STARRING Ramesh S.Narayan Mohan Prema Urvashi Thara Umashri DIRECTOR S.V.Rajendra Singh (Babu) MUSIC Hamsalekha LANGUAGE : Kannada A musical comedy par excellence. Ramesh Aravind and Urvashi have delivered their best. Direction and screenplay are just too good to be described. A complete familty entertainer. Must watch.
Land sanctioned for art centre in Hassan
Monday, March 31, 2003
HASSAN MARCH 30. With the sanctioning of 10 acres of land, the efforts to set up the Regional Art Centre (RAC), considered to be one of the major regional art complexes in South India, have received a boost. Setting up such a centre away from the "crowded" Bangalore, and that too in Hassan has been the objective of the Karnataka Lalitakala Academy (KLA). The President of KLA, Peter Lewis, while he was its member, had appealed to the Central Lalitakala Academy (CLA) to set up the RAC in Hassan. He justified Hassan's choice citing the architectural splendour the district was known for. The Belur and Halebeed temples and the Gomateshwara statute were well known throughout the world. He said at one stage there was plan to set up the RAC either in Shimoga or Kumta in Uttara Kannada District. Following appeals from the people of Hassan District and due to the efforts of the KLA, the CLA conceded the demand for setting up the centre in Hassan. After getting the green signal for the RAC, the process of finding a suitable site for the centre began in July last. A delegation led by Mr. Peter Lewis met the Deputy Commissioner, L.K.Atheeq, and sought land for the centre. Mr. Atheeq suggested two sites -- one adjacent to the KMF's cattle feed plant and another abutting the Chennapatnakere Tank which was breached in December 1996 for the purpose of "development." Later, a decision was taken to choose the plot next to the cattle feed plant. Sources said there was a move to acquire the land chosen by the KLA for a truck terminus, but it was given up following the intervention by the Revenue Minister, H.C. Srikantaiah, and Puttaswamy Gowda, MP. Finally, the Revenue Department sanctioned 10 acres of land in Survey no. 71 of Chennapatna village and the fencing of the area was expected to start soon. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Lewis said the project would be implemented in phases with the help of CLA, State Government, and institutions. B.S. Desai, member of the KLA, said the centre would have a 500-seat theatre, an open air-theatre, folk museum, an art and sculpture museum, an art gallery of international standards, library, a mini film theatre, lecture hall, conference room, studios, and a guesthouse. Mr. Lewis said the academy members had suggested forming a trust headed by the Minister of State for Kannada and Culture to promote the project. Now, the process was on to form a trust of 11 members with maximum representation to Hassan District. A meeting in this regard was held on March 12 and it was attended by Mr. Lewis and the KLA members. The Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, Rani Satish, who inspected the plot allotted to the RAC, is reported to have been satisfied with it. The KLA member, P.S. Kumar, said the process of drafting bylaws had commenced and it would be completed soon. Mr. Lewis said a team of experts would visit Bhubaneswar, Nagpur, and New Delhi where regional art centres had been set up. During his recent visit to Hassan, the former Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority, Baragur Ramachandrappa, said the setting up of RAC would change the cultural scene of Hassan District.
This is a unilateral and unjust war - Gowda
Monday, March 31, 2003
SEDAM (GULBARGA DT.) MARCH 30. The former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, on Sunday, criticised the BJP-led NDA Government for not taking a tough stand against the "unilateral and unjust war" against Iraq by the forces led by the U.S. and the U.K. Mr. Gowda told presspersons that the response of the Union Government to the war was lukewarm, and the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, and his Cabinet colleagues were speaking in different tones on the issue. "Total uncertainty prevails in the Government on taking an official stand on the war imposed on the people of Iraq by the U.S. and its allies.'' He said the Government lacked self-confidence in asserting its right to express its opinion about the war against Iraq, a long-time friend of India which had supported the country on crucial issues, including the Kashmir tangle. The Government had been overtly pro-U.S., and several of its decisions gave the impression that it was dancing to the tunes of that country. Referring to the letter written by the Prime Minister after the 1998 nuclear tests, explaining to the then U.S. President, Bill Clinton, that India was forced to carry out the test as a deterrent on the designs of its neighbours, Pakistan and China, Mr. Gowda wondered why a sovereign country should give an explanation to the U.S.. Every action of the Government proved that it had become submissive to the U.S.. He said that India was the largest democracy in the world, and it should not behave like a subordinate of the U.S.. "The U.S. may be a superpower, but that does not give it the power to impose its will on other countries,'' he said. He also criticised the Congress for undermining the efforts of the Opposition parties to take a united stand on the war. The Congress, after attending the first meeting of the Opposition parties, including the Janata Dal (S), the Left parties, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Nationalist Congress Party, for drafting a joint action plan in protest against the war, did not attend the subsequent meeting or send its representative to the goodwill team of the Opposition parties which visited Iraq prior to the outbreak of the war. The lacklustre response of the Congress forced other parties to adopt a common action plan without its involvement and decide on the holding of a nationwide protest against the war on Monday.
Kannadiga's broad mentality
Monday, March 31, 2003
Because of Kannadiga's broad mentality, lack of support from Press media and theatre owners, every year out of around 25 good movies screened, only 5 to 10 movies make good money, run for 100 days or 25 weeks. Remaining 15 to 20 good movies are not getting noticed. This is the fate of kannada movies in it's hometown. When there are quiet a few good movies and if they don’t get noticed because of the above mentioned reasons, we have to fight against the premature death of these movies. Unfortunately most of the people who talk ill about kannada movies would not have watched good Kannada movies or they don't know anything about kannada movies or just that they are having prejudices against our language.
Nanna Kanasina Huve
Monday, March 31, 2003
Vinayaka Joshi now a hero Years back he was a child artist in NAMMOORA MANDARA HUVE. Today Vinayaka Joshi has been signed to act as the lead actor in NANNA KANASINA HUVE. If one were to explain this young upcoming actor it would be that he has talent and is a very good orator. Vinayaka Joshi won the state award for his performance in AMRUTHAVARSHINI. He also gave a good performance in APPU as Puneet Rajkumar's friend. Apart from these films he has acted in 'CHITRA' and 'PRATYARTHA'. Joshi's father Vasudev Joshi is not keen on his son's career in films. In fact he did not want this to happen so soon. But when the producer Shiva Kumar Patil told him the story of the film, he was impressed. Also the title in NANNA KANASINA HUVE is fascinating. Keerthana is introduced as the heroine in this film. Girija Lokesh is playing a important role in the film.
Dr Raj's second operation successful
Monday, March 31, 2003
Dr Rajkumar's second knee operation was successful in the MIOT Hospital, Chennai. The managing director and bone specialist Prof. P V Mohandas, told reporters that Dr Raj will be able to walk in another few days. He would be discharged in another 10 days time. He was operated first on March 17. Dr Raj has been having this knee problem from quite sometime. This problem heightened when Veerappan kidnapped him for 108 days. Dr Raj's family doctor said that the operation conducted was similar to that of our Prime Minister's operation, which was conducted several years ago. The doctors have assured that Dr Raj will be cured completely. Hopefully his fans might get to see a some more films from him.
Girish Kasaravalli to make 80-episodes for TV
Monday, March 31, 2003
Girish Kasaravalli to make TV magnum opus. Following Govind Nihalani and Shyam Benegal, eminent Kannada filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli has also given into the lure of the small screen. He is making an 80-episode magnum opus that will be aired on television soon. Kasaravalli, who is the third filmmaker after Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen to have received the President's Golden Lotus four times, told a media conference here on Tuesday that it was the cinematic language and not the medium that mattered while making a meaningful work. The filmmaker, whose feature DWEEPA won the national award for best film this year, said the teleserial GRIHABHANGA based on a novel by Dr S L Byrappa, could only have made a mediocre film. "The story was just suited for a teleserial with its myriad plots and sub-plots and richness of characters," Kasaravalli, here to attend the second international social communication conference, said. Admitting that he was initially hesitant to do a teleserial because of the immense 'pressure to deliver' and the time-bound nature of the production, Kasaravalli said he gave in owing to the literary grandeur of the plot. "It is the story of socio-political changes in the last 50 years spanning three generations and involving 10 important characters. Such a story cannot be treated properly in two hours. Only a serialised format could do justice to it," he pointed out. The serial, woven around the story of Nanjamma, her irresponsible husband, mother-in-law and related characters, will be aired on ETV Kannada. Out of his repertoire of nine films made in the last 25 years, four of which -- GHATASHRADHHA, TABARANA KATHA, TAI SAHEBA and DWEEPA -- won the Golden Lotus; most were based on well known literary works. "For me the difference between documentary and feature film does not exist. Most of my feature work has shades of documentary and almost always has political overtones," Kasaravalli said. The film maker, dubbed as the lone crusader left in the original Kannada movement of serious film making, regretted that crass 'commercial' cinema was weaning away audiences from films with social themes. "I feel very sad. There were audiences who watched such films being produced at regular intervals earlier. But now one such film comes at a gap of 3-4 years despite the huge subsidies given by the Karnataka government to produce 'quality films," he said. Subsidies, which had gone up from Rs one lakh in the 1970s to about Rs 30 lakh today, had not been able to lure serious film makers into the genre, he pointed out. Talking about DWEEPA, screened as the inaugural film of the conference last evening, he said his great fascination for rain and the metaphor of water symbolising life, had been used to portray the human trauma behind the process of displacement.
"These media people have no better work to do" -Prema
Monday, March 31, 2003
Prema has married a coffee planter, Uttayya, three months ago. This is the latest buzz in Gandhinagar. And what has the numero uno actress to say about this? Well she is burning with anger. Prema is very upset about the way the press is writing rubbish about her marriage. "These media people have no better work to do. I don't understand why and how do they connect me to all my co-stars. This is ridiculous. If I had married three months ago, how would it be possible for me to participate in the shooting? Forget getting married, I don't even have the time to think about it," said a very flustered Prema. She continued, " This is not something new for me. When I was acting with C P Yogishwar in UTTAR DHRUVA…. They linked my name with him. He was already married then. Some even said that I broke his family. As if this was not enough, they even linked me with Shivdwaj, who is a newcomer. What is worse is allegations were made that I am recommending him to the directors. How can one believe that I will behave this way with my co-stars." Prema has requested the press not to publish wrong reports about her marriage. She has informed that if and when she decides to get married she would be the first one to inform the media. Presently she is working hard for the films she has signed. "I just don't care for such nonsense, is that loud and clear?" Yes maam we heard it. Hey did you know she also knows Karate!!!
Preethi Prema Pranaya song completed
Monday, March 31, 2003
"Manase manase yenaithu ninage, yakaithu ninage….", "Sontada Isya…" are some of D Rajendra Kumar's lyrics, which were made popular by Mano Murthy's music. Now these two have again paired up for a film PREETI PREMA PRANAYA, which is being directed by Kavitha Lankesh. The film stars Anu Krishnakumar (nee Prabhakar) and Sunil Rao as the lead pair. The entire unit had been to Singapore for the shooting of a song. Chinni Prakash, is choreographing the songs. The lead pair of this film had earlier acted as child artists in SHANTHI KRANTHI. Some say that Sunil looks very young compared to Anu. All Kavitha Lankesh says is wait and watch for the film. The unit finished the work in just three days and is back in Bangalore. This film might hit screen very soon. The star cast of PREETI PREMA PRANAYA, is huge. It includes Ananth Nag, Bharathi, Prakash Rai, Sudha Rani, Bhavana, Sunil Rao, Anu Krishnakumar (nee Prabhakar), Arun Kumar, Loknath and Shivram.
Jaggesh makes 100
Saturday, March 29, 2003
Though Kannada comedian-actor Jaggesh has acted in more than 94 films, none of them was lucky enough to remain on the silver screen for 100 days. While some of his films like Super Nanmaga and Banda Nanna Ganda didn’t make it to the 100th day due to lack of theatres, other films were able to attract audiences for more than a month. However, his latest film, Jipuna Nanna Ganda, a re-make of Tamil and Telugu versions of Budget Padmanabham, has successfully completed 100 days. When asked how he feels about it, Jaggesh was of the opinion that it is too late for his film to celebrate such small achievements.
Budget meet has Congress red-faced
Saturday, March 29, 2003
Mysore, Mar 29 - Perturbed over the developments in the Mysore City Corporation during the budget meeting, leader of ruling party P Devaraju has sought the expulsion of taxation and finance standing committee chairman MC Chikkanna from the primary membership of Congress party. The Congress leader told that he has written to KPCC chief Janardhana Poojary seeking the expulsion of MC. Chikkanna from the party. M.C. Chikkanna had walked out of the MCC meeting on Thursday and refused to present budget, much to the embarrassment of the ruling party. He said he has brought the developments in the MCC to the notice of party’s city chief Madegowda, chief minister Krishna and urban development minister DK Shivakumar. Devaraju claimed that the Congress was not against conducting a probe against alleged scam in debris clearance drive. He wanted to know why the committee chief approved reappropriation for debris clearance and sought approval of the council when he held that there was large-scale corruption. Meanwhile, the MCC on Friday discussed proposals of budget 2003-04. Leader of the opposition Narayan, while criticising the administration for not utilising funds earmarked for welfare of SC/STs, termed the budget as old wine in new bottle. He, however, welcomed a proposal to construct a subway at K.R. Circle to ease traffic movement. While supporting the proposal to ask the government to increase grants for the MCC, Narayan said it will help in accelerating developmental works. BJP leader N.R. Chandrashekar welcomed several proposals in the budget and termed it a progressive one. He, however, sought the cooperation of all corporators and officials in implementing them.
JD(U) members stage walkout
Saturday, March 29, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 27 - Irked by the absence of several ministers, who were away attending a rally organised by the Congress party to condemn the attack on Iraq, the Janata Dal members staged a walkout in the Legislative Assembly. As soon as the House met this morning, Janata Dal (United) member S S Patil pointed out to the empty treasury benches and sought to know if the proceedings of the House could be conducted in the absence of ministers. Only a few ministers, including G Parameshwara, Kagodu Thimmappa, V S Koujalgi were present in the House as the rest were away attending the rally. Mr B N Bache Gowda of JD (U) and BJP members Araga Jnanendra, Visvesvara Hegde Kageri and others also took exception to the absence of ministers in the House and sought adjournment of the House for a few hours. However, Legislative Assembly Speaker M V Venkatappa intervened and said that there were sufficient ministers in the House and sought the co-operation of the members to resume the proceedings. The Janata Dal (United) members however said that the Government had no concern for issues concerning the people and later staged a walkout raising slogans against the ‘anti-farmer’ policies of the Government.
Govt committed to protect farmers in forestland: Minister
Saturday, March 29, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 29 - Forest Minister K. H. Ranganath told the Council on Friday that the government was committed to protect the interests of the farmers who had been unauthorisedly cultivating the forest land for many years. Replying to a question by BJP member Ramachandre Gowda, the Minister said the Central Government, following the Supreme Court order, had already issued directions to State governments to regularise some encroachments on forest land which have taken place prior to 1978. Ranganath stated that the government was expected to adhere to the Centre’s directions and he said it was not possible to regularise the encroachments on forest lands that had taken place after 1980. However, as per the decision of the Legislature, the government would request the Centre for bringing in amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act and appeal before the Supreme Court to enable regularisation of forest encroachments. The Minister told K. C. Kondaiah (Congress) that Karnataka Forest Act 1963 and the Karnataka Forest Rules 1969 had been amended to facilitate the public to grow sandalwood in their private land and also get market value for their produce. Though it may not be possible to meet the immediate requirement of artisans, to encourage them, sandalwood is being supplied at 50 per cent of the market value subject to availability, he said. Regarding the seized sandalwood, Ranganath said the State would take all measures to get it (sandalwood) from court and give to the artisans.
