India, Records – Page 3 – Karnataka First

Saras Mk 2 may soon dot skies over tier 2, 3 cities

The 19-seater civilian aircraft is being developed by National Aerospace Laboratories in Bengaluru, in collaboration with CSIR.

One of the major attractions at this year’s Bengaluru Tech Summit is a model of the Saras Mark 2, the upgraded version of the first ever indigenously built civilian aeroplane, the Saras Mark 1.

Almost 20 years after its predecessor’s historic maiden flight, the Saras Mk 2 may soon become a common sight in the skies across the state.

The Saras Mk 2, a 19-seater multi-purpose civilian aircraft, is being developed by National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

“The aircraft is an upgraded version of the Saras Mk 1. It can be used for multiple purposes, including for medical emergencies or in the event of natural disasters. However, it can also help in transporting passengers from Tier-1 cities to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities,” said Naman Dugar, a senior scientist at NAL, who has been involved with the development of the aircraft. He also said that the aircraft will be used for defence purposes as well.

The aircraft has an additional five seats when compared to Saras Mk-1, which had only 14 seats. Dugar says the plane is ideal for carrying passengers to shorter distances, like to nearby cities. With Karnataka’s push towards developing Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in the coming years, the aircraft may become an ideal option for the state’s transport needs in this direction.

“There are many larger planes. However, they are developed for long-distance travel and are generally more expensive. In terms of travelling to closer cities by air, for example, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, the Saras Mark 2 will become a sought-after plane. The aircraft does not need much space for take-off and landing,” said Dugar. The development of Saras Mk 2 is expected to be completed by 2024 and make its maiden flight by 2025.

newindianexpress.com

Karnataka comes second in Jan Aushadhi, more stores on anvil

Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that Karnataka has ranked second in the Prime Minister’s Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi scheme, and the government plans to set up 540 new stores across the state. The scheme has been working well, and 1,052 shops have been opened so far.

A proposal has been sent by the health department to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India for opening 500 new stores in the state, and around 40 new stores in government hospitals.

Since February 2022, 300 new stores have been opened in Karnataka.

newindianexpress.com

PM unveils 108-feet bronze statue of Bengaluru founder ‘Nadaprabhu’ Kempegowda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unveiled the 108-feet tall statue of the city’s founder Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, which is the “first and the tallest bronze statue of a founder of a city”, as per the ‘World Book of Records’.

Called the “Statue of Prosperity”, it has been built to commemorate the contribution of Kempegowda towards the growth of Bengaluru.

The statue weighing 218 tonnes (98 tonnes of bronze and 120 tonnes of steel) has been installed at the Kempegowda International Airport here.

It has a sword weighing four tonnes.

The project, besides the statue, has a heritage theme park in an area covering 23 acres dedicated to the 16th century chieftain, together costing about Rs 84 crore to the government.

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and several of his cabinet colleagues, Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji of Adichunchanagiri Math, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, BJP Parliamentary Board member B S Yediyurappa, former Chief Minister S M Krishna, BJP legislators, officials, among others were present at the event.

Kempegowda, a feudatory ruler under the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire founded Bengaluru in 1537.

He is revered, especially by the Vokkaliga community that is dominant in Old Mysuru and other parts of southern Karnataka.

Renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Sutar has designed the statue.

Sutar had built the ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat and the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Bengaluru’s ‘Vidhana Soudha’.

As a precursor to the unveiling, ‘Mruthike’ (sacred mud) was collected from over 22,000 locations across the state, which was mixed symbolically with the mud beneath one of the four towers of the statue.

Twenty-one special vehicles collected the sacred mud in villages, towns and cities during the last two weeks.

With the installation of the statue ahead of the Assembly polls next year, a competition of sorts seems to have erupted between political parties to claim credit for the legacy of Kempegowda, aimed at garnering electoral support from the politically dominant Vokkaliga community.

Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah had earlier said the Congress government led by him was the one which had first planned to install the statue of Kempegowda at the airport.

newindianexpress.com

PM flags off south India’s first Vande Bharat Express in Bengaluru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the inaugural special of south India’s first Vande Bharat Express at Krantiveera Sangolli Railway station here.

The train connects Mysuru and Chennai via Bengaluru. This is the fifth Vande Bharat Express train in the country.

It will enhance connectivity between the industrial hub of Chennai, the tech-cum-startup hub of Bengaluru and the famous tourist city of Mysuru, officials said.

The Prime Minister said, “The Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express will boost connectivity as well as commercial activities. It will also enhance ‘Ease of Living’.”

According to Railway officials, Vande Bharat Express is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System – KAVACH.

It can pick up a speed of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just 52 seconds, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour.

