuses on disability issues, reaching out to differently-abled people and helping them see the light. In 2011, Jaydev was felicitated by the National Federation for the Blind for being a role model to thousands of visually impaired youngsters.

Priyanka, lively and garrulous, the ‘Drama Queen’ at Radio Active, hosts the most popular show at the station, Yarivaru, which focuses on issues faced by the LGBT community, like sexual harassment, discrimination and unemployment. Priyanka and Sujata, the daughter of a scrap dealer, also reach out to waste pickers in the city, mentoring them in livelihood and development opportunities. Salma and Siddique became the country’s first waste picker radio jockeys.

“It’s a voice for the voiceless,” said Marwan Abubaker A.M., Manager Projects, Radio Active. Marwan joined the station in 2009, two years after its launch. He has also started Petpals, the street animal management programme. “We started out having awareness programmes with schools and colleges on understanding street dogs. We live in a country that has (stray) animals, we can’t run away (from that),” he said. “Since we’re sharing, we have to coexist.” This programme was launched with the support of the BBMP that provides free vaccinations at government veterinary hospitals.
The urban waste management programme, which is run in collaboration with Solid Waste Round Table Management, has actually come up with a very practical dry waste solution.

“We call it the Kartavya programme,” said Marwan, who had dabbled in waste management before he founded Radio Active. “Then, we found SWMRT and they suggested setting up a Kartavya centre in every ward, so that dry waste doesn’t have to leave the city.” The team is now working on mobilising the work force — the pourakarmikas, who will be trained along with scrap dealers. They will then be listed and certified to run the centres.

“We have a lot of trouble broadcasting and actually reaching people with our programmes. Community radios don’t have very high transmission,” said Marwan. This means tremendous amounts of work on the field, organising health camps, eye camps and awareness programmes.

It’s a sad truth, but a system designed to favour a simple majority means a very large number of people are confined to the fringes, never using the rights to which they are entitled by birth or receiving the opportunities that seem to be limited to an arbitrarily chosen few.

To suffer in silence has become a way of life for most of these groups and even with a community radio station, change, if it does happen is superficial and short lived. That’s what makes Priyanka, Jaydev, Sujata and RJ Auto Shiv Kumar even more remarkable. The odds are insurmountable, but they continue trying.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs / by DC, Darshan Ramdev / February 18th, 2013

Harman Opens Bangalore’s First Exclusive Harman Lifestyle Showroom

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Saturday, February 16, 2013:

HARMAN, a leading global provider of premium audio and infotainment solutions, unveiled its first exclusive store in Bangalore today. The exclusive Harman lifestyle showroom will feature a comprehensive range of its lifestyle products including JBL, Harman Kardon and AKG.

The store was inaugurated by Mr. Anand Ramamoorthy, Country Head and Managing Director, India Operations, Harman International (India) Pvt. Ltd., today in Phoenix Market City mall, Bangalore.

‘We are focused on providing customers access to our unmatched portfolio of speakers, headphones, docking systems and home theatre systems in India. At this exclusive Harman store, customers will have access to our audio/product experts and can experience our latest portfolio crafted to appeal to the needs of the Indian consumers” said Mr. Anand Ramamoorthy.

Harman recently launched the first ever JBL audio docks compatible with Apple iPhone 5, the first ever in the India market. In addition to this, several award winning Harman products including the Harman Kardon Soundsticks Wireless, JBL Flip, JBL Micro, JBL SoundFly, will be available at this exclusive store.

The store is located at G65, Ground Floor, Phoenix Market City mall, Whitefield, Bangalore. The first 100 customers can avail attractive discounts on their purchase**.

source: http://www.efytimes.com / Home> Infotech> Trends / Saturday, February 16th, 2013

Ek sham Rafi ke Naam: A retro musical journey

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Mysore, Feb.12 :

Ek Sham Rafi Ke Naam, organised by the Bharatiya Jain Sanghatan, Mysore, at the MMC Platinum Jubilee Auditorium on the JK Grounds on Feb. 10 took the audience on a retro journey of Mohd. Rafi’s songs, soaking them in melody and melancholy.

Anil Bajpai, who replicates Rafi as closely as possible, is any Rafi fan’s delight as he makes sure that he picks up all those nuances of the immortal singer — be it the romantic sighs, the naughty bickerings or the melancholic musings, so deftly brought out in Rafi’s renditions.