Dr Raj hopes to act again
Friday, March 28, 2003
A small fish in a huge ocean. Here ocean is being referred to art. This is how Dr Rajkumar describes himself. This is his simplicity. Dr Raj was speaking at the muhurath of director V Rajendra Singh Babu's son Aditya's debut film LOVE. Of late he has not been participating in many ceremonies. After long he was speaking with great zeal. He said that he still hopes to act in films. He blessed director V Rajendra Singh Babu's son. Speaking on the occasion Dr Raj said that a student should be humble and this is what his father told him long back. Dr Raj clapped for the film. He wished Aditya all the best for his bright future. Aditya's grandmother, senior artiste Prathima Devi lit the lamp on the occasion. Ravichandran, Hamsalekha, M P Shankar, Jayanthi, Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, Jai Jagadeesh and Sunderraj were present at the muhurath. On the occasion of Dr Raj's birthday (April 24th), Puneet Rajkumar's next film ABHI will be released. Lots of hopes have been pinned on this film. His first film APPU was also released on Dr Raj's birthday.
When I just began a career in cinema, many people criticized me - Ramya
Friday, March 28, 2003
"When I just began a career in cinema, many people criticized me. Now I am sure all those who did so are into a massive shock looking at me," said Ramya Krishna. When Ramya set foot into Tollywood, we heard lots of comments on what Ramya needs to do in order to make a secure place in stardom. The comments of course said that she needs to expose, else she would be a flop heroine. When she acted as oldie in a film opposite Rajanikanth many said that her career will be limited to sister, mother, and sister-in-law types of roles. But no, Ramya fought back and today is one of the most-vaunted star. Her performance in JULIE GANAPATHY was simply great. Ramya's dance in a Malayalam film VARNAM has given today's youngsters a complex. Very soon we shall see her film in Sandalwood.
Gandhinagar
Friday, March 28, 2003
Cast: Rajendra, Kausalya, Biradar and others Music: Layendra Direction: Lucky Shanker It's a forest with flowers. The popular belief is that this forest is haunted. A cinema director plans to go to this place to write a story. He reaches the place and sits on a tomb and starts penning down his thoughts. Now don't question us as to which director would undertake such a task. When watching this film you need to keep logic aside. The film has no logic, only magic. Well if not the three hours you do get to see magic at the last one hour. GANDHINAGAR is a horror film. It's woven around some mysterious characters that reside in the forest. The crux of the film is how the director goes to this forest and comes back safely. Initially there are some scenes, which intend to scare the audience, but they are so dramatic that one feels like laughing. The story moves quite fast than the usual. The writer has managed to retain the suspense till the end. Hero Rajender has performed commendably. Actress Kausalya has nothing much to do. Micheal Madhu has lent adequate support. Technically the film is hopeless. One end we get to the real beautiful sceneries and on the other end there are scenes where one gets to see a part of the actors face and the other part is cut. Dialogues are miserable. Musically only two songs are pleasing. Background music is horrific. One wonders what relation does the title and the story has? Probably this is why the movie was advertised with the line "No Logic Only Magic".
Fight over film title
Friday, March 28, 2003
'YARADHO DUDDU YELLAMMANA JAATRE', this is Jaggesh's next film. But this title has not been received in good spirits by some people. The members of Yellamma Devi Committee have blamed that this title has hurt the sentiments of the Yellamma Devi's devotees. The committee president J Ravi has announced that they will fight for a change of the title. The Cauvery Kannada Vedike and Geleyara Balaga Nagareeka Vedike have expressed their support for this cause. Reacting on this issue, Jaggesh's fans have said that Yellamma Devi Committee has taken money from someone and creating a hue and cry on such a small issue.
International Cinema festival in B'lore
Friday, March 28, 2003
Remember 2001, Bangalore had got a chance to host the 32nd International Film festival from October 10 to the 20th. The film festival was to be inaugurated Dr Rajkumar, but somehow things did not happen that way. Now, two years later Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy, has come forward and organized a seven-day International Cinema Festival called 'World in Bangalore'. A total of 30 Indian films and 30 International films are to be shown in this festival. It's estimated that around 1000 - 1500 audiences will watch these films from various popular film theatres of Bangalore. Girish Kasaravalli will preside over the festival.
Oppn demands CM’s, minister’s resignation
Friday, March 28, 2003
The Lokayukta raid on State Drugs Control Office and detection of alleged irregularities to the extent of Rs 300 crore rocked both Houses of the State Legislature today with the principal Opposition BJPs staging a dharna in the Assembly demanding judicial inquiry and resignation of Chief Minister S M Krishna, Medical Education Minister A B Maalaka Raddy and Health and Family Welfare Minister Kagodu Thimmappa. The dharna was withdrawn only after an assurance from the ruling party that it will take a decision on holding inquiry in consultation with the law department after getting an interim report in this regard from the Lokayukta. Stating that the government had an open mind on the demands of the Opposition, Mr Kagodu Thimmappa said a suitable decision on holding inquiry would be taken without infringing upon the rights of Lokayukta which has been asked to file an interim report. The government gave this assurance after Speaker M V Venkatappa held discussion with leaders of the ruling and Opposition parties at his chambers to break the deadlock. Earlier, when the House assembled this morning, Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar, sought to move an adjournment motion on the issue. Making preliminary submissions, he said since the name of Dr Maalaka Raddy had been dragged into the scam, the minister along with Mr Kagodu Thimmappa and Mr Krishna should resign owning responsibility. Commending the Lokayukta for his drive against corruption and also for unearthing irregularities in the Office of the State Drugs Control besides seizing spurious drugs, Mr Shettar sought to know if spurious drugs were being dispensed at Primary Health Centres, Taluk and District Hospitals in the state. ‘What will happen to people, especially the poor who have used such spurious drugs’, he asked. The Government is encouraging private companies to manufacture spurious drugs, he alleged. BJP member A Ramdas claimed that the Estimates Committee in its third report in 1994 had mentioned about the spurious drugs, but no action had been taken by the Government on it. Mr Shettar brought to the notice of the House the names of former Health minister H C Mahadevappa and the present minister mentioned by the officials during the raid. He said Dr Maalaka Raddy, who had once questioned the style of functioning of the Lokayukta, had also been mentioned and charged that there was an organised attempt to trap this minister who was known for his sincerity. He took exception to the reported statement of Lokayukta vigilance director Dr H Sudarshan, who quoted officials about the involvement of Dr Maalaka Raddy in the scam. When Mr Shettar and other members, including JD (U) member A B Patil questioned the propriety of Dr Sudarshan, who had mentioned the names of the ministers during the raid to the media, Mr Thimmappa said it was for the Chief Minister to reply on such observations. Mr Thimmappa said that in addition to getting an interim report from the Lokayukta, a separate inquiry was being held by the Health Commissioner with regard to various lapses pointed out by the Lokayukta. Chemical analysis of drugs already supplied would be done to ascertain the purity, he assured. JD (U) leader P G R Sindhia suggested the government to immediately withdraw the alleged spurious drugs already supplied to the various government hospitals in the districts. Replying to Mr Sindhia’s suggestion, Mr Thimmappa said teams would be sent to district hospitals to take stock of the situation. The House witnessed angry exchanges for some time when the Health Minister ruled out a judicial probe saying that the Lokayukta was a former Supreme Court judge and the government would initiate action based on his report. The BJP members alleged that the government was trying to cover up the lapses by rejecting the judicial probe and shouted slogans against the government. The BJP members trooped into the well of the House demanding a judicial probe. Repeated pleas by the Speaker to resume seats yielded no result. Mr Venkatappa disallowed permission for the adjournment motion at the preliminary stage itself as the Government said that it will await the Lokayukta inquiry and Health Commissioner’s reports. COUNCIL: Refusing to budge to the Opposition demand to keep Medical Education Minister out of the cabinet in the backdrop of the Drug Scam unearthed by the Lokayukta, Chief Minister S M Krishna told the Legislative Council that the next course of action will be taken after obtaining an interim report from the Lokayukta. Mr Krishna told the House that the Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department has already sought an interim report from the Lokayukta.
Dhun
Friday, March 28, 2003
Cast: Mandya Ramesh, Janhvi, Niwas, Sai Krishna, Pshpaswamy, Rakesh, Tennis Krishna, Bank Janardhan, Rekha Das Director: Ramesh P C One of the welcome changes in the present genre of Kannada movies is the introduction of new faces and change in themes. At least you can heave a sigh of relief as you need not see the same old monotonous acting and same old faces! Colours, a comedy, is all about five friends - Paandu (Mandya Ramesh), Kumar (Niwas), Ranga (Sai Krishna), Hari (Rakesh) and Vittala (Pushpaswamy). While Paandu is studious, the other four the opposite. After graduation, Paandu becomes a lecturer in a Bangalore college while the other four continue to be students. All the five stay together in a rented house. Vyjayanthi (Janhvi) is their neighbour who is also studying in the same college. Paandu falls flat for Vyjayanthi and tries his level best to gain her love, but fails every time (more than 10 times). The reason: find yourself. One more interesting factor about this movie is that there is no storyline. Instead, many small incidents have been woven making it appear like episodes is a mega serial! Colours revolves round these five youth and Vyjayanthi, their pranks and their efforts of getting others into trouble (also called as ‘fitting’ in movie). Sai Krishna, the ‘smartest’ in the group who has also written the dialogues for the movie has done his best while Niwas’ and Jahnavi too have succeeded in making their presence felt. Even though the director has succeeded in raising your blood pressures at times, you might love to watch the ending, a suspense. While Director Ramesh P C has made a debut through Colours, Mandya Ramesh has made his debut as lead actor. A few foot tapping numbers is an added attraction.
Remains of Vijayanagar empire found at Barkur
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
BARUK: The ongoing excavations at Barkur, one-time capital of the famous Tulu dynasty of Alupas in Kundapur taluk, around 25 km from Udupi, has shown beyond doubt that the Vijayanagar empire once existed at this place. According to former Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Dr.Narasimhaiah, excavators have discovered the foundations of three mini palaces, two of which bear proof of having been occupied by local representatives, then known as Rajyapals, of the Vijayanagar rulers of Hampi, near Hospet, at present in Bellary district. The identity of the occupants of the third palace is yet to be ascertained. The excavation work at Barkur is being conducted by the M.H.Krishna Institute of Indology of the Bangalore-based Mythic Society over the last one month. According to Narasimhaiah, the excavations at the first two sites had revealed bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, court halls etc, being part of the mansions which are in much the same Vijayanagar architectural style found in areas where the empire had its sway. Traces of five wells surrounding the palaces and water pools nearby, reflecting the Vijayanagar rulers’ proclivity for water sports have also been discovered. The kitchen is found to have contained a mortar. The excavators have also discovered the remains of a stable near one of the palaces which Narasimhah feels may have been used by the Rajyapals to keep the horses they imported from Arab countries. Records have it that as many as 28 Rajyapals represented the Vijayanagar empire at Barkur. Another relic found at the site, (links with the Vijayanagar or any other dynasty are yet to be ascertained) is a stone inscription (Mastikallu) with an epitaph in honour of a woman who committed ‘Sati’ (death by immolation) with her soldier-husband. Narasimhaiah said the excavations at Barkur is the first at the regional level, which he felt, augured well for historical research and would throw more light on important dynasties in the State. The excavations in the State hitherto were limited to major historical centres alone. Barkur is an important historical site in the coastal region, needing thorough study and research as to how and why so many dynasties settled for it as their capital. The excavation work, however, will be slow for want of skilled workers.
KPTCL files petition seeking review of tariff order
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
BANGALORE: Panicked by the fact that the year could end up with a deficit of around Rs 650 cr, the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) and four ESCOMs have again approached the regulator seeking review of its March 10 tariff order. The utilities have listed out a number of reasons to explain why the regulator must allow its plea. By an order on March 10, the Karnataka Electricity Reforms Commission (KERC) rejected the KPTCL’s proposal seeking an average 10.5 per cent hike and allowed just an average hike of 2.02 per cent. If the regulator were to uphold the revision petition, the tariffs of domestic, commercial and industrial consumers will rise further. In its petition, the KPTCL has said that it incurred an additional Rs 400 cr burden on account of purchase of expensive thermal power from outside because of failure of monsoons leading to drought. As most of these expenditure was met by borrowed funds, the accumulated burden on the KPTCL was Rs 650 cr taking interest and debt servicing into the account. The KPTCL submitted before the KERC that it had not disputed the KPTCL’s claim in its tariff order but had only asked to come back after watching the monsoons. Since, any tariff order was filed based only on projections, the KERC must allow the present one too as it cannot come up with a fresh one. The KPTCL has referred to Section 27 of the Karnataka Electricity Reforms Act which allows only one tariff revision in a year, and it cannot file another one as suggested by the Commission in October after monsoon. In November again, the KPTCL has to approach the Commission with another petition for the next year’s revision, and in all, it becomes three tariff petitions during this year itself, which was not practical. The KPTCL wants the regulator to rescind its order on giving rebate to farmers whenever there was a deficiency in the supply of quality power. The KPTCL could ensure adequate voltage across the State only when generation kept pace with demand, and the transmission and distribution system were overhauled. The KPTCL could ensure quality power only when there was a 20 per cent reserve in the capacity. The KPTCL has virtually told it is not possible to implement this order in favour of irrigation pump-sets as already there was a peak capacity shortage of 1200 MW, which is expected to touch 3,500 MW in the next five years. Already the recovery from farmers had suffered, and the rebate clause will only make matters difficult for the ESCOMs, and the recovery of dues will come to a halt. The KPTCL’s revision petition, referring to the 28 per cent T & D losses which the regulator has allowed to pass on to consumers, said the tenor of the order indicated that the KPTCL has two per cent extra energy to sell, when the factual situation was otherwise. There was a big difference between the targets desirable and the targets possible, and the KPTCL could achieve only 30 per cent T & D target, and it will strive hard to bring it further down to 28 per cent. The revision petition has said that the regulator must allow the expenditure of around Rs 120 cr incurred during 2002-03 on purchase of about 300 MUs from some units of non-conventional energy sources. The KERC has disputed the power purchase agreements (PPA) between the KPTCL and the 9 small units on the grounds that it had not been cleared them. The PPAs were inked between June 99 when the Reforms Act came into force and Nov 99 when the Commission became operational, and the KPTCL has said these PPAs were perfectly legal and it was in any case sending the PPAs for the KERC scrutiny. One has already been sent.
Krishna condemns Kashmir Pandit killings
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Bangalore, March 25: Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna condemned the gunning down of 24 Kashmiri pandits by terrorists on Monday and termed it as "barbaric. Expressing anguish over the cold blooded murder of innocent people in the Kashmir valley, Krishna asked the Centre to chalk out an action plan to assist the Kashmir Government in eliminating militancy and restore peace in the valley. In a statement issued here, Krishna urged the Union Government to extend assistance to all states in combating terrorist activities. Krishna said the attempt by militants to derail the process of restoration of peace in Kashmir valley should be negated by all efforts. He expressed condolences to the bereaved families of Kashmiri pandits, the statement said.
Govt backs VAT
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 25 - Value-added tax has been accepted in 130 countries all over the world and is necessary to fight the impact of international trading and the WTO on local markets. So asserted law and parliamentary affairs minister D.B. Chandre Gowda on Monday while speaking on the Karnataka Value-Added Tax Bill (2003) in the Assembly. Every state has to pass it before April 1.’’ The opposition, however, said sufficient time hasn’t been given for traders or legislators to understand the Bill. What is the need to introduce it at the last minute,’’ they said.