The country’s first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off in 2019 on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route.

On Friday, the Prime Minister also flagged off the ‘Bharat Gaurav Kashi Darshan’ train, which is operated by Karnataka’s Muzrai Department, under the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ train policy of Railways.

“It (Bharat Gaurav train) will fulfil the dream of numerous travellers intending to undertake Kashi Yatra,” according to the South Western Railway. The train offers an eight-day tour package at discounted rates for pilgrims.

Official sources said the Karnataka government gives cash assistance of Rs 5,000 to the Kashi Vishwanath Yatra pilgrims. This train covers holy places including Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Karnataka is the first state to take up this train under the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme in which the state government and the Ministry of Railways are working together to send pilgrims from Karnataka to Varanasi (Kashi).

The pilgrims will be provided with comfortable stay and guidance for visiting Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj, the statement read.

After flagging off the pilgrims’ train Bharat Gaurav Kashi Darshan, Modi tweeted, “I would like to compliment Karnataka for being the first state to take up the Bharat Gaurav Kashi Yatra train. This train brings Kashi and Karnataka closer. Pilgrims and tourists will be able to visit Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj with ease.”

Indian Railways launched the operation of the theme-based Bharat Gaurav train in November last year to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and historical places to the people of India and the world.

newindianexpress.com

Mangaluru: National honor for Neurologist at K S Hegde Medical Academy

Dr Lekha Pandit, professor of Neurology and director of the Center for Advanced Neurological Science at K S Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (deemed to be university) has been awarded the prestigious fellowship of the National Academy of Science India (NASI), Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

Since its inception in 1930, NASI has selected nearly 2000 fellows from various fields of science for their path breaking research in Science and Technology and for furthering societal education in science. Dr Lekha Pandit is a clinician and basic science researcher whose three decades long work on demyelinating disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica, has remarkably improved the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of these severe diseases in India. She has through her pioneering work shown the increasing prevalence of these diseases among Indians, determined the genetic and environmental factors related and developed and patented the first diagnostic assay for these conditions in India. At K S Hegde Hospital in Mangaluru, she runs one of the largest registries for these diseases in the Indian subcontinent visited by patients from different parts of India and abroad.

Dr Lekha Pandit is one among 150 Indian women scientists and the first from Dakshina Kannada to have been bestowed this national honor.

daijiworld.com

Mangaluru: Dr M S Baliga of Mangalore Institute of Oncology in Top 2% scientists in the World

Dr Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga, senior radiobiologist, in-charge of research and chief operating officer (COO) of Mangalore Institute of Oncology, has featured again in the global Top 2% for exceptional research work. Dr Baliga’s current global ranking in all fields of research is 64,930; while in his specialized area of Cancer (Oncology & Carcinogenesis) is 2,786. In the 2019 report, Dr Baliga was also ranked in the top 2% with 3188th. Among Indian researchers working on cancer, his current ranking is 7th and second in the state of Karnataka.

The study was conducted by Prof John PA, Loannidis of Stanford University and published by Elsevier B V, and considered the contribution of 200,409 scientists from 1960 until the end of September 1, 2022 in 22 scientific fields and 176 sub-fields. The Stanford team focused on impact (citations) and analyzed the research citation in the “Scopus database”, considered to be the “benchmark” by the scientific community around the world.

Dr Baliga is the eldest son of popular travel’s proprietor Prabhakar Baliga and Prema Baliga. He did his schooling and undergraduate studies at St Aloysius College and Masters in Biosciences from Mangalore University. He did his doctoral studies in radiation biology from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal with research on anticancer and radio modulatory properties of novel agents in 2003. He received advanced training at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai and post – doctoral fellowship at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA and a second post doctorate from the University of Illinois, Chicago in areas of cancer prevention and metastasis.

Dr Baliga also has adjunct degrees in Masters of business administration in education management, from Alagappa University and Masters in Psychology and Psychotherapy from Kuvempu University. In addition to this Dr Baliga has been one of the founding members of the UNESCO Bioethics in India and has been active in studies on ethical issues in health care and Oncology in specific. He has done advanced research training in pharmacogenomics at University of Delhi, South Campus under the prestigious Indian National Academy of Sciences fellowship. Dr Baliga was inducted as a fellow in “The International Institute of Organizational Psychological Medicine (IIOPM), Melbourne Australia in 2019 for his work in health and work place psychology.

In his three decades long scientific career, Dr Baliga has carried out studies in the areas of cancer epidemiology, cancer prevention, radiation-modulation, Onco-psychology, cancer ethics, cancer education, health economics and pharmacovigilance. Till date he has published around 202 scientific articles and 92 text book chapters in the above said areas in national and international journals and books. Dr Baliga has mentored 61 students till date and most of his students are in premier institutes of Europe, USA and Australia.