Adding flavour to the musical journey was the mellifluous voice of Veena Venkatesh and Venkatesh of Sunheri Yaadein, Mysore. The very pleasant surprise was the voice of anchor Sanjay Singh who rendered two of Shammi Kapoor’s best peppy numbers and proved that apart form being a versatile anchor, he is also a good singer.

The main attraction of the evening was of course the 14-piece live orchestra with some of the best musicians from the South. They included Pappan, Haridas, Nithin, Raju (from Calicut), Goutam, Anand, Bhimashankar, Eshwar, Murthy, Prasad, Andrew (Mysore), Rajesh (Bangalore) and Patric Rosario on the accordion who led the orchestra.

Earlier, Police Commissioner K.L. Sudheer, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the programme and said Rafi’s songs were his best stress busters.

President of the Sanghatan Ashok Salecha and Vice-President Prakash Dak, spoke about the social service activities of the Sanghatan.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 12th, 2013

Young entrepreneurs educate , entertain at VVCE

Business & Economy

Mysore, Feb. 12 :

Aspera NEN E-Week 2013, the Entrepreneurship Week celebrations organised at Vidya Vardhaka College of Enineering VVCE) in city, was inaugurated by young entrepreneur Varun Agarwal on Feb. 9 in the presence of Vidyavardhaka Sangha President Gundappa Gowda, Hon. Secretary P. Vishwanath, VVCE Principal Dr. B. Sadashive Gowda and Aspera NEN E-Cell of VVCE co-ordinator N.Manjula.

At an early age of 25, Varun has three startups in his name — Last Minute Films, Alma Mater and Reticular. He has been invited to give talks at institutes like IIT-Bangalore, PESIT- Bangalore. He has spoken on forums provided by INK TALKS and TED TALKS. Varun recently attended United Nations Young Change Makers Conclave and also received Young Achiever’s Award for the year 2012.

Varun has also authored a book on his journey in starting Alma Mater titled How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company.

The inaugural function came to a conclusion by book signing ceremony wherein Varun quoted personal messages to persons who bought his book.

M.N.Vikram, chief instructor of martial sciences, conducted a workshop on self-defence for women. Vikram demonstrated a few techniques to tackle dangerous situations that girls can overcome with the help of common accessories usually found in every girl’s handbags like nail-cutter, hairpins etc.

On Feb. 10, the events started off with a workshop on making smart B-Plan presentation to impress the VCs. Nikhil Furtado and Kameshwar judged the B-Plan presentation with parameters like: idea, profit generated, presentation and market feasibility of the ideas. The second half of day 2 included evaluation and judging the venture ideas that the participants initially wanted to set up as real time ventures. This was judged by Nikhil Furtado, Kameshwar and Ashwin Dange, student entrepreneurs of the city.

A job mela was also conducted in which companies like Bajaj Allianze, Hinduja Global Solutions, ION Exchange, Nissan and Raman IT took part. On display at the college was a solar-operated phone charger designed by students of Aspera.

More than 100 students of VVCE and Maharaja’s Institute of Technology Entrepreneurship Cells performed Flash Mob at Ambavilas Palace premises.

Ten members of Aspera indulged the masses of Acchapan Koppal, a small village about 25 kms from Mysore, in a series of events. They taught computer and basic English to children.

On Feb. 11, a science fair was organised in which over 75 students from various high schools in city participated. Some of the models on display had bio-sensors, infrared sensors to detect the viruses used in biological and chemical warfare — during peace time, it could be used as a multi-task robot in a company and all its activities were remote controlled along with a wireless connection to a TV. Other exhibits included a model hovercraft, smoke and fire sensors made out of inexpensive materials.

Seminars were also held in which E-Leaders Abhishek Bhat and Swaraj Sarkar spoke on the importance of marketing strategies and effective documentation respectively.

As part of the E-Week, zonal-level 30 yards floodlight cricket matches are going on with 52 teams put up in fixtures fighting for the title of the tournament.

Health camp, gynaecological workshop, dental camp, eye check-up camp, workshop for women and debates were held.

Tomorrow’s Events: Talk by Shanmugha at 10 am, Idea Generation Workshop at 11 am, Android Workshop at 1 pm and cricket tourney at VVCE; Talk on Technology by Paulraj from RUDSET, talk on awareness of business opportunities, movie screening and cultural progs. at Acchapan Koppal.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 12th, 2013

Mohandas Pai speaks on Developing Next Gen Leaders

Business & Economy, Leaders

Today at the launch of GlobalNxt University for corporates and executive education, Mr. Mohandas Pai, a prominent thought leader and business leader in India, spoke about the challenges of developing the next generation corporate leader. At the 2 hour seminar at the Leela Palace, Bangalore, Mr Mohandas Pai and Dr. Jason Fitzsimmons, Dean, School of Business, at GlobalNxt University engaged the audience with insights on leadership, culture and the latest trends in training and development.