Ramakrishna Hegde undergoes brain surgery
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 25 - Senior Janata Dal (U) leader Ramakrishna Hegde today underwent a 'shunt surgery' on his brain at Cromwell Hospital in London, according to his personal physician Ramana Rao. Leading neuro-surgeon Adams performed the 'shunt surgery' with a valve to regulate the pressure inside the brain at 3:00 AM IST, Rao told. Hegde, who has been shifted to a ward, was stable and his vital parameters were normal, Rao, who spoke to Adams, said. "He is conscious and cheerful," Rao said. Rao said Hegde would also undergo prostrate surgery in about a week's time. The former Karnataka chief minister who is ailing in recent months had flown to London for treatment last week.
President to visit Mangalore on March 28
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
President Dr Abdul Kalam will inaugurate the Information Technology Research Management Centre at St Aloysius College on March 28. Mangalore, March 25: President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam will visit the city on March 28 to declare open the Information Technology Research Management Centre at St Aloysius College here. He will also inaugurate the golden jubilee celebrations of the Kasturba Medical College, at Manipal on the same day. The President would speak to a gathering of students and benefactors and the alumni of the St Aloysius College, Rev (Dr) Prashanth Madtha, the college's Principal told reporters on Tuesday. Kalam would also visit the famous frescos of Br Moscheni chapel in the college premises, he said. Incidentally, Kalam also was a Jesuit alumnus and completed his studies at St Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, Madtha said. On the occasion, Defence Minister, George Fernandes, who is also an alumni of the college, would open the new science block, a nine-storey building housing all modern amenities for B Sc and M Sc and research courses in science, built at a cost of Rs 10 crore, he added. Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi, Chief Minister S M Krishna, Transport Minister, B Ramanatha Rai and a host of Ministers would be present on the occasion, he said. Meanwhile, a Manipal report said the President, after inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of the KMC, would also release a first-day cover. The Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), B M Hegde told reporters that the President will also interact with over 1,000 school children from various schools of Udupi district. Defence Minister George Fernandes, Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi, Chief Minister S M Krishna and Port and Fisheries Minister Vasanth V Salian will be present on the occasion, he said.
SSLC exams begins
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 24 - This year’s SSLC examination, commencing today witness a record 7.85 lakh students appearing for the examination in 2,150 centres across the State. The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board has taken several steps to ensure smooth conduct of the examination. Board Director (Exams) T M Kumar told that for the first time students have been given unique permanent registration numbers that could be used for all future correspondence with the Board. A candidate will retain the same registration number if he or she appears for any future examination conducted by the Board. Besides, it will also pave way for easy retrieval of information for any future references, Mr Kumar pointed out. The rules pertaining to malpractice in the examination will be enforced very strictly in this year’s SSLC examination. The Board has launched a poster campaign warning students that copying in examination is punishable with imprisonment. Any student found copying will be debarred from two consecutive examinations. Any student found exchanging their answer-scripts will be debarred from five consecutive examinations. Those students who indulge in violence in the examination hall and those attaching money with the answer-scripts will be debarred from six examinations.
Security stepped up at Dravid, Kumble residences
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 23 (IANS) Security was stepped up at the residences of Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble here following India's defeat in the World Cup. "Police pickets have been posted at all the sensitive areas where violence took place after the India-Australia and India-Pakistan matches. The police have been told to ensure adequate security," Bangalore police chief M.D. Singh told IANS. Dravid's residence had been stoned after India had lost to Australia in the league stage of the World Cup five weeks ago. A victory procession after the India-Pakistan match had led to tension between Hindus and Muslims in the eastern part of the city.
Violence rocks City Market area; 45 buses damaged
Saturday, March 22, 2003
More than 60 vehicles, including 45 BMTC buses, were damaged when a group of Muslims, who were protesting against the US attack on Iraq, turned violent in the City Market area this afternoon. Police had to resort to lathicharge and lob teargas shells while controlling the mob, which was armed with swords, choppers and stones. Four policemen, four BMTC bus drivers and several passers-by were injured when the protesters indulged in stone-throwing. Trouble began around 1:55 pm when 2,000 Muslims, who had gathered in front of the mosque in City Market today after offering the Friday noon prayers, started shouting slogans against the United States for having attacked Iraq. They burnt an effigy of US President George Bush and later decided to take out a procession in the area to express their solidarity with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. However, the police objected stating that they had not taken prior permission to take out a procession. Angered by this, the mob attacked BMTC buses and other private vehicles near the bus stand. While police reinforcements began to arrive in the area, the protesters spread out and started attacking private vehicles and shops on S J P Road and N R Road. Commercial establishments downed shutters while shell-shocked BMTC passengers ran helter-skelter seeing the armed protesters. City Market police inspector Siddaramaiah, Sub-inspector Venkatanarasaiah, head constable Lingappa and City Armed Reserve constable Sanjeev Kumar suffered injuries while repulsing the attack by the protesters. BMTC staff who were injured in the attack have been identified as Venugopala, Venkatesh, Chouhan Murthy and Ashwathnarayana. Speaking to Deccan Herald, BMTC chief traffic controller Dastagir Sharief said: about 45 buses were damaged in the attack and as a result the BMTC suffered a loss of about Rs 8 lakh. On the immediate provocation for the attack, a senior police officer said: going by the turn of events it is evident that the protesters had made up their minds to indulge in violence. Some leaders could have made provocative speeches that could have instigated them to take to violence. Following the attack, police tightened security in market and adjoining areas. City Police Commissioner M D Singh, Joint Commissioner Jeevan Goankar and Deputy Commissioner of Police Chebbi visited the spot. The situation was brought under control by dusk.
Preethisu
Saturday, March 22, 2003
H Hanumanthaiah had written a Kannada play Dudukida Maava Sidukida Sose, which was staged then by a North Karnataka drama company. Now, he is producing the film Preethisu based on the same story with Vishal and Ashwini in the lead. The film is directed by Siddaraju who earlier worked with Saiprakash and Mahendar as assistant director. Teja and Lokesh will be scoring the music and canning the camera respectively. While Vishal is acting in his fourth film with Ninagagi having released, Ashwini is a rank newcomer doing her II PUC in Sarala Devi Junior College. The story is about how a boy and a girl who grow up together as childhood friends but are unable to express their love towards each other. The hero’s sister is aware of her brother’s love towards the girl. Does childhood friendship turn into love is what the film all about, according to Siddaraju. The film also stars Abhijit, Panchami, Michael Madhu, Vidya Murthy, Ranjitha and Bhavya among others.
I like to be myself free and independent -Spandana
Saturday, March 22, 2003
Here’s yet another new young face knocking on the doors of stardom in Kannada cinema. With dreams in her eyes and an ambition to succeed, Spandana is now ready to take the big leap into the acting world. Spandana has been rechristened Ramya by Parvathamma Rajkumar for their home production Abhi, which has just completed shooting and dubbing. Says Spandana, The idea of people calling me Ramya has not yet sunk into my mind. Though it is not my name, I am happy that Amma gave me this name. I felt awkward when people called me Ramya on the sets. But, I guess, Amma and the banner have been lucky for everyone. After BCom, Spandana was planning to join the Sheetal Designer Studio in Mumbai with Hemanth Trivedi and Manish Malhotra before this offer came her way. She has taken part in ramp shows and was crowned Miss Country Club in 2001. Spandana, who hails from Mandya, studied in a residential school at Ooty. I have been away from home for at least 15 years. It’s only during the last three years that I have been with my parents. I like to be myself free and independent. How did Abhi happen? Says she, I had a few good offers such as Neenagaagi, Dumbee and Appu. I was on the verge of being selected for Appu, but I had to slim down then, and so I missed my chance. They did take some time to finalise the heroine for Abhi. I was a nervous wreck on the first day of shooting when they had not finalised as yet on me. Finally, I got the nod. Interestingly, heroines who have made it big in Kannada cinema have all been associated with Rajkumar’s home production banner in some way or the other -- be it successful actresses like Sudha Rani, Shruthi, Anu Prabhakar, Prema, Malashri or now Rakshita. Ramya is quite hopeful that she would join the ranks of these heroines who have stuck gold in Kannada cinema.
STATE BUDGET
Saturday, March 22, 2003
STATE BUDGET Following are the excerpts from the Budget speech presented by Finance Minister and Chief Minister S M Krishna in the Legislature: Honourable Speaker, I rise to present the Budget for the year 2003-04. The vision spelt out in the first budget of my Government was translated into various initiatives and it has been my endeavour to bring all of them to fruition. This budget reflects my continuing commitment to the programmes initiated in earlier budgets and at the same time, spells out a number of major initiatives to respond to the needs of our people. I take pride in the fact that my Government has shown strong resilience in dealing with the many challenges and constraints in the last three years. The State and its people have been through a difficult year. Karnataka suffered a second consecutive drought. 157 talukas in 24 districts were affected. To mitigate the grave situation, my Government spent over Rs 50 crore, for drought relief operations in addition to releases made under the Calamity Relief Fund and the National Calamity Contingency Fund. As a part of the relief measures, my Government is committed to waive the interest on short term co-operative credit for Kharif 2002. The Government of India has agreed to bear only 20 per cent of this burden. I propose to bear the rest with contributions from the Legislators Area Development Fund and the National Calamity Contingency Fund. My effort in this year’s budget is to achieve three objectives: First, to try and provide a citizen friendly tax regime and some relief in the burden of taxes to the common man; Second, effectively reduce unproductive revenue expenditure to release resources for development; Third, to prioritise development expenditure and enhance allocations to Agriculture, Rural Development, Education and for Empowerment of women and the under-privileged. Economic situation: Advance estimates of Karnataka’s Gross Domestic Product (GSDP) indicate a growth rate of 8.3 per cent at current prices. While Industry and Services are estimated to have grown at the rates of 8.9 per cent and 13.7 per cent respectively, the agriculture sector recorded a negative growth rate of 3.6 per cent. This was largely due to the severe drought that I have already referred to. The inflationary pressures have eased to an extent due to the low growth in the economy. The wholesale price index for all commodities is estimated to have increased at the rate of 3.46 per cent from March to October 2002, marginally higher than for the same period in 2001. The Consumer Price Indices of Karnataka when compared with the All-India average. The economic outlook for 2003-04 is however positive. Following two consecutive droughts it would be reasonable to anticipate a good monsoon in the ensuing year. Though the MTFP projects a real growth of close to 8 per cent, in GSDP, it would be realistic to target a growth rate of about 6 per cent. Agriculture Agriculture remains at the heart of the economy of the State. It also has a considerable weight in the composition of the State’s GSDP. It would be axiomatic therefore that rapid economic growth for Karnataka would be substantially predicated upon agriculture and allied activities. To promote efficient micro water management, a scheme for extensive use of drip irrigation is necessary. To enable farmers to rapidly adopt drip irrigation as the dominant mode of water management in the State, my Government will provide a capital subsidy of 50 per cent to all farmers and 100 per cent subsidy to all SC/ST beneficiaries under the Ganga Kalyana Scheme on purchase of drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation equipment and on water guns used in agriculture. Recognising the importance of farm mechanisation, I propose to increase the subsidy from 25 per cent to 50 per cent for purchase of farm machinery including tractor mounted plant protection equipment, power tillers and solar water pumps. This will help timely completion of agricultural operations, overcoming labour shortage during times of peak seasonal operations and help reduce the cost of inputs. Members are aware that Bijapur District is known for its potential for horticulture development. In order to give impetus to development of horticulture in this area, I propose to increase the subsidy for drip and sprinkler irrigation equipment to 100 per cent for horticultural crops in this district. Through the market intervention scheme, the state has been able to prevent distress sale by farmers. The revolving fund for market support operations is at present Rs 100 crore and the turnover has been approximately Rs 200 crore. I propose to earmark an additional Rs 100 crore during the fiscal year 2003-04. In order to mobilise resources for the revolving fund, the market cess will be increased from 1 per cent to 1.5 per cent. With this the corpus of the revolving fund will reach Rs 200 crore. That should enable us to handle market support operations up to a turnover of Rs 500 crore. In order to ensure that farmers throughout the state are freed from the clutches of middle men, I propose to establish Raithara Santhe in all the taluka headquarters. Promoting organic farming is a major priority of my Government. To encourage farmers to adopt organic farming on a large scale, I propose to increase subsidy in organic manures like compost, vermicompost and bio-fertilizers from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. I am allocating Rs 2 crore for this purpose. The Government has been extending waiver of sales tax on diesel supplied to mechanised fishing boats limited to 50,000 KL per year. This exemption is in the nature of a subsidy of Rs 16 crore per annum. Though such tax exemptions are not compatible with the tax reforms being implemented, keeping the difficulties that the fishermen community faces, I propose to continue this scheme during the year 2003-04. With the objective of building a vast pool of qualified veterinary doctors in the State, I am happy to announce the establishment of a University of Veterinary Sciences in Bidar. I am setting apart Rs 5 crore for this purpose. Rural development In order to further strengthen the Panchayat Raj Institutions, I propose to enhance the grant to Rs 5 lakh per Gram Panchayat. For the 5,659 Gram Panchayats in the state, I am thus allocating Rs 283 crore, a 43 per cent increase to give a genuine fillip to local self government. Education My Government is committed to improve literacy levels. A key initiative that I would like to announce is to introduce the Aksharadasoha scheme for all Government primary school children up to class 5 all over the state from the next academic year. Under this programme hot mid day meals will be provided to school going children in all Government schools all over the state. I am dedicating Rs 200 crore for this scheme. As part of my Government’s initiative for the development of Northern Karnataka and decentralisation, I propose to create a separate Commissioner of Public Instruction for schools in the Bombay Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka Region. The Commissionerate will be located in Hubli. Health Providing advanced health care to our rural people afflicted with diabetes, hypertension, asthma and heart disease is one of the challenges faced by us. Keeping this in view and by using advanced technology in the areas of space, information and communication, I propose to promote a Tele-medicine Project which will link 25 district hospitals. AIDS continues to be a cause of concern for us. We have launched new programmes like Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centres and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission in almost all the districts. We will upscale the services this year and take them to the Taluka level. I propose to set up four cardiology referral centers of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology in Hubli-Dharwad, Shim-oga, Mercara and Bijapur. These centers will be able to cater to about 40 lakh patients for preliminary and advanced diagnostic procedures. I am allocating Rs 3 crore for this purpose. I propose to allocate Rs 1 crore to the Institute of Nephro-urology in Bangalore. It is proposed to build 15,000 Ambedkar houses at a cost of Rs 30 crore and 60,000 Ashraya houses at a cost of Rs 60 crore in rural areas. It is proposed to construct 15,000 houses for houseless Scheduled Tribe families. Considering the growth of population and backwardness of the North Karnataka, 7 backward districts viz. Bijapur, Bagalkot, Bidar, Raichur, Gulbarga, Koppal and Bellary, I propose to start 75 new hostels for the benefit of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Class students, in these districts. I propose to reserve 30 per cent of these institutions for girl students. In memory of late Sri Devaraj Urs I propose to earmark Rs 2 crore for the purpose of construction of a Devaraj