Dr Baliga’s current research at Mangalore Institute of Oncology is focused on aspects important to local society, like cancer trends in Dakshina Kannada, effective integration of Ayurveda and Yoga in post treatment recovery and health economics in cancer care. These areas have been highly neglected and Dr Baliga’s emphasis is towards bridging the gaps for the benefit of the local society and country at large.

daijiworld.com

9-year-old Bengaluru boy wins World Youth Scrabble Tournament

The Scrabble Association of India announced that two other players from India made it into the top 10 players list of the global virtual tournament.

A nine-year-old Bengaluru boy, Samarth Manchali, has been declared the best under-10 player in World Youth Scrabble Tournament – 2022. The Scrabble Association of India announced that two other players from India made it into the top 10 players list of the global virtual tournament.

The scrabble association tweeted, “Two players from India – Madhav Gopal Kamath and Pramit Rao – finished in the top 10 of the 2022 virtual @WorldScrabble Youth Cup organised by @pakscrabble, while Samarth Manchali emerged as the under-10 champion. Congrats to India’s young word whizzes!”

Samarth is a resident of Bengaluru’s Vidyaranyapura and he is a student of MES Kishorekendra school. The nine-year-old was trained by his mother Subha Shivashankar who was also a professional scrabble player. Samarth’s elder brother Suyash is also a scrabble player and has represented India in the World Youth Scrabble Championship five times so far.

Scrabble is a crossword game where the tiles with letters are placed on a board. The tiles are supposed to form English words that can be read from left to right in rows or downward in columns. The game is slowly gaining popularity among school kids in metro cities.

hindustantimes.com/03

STT GDC India to invest Rs 1,500 crore to establish data centres in Karnataka

STT Global Data Centres India Private Limited (STT GDC India) aims to establish data centres in Karnataka with a total STT Global Data Centres India Private Limited (STT GDC India) aims to establish data centres in Karnataka with a total estimated proposed investment of around Rs 1,500 crore.

It is planned to happen over multiple phases in the next eight to ten years and will generate employment (direct & indirect), to up to 1000 people during the construction phase and 200 when operational, the data centre services provider said in a statement.

The company, with 215 MW of design capacity in terms of IT load, spanning across 21 facilities (including under construction) in nine cities, signed an MoU with the Karnataka Government at the three-day ‘Invest Karnataka 2022’, Global Investors Meet, which concludes here on Friday.

Headquartered in Mumbai, the company offers a portfolio of services that includes colocation, carrier-neutral and technical support services such as installation, networking, and monitoring, it was noted. estimated proposed investment of around Rs 1,500 crore.

newindianexpress.com

Mangaluru: Department of Posts releases special covers themed ‘Jina Ratna Bhushanaru’

Two special covers on ‘Mangaluru Tiles’ and ‘Invention of Khaki Color in Mangaluru’, and 10 picture postcards on historical personalities on the theme ‘Jina Ratna Bhushanaru’ are released by Department of Posts, Karnataka Circle at Mangaluru Head Post Office.

The Popular Mangaluru Tiles which are being exported to many countries besides being used in many states of India, have originated in Mangaluru itself in the second half of 19th Century which is explicit in the name itself. The tile industry began in Mangaluru under the supervision of Missionary George Plebst, who combined knowledge of Tile manufacturing in Germany with observations of the traditional potters tiles in India. The new design triggered the founding of the first Basel Mission tile factory in 1865 at Jeppu, Mangaluru, the success of which sparked the establishment of competing factories in Mangaluru, including a Albuquerque & Sons, Rego and sons, Casia and Sujirkar’s Tile works. Mangaluru Tile has attracted world attention for its robustness and unique design. Hence, Department of Posts has released a Special cover on Mangaluru Tiles to commemorate this signature Product of Mangaluru.

Along with Mangaluru Tiles, Department of Posts, Karnataka Postal Circle has also released Special Cover on ‘ Invention of Khaki colour in Mangaluru’. Widely known colour Khaki, which is being used as uniform in various departments and armies of many countries was first invented in Mangaluru in the 2nd half of 19th century by a Basel Missionary-Sri. John Haller from the indigenous ingredients at Basel Mission Weaving Factory, Balmatta, Mangaluru in 1851. A British Indian Army Commonder in Chief Lord Roberts, during his visit to the weaving factory, was pleased with the Khaki colour. He introduced it as uniform of the British Army all over. Department of Posts, Karnataka Circle is commemorating this through release of special cover theme ‘Invention of Khaki in Mangaluru’. Both these special covers have been released by Rajendra Kumar S,IPoS, chief postmaster general, Karnataka Circe.