Mr Mohandas Pai spoke about how the nature of leadership has evolved over the years, and emphasized on the importance of organization culture and mentorship for institutionalizing leadership development. Dr Jason Fitzsimmons, Dean, School of Business, GlobalNxt University led the discussion on the role of academic institutions in building leaders, and how technology serves as an enabler to life-long learning.

The session was attended by C-Level HR executives from across industries discussing on one of the most critical challenges faced by todays organization – Leadership Development. We had participants from Microsoft, Infosys, Toyota, Britannia, PricewaterhouseCoopers, EMC & GE and more join us for this session. Mr Abhirama Krishna, formerly with Satyam Computer Services Ltd, shared his experiences in building the Satyam School of Leadership and was greatly appreciative of the quality and excellence of leadership training offered by the GlobalNxt team (or U21Global).  Watch our website for details of the next HR huddle.

source: http://www.globalnxt.edu / Home> News / February 12th, 2013

State gets honey from far off places to meet demand

Business & Economy, Nature

Bangalore:

Changing food habits has transformed the market for honey over the last few years. The industry has grown over five times in this period, challenging honey packers to strengthen their backward linkage to ensure product availability in the market.

So much so that honey packers in Karnataka have been sourcing honey from far off States such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand since production in Kodagu and Shimoga districts, the traditional honey producing regions, is insufficient to meet the growing demand. From about 500 tonnes of honey sold in 2005 in Karnataka, the market in 2012-2013 has reached about 3,000 tonnes, regional honey packers’ estimate.

“Honey, which was earlier used in very small quantities for medicinal purposes or in rituals, has now become a part of the monthly grocery list of many homes,” J.D. Shivashankar, Chief Executive Officer of Prakruthi, told The Hindu . “The steep rise is due to the realisation of health benefits by a large number of consumers and also due availability in stores that has increased volume sales,” he added. This increase has put pressure on the packers sourcing for good quality honey.

Packers here source sunflower honey from Bijapur, and Latur in Maharashtra, Dhaniya and Ajwain honey from Madhya Pradesh, Jamun honey from Rajasthan, Mustard and Eucalyptus from Punjab, Mustard honey from Haryana, Karanj and Lichi from Bihar and Jharkhand and also forest honey from Sunderbans in West Bengal, all depending on seasons.

While most of the packers offer multi-floral honey, a combination of honey; a few provide uni-floral honey depending on the season.

“The demand increased substantially since honey was being promoted as a health product. Today, it is not about sourcing honey, but how well it is processed and packaged to maintain quality,” said Chaya Nanjappa of Nectar Fresh, a Karnataka Village and Industries Board backed unit. One of the biggest processers and packagers of honey, Mysore-based Nectar Fresh is an ISO 22,000 certified company that offers both multi-floral and uni-floral honey.

“We collect different kinds of honey from our mobile units, depending on the season in the north and ensure quality product is received,” she said. There is a huge growth in the bulk supplies to hospitality, pharma and Ayurveda industries, she added.

source:  http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Karnataka / by Sharath S. Srivatsa / February 15th, 2013

Mylan to collaborate with Biocon to develop & commercialise three generic insulin analogue products

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Mylan, a global pharmaceutical company committed to setting new standards in health care, has entered into a definitive agreement with Biocon Limited for an exclusive strategic collaboration on the development and commercialisation of generic versions of three insulin analogue products.

Under the terms of this collaboration, Mylan will have the rights to develop and market Biocon’s Glargine (the generic version of Sanofi’s Lantus), Lispro (the generic version of Eli Lilly and Company’s Humalog) and Aspart (the generic version of Novo Nordisk’s NovoLog). Mylan and Biocon will share development, capital and certain other costs to bring the products to market.

Mylan will have exclusive commercialization rights in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and the European Free Trade Association countries through a profit-share arrangement with Biocon. Mylan will have co-exclusive commercialisation rights with Biocon in certain other markets around the world. All other transaction terms remain confidential.

According to public filings, reported worldwide net sales of Lantus, Humalog and NovoLog for 2012 were approximately $11.5 billion.