Urs Bhawan in each district headquarter at a cost of Rs 10 lakh each. I propose to establish a Chief Minister’s Fund for repair of old temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and basadis in rural areas. The initial corpus will be Rs 1 crore. Assistance from this fund will be limited to Rs 10,000 per institution as a one time grant. I am also allocating Rs 5 crore to enable construction of one Shaadi Mahal in each taluka by providing a grant of Rs 5 lakh each. To encourage research scholars to pursue studies on development of backward classes and their assimilation into the mainstream I propose to institute a Devaraj Urs Research Fellowship in six Universities of Karnataka. A grant of Rs 15 Lakh each is proposed. In memory of the great patriot Tipu Sultan a museum and research centre will be set up at Srirangapatna at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore. I propose to grant Rs 2 crore to this project. Promoting higher education among women is perhaps the principal catalyst for women’s empowerment and their economic independence. As part of my commitment to this cause and to encourage higher education of women in Northern Karnataka, my Government will establish a women’s university at Bijapur during 2003-04. I have allocated Rs 5 crore for this purpose. The anganawadi workers have played an important role in successfully implementing the Stree Shakti programme. I propose to increase the honorarium of Anganawadi workers by Rs 200 per month and of the Anganwadi helpers by Rs 100 per month. I am providing Rs 14 crore for this purpose. Youth services, sports In the light of the phenomenal success of the Stree Shakti programme my Government will now move towards mobilizing the youth in the State. Harnessing the creative energies of the youth of the State is critical to building a strong future. Towards this end I propose to introduce a new programme Rajiv Yuva Shakti. Under this programme a youth association will be formed in all the 5,659 Gram Panchayats in the State. These associations will be supported with a corpus of Rs 10,000 each to undertake sports, cultural and community building activities. I am setting apart Rs 6 crore for this purpose. Housing My Government reiterates its commitment to provide 11 Lakh houses for the houseless poor in the state. We will complete 6 Lakh houses by the end of March 2003. In the next two years, the target will be increased from 2 Lakh to 2.5 Lakh houses per year for economically weaker sections, thereby 5 Lakh houses will be constructed in the next 2 years. Food and civil supplies The Government will bring into operation the scheme of yellow ration cards with effect from May 1, 2003 in all the 27 districts of the State. Irrigation To ensure repair, renovation and refurbishment of the irrigation assets in the Cauvery basin area, I propose to incorporate a new special purpose vehicle the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama. The objective will be to raise Rs 1,000 crore over the next three years for better management of canals and optimal utilisation of water in the Cauvery basin. Such off budget borrowing will be within the Medium Term Fiscal Frame work and the borrowing limits prescribed therein. The Raitha Kayaka Kere programme has proved very useful for small and marginal farmers. I am extending this programme to cover two tanks in every hobli in the state during 2003-04. I am enhancing the allocation by Rs 5 crore for this purpose. Canal modernisation under the Thunga Dam and Bhadra Dam will be taken up at a cost of Rs 50 crore. These works will be executed through the KNNL. I propose to allocate Rs 5 crore to the Ugrani lift irrigation project in Davanagere district. Roads I therefore propose to establish a dedicated Road Maintenance Fund to be called Mukhya Mantri Grameena Raste Abhivrudhi Nidhi with a corpus of Rs 100 crore. This will require additional resource mobilisation through a cess on fuel and motor vehicles. The modalities of this initiative are being put in place. I propose to enhance the allocation for the RIDF programme from Rs 280 crore in the current year to Rs 325 crore during 2003-04. Energy Despite the fact that the Government supports the power sector with a subsidy of Rs 2,340 crore, there is still considerably dissatisfaction amongst consumers with regard to the reliability and quality of power. I seek the support of the house and all stake holders in implementing strong measures to infuse efficiency in the power sector. These will include: Enforcing measures to step up revenue collection efficiency. This will entail all users paying tariffs as determined by KERC and accepted by Government. Budgetary support to the power sector will henceforth be linked to actual outcomes in the sector. This will mean measurable reduction in technical and commercial losses from the current level of 32 per cent to 30 per cent in the next fiscal year. From the next fiscal year the Government will adopt the Purchaser-provider model for budgeted subsidy support to the power sector. Under this model the Government will determine the quantum of power that it proposes to supply to agriculture during the year and meet the gap in revenue after cross subsidies and agricultural tariffs levied are accounted for. All farmers who pay the principal electricity dues in full will be given full interest waiver. This scheme will be operated for a three month period from April 1, 2003 to June 30, 2003. Karnataka Power Corporation Limited contributes more than 75 per cent of the electricity requirements of the State. KPCL’s power generation is likely to be 19,300 MU for the year 2002-2003 despite the poor monsoon. Urban development To give impetus to development of northern Karnataka, I propose to establish a separate North Karnataka Water Supply Board to deal with urban cum rural water supply projects in the Hyderbad-Karnataka Area and the Bombay-Karnataka area. This will be located in Hubli. Industries, commerce Recognising the importance of exports in the emerging world economic context, we have recently brought out an Export Promotion Policy for the period 2002-07. The Policy has the main objective of increasing the State’s share of exports from the present level of 7 per cent to 15 per cent by 2007. This will be achieved by providing an effective, proactive and supportive institutional mechanism for the rapid growth of exports, operationalising sustainable medium term export promotion sectoral strategies and by building effective and competitive export infrastructure. The scheme of capital subsidy of Rs.25 Lakhs per MW of power generated by sugar factories will be continued for the year 2003-04 also. For handloom weavers, 2,000 living cum work sheds will be constructed. Agro-food processing Agro-food processing is today a huge global industry. Karnataka has competitive advantages to build a strong agro-food industry. To give impetus to this sector, my Government will promote Food Karnataka Limited, a special purpose vehicle that will build partnerships between farmers and private sector food majors. Contract farming will then become a gainful business opportunity for farmers. Forest and environment On the occasion of the centenary celebration of Kuvempu and to make his dream a reality, Government will take action to declare an additional 9,160 acres of forest in Koppa forest division in Chickmagalur district as part of the Kuvempu Memorial Bio Park. In addition, I propose to dedicate Rs 1 crore for the centenary celebration. I propose to institute an award to be called the Rajiv Gandhi Parisara Prashasthi for signal service done in the preservation of Ecology and Environment. This award of Rs.1 lakh each will be given to 5 awardees individuals or institutions every year to be selected from the five regions of the State namely, Malnad, Karavali, Old Mysore (excluding Bangalore), Hyderabad-Karnataka and Bombay-Karnataka regions. Tourism There is great opportunity for all sections of society to play a gainful part in tourism. With the right education and training a large number of people can engage themselves gainfully in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. The effort will be to forge a public-private partnership for tourism development. Our hills and forests are gifts of nature and hold enormous potential for Eco-tourism. This will be the focus of our effort. Kannada and culture In my Budget Speech of the previous year, I had proposed to celebrate the Suvarna Jayanti of the ‘Unification of Karnataka’ on the occasion of completion of 50 years of unification in the year 2006. Accordingly a High Level Committee has been constituted under my Chairmanship to celebrate the Golden Jubilee in a memorable manner. Action will be taken during the ensuing year, to construct two ‘Suvarna Cultural Complexes’ one at Dharwad and the other at Gulbarga. In these complexes, it is proposed to exhibit various items on Art, Literature, Sculpture, Drama, Folk, Fine Arts, Tourism, Architecture, History, Nature and Humanities of Karnataka, so that the entire development of these aspects would be available for the people at one place. Under the Sangeetha Samskruthi Chetana Yojane, a National level Karnataka theatre festival will be organised in memory of the Late B V Karanth, who brought international fame to Kannada theatre. In honour of Jnanapith Awardee Dr. Shivaram Karanth, a trust has been established to promote literature, yakshagana and the folk arts dear to him. I propose to provide Rs 50 lakh to this trust. Police To meet the long felt requirement to increase the strength of police women in Police Stations throughout the state, I propose to sanction 1,000 additional posts of constables, ASIs and SIs, to be recruited in a phased manner. I also propose to strengthen the KSRP by adding 200 women police personnel. To meet the felt need of a special forces unit in the state police, I propose to set up a compact Commando unit comprising about 100 police personnel of various ranks. Fiscal performance My Government is in the midst of a Medium Term Fiscal Reforms Programme dovetailed into the annual budgetary exercise. This is the third year of fiscal reforms. Due to a bad revenue year and a severe drought in 2001-02, we were unable to adhere fully to the fiscal targets under the Medium Term Fiscal Plan. The power sector has become a major area of fiscal concern for me. It is largely due to the inability of the power sector to deliver on reform parameters that the Government was unable to draw the third tranche of the Karnataka Economic Restructuring Loan of Rs.1,200 crore. Despite these constraints, the revised estimates of 2002-03 indicate that we have been able to contain deficits within the targeted limits. The results are there for all to see. Though revenue receipts have fallen from an estimated Rs 18,798 crore to Rs 17,101 crore expenditure has been reduced from Rs 24,840 crore to Rs 23,747 crore. The fiscal deficit as per revised estimates has been pegged at Rs 5,637 crore as against a target of Rs 5,839 crore. The fiscal outlook for 2003-04 is encouraging. In this budget I have tried to realistically assess the state’s own resource mobilisation. It has also been my effort to prune Non-Plan non-development expenditure. Rightsizing Government expenditure, particularly by reducing expenditure on the non-plan side is the key challenge to achieve fiscal sustainability. This was necessary to release scarce resources from the Non-Plan side to enhance Plan allocations for development expenditure in key sectors such as Agriculture and Horticulture, Rural Development and welfare of the under privileged. I am confident that all departments will operate within their budgeted allocations both on the Plan and Non-Plan side during the ensuing year. My aim will be to restrict the fiscal deficit well within the target of Rs 6,269 crore set by the MTFP. The success of this budget will depend substantially on adhering to the Fiscal Responsibility Act and this will be our collective responsibility. Annual plan 2003-04 Though the State Government suffered large shortfalls in revenue in 2002-03, we were able to adhere to our Plan targets. I had hoped to achieve a Plan outlay of Rs 8,611 crore in 2002-03. We have achieved Rs 8,421 crore as per revised estimates which is about 98 per cent. Given the adverse conditions of drought and overall resource shortfall this is a matter of satisfaction. I have enhanced the Annual Plan outlay to Rs 9,780 crore in 2003-04. This is a growth of about 16 per cent over revised estimates of 2002-03. The growth in outlays for key sectors over 2002-03 has been significant. I may mention Agriculture and allied services (18 per cent), Rural Development (43 per cnet), Irrigation (8 per cent), Social Welfare and Women and Child Development (8.5 per cent), Education (22 per cent), Water Supply and Sanitation (33 per cent), Housing and Urban Development (15 per cent). Tax proposals I now go to the tax proposals. Commercial taxes: We are on the threshold of a paradigm shift in sales tax reform. With effect from April 2003, Karnataka will introduce Value Added Tax (VAT), an internationally accepted non-cascading, fair, equitable and transparent tax in place of sales tax. Sir, the Karnataka VAT Bill is before the legislature. This bill will provide the legislative frame work for VAT. From being a mere tax collector, the tax administration will now be transformed into a responsive, service oriented agency. My Government has taken all steps to make this transition from sales tax to VAT, smooth and successful. Sir, our likely revenue loss during the first year is expected be about Rs 750 crore. Government of India has stood by us in tax reform efforts and is expected to fully compensate the revenue loss in the first year of introduction of VAT. The revenue loss compensation will be 75 per cent in the second year and 50 per cent in the third year. Under VAT as specified in the Karnataka VAT Bill, commodities fall under three major categories. Goods of necessity like fresh vegetables, fruits, coarse grains, manual agricultural implements, etc., exempt from tax are listed under first schedule. Petrol, diesel, Aviation Turbine Fuel, sugarcane and lottery tickets which are sought to be continued under the present sales tax system are also in this schedule. Rectified Spirit and liquor including Beer, Fenny, Wine and Liqueurs will continue under the Excise Act. Goods of mass consumption like safety matches, edible oil, bread, mechanical agricultural implements, identifiable raw materials and declared goods will be taxable at 4 per cent and are listed in the third schedule. All the remaining commodities are taxable at a standard rate. As agreed by all the States such standard rate, Sir, would be 12.5 per cent. Certain commodities are exceptions to this tax of 12.5 per cent and are taxable at 1 per cent and 20 per cent. The commodities taxable at 20 per cent are all demerit goods and in line with the national consensus, I propose to deny input tax credit to them. I propose to levy VAT on textile, sugar, tobacco and tobacco products after the State Government is permitted to do so, at appropriate rates keeping in view the tax rates adopted by other States and also the interests of our trade and industry. Sir, under VAT we have to notify the industrial inputs and packing materials taxable at 4 per cent. Similarly the list of IT Products taxable at 4 per cent VAT also needs to be notified. Sir, I would like to emphasise here that introduction of VAT would not and should not lead to increase in prices of goods. Though a few commodities would bear a higher tax than the present tax, because of lower tax on most of the commodities, the total tax on a basket of goods of a common consumer would be lower than the present tax. This is because the Revenue Neutral Rate under VAT is 15 per cent as against 12.5 per cent that we are proposing to adopt. Sales tax Tax exemption: Sir, as mentioned by me earlier, I propose to retain Petrol, diesel, Aviation Turbine Fuel, sugarcane and lottery tickets under the present sales tax system. Petroleum products because, there is no value addition at their subsequent sale points, sugarcane because it is taxable at purchase point and lottery tickets because of the complexity in determining its taxable value. I propose to exempt all other commodities from sales tax. Reliefs: I propose to reduce sales tax to 4 per cent on Avgas sold to flying schools to revive and encourage them. I also propose to reduce sales tax to 4 per cent on ATF and Avgas used by regional airlines connecting new regional destinations to encourage them to expand their operations and provide air connectivity to important tourist and industrial centers in the State. In particular, I would look forward to regional air services commencing operations to destinations such as Mysore, Hubli, Bellary, Hospet, Gulbarga and Belgaum. Central sales tax The Government of India has announced reduction of CST rate from the current rate of 4 per cent to 2 per cent in the year 2003-04 as part of the CST phase out. The loss of revenue to the State from the proposed reduction of CST would be about Rs 442 crore. Luxury tax Additional Resource Mobilisation Measures I propose to: (i) levy luxury tax on telephone charges collected by hotels and lodging houses by withdrawing the present exemption available to such charges collected. (ii) levy luxury tax on luxuries provided in clubs as Rs 600 per annum per member. Reliefs: I propose to increase the exemption limit in respect of Kalyana Mantapas from the present Rs 2000 to Rs 5000 per day as a measure of relief to the poorer sections of the society. Profession Tax Rationalisation Measure: Harm-onisation of rates: As recommended by the Tax Reform Commission, I propose to harmonise the number of rate slabs in general and exemption periods in the case of self-employed persons to make the tax more simple and equitable, as in Annexure-V. Entry tax Rationalisation measures: In line with similar provisions under the Karnataka Sales Tax Act, I propose to, (i) to fix a time limit of 90 days to the first appellate authorities for disposal of appeals covered by stay orders. (ii) restore the stay powers to State Appellate Tribunal to the extent of 50 per cent of the tax disputed in second appeals and fix a time limit of 180 days for disposal of such appeals. I propose to permit dealers to issue self-printed declarations towards pay-ment of entry tax paid by on goods sold, instead of the present Form-40 declarations to be obtained from the Department. I propose to empower the Committee of Additional Commissioners set up to issue statutory clarifications on classification of commodities, tax rates and eligibility of transactions to tax under the Karnataka Sales Tax Act to issue similar clarifications under the Entry Tax Act. Entertainment Tax Reliefs: I propose to exempt tax on sponsors of sports events. Rationalisation Measures: I propose to levy an additional tax of Rs 1 and Rs 0.50 per admission on AC and Non-AC theatres respectively. As the present sales tax on lottery tickets is not generating revenue at the desired