The date chosen for release of these special covers has historical significance. First 3 missionaries of Basel Mission who played a key role in the invention of khaki and Mangaluru Tiles at Mangaluru had arrived at Mangaluru on the same date(October 30) in 1834.

Apart from release of special covers, department of posts, Karantaka Cirlcle has also released 10 picutre post cards on 10 Jina Rathna Bhushanaru namely Chavundaraya, Atthimabbe, Chennabairadevi, Janna, Rathnakaravarni, Shanthala, Ponna, Rani Abbakkadevi, Pampa and Ranna) who contributed significantly for the Kannada language, literature and Kannada land. This will be a significant recognition on the eve of 67th Kannada Rajyothsava celebration. These picture post cards are also released by Rajendra Kumar, IPoS, chief postmaster genral, Karnataka circle.

Each one of these picture post cards contain unique QR codes. On scanning the QR Code, one can get web link giving details of personality represented in the picture post card. These picture post cards were also released by the chief phone master general S Rajendra Kumar Karnataka Circle.

Vijay Harvin, United Basel Mission, Sudhana Church has participated as chief guest. Dr Peter Wilson Prabhakar spoke on historical aspects of invention of Khaki dye and Mangaluru tiles. Prof. S P Ajit Prasad spoke on various personalities depicted in the picture post cards. Shriharsha N. IPoS, senior superintendent of post offices, Mangaluru Division welcomed the guests. Srinath N.B, assistant superintendent of Post Offices, Mangaluru gave vote of thanks. On this occasion, Dr Charles Lobo, Retd. Members(postal operations), Seethamma, senior postmaster, Mangaluru head post office, Nerenki Parshwanath, associate vice president, Mandovi Motors were present. Akshatha Mallya narrated the programme.

Proud Moment! Dalit Scholar From Karnataka Becomes First Indian To Be Appointed As UN Special Rapporteur

KP Ashwini, an Ambedkarite scholar from Kolar is all set to take over as the Special Rapporteur At the UN by November. With this, she becomes the first Indian as well as an Asian woman to hold the post.

KP Ashwini, a Dalit scholar with roots in the Kolar district of Karnataka, was appointed as the Special Rapporteur for United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) earlier in October. Endorsed by the 47-member United Nations (UN) human rights body, Ashwini would become the first Indian and Asian woman to be appointed to this post.

The international posting comes with a huge responsibility of identifying and presenting resolutions on human rights concerns. As someone coming from a marginalized community with a long legacy of ancestors who have been part of several Dalit movements, she would play a crucial role in rewriting the human rights crisis faced in the country and beyond.

An Ambedkarite To Be The Voice For Human Rights

The 36-year-old is an Ambedkarite and Ph.D. scholar from the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her academic profile comes along with an illustrious line of works surrounding indigenous communities and their rights. Taking this ahead to a global platform, Ashwini hopes to address issues of racism and casteism, which are growingly seen across social media platforms as well during her tenure.

Special Rapporteurs (SR) with the UNHRC are independent experts who serve personally and report on human rights from an extensive perspective. The position, which was created back in 1994, holds communications with states and has the authority to issue urgent appeals over violations of international human rights laws.

Ashwini would be taking over as the sixth SR on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, as Zambia’s E Tendayi Achiume resigned from the post unexpectedly. In her application letter to fill in the vacancy, she brought along a long line of experience working with indigenous communities of different Indian states and her efforts in addressing descent and occupation-based discrimination.

She wrote in her letter that, “belonging to a marginalized community myself, an Indian Dalit woman,” the space of activism is not new to her. She has been vocal about ideas revolving around caste discrimination and once even noted that her caste identity had haunted her and gave her quite the backlash when she stressed an anti-caste narrative.

Unlayering Years Of Discrimination

According to a report by The Wire, she has been appointed by the UN Body on October 7 and will be taking over the post by November.

Talking about the work she expects to get done at the UNHRC, Ashwini said, “I am keen to focus on racism in terms of gender and the intersectionality perspective. This is because we always look at racism in a vague space, sometimes forgetting the many layers it comes in, like caste, class, and gender.”

Ashwini, who took after her family, has always fought against Dalit oppression, racism, and racial discrimination through a multitude of social movements. An article by the Indian Express quoted Ashwini saying, “Many of my family members were part of Dalit movements, and I personally have a keen interest in anti-caste and women’s rights movements.”

These movements of her created the much-needed ripple effect that took her ahead to a post in which she would now be protecting the rights of millions across the world. As someone who has always found her interest in understanding the kinds of social exclusion that persist in society, this platform would prove to be the right place to create the change.

thelogicalindian.com