Heather Bresch, CEO, Mylan said, “This collaboration builds off of our existing successful partnership for generic biologics with Biocon and brings Mylan a portfolio of high-value insulin analog products. This collaboration further expands and diversifies our pipeline of complex, difficult-to-manufacture products with strong future growth potential. Importantly, we believe we have the opportunity to be one of the first generic entrants in developed markets into the rapidly growing diabetes area, helping to address unmet needs and reduce the economic burden to those battling the disease and to the global healthcare system.”

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon’s Chairman & Managing Director, said, “Mylan is a natural preferred partner for our portfolio of generic insulin analogues and this collaboration only further strengthens our existing successful partnership. We are excited to team up with Mylan to be able to cost effectively address the disease and economic burden that diabetes poses to global health. We are confident that together we can build a strong global presence in generic insulin analogs and provide access to affordable therapy options to physicians, healthcare providers and diabetes patients worldwide.”

source: http://www.pharmabiz.com / Home>News> Corporate / by PharmaBiz’s Bureau, Mumbai / Thursday, February 14th, 2013

Seminar on making of a nation at Bhandarkar’s College, Kundapur

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Mangalore :

Bhandarkars’ Arts and Science College, Kundapur will organize a two day national level seminar on a subject “Locality, Region and Making of the Nation,” at RN Shetty Hall of the college from February 15.

The sub-themes of the seminar are: archaeological findings of South Canara and Coorg; Regional expressions in Temple Art and Architecture;) Agrarian relations in South Canara and Coorg districts; Port trade and commerce; Social dynamics of South Canara; Interaction with regional societies; Colonial experience; Nationalist expressions and Nationalist movement; Post- Colonial Developments and research prospects in South Canara and Coorg.

According to a release from the college, the main endeavour of the seminar is to look into the question of regions not only to examine but to understand the characteristics and the process of their formation. The seminar hopes to situate the regions of South Canara and Coorg in the context of Karnataka and India, while yet highlighting their uniqueness and dynamism, the release added.

source: http://www.m.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Mobile / Home> Mangalore / TNN / by Stanley Pinto / February 12th, 2013

Shimoga to see a spurt in floriculture

Business & Economy, Nature

Farmers to get subsidy for setting up polyhouses, shade-nets under RKVY scheme

The inclusion of Shimoga district under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikasa Yojana (RKVY) is expected to give a boost to floriculture here.

Under RKVY, subsidy will be extended to farmers who opt for protected cultivation methods such as construction of polyhouse and installation of shade-nets in their farms. The farmers can avail subsidy of Rs. 4.1 lakh for constructing polyhouse measuring 1,000 square metres and an amount of Rs. 16.40 lakh for constructing polyhouse measuring 4,000 square metres. Similarly, a subsidy of Rs. 1.15 lakh can be availed for installing shade-net measuring 500 square metres and Rs. 9.45 lakh for shade-net measuring 4,000 square metres.

Deputy Director of Horticulture M. Vishwanath told The Hindu that RKVY had been implemented in 11 districts in the State, including Shimoga. An amount of Rs 1.08 crore had been sanctioned for the district under the scheme in 2012-13 to extend subsidy to farmers.

He said that as the climate in Malnad region was conducive for floriculture and the returns from it were also lucrative, farmers had showed interest in it. He said that 28 farmers were growing flowers and vegetables in the district in polyhouses at present.

Old scheme

So far, the farmers in the district used to avail subsidy under the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) to set up polyhouses. Under , Rs. 4.67 lakh is paid as subsidy to set up polyhouse measuring 1,000 square metres, and Rs. 9.34 lakh is paid as subsidy to setup polyhouse measuring 2,000 square metres.

However, availing loan from the bank was mandatory to claim the subsidy under this scheme. It was difficult for farmers who had already taken bank loans to avail this scheme. Such farmers can now avail subsidy under RKVY as borrowing loan from banks is not mandatory in this scheme.

Under NHM, the maximum size of the polyhouse to avail the subsidy is 2,000 square metres while under RKVY, subsidy is offered to set up polyhouse measuring up to 4,000 square metres. Mr. Vishwanath said that those who have set up polyhouse under NHM can go for expansion by availing further subsidy under RKVY.

He said owing to the introduction of RKVY in the district, there would be a rapid expansion of the area under floriculture. The NHM will also be available, under which those interested to set up polyhouse measuring up to 2,000 square metre and those who are eligible for bank loan can avail the subsidy, he said.

  • Rs 1.08 crore allocated under Rashtriya Krishi Vikasa Yojana for Shimoga district
  • Many farmers of the region have shown interest in taking up floriculture

    • source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Karnataka / by Veerandra P.M. / Shimoga, February 14th, 2013