levels, I propose to levy a more efficient betting tax on lotteries by bringing a new enactment. Agricultural Income Tax I propose to continue the concessions on Agricultural Income Tax that I had announced for the year 2002-2003 during the year 2003-04 also in view of the drought. Consequential Amendments: The relevant tax laws need amendments to implement the above proposed measures. These amendments together with other amendments for rationalization will be moved. Excise I propose to levy excise duty on liquor supplied to Canteen Stores Department at the rate of Rs 40 per bulk litre, instead of Rs 20 per Bulk litre levied at present. I also propose to levy litre fee at the rate of Rs 15 per Bulk Litre on liquor costing a basic price of Rs 351 and above per case on liquor supplied to Canteen Stores Department. I propose to increase the minimum basic price of liquor excluding Fenny, Beer and Wine to Rs 350 per case for the purpose of levying Additional Excise Duty and consequently I propose to levy a minimum Additional Excise Duty at Rs130 per Bulk litre. In order to rationalise the fee on export of liquor, I propose to increase export duty on Indian Made Liquor from Rs 2.50 per Bulk litre to Rs 3.50 per Bulk litre and on Beer from 50 Paise to Rs1 per Bulk litre. I propose to levy a fee of Rs 2 per bulk litre on denatured anhydrous alcohol supplied to oil companies for the purpose of mixing with petrol. The above provisions will come into force with effect from April 1, 2003. On sub-leasing of Distilleries/Breweries/ Wineries by the licensees to third parties, I propose to levy a fee equivalent to ten percent of the licence fee on Distilleries/Breweries/ Wineries at the time of granting permission for sub-leasing and thereafter at the time of renewal of such licences every year. I propose to create a special category of retail licence for Government owned companies, with a condition that, such shops shall be exclusively maintained by them and shall not be transferred or sub-leased to others. Consumption of liquor within the licensed premises will not be allowed under this category of licences. The licence fee for such shops shall be Rs One lakh per year. I propose to levy a special fee of Rs One lakh for granting special permission to bottle liquor in less than 180 ml capacity. I propose to reduce the fee levied on wholesale licences issued for shops located in city municipal corporation limits with a population of above 20 lakhs from Rs 8.25 Lakh to Rs 7.25 Lakh and in case of wholesale licences issued for shops located in other areas from Rs 6.75 Lakh to Rs 5.75 Lakh per annum. I also propose to reduce licence fee in respect of clubs(Cl-4) located in town municipal council and town panchayat areas from Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 60,000 per annum and in respect of clubs located in other rural areas from Rs.60,000 to Rs. 50,000 per annum. At present, a licensee who is granted a licence to sell Indian Made Liquor is permitted to sell foreign liquor (imported from outside India) on payment of an additional licence fee equivalent to ten percent of the licence fee. It is proposed to permit the sale of foreign liquor (imported from outside India) on payment of an additional licence fee of Rs 25,000 in case of wholesale licences (CL-1), Rs 5,000 in case of Clubs and Rs 10,000 in respect of all other licences granted for sale of liquor under the Karnataka Excise (Sale of Indian and Foreign Liquors) Rules, 1968. The above provisions will come into force with effect from July 1 2003. In order to ensure proper utilisation of rectified spirit and denatured spirit, I propose that the requirement of rectified spirit and denatured spirit for industrial concerns and pharmaceuticals will be supplied only through the warehouses established by Government companies. For this purpose, Warehouse licences will be issued to such Government companies for purchase and sale of rectified spirit and denatured spirit to industrial concerns and pharmaceuticals in the State. Stamps and registration Taking forward my Government’s initiative on tax reforms, I propose to rationalise stamp duty and registration charges. The Tax Reforms Commission had recommended and I quote, The Commission recommends that, to remove discriminatory treatment of equals, in the interest of horizontal equity, the incidence of all levies on conveyance (including surcharge, additional stamp duty and registration fee) should be limited to 9% of the market value in all areas without differentiation. Sir, Based on this recommendation, I propose to reduce the stamp duty from 10 per cent to 8 per cent on conveyances, for property situated within the limits of Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority, and from 9 per cent to 8 per cent for property situated in city corporations, city municipalities, town municipal councils and town panchayaths outside the limits of BMRDA. I also propose to bring down the Registration fee to 1 per cent from 2 per cent. I propose to levy surcharge of 2 per cent and 3 per cent on the stamp duty instead of the existing additional duty on behalf of the local bodies, as prevailing in the Section 99, of the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964, even in the areas of Municipal Corporations and Taluk Panchayats. The relevant Acts will be amended accordingly. With effect from April 1, 2003, the use of stamp papers and stamps including judicial stamps will be discontinued. With this, the process of elimination of fake stamp papers and stamps will be completed. I propose to exempt levy of court fee stamp upto Rs 10 both for judicial and non-judicial purposes. I propose to bring down the stamp duty rate on Mortgages from 3 to 0.5 per cent. I propose to remove the slab rates on the sale of apartments and flats and bring in an uniform conveyance rate on all the conveyances related to apartments and flats to 8 per cent. I propose to levy duty on sale deeds of properties executed by house building co-operative societies in pursuance of lease-cum-sale deeds executed before March 31, 2001 on market value of property prevailing on the date of execution of lease-cum-sale deed of such properties. Motor vehicle taxes The principal problem in the transport sector is that supply is woefully short of the growing demand for public transport services. This mismatch has put the common citizen to considerable difficulty and inconvenience. The inadequacy of state transport undertaking run passenger services has resulted in several distortions including unregulated and clandestine operation of private passenger services seriously jeopardizing the safety of passengers and considerable dilution of traveling comfort. The brunt of this is being borne by the rural population. Over loaded unauthorized maxicabs causing serious accidents, substituting brazenly for nationalized buses; goods vehicles like trucks and tractors designed for agricultural operations taking on passenger load on routes inadequately served by the state transport undertakings and roof top traveling is rampant. The Tax Reforms Commission has examined this problem in considerable detail and I quote Inadequacy of public transport facilities due to various factors seems to be creating conditions of artificial scarcity. Unless private operation is permitted optimum operation of passenger services and consequent improvement in comfort and safety standards is unlikely. The Tax Reforms Commission has therefore made a strong case for repeal of Contract Carriages (Acquisition) Act in the interest of the passenger comfort and safety. Therefore, I propose to repeal the Karnataka Contract Carriages (Acquisition) Act, 1976. This will pave the way for private contract carriages through out the state. The Tax Reforms Commission has also recommended that stage carriage permits should also be given to private operators within 20 kms of district headquarters. I propose to implement this recommendation. A separate scheme for introduction of city/town services within the radius of 20 kms in and around the district headquarters excluding Bangalore will be implemented. Necessary amendments will be made to the various schemes notified by the Government. The Tax Reforms Commission has also recommended that state transport undertaking should be brought on par with the private stage carriages and taxed in the same fashion. I propose to enhance the present rate of tax from 6 per cent to 7 per cent on vehicles operating on moffusil routes and 3 per cent to 5 per cent on vehicles operating on city/town limits on the gross traffic revenue earned by state transport undertakings. I also propose to enhance the ad-valorem rate of tax from 7 per cent to 9 per cent on new motor cars/jeeps and omnibus/private service vehicles havi-ng floor area up to 5 sq. meters and 10 per cent in respect of vehicles the cost of which exceeds Rs 10 lakh at the time of registration. Necessary amendments will be made to the tax schedule. I propose to rationalize and reduce the rate of tax on tourist vehicles from Rs 2,250 to Rs 2,000 per seat per quarter and Rs 4,000 to Rs 3,000 per sq. meter on campers van respectively to encourage tourist related activities in the state. To encourage retrofitting of LPG for in-use auto-rickshaws, the Government proposes to provide interest subsidy of Rs 2,000 per auto-rickshaw out of the Green Tax that is being collected. Electricity tax There are different rates of tax applicable to different categories of consumers based on their electricity consumption. These rates were last revised during 1996. I propose to rationalise the existing tax structure, and introduce an ad valorem tax at 5 per cent of total electricity charges payable by all the consumers, except agricultural consumers and Kutira Jyothi and Bhagya Jyothi consumers, as per the rates fixed by KERC from time to time. This tax structure would replace the existing tax structure effective from the 1st metering dates of consumers of electricity in the State on or after April 1, 2003. Necessary amendments will be made. Revised estimates 02-03 The Revised Estimates of total receipts are Rs 24,745.75 crore as compared to budget estimates of Rs 25,542.05 crore for 2002-03. The total expenditure is expected to be Rs 24,915.76 crore as against the budget estimates of Rs 25,597.32 crore for 2002-03. After taking into consideration the surplus in the Public Account, the closing deficit for the year is likely to be Rs (-)173.34 crore as against the expected deficit of Rs (-)153.28 crore at the time of presentation of the 2002-03 Budget. Budget estimates 03-04 The total receipts are expected to be Rs 26,907.08 crore comprising Revenue Receipts of Rs 19845.17 crore and Capital Receipts of Rs 7,061.91 crore. The total expenditure is estimated to be Rs 26,839.43 crore out of which revenue expenditure will be Rs 21,980.50 crore and capital expenditure will be Rs 4,858.93 crore. Apart from major taxes, which have already been covered in my speech, the Government expects to raise Rs 1,814.40 crore from Small Savings, Rs 973.51 crore from market borrowings (net), Rs 522 crore from negotiated loans and Rs 2,931.50 crore as total loans from the Central Government. The Revenue Deficit works out to Rs 2135.32 crore and the Fiscal Deficit works out to Rs 6,032.79 crore. With these estimates, an overall surplus of Rs 67.66 crore is expected for the year. Taking into account the opening balance of Rs (-)173.34 crore, the closing balance is estimated to be Rs (-)105.68 crore. I hope to cover this deficit through expenditure control and fiscal management during the year. I now commend the Budget Estimates 2003-04 for the consideration of the House. The entire budget will be discussed on the floor of the House. I now seek approval of the full budget for 2003-2004. NEW AND POPULIST SCHEME Cardiology referral centres: Four cardiology referral centres of the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology at Hubli-Dharwad, Shimoga, Madikeri and Bijapur. An amount of Rs 3 crore had been allocated for these centres, which would cater to about 40 lakh patients. A tele-medicine project to link 25 district hospitals to provide health care to rural people afflicted with diabetes, hypertension, asthma and heart diseases. AIDS control services would be upgraded, taking them to the taluka level. An amount of Rs 1 crore has been allocated for the Institute of Nephro-urology in Bangalore and to set up hospitals through public-private partnership to meet the health care needs of tribals in semi forest areas. Suvarna cultural complexes: Two Suvarna cultural complex at Dharwad and Gulbarga. These complexes will exhibit various items on art, literature, sculpture, drama, tourism, architecture, history and humanities. A national theatre festival will be organised in memory of the late B V Karanth. A sum of Rs 50 lakh earmarked for Dr Shivaram Karanth trust for promotion of Yakshagana. Environment award: Institution of a "Rajiv Gandhi Parisara Prashasthi" award for service in the field of environment. The award of Rs 1 lakh each will be given to five individuals or institutions every year from the five regions of the state -- Malnad, Karavali, Old Mysore (excluding Bangalore), Hyderabad-Karnataka and Bombay-Karnataka regions. Aksharadasoha: A new scheme "Akshara-dasoha" for all government primary school children upto class five from next academic year to provide hot mid-day meals involving an investment of Rs 200 crore. The proceeds from on-line lottery would be diverted to strengthen primary education in the state. Kuvempu Memorial Bio Park: On the occasion of the centenary celebrations of national poet, Kuvempu and to make his dream a reality, the government will declare an additional 9,160 acres of forest in Koppa forest division in Chikmagalur district as part of the Kuvempu Memorial Bio Park. It is also proposed to dedicate Rs 1 crore for the Kuvempu centenary celebrations. Rajiv Yuva Shakti: To harness the creative energies of the youth. Under this programme a youth association will be formed in all the 5,659 grama panchayats in the State. These associations will be supported with a corpus of Rs 10,000 each to undertake sports, cultural and community building activities. Rs 6 crore has been set apart for this project. Adult literacy: To revive adult literacy, it is proposed to re-establish and strengthen the Adult Education Council. In every gram panchayat a Vayaskara Shikshana Pade will be established and Rs 1 crore will be set apart for promoting adult literacy under this programme. Kaushalya to train SC/ST: It is1 proposed to start a new programme called Kaushalya to train 5,000 SC/ST and 5,000 BCs unemployed women in different trades. Rs 5 crore will be set apart for his purpose. Devaraj Urs Bhavan: In memory of the late Devaraj Urs it is proposed to earmark Rs 2 crore for the purpose of construction of a Devaraj Urs Bhavan in each district headquarters at a cost of Rs 10 lakh each. It is also proposed to institute a Devaraj Urs Research Fellowship in six universities of the State. A grant of Rs 15 lakh is proposed. Tippu Sultan Museum: A museum and research centre will be set up at Srirangapatna in memory of Tippu Sultan at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore.
The tale of a man and his voice
Saturday, March 22, 2003
He is a man who is known for his voice-lending abilities! Sabith Khan meets Zafer Mohiuddin, the voice-over artiste Remember Malgudi Days? Meet the person who brought life to Malgudi Days with his voice: Zafer Mohiuddin, noted voice-over artiste and theatre personality who is an architect by profession. In 1986, Shankar Nag started the production of this series with Narasimhan and was looking for local voice-over artistes. Despite stiff opposition from colleagues who told him that South Indians would not be appropriate for a Hindi serial, Shankar Nag asked me to do it as he wanted to give the serial a distinct South Indian flavour, says Zafar Mohiuddin, who has lent his voice to many of the characters in Malgudi Days. Filling voice to an actor’s actions is what dubbing is all about. It is done in cases where the actor’s command over the language is not too good, says Mr Mohiuddin. Lip synchronization is an important part of the whole process. Dubbing for yourself is easy, but not for others, he says. It involves emoting too, which brings in differences in the personality between the actor and the voice-over (dubbing) artiste. After the success of Malgudi Days, which brought him great recognition, offers poured in for compering shows of various ghazal singers like Peenaz Masani, Jagjit Singh, Talat Aziz, Yesudas and Anuradha Paudwal. Earlier, when Hindi ad copies were written in English, Mr Mohiuddin had to literally translate the whole copy before re-writing it and then dubbing it. Thus he became a scriptwriter too, and has written scripts for many ads and commercials for radio and TV. It all started when as a lad of twenty years he came down from Raichur to study Architecture and fell in love with Theatre. As a college student, Mr Mohiuddin acted in various plays that gave him the confidence to try his hand at Theatre in Bangalore. In 1980, juggling between Engineering at UVCE and Theatre, he joined Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT) and was part of the play Little Clay Cart (1984). That was also the time when TV was just picking up and Mr Mohiuddin was invited by the studio manager of Prabhat Kalavidaru in Basavanagudi to do an ad for Brooke Bond Tea. The Rs 50 he earned for it was his first pay for his voice. Later he went to auditions and got rejected. This prompted introspection and I started feeling that something was wrong with me. I started concentrating on known voices like Pratap Sharma, Harish Bhimani and Ameen Sayani. I started working on my voice - observing documentaries and watching comperes add feelings to their voices, says Mr Mohiuddin. A workshop by BLT which had a Oxford University professor as the voice trainer taught him the nuances of voice modulation. Then followed a plethora of TV and radio commercials. The stage was set for his graduation to much more serious work. I enjoy working in documentaries and the most satisfying one has been the one on AIDS, says Mr Mohiuddin. He has also worked on family planning issues. I enjoyed my work most in Swaraj Nama, a docu-drama directed by Girish Karnad, he adds. Chhoti Maa, directed by Mohena Singh, Kashmakash, directed by Maya Rao (Star Plus), Malgudi Days, directed by Shankar Nag, Saara Jahaan Hamara, directed by Satish Kaushik, and Tenali Rama, directed by T S Nagabharana, are some of the serials for which Mr Mohiuddin has worked as a voice-over artiste. He has also acted in many ad films for products like BPL washing machines. Right now he is working on the Urdu play Zabaan Mili Hai Magar, which aims to convey that language isn’t anybody’s property. It is a satire against language fanaticism and I chose Urdu as there are many misconceptions about Urdu in South India, says Mr Mohiuddin. The Karnataka Urdu Academy is sponsoring this play which is to be staged at Ravindra Kalakshetra on April 1st, 2003.
Calculated moves - Mohnish Behl
Saturday, March 22, 2003
Fear of overexposure is what prevents him from accepting too many television offers, Mohnish Behl Smart and suave Mohnish Behl does not look like he has put in nearly two decades in the film industry as an actor. Son of late actress Nutan, Mohnish has made a smooth transition from the big screen to the small screen and proved himself as dependable on the small screen as he was in the big one, with serials like Sanjivani, Devi and the game show Bachke Rehna Zara Sambhalke. In what way do you find your role in Sanjivani different from the one you are playing in Devi, I ask Mohnish. Without pausing for a breather, Mohnish quips, "In both Sanjivani and Devi, I play two totally different characters. The character I play in Devi is very complex. It’s a three dimensional role. Shashank in Sanjivani cannot be Vikram in Devi and vice versa." What kind of preparation does he do for his role as Vikram in Devi? "As an actor, whatever preparation I do for my role in Devi, I do by just going along with the script. The basic story line is established but the various nuances are developed episode to episode. Man can become either God or demon. I portray both the shades in Devi." Mohnish is all praise for Anant Mahadevan who is directing Devi. "The biggest advantage of working with Anant is that he can understand an actor's point of view because he is also an actor. He allows me a lot of scope for improvisation. I have acted with Anant in films like Pyar Ka Saaya and Kyonkii Main Jhooth Nahin Boltha, and am working with him as his co-star right now in Hum Do Hamare Ek. In the director mode, Anant is in complete command of the situation. And when I work with him as an actor, I do not get to see the director in him" Mohnish is not keen on accepting any more serials because he feels quality will be at stake if one keeps on flitting from one studio to another. "The fear of overexposure is what prevents me from accepting many serials. Television is a medium which reaches every home everyday. Boredom sets in for the audience when you overexpose yourself week after week." Mohnish asserts that just because he is doing three television programmes does not mean he has stopped doing films. " Till date I have done a lot of work as an actor. At least as far as television is concerned, I want to be exclusive. For that matter after Hum Saath Saath Hai, I have become very choosy about my roles in films too. The turning points in my career in the last five years have been films like Ek Rishta The Bond Of Love, Asthithva and Hum Saath Saath Hai. Right now, I have films like J P Dutta's LOC, Anees Bazmee's Hum Do Hamare Ek and Adiyaman's Churake Dil Mera in my kitty." What made him take up Zee's offer to anchor Bachke Rehna Zara Sambhalke, I ask him gingerly. Mohnish quips, "The biggest challenge as far as a game show like this one is concerned is that there is no script and no retake at all. For a 22-minute episode we shoot for about 24 minutes. Game shows have a format and you just cannot move away from that. However, I must admit that the tendency of stagnation is always there in a game show."
Krishna dips into middle class pockets to please farmers
Saturday, March 22, 2003
In the backdrop of two consecutive drought years and with elections in the State at striking distance, Chief Minister S M Krishna in his budget proposals for 2003-04 announced a slew of agro-oriented proposals including substantial subsidies for farmers, enhanced allocation for irrigation sector and panchayat raj institutions while hoping to peg the increasing budget deficit at Rs 105.68 crore. Mr Krishna, who also holds the finance portfolio, in his fourth consecutive budget to the House while explaining the reasons for revenue shortfall of about Rs 1,600 crore for the current year, nonetheless announced several new populist programmes and also indicated his intention of increasing the tax base by enhancing electricity tax, professional tax, uniform stamp duty of eight per cent on apartments and motor vehicle tax on four-wheelers. The total receipts are expected to be Rs 26,907.08 crore comprising revenue receipts of Rs 19,845.17 crore and capital receipts of Rs 7,061.91 crore. The total expenditure is estimated to be Rs 26,839.43 crore out of which revenue expenditure will be Rs 21,980.50 crore and capital expenditure will be Rs 4,858.93 crore. Under the new tax regime of Value Added Tax, which replaces sales tax from April 1, Mr Krishna hopes that the Centre would make good the revenue loss of about Rs 750 crore in the first year of introduction of Vat. He is optimistic of getting additional 12.2 per cent share under the Central taxes, 17.8 per cent from the Central grants and non-tax revenue of 34 per cent. The Commercial tax department, which is facing a shortfall of more than Rs 500 crore to meet its target of Rs 7,200 crore this year, has kept Rs 7,650 crore target for the ensuing year. The Excise department is also facing nearly Rs 300 crore shortfall to reach the target of Rs 2,300 crore and the target for the next year is yet to be finalised. The Transport Department is expecting a 10 per cent growth in vehicle registration to meet the Rs 817 crore target in 2003-04. The Department of Stamps and Registration, which has exceeded its target of Rs 1,020 crore by collecting Rs 1,200 crore this year, is expecting additional 13.5 per cent growth. The department has reduced the stamp duty on registration of properties from 10 to 8 per cent within the Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority area and the registration fee from 2 to 1 per cent. It is planning to levy a uniform stamp duty of eight per cent on apartments which is expected to fetch additional revenue of Rs 50 crore. The department also proposed to constitute a Central Valuation Committee to revise market value guidelines of real estate in the State. Universities: Though Mr Krishna has not announced any financial package as such to overcome the regional imbalance, a host of developmental works are proposed for north Karnataka. A university of veterinary sciences in Bidar, a women's university in Bijapur, exclusive Comissionerate for Bombay-Karnataka and Hubli-Karantaka in Hubli, integrated development of 20 major cities in northern Karnataka with external aid, North Karnataka Water Supply Board in Hubli, Rs 2 crore for development of border area villages are in store. Even as the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited is facing financial crunch to complete works in the Krishna river basin, Mr Krishna is proposing to float a special purpose vehicle Cauvery Neeravari Nigama- to refurbish irrigation assets in the Cauvery basin by raising Rs 1,000 crore from the market. Another Special Purpose Vehicle the Chief Minister intends to float is Food Karnataka Limited to promote agro-food processing sector with partnership between farmers and private sector. Mid-day meal scheme: In accordance with the Supreme Court's direction to the States, Mr Krishna is planning to introduce a mid-day meal scheme -Aksharadasoha- for government primary school children upto class 5 throughout the State from next academic year. This Rs 200 crore scheme is going to be implemented with public private participation. Giving a fillip to the Stree Shakti programme, Mr Krishna is planning to increase the State's contribution to the revolving fund from Rs 12 crore to Rs 50 crore. Henceforth, fair price shops under the PDS will be sanctioned only to Stree Shakti groups, which would be increased to one lakh.
Rs 105.68 crore deficit budget
Friday, March 21, 2003
BANGALORE, MAR 21- Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna today presented Rs 105.68 crore deficit budget for the year 2003-04 in the state assembly. The total receipts are expected to be Rs 26,907.08 crore comprising revenue receipts of Rs 19,845.17 crore and capital receipts of Rs 7,061,91 crore. The total expenditure is estimated to be Rs 26,839,43 crore out of which revenue expenditure will be Rs 4,858,93 crore, Krishna, who also holds finance portfolio said. He said the government expects to raise Rs 1.814,40 crore from small savings, Rs 973,51 crore from market borrowings (net), Rs 522 crore from negotiated loans and Rs 2,931,50 crore as total loans from the Central government.
Karnataka to setup Cauvery Neeravari Nigama
Friday, March 21, 2003
BANGALORE, MAR. 21- Karnataka Government today announced that it would incorporate a new special purpose vehicle (SPV) the ``Cauvery Neeravari Nigama'' to raise resources from the market to fund irrigation projects in the Cauvery river basin. The objective will be to raise Rs 1,000 crore over the next three years for better management of canals and optimum utilisation of water in the Cauvery basin, Krishna said while presenting the state budget in the assembly. He said such off budget borrowing will be within the Medium Term Fiscal Frame work and the borrowing limits prescribed therein. The new corporation will undertake modernisation and refurbishment within the frame work of the interim award of the Cauvery Tribunal and not exceeding 11.20 lakh acres, Krishna said.
Rs 1.0568 billion deficit budget for Karnataka
Friday, March 21, 2003
Bangalore,Friday, March 21, 2003: Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna today presented in the state assembly Rs 1.0568 crore deficit budget for the year 2003-04. The total receipts are expected to be Rs 269.0708 billion comprising revenue receipts of Rs 198.4517 crore and capital receipts of Rs 70.6191 billion. The total expenditure is estimated to be Rs 268.3943 billion out of which revenue expenditure will be Rs 219.8050 billion and capital expenditure will be Rs 48.5893 billion, Krishna, who also holds the finance portfolio, said. He said the government expects to raise Rs 18.1440 billion from small savings, Rs 9.7351 billion from market borrowings (net), Rs 5.22 billion from negotiated loans and Rs 29.3150 billion as total loans from the Central government. The revenue deficit works out to Rs 21.3532 billion and the fiscal deficit to Rs 60.3279 crore, he said. Krishna said with these estimates, an overall surplus of Rs 676.6 million is expected for the year. Taking into account the opening balance of Rs (-)1.7334 billion, the closing balance is estimated to be Rs (-)1.0568 billion and hoped to cover the deficit through expenditure control and fiscal management.
Olu Saar Bari Olu
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Review The film is a non-stop two-hour comedy which is enjoyable and refreshing for the Kannada cinema audience. Balraj and Mohan excel when they're disguised as ladies. Ramesh and Pramod are also at ease in their comedy portions. You have at least a dozen situations to laugh about. Shivakumar as the villain in the film, has tried a new style and makes an impression. The four girls Anu, Ruchita, Hamsa and Usha Kiron are apt. Cinematography and music could have been better. Story Line Four employed youngsters find it difficult to get a place to stay since they are unmarried. They hit upon an idea whereby two of them disguise themselves as women. While Ramesh and Pramod pretend to be married men, Mohan and Balraj pose as their respective wives. They manage to get a portion in the house of Jayanthi Deshpande. Naturally, the disguises create a lot of confusion and cause hilarious situations. Meanwhile, Mohan and Balraj fall in love, which leads to further complications. The foursome then hatch a plan to end their self-imposed problem but villains enter the scene to add to the chaos. What happens in the end is predictable, albeit enjoyable. (Source:hansazone.com)
Love You
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Kannada director Shivamani who makes his debut as hero through this film, seems to fumble. Though an excellent director, he has not been able to portray himself well onscreen. Shivamani's main disadvantages seem to be his stature, inability to emote and lack-lustre dialogue delivery. He would have done well to take a small screen test before venturing onto the big screen. It is rather unfortunate that Chandini has nothing much to do. Nirmal Pande pales in front of local guy Harish Rai. Gurukiran has tuned three lovely songs. Technically, the film is excellent. Story Line Shivu (Shivamani) meets Shalini (Chandini) accidentally, but the incident is wrongly interpreted by the underworld kingpin Rai, who is Shalini's brother. Shivu is therefore bashed up severely and sent home. As he is living adjacent to Shalini's house, he sees the trauma she is put through. He is wild and swears that he will 'from that moment' love Shalini and later marry her. Shalini is not surprised with this announcement and she also reciprocates his love. In comes the underworld dada Rai. He makes a frantic attempt to wean his sister from Shivu, but it does not work. The lovers elope and face a lot of stiff opposition. They then decide to enlist the support of their college friends. After a series of chases, spewing blood and bash-ups... the climax is reached. (Source:hansazone.com)
Super Police
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Review A tolerable film, thanks to Saikumar's dialogues. Yet the profusion of fights grate on the nerves of the audience. Standard cinematic elements which are coupled with illogical plot twists are tiresome. Saikumar has performed well, both as the fiery cop and the suave Home Minister. The debutante heroine Bhavana, who's a reporter for G-TV, has nothing much to do. Music and cinematography are average. Story Line Honest IPS officer Datta is forced to give up his job, for no mistake of his. Undaunted, Datta launches an Indian Public Service organization and decides to do service to society without his 'khakis'. Many reels and some good deeds later, he dons the 'khadi' vastra and becomes the Home Minister. However, the dons who caused him to lose his job are still after him. In his new capacity, he overpowers them and gives the people what he has promised them... a peaceful environment! (Source:hansazone.com)
Marma
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Review Ace director of Kannada cinema, Sunilkumar Desai, who has made many hit films like 'Tarka', 'Utkarsha', 'Sangarsha', 'Beladingala Baale', 'Nishkarsha', 'Nammura Mandhara Hoove', 'Prathyartha', later made 'Parva' (last year's debacle). In 'Marma', he has redeemed himself. 'Marma' is a thriller that has a nail-biting finish. Every shot seems to vie with the brilliance of English 'thriller' films. However, editing could have been tauter in the first half. Through 'Marma', Desai proves that his ability to make thrillers is intact. With two of his earlier films flopping, 'Marma' proves a much-needed break. Undoubtedly, this is her career's best performance for actress Prema. She suits the role and has put in a lot of hard work. Anand, the smart youngster who's making his debut can feel proud. It's a God-send role for any debutante. Art director Arun Sagar is brilliant. Cinematography of H.C.Venu is sensational. A definite must-watch film. Story Line On a rainy night, Sudha (Prema) who is searching for shelter comes to an ancient house seeking help. She suddenly finds a stranger barging in on her and runs for safety. Upstairs, she finds a young girl who's dead. She screams in fear and falls from a height, while clutching a button from the stranger's coat. Sudha is admitted to the hospital and there, she recounts her experience. She shows them proof of the incident - the button - but no one is ready to believe her and ascribe it to trauma. Back home, she hallucinates that the stranger was torturing her, but again, no one believes her. A psychiatrist comes to the house to study Sudha's condition and finds that she is very lucid. He takes her into his confidence and his belief in her helps her delve into the past. The psychiatrist, who then goes on to pinpoint the location that Sudha visited that day, finds out that the stranger she was talking about was a deaf-mute. Sudha then re-visits the house and finds the tie-pin of her fiancee in a corner. This leads to more astonishing revelations. Anand, Sudha's fiancee, rushes to the ancient house in search of her and therein begins a flashback. The flashback pinpoints the culprit, who now begins to stalk Sudha. Will she survive this time? Watch 'Marma'. (Source:hansazone.com)
Shivrajkumar
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Shivrajkumar says that the recent attack on the sets of his "Don" by some persons was intentional. Shivrajkumar recounted the dastardly evening to Hansazone.com. Over to the hero... Q:How was the response to 'Thavarige Baa Thangi'? A: My dad Dr.Rajkumar saw this film 'Thavarige Baa Thangi' (TBT) and patted me. It would definitely move the female audience and they will shed copious tears, was my father's opinion. My mother Smt. Pavarthamma also liked the brother-sister sentiment in the film. All over Karnataka, the response to the film has been excellent in the first two days. Q: Haven't you gone overboard with the sentiments? A:I agree that when we show it on screen it is an exaggeration. In my case I never had the opportunity of mingling with my two sisters because we were such a large family with over fifty members. It was a huge undivided family for quite a long time. There was such a friendly atmosphere around my sisters. Q: You have been widely appreciated for your emotional role in 'Thavarige Baa Thangi'! A: Powerful melodrama becomes possible when the opponents also give charged performance. In TBT Radhika who played my sister's role and Anu Krishnakumar have given sterling performances and that made me very alert. Q: Tell us about the recent attack? A: This is the first time such an attack has taken place on my sets. At the shooting spot of 'Don', I was obliging fans who asked for photographs, right from the morning and it was easy going. Some people who were dressed as sadhus and had come for the Datta Peeta function were drunk. They started pelting stones. Suddenly they started ransacking the sets for no reason. My car was severely damaged and I had to rush for safety. This was captured on video. I have given this to the police so that they can get the criminals. Q: What are your new projects? A: After 'Don' I am doing 'Nanjundi', music director Hamsalekha's 250th film. After this, probably in January, I will take up a subject for our home banner. That is based on Jnanapeeth award winner Shivarama Karanth's 'Chiguridha Kanasu'. This film will be shot in 3 stages. There is a schedule in Varanasi. I have one more assignment for director Om Saiprakash. He wants to make his 50th film with me although he has directed more than 53 films! This commitment has been pending for quite some time. The title is 'Halli Hero'. After all these commitments I will be taking up 'Lankesh Patrike'. Q: Will you continue with tearjerkers like TBT? A: No. I always like variety and novelty. (Source:hansazone.com)
Dell makes a secret visit to city on Wednesday
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
BANGALORE: Exactly a year after his last visit and a couple of days before Sun Microsystems’ Chairman and CEO Scott McNealy swoops down on the Silicon Plateau of India, the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Michael Dell, will be on a whistle-stop tour of the city on Wednesday. As usual, Dell’s visit is shrouded in secrecy with company officials not willing to disclose his plans or itinerary. ‘‘Due to obvious security reasons, we cannot disclose it,’’ a company spokesperson told this website’s newspaper here on Tuesday. Dell’s visit comes particularly at a time when the global slowdown has affected the world economies and there is a growing backlash in the US against job losses to India. It also comes at a time when the Asian region is awaiting an impending US strike against Iraq. ‘‘It is an internal affair. It is mostly employee events and he will be in Bangalore for a few hours. There is no industry event planned for his visit,’’ the spokesperson said about Dell’s Bangalore visit. She refused to divulge any further details except that Dell has been ‘‘around Asia’’. However, according to sources, the Chairman and CEO of Dell Computer Corporation will be visiting India’s largest-listed software company Infosys Technologies. ‘‘Infosys is also one of Dell’s largest customers and Michael Dell’s visit may be a way of repaying them by giving them some outsourcing projects,’’ sources said. Though Infosys confirmed that Dell would be visiting their campus and holding talks with their top management, they refused to divulge any further details.
Scarcity of forest produce and Veerappan menace spark migration
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
MYSORE: The State's worst drought in living memory has triggered one of biggest migrations of tribal communities living off minor forest produce in the areas bordering Tamil Nadu. Tribal colonies in Devarahalli, Murtipalya, Belthatta and nearby areas wear a deserted look as entire settlements have migrated to the neighbouring Kodagu district and farms on the border with Tamil Nadu and Kerala in a desperate search for work. Allage Gowda from the Muneeshwara tribal colony now camps on the highway, in the hope of ``finding the odd job on Tamil Nadu trucks plying through Karnataka.'' Thousands of tribal families, who usually sail through summer gathering soap nut, tamarind, honey, ginger and turmeric, have been hit hard. This year they have found that these minor produce are hard to come by. Some of them have complained that soap nuts and tamarind are not evenly spread out in the forest pockets of BR Hills, MM Hills, Punajanur and Bandipur region. Kathe Gowda, from the Sriramapura tribal colony, said, ``Unlike earlier years when we would enter the forest in groups of hundreds to gather berries, now only a handful take the trouble.'' To make matters worse, the presence of STF men and rumours of forest brigand Veerappan gunning for tribals who associate with the task force have kept them from venturing deep into the forest. Asked if the STF had imposed restrictions on entering the forest for tribals, Kathe shot back ``Why should we give the STF and forest officials grounds for suspicion?'' Yet another deterrent is the ``practice'' to blame tribals for forest fires which often break out in summer. Kathe said that following the drought tribals are left with no work in summer as even the borewells sunk under the Gangakalayana irrigation scheme in 1996-97 have not been operationalised by the Government. Vivekananda Girijana Kalayana Kendra co-ordinator Mallesh confirmed reports of tribal migration. But he said that those who had left would return once the rainy season picks up for collecting honey, gooseberry and lichen. Tribals, who harvested a bumper ragi crop during the kharif season, are praying for early rains that would help ramp up collection of produce and increase income from the Large Scale Adivasi Multi Purpose Society. But a drastic drop in gooseberry collection in Chamarajnagar district, which last year had touched the 12 lakh-kg mark, has already been reported, said Mallesh. Although the district administration had released 3,500 quintals of food grain to the Forest Department for a food-for-work bailout programme, this was apparently not enough, he said.
'Trained' babus return to new posts
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
BANGALORE: The Karnataka government may send a number of bureaucrats abroad for training, but when these ‘foreign-returned’ babus return to home ground, they are shunted out of their departments. Whither training, on which the state spends crores of rupees? The ‘benefit’ from these trips comes to zilch after the officials are transferred to posts completely unconnected with what they ‘studied’ . The issue figured in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, when Chief Minister S.M. Krishna said that from 2000 January to July 2002, 106 IAS officers, 13 IPS officers and 10 IFS officers had gone on foreign tours for various reasons, including training and for meetings. The list includes former chief secretaries B.K. Bhattacharya, Teresa Bhattacharya and A. Ravindra and present CS B.S. Patil. S. Suresh Kumar (BJP) said officials who have been abroad should be retained in that post for one year, so that benefits from the trip could be implemented. Responding, Krishna said: I concur with that point. That is what common sense dictates.’’ However, from March 24, 2002, 29 IAS officers have gone abroad for various reasons. Of these, Ravindra and N. Vishwanathan have retired from service, B.S. Patil has been promoted as CS and almost all the rest, including Bharat Lal Meena, S.C. Kuntia, M. Madan Gopal, Adhip Chauduri, Nilaya Mitash, K.L. Negi, D. Venkateshwara Rao, Meera C. Saxena, Lukose Vallatharai, Dilip Rau, Upendra Tripathy, B.A. Harish Gowda, Shameem Banu, M.R. Kamble and G.V. Krishna Rau have been transferred out of their posts. MDs of several loss-making public sector units have gone abroad for tours. How could they go?’’ asked M. Chandrappa (JD-U), while K.M. Krishnamurthy (JD-S) said: If legislators want to go abroad, people object. Have these officials really done anything after they came back? There seems to be no control.’’ Krishna said the state was following general guidelines from the Centre to send any official abroad. This year, I have rejected requests from 23 officers to go abroad. But if they have valid reasons, we send them. Only time will tell how effective these visits have been,’’ he stated. Krishna, responding to Appachu Ranjan (BJP), said if officials spent more than their allocation, the department of personnel and administrative reforms recovered the excess amount. Still, if some development abroad delays their trip or there is some other valid reason for spending more money, then nothing can be done about it,’’ he added.
Govt vows to protect students’ interests
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
The State government today reiterated in the Legislative Assembly that it would protect the interests of parents and students while handling the CET (common entrance test) imbroglio. It also maintained that the on-going stalemate would not affect the CET examinations to be held May-end. At any cost, we will not sacrifice the interests of general public, parents and students, Information and Health Minister Kagodu Thimmappa said while responding to the concern expressed by the Opposition members in the House over the future of the students in the wake of the CET stalemate. Higher Education Minister G Parameshwara said the government would discuss all the suggestions given by the members of the House to resolve the stalemate including the one on approaching the Supreme Court. Medical Education Minister Maalakaraddy observed that the issue was a very sensitive one as the Supreme Court had made some observations in this regard. Pointing out that some other related cases were yet to be disposed of by the apex court bench, he said the confusion would prevail till the disposing of such cases. The State government was treading carefully and had even got copies of reports of the Kerala High Court, which had recently delivered a judgement in a similar case, he said. On the members’ complaints that the government had not briefed them about the decision of the Cabinet sub-committee, Mr Maalakaraddy assured them that they would not be kept in dark. The members were not satisfied with the reply that the law minister had to attend some function away from Bangalore. They argued that he shouldn’t have gone to attend such functions and should have instead concentrated on CET. In the Legislative Council, the Opposition took the government to task on the issue charging that the government had been unnecessarily prolonging the matter. Cutting across party lines, the Opposition members said the government was playing with the lives of thousands of students by not taking an early decision. Higher Education Minister G Parameshwar had agreed to the decision taken at the all-party meeting and he had also agreed to announce the same before the House. Instead, another Cabinet sub-committee has been formed to look into the issue. It amounts to showing disrespect to the House, said Mr M C Nanaiah (JD neutral). The government has allowed the fence to eat the crop. How will justice be done if a person who runs medical and engineering colleges is put in charge of the affairs? Mr Mukhyamantri (BJP) wondered while referring to Mr Parameshwar.
Husain cricket bat fetches Rs.710,000
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 15 (IANS) It took M.F. Husain just 11 minutes, but his efforts on a nine-foot cricket bat fetched Rs. 710,000 for scholarships for budding players. That was Husain's way to celebrate cricket - and capture the mood in the country as India prepares to play Kenya in the first semi-final of the World Cup. It was also his way of inaugurating the Gaja Gamini Art Club here Friday night. Husain sketched and painted a bowler, a batsman and two fielders going after a ball, with the national tricolour in the background. When he put the brush to the bat, a giant television screen showed India at 90 for three against New Zealand in their Super Six encounter Friday. By the time he finished, India was 98-3. India won the match by seven wickets. The auction began at a reserve price of Rs. 300,000 and it took less than 15 minutes for Kalpana Shah, an art gallery owner from Mumbai, to raise the ante to Rs. 700,000. "The cause is very good and the tempo in the country is building up. That's why I bought it," Shah explained. "The mood in the country is really the driver. The club is being opened to celebrate not only art and music but also science and technology and sports. This is the motto of the club. Husain told IANS. "The club is going to be an interactive platform for Bangaloreans to participate and encourage the visual and performing arts in all fields," said Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD of Biocon India, who is also the president of the Gaja Gamini Art club. The club boasts members like Rohini and Nandan Nilekani of Infosys, Yasmeen and Azim Premji (Wipro), Nahid and Arif Vazirally (Global Calcium), Rini and Suresh Kumar (Welcom Group), Vijay Mallya (UB) and Meena and Vijay Kirloskar (Kirloskar Electric).
Challenging decisions for Krishna
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Chief Minister S M Krishna, who holds the finance portfolio, finds himself faced with some challenging decisions as he prepares to present his fourth-in-a-row State Budget 2003-04. With the value added tax (VAT) regime all ready to be ushered in from April, he needs to take some really tough measures in order to ensure that the State’s economy does not derail. On the political front too he is left with little choice and has to gird himself to face rough weather as the budget has to fulfil expectations of various constituencies with the elections just a year away. The State’s finances present a very uncomfortable picture. During the first six months (April-September 2002) of the current financial year, revenue receipts (income) declined 7 per cent to Rs 6,737 crore against an expected increase of 8.5 per cent, mainly due to a decline in tax revenue and lower grant and contribution from the Centre. The major disappointment was the revenue from sales tax that dropped 14 per cent this year. As a result of all this, the gross fiscal deficit (the gap between income and expenditure) was 43 per cent higher at Rs 1,858 crore in the first half of this year compared with Rs 1,300 crore last year. Furthermore, the State’s borrowing is growing at an alarming rate leading to huge interest payment. The State paid Rs 1,373 crore in interest in the first half of this year, a good 46 per cent more than the same period last year. While business and industry expect Mr Krishna to lower tax, remove restrictions and make the tax collection system more effective and efficient, the government has very little choice but to increase tax rates even though Karnataka is one of the most taxed states in the country. Industry bodies, on the other hand, are already clamouring for doing away with entry tax. The revenue shortfall the State would incur following switchover to Vat is expected to exceed the meagre provision that the Centre would be making to compensate for loss. Once Vat comes into vogue, only value-added component is to be taxed which will lead to compression of revenues. The loss of revenue due to this changed mode could be high in states where the tax to state domestic product (SDP) is high. Presently this is around 8 per cent in southern states. The estimated shortfall for Karnataka in the first year is Rs 750 crore which will be compensated fully by the Centre. But the problem is that the money will come over a period of four to five years, posing a big challenge to the State. One other challenge before Mr Krishna is the issue of subsidies that are a drag on the State’s economy. One of the main reasons is the highly-subsidised or free power to farmers. Populist pressures will not allow the government to raise power tariffs to the required level. Recently electricity rates were raised by about two per cent for domestic users but that cannot compensate for the cost and hence the subsidy continues. The industry says a VRS scheme for government employees in non-critical areas of governance and deployment of this work to out-sourced agencies is imperative. Mr Krishna has been candid enough to confess that on several fronts things are not all that hunky-dory. Disinvestment or closure of State loss-making PSUs is claimed to be high on Mr Krishna’s agenda but in reality precious little has been done.
Eleven publications held for committing contempt of court
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Bangalore, March 17: In a landmark order, Karnataka High Court held eleven publications of having committed contempt of court regarding reports about the Mysore Resort sex scandal allegedly involving three judges and framed charges against them. A full bench of the court charged them with publishing reports without due care and caution and without any reasonable basis and verification of facts, thereby "scandalising the court" and lowering its authority. They were charged with commission of an offence punishable under section 12 of the Contempt of Court Act within the meaning of the Section 2C thereof. The 11 publications are The Times of India, The New Indian Express, Deccan Herald, The Week, Vijaya Karnataka, Kannada Prabha, Prajavani, Udayavani, Nota, Lankesh Patrike and Agni. The chargesheet was read out in the court. The bench comprised Justice T S Thakur, H L Dattu and V G Sabhahit. The accused included Editors, Printers, Publishers and Reporters of these 11 publications. Three respondents were not present. Those present pleaded not guilty and the bench announced that the trial would begin on March 27. As far as the publications made in The Hindu and the Outlook were concerned, the Judges held that they did not see any reason to proceed further, dropped prima facie contempt charges against them and discharged them.
Slap proves fatal for 85-year-old woman
Monday, March 17, 2003
BANGALORE: An 85-year-old woman died after she was slapped in the face by her neighbour over a petty issue in Venkateshpura under the KG. Halli police station limits on Saturday. The police said Bibijaan was attacked by her neighbour Akbar, who has since been arrested. She succumbed in hospital a few hours later. Arrested: The CCB police recently arrested Devaraj (19) of Punganur, Andhra Pradesh, and recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 90,000 which he had burgled from several houses. His accomplice Ananda is absconding. Robbed: Two businessmen were waylaid by a three-member gang, which attacked them and escaped with mobile phones and cash near Mysore Bank Circle. The incident took place around 1 am on Sunday when Shamshuddin and Mohammed Ibrahim Pasha, who run a mobile phone servicing centre in Gandhinagar, were returning home. Knocked down: Narasimha Shetty (28) was fatally knocked down by a tempo.
Budget to be pro-growth, says Krishna
Monday, March 17, 2003
BANGALORE: Chief Minister SM Krishna on Saturday said he will present a growth-oriented budget covering all issues concerning the state’s welfare. Resource allocation for all sectors is based on equity. "Steps have been taken to ensure that adequate priority is given to core sectors. We are committed for the state’s all round development," he added. Krishna said he held prebudget meetings with trade associations and representatives of farmers’ groups to elicit their opinion. "They have spoken to me on the need for presenting development-oriented budget. Many have appreciated our programmes for watershed development." The budget will be presented on March 21.
Goodbye to some of the magnificent trees
Monday, March 17, 2003
BANGALORE: Garden City will be in for some distant memories. Magnificent trees dotting the city’s roadsides, which seasonally burst into flowering flames, will no longer be raised in government nurseries. "Such trees are more a nuisance for the city’s increasing sewerage and electric lines besides traffic," say officials. Among them are the gulmohur (Dolenix regia) which is known as the scarlet flower, Cassia variety (bearing yellow and red flowers), spathodia (red) and jacaranda (purple), which nurseries have discontinued to raise. "These trees are essentially categorised as soft-wood trees, which have a shallow root system. The trees become a nuisance during road widening. The monsoon season is further disadvantageous when the trees, unable to bear their own weight during violent winds, tend to collapse," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RM Ray points out, explaining the consequent disadvantages on urban conditions. In the case of spathodia, water-bearing red flower buds which shed on the ground have spelt disasters to the city’s traffic as there is an increasing number of accidents reported due to skidding. The shallow roots of the gulmohur are supported with buttresses appearing on the soil surface, thus interfering with the road-widening programmes and sewerage. The nurseries have also discontinued raising of rain tree, silk cotton, Singapore cherry and jamoon tree due to similar reasons. Presently, nurseries of the forest department at Bangalore University, Hebbal, Yelahanka, Nelamangala, Aranya Bhavan, Magadi Road and Kadugodi and the BCC nursery at Bommanahalli are raising and planting hardwood evergreen trees such as Mahogany, lagerstomia (holedaswala), Mangifera indica (mango), Dalburgia latifolia (Indian rosewood) etc. Department officials are of the opinion that during the earlier tree-planting programmes for the city, officials had in mind only the beautification aspect of the Garden City. "The fast growing city can no longer accommodate soft-wood and shallow-rooted trees,’’ says Deputy Conservator of Forests (Bangalore City) Vijay Kumar Gogi. Presently, the nurseries are flourishing with raising of papaya, neem, drumstick, lemon, tulsi and other medicinal plants for tree plantation in houses. Saplings are being given out at prices ranging from 30 paise to Rs 9 for 4/6 bags and 14/20 bags of saplings.
Fearful schools bar HIV+ve children
Monday, March 17, 2003
BANGALORE: Seha, 9, wants to become a teacher. But this little girl cannot even go to school because she is carrying the deadly human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV), and has been denied admission by many schools in Bangalore, including government-aided ones. There are thousands of HIV-positive children like her in Karnataka, in the 5-16 age group. They are denied a good education, for there is a low level of awareness on AIDS and HIV among people. Sadly, a majority of these children have lost their parents to AIDS and have inherited the legacy of HIV. The Freedom Foundation, which is looking after some HIV-positive children, is exasperated over the attitude schools have adopted. "We approached both aided and unaided schools, but no one wants to take them," Ashok Rau, member of the National AIDS Control Organisation said. Some school managements got back to parents’ associations, which decided against admitting HIV-positive children. The children are at present studying in a Tamil-medium school in the city. But in fear. Commissioner for Public Instruction VP Baligar said the government will initiate action against schools that discriminate against children with HIV. "We have been telling school managements not to discriminate. Though no one has complained to us so far, if aided and government schools refuse admission, we will take direct action, including recommending disaffiliation. But we can only advise other schools not to discriminate," he said. School managements, however, prefer not to discuss the issue. "It is a sensitive subject. If HIV children seek admission, we have to necessarily get back to parents and seek their opinion too," the principal of a prominent school in the city said. As for the orphans, they feel ostracised by a society which blames them for no fault of theirs. "When I grow up, I will become a policeman and take to task all those who look down upon orphans like me," says Tushar, 13, from Mumbai, who lost both parents to AIDS. While Rani and Sreeja want to become computer engineers, Rishi wants to be a pilot and Sapna a doctor. Will their dreams remain just that?
BDA’s gift to Bangalore
Monday, March 17, 2003
IN less than a month, anybody coming into Bangalore by train will be greeted by a breathtaking picture of the city. Apart from a view of the spectacular new bridge at Krishnarajapuram taluk, you will also see the 14 ft deep Benniganahalli lake with its clear water covering 46 acres of land. And if you’ve just flown in, and are zooming past on the outer ring road, you could even feast your eyes on the 96 acres of Agaram lake. While lakes and their development is left to the forest department, it is, surprisingly, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) that has come forward to fund the entire restoration of both the lakes. This is a gift from the BDA to Bangaloreans, says Rama Nayak of BDA. We are concerned about the environment and are taking steps to maintain an ecological balance in the city. Work on both the lakes has begun in full swing. The employees of the forest department are working round-the-clock to meet deadlines, says Jayaram, conservator of forests. The Benniganahalli lake has been cleaned and landscaped. We have also created a small island to add to its beauty, he says. A wide jogging path too has been created around the huge lake that can be seen from both sides of the fly over. The empty space next to the lake, below the flyover is being converted into ornamental parks, which again will be developed and maintained by the BDA, says Nayak. The cost involved in the restoration is pretty high. While the Benniganahalli lake is working on a budget of Rs 1,78,000, the Agaram lake touches close to Rs 4.38 crore. Construction of a storm water drain at the Agaram lake has shot up the cost of restoration for the same, says Jayaram. Depending on the arrival of the monsoons this year, the Agaram lake will be ready by May. Managing director of Engler and Pranthle, a landscape architecture company, Gururaj Pagad says he is thrilled that the BDA is taking up such a project. With proper restoration, the water quality available at these lakes could even be fit for drinking. As there is a visible decrease in the ground water level, people will have no choice but to use lake water, says Pagad. In addition to being a medium of water conservation, care must be taken to develop a perfect eco-system that is self-sustaining.
The young, new faces of Kannada cinema!
Monday, March 17, 2003
ASK anybody in the film industry and they will tell you that Kannada cinema has always been accorded step-motherly treatment. There is not much glamour in the Kannada film industry, says Ashok Kumar, a collegian. He prefers Hindi films to Kannada films. At one time, the Kannada film industry ruled the roost in the South with its strong storyline and powerhouse performances by stars. People used to be in awe of Kannada film stars, sighs Hemanthiah, a movie buff. Somewhere down the line other language films became more sought after for their star value than Kannada films. These days youngsters are more keen to watch other language films because they feel they can relate to those stars better. Morevoer it is hip to watch Hindi films and not Kannada films. But things are beginning to change. And to prove our point here's the new brigade of the Kannada film industry who are as refreshing and glamorous, if not more, than their counterparts in Bollywood and even Tollywood. The launch of Khushi in Kannada sees a happy band of youngsters hitting the big screen. Such as... Chytra: An upcoming star, she's made a mark in Cheluve Ondu Helthini, besides starring in Love Lovike and the Tamil movie Well Done with Jayanth as hero. Chaytra is another girl who's moved from modelling to movies, having been a winner in the Gladrags Mega Model contest in 2001. She loves the stage too and has appeared in the Kannada play Mukhyamanthrin which she plays the part of Mukhya Manthri Chandru's daughter- in-law. Harish: He's the brother of popular Kannada actress Hema Panchamukhi. His first film, Olave, directed by PH Vishwanath is set for release in April. Tarun Chandra: He is a second year BCom student at MES College. He has completed an acting course in Namit Kapoor's school in Mumbai. And also reached level four at Shiamak Davar's dance academy. Here is a youngster who's gone about acquiring all the skills required to be an actor. Madhuri Bhattacharya: She is a sultry model who vaulted from the catwalk to the big screen. She's one of the most photographed model in Bangalore. Vijayaraghavendra: This youngster has already made waves in the Kannada film industry. He has more than a dozen films to his credit, playing the hero in all of them, including the hit movie, Ninagaagi. Debina Bonerjee: This Bengali lass has taken to southern cinema with ease. She's already starred in the Kannada movie Nanjundi opposite Shivrajkumar. And also proved her acting talent in the Hindi movie Indian Babu, directed by Lawrence D'Souza. She has a Telugu film to her credit, too, having starred in Ammayilu Abbayilu. The young actress, who has done a course in advertising, has modelled for Boroline and Berger Paints, among others.
Reliance mobile dealers upset with service
Sunday, March 16, 2003
BANGALORE: The Reliance CDMA mobile services have not yet begun in full swing, but strangely, its dealers are complaining of bad service. Reliance India Mobile dealers, both in the city and the State, are up in arms with the company for various reasons. While one dealer, Liyaquth Shariff, told this website's newspaper that the company had made him run around for several weeks to get their demonstration machine replaced, another from Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) Nirmal Challani, is now being told that Reliance cannot cover that part of the State despite the agent taking advanced payments from would-be subscribers. According to Shariff, his woes began the day he received the demonstration mobile by courier. To his horror, he found that the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) was broken. He immediately approached the company for another piece. Reliance officials, he claimed, turned their back saying that they were not responsible for the damage as he had already signed for the courier. ‘‘I received a sealed packet through courier and I signed the paper. I found the LCD broken only after I opened it. Am I at fault?’’ Shariff asks. Shariff says he cannot attract new clients with a damaged LCD on the set. ‘‘As for my other subscribers, they have not received the CDMA set even a month after paying the money,’’ he claims. Reliance is collecting post-paid cheques to the tune of Rs 21,600 in addition to the Rs 3,000 for becoming a subscriber. ‘‘People are asking me for the hand sets and I do not have any answer,’’ he says. Challani from KGF, another Dhirubhai Ambani Entrepreneur (DAE), said the company collected Rs 10,000 deposit from him to be a DAE. ‘‘After getting around 15 subscribers from KGF, they are now saying that signals are not being received in KGF. Subscribers have paid Rs 24,000 each in cheques and they are after me to return the money and post-paid cheques. Some are even threatening to lodge cheating complaints with the police,’’ he says. Though they claim to have met several company officials, there is no trace of any refund as sought by these DAEs, they say. ‘‘Senior company officials told me that they gave me a dealership thinking I wanted it for Bangalore city. How can they misinterpret, when I clearly mentioned my address as KGF,’’ he asks. However, it seems, dealer woes for the fledgling mobile company is not specific to Bangalore alone. On March 2, about 700 Reliance dealers in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh met under the banner of DAEs Welfare Association to fight the ‘‘unjust practices’’ of the company. Despite several attempts to contact Consumer Business Head, ATP Ramani, in Bangalore, there has been no response.
Bomb scare at city club
Sunday, March 16, 2003
BANGALORE: City Police received an anonymous call at the control room on Saturday night stating that a bomb had been planted at a popular club in the city. A bomb disposal squad was rushed to ‘The Club’ on Mysore Road. Police said the club staff denied knowledge of any bomb threat and a party was on at its premises. However, the call turned out to be a hoax, police added. UNIDENTIFIED MAN DIES: An unidentified man, aged about 40, died at the NIMHANS Hospital under Wilson Garden police station limits on March 5. He was undergoing treatment at the hospital. Claimants can contact Wilson Garden police at 2942581 or the Control Room at 100.
State should be divided into 3 categories: Kharge
Sunday, March 16, 2003
GULBARGA: Home Minister Mallikarjun Kharge has urged Chief Minister S.M.Krishna to make three geographical categories of Karnataaka for proper and speedy development of the backward regions of the State. Inaugurating the seventh Gulbarga district Kannada Sahitya Sammelana at Malkhed in Sedam taluk, about 40 km from here on Saturday, he said:‘‘there is a need to make three categories of the State. Under A category the well advanced area including the Old Mysore should be included. Under category B the lesser developed Mumbai Karnataka area and under category C the most backward Hyderabad Karnataka area should be included.’’ According to him, the State should formulate policies and programmes in accordance with the developmental status of the regions and accord top priority for the speedy development of the most backward areas till the areas came on par with the developed region. Kharge said although the entire North Karnataka may have remained backward, the Hyderabad Karnataka region within north Karnataka has remained most backward. He said the State had been requesting the Centre to extend the benefit of Article 371 of the Constitution to Karnataka for taking special measures for the speedy development of the Hyderabad Karnataka region. The Centre was somehow dodging the issue. However, he said, he was hopeful that the Centre would concede the State’s demand sooner than later. To achieve the goal, he wanted all parties of the State to show solidarity with the cause of removing backwardness. The Home Minister said Gulbarga may have remained backward socio-economically, but the district was most rich in literature and culture from ages which was evident from the fact that the first ever poetry work ‘Kavirajamarga’ was written in Malkhed during the regime of Nrupatunga, the famous Rashtrakuta emperor. He pointed out that Gulbarga was the cradle of several religions and several empires in the past and it had fostered cultural plurality and religious diversity. Kharge said Kannada was the sole language of common people and it was only through Kannada that people could live through happily. ‘‘Unlike Sanskrit which was described as a divine language, Kannada did not confine to any particular section and became the language of the masses.’’ Send this Story to your friend
Govt. colleges ensure social justice: VC
Saturday, March 15, 2003
The Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University, M.S.Thimmappa, said on Thursday that government colleges provided equity and social justice to students belonging to economically weaker sections of society who could not join private educational institutions. Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Government Ramnarayan Chellaram College of Commerce here, Prof. Thimmappa lauded the college for providing quality education. Higher education was not accessible to everyone in the country, and only six per cent of the population pursued higher studies, he said. Prof. Thimmappa released the Golden Jubilee Souvenir of the college. He instituted an endowment award of Rs. 10,000 for meritorious students of the college in memory of his daughter, Veena Thimmappa. Madhusudan P.S. of third year B.Com, Swamy T.V.H of third year BBM, and Edunandan M.C. of M.Com were honoured with awards and certificates for securing highest marks. They were also honoured with awards for "best outgoing students". M.D. Muthamma, Director of Collegiate Education, T. Shivanna, Bangalore University Syndicate member, and B.L. Bhagyalakshmi, Principal of the college, were present.
Watching the match while on the move
Saturday, March 15, 2003
The India-New Zealand cricket match at the World Cup on Friday had its moments of thrill for many in Bangalore. Not all of them were glued to TV sets in their homes. United Breweries helped people to see the live telecast as `Kingfisher Canter', a decorated vehicle screening the action, hit the road. The Canter stopped at places such as Jayanagar, J.P. Nagar, and Koramangala where cricket fans were also given merchandise such as key-chains, T-Shirts, and caps for answering some simple cricket-related questions. According to General Manager (Marketing), United Breweries, Ramesh Vishwanathan, the idea was to keep the crowd entertained and also let those who could not be indoors, near a television to be in touch with the latest score. Kingfisher earlier held the Canter promo during the India-Sri Lanka match on March 10 and it proved to be a crowd-puller.
MRTS: Karnataka, Centre set to sign pact
Saturday, March 15, 2003
A mass rapid transit system (MRTS) for Bangalore is taking a firm shape with the Karnataka Government all set to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Centre. The Rs. 4,000-crore project, likely to be commissioned in a few years, has made some progress, thanks to the efforts of the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, and the Union Minister for Urban Development, Ananth Kumar. Credit should also go to the former Prime Minister and the then Chief Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, who introduced a cess of one rupee on every litre of petroleum product (BMRTL cess) sold, which has now paved the way for the State Government to bring in its equity participation for the project. Karnataka has an edge over other States, which have been striving for a mass rapid transit system, as it has raised Rs. 400 crore from the cess. The draft MoU is ready and the Centre has to vet it. While at the official level, senior officials of the State Government and of the Urban Development Ministry have held two rounds of discussions, Mr. Krishna and Mr. Ananth Kumar have held talks at the political level. The Managing Director of the Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Ltd., L.V.Nagarajan, told The Hindu here today that the mass transit system planned for Bangalore would be more or less a replica of Delhi Metro. It would be a light rail system unlike in Kolkata, which utilised the heavy rail akin to the conventional coaches. Sections of the intra-city rail tracks would be laid underground in the congested areas and parks while it would be elevated in the other sections. Civil works on metro rail project were expected to begin in February 2004 and the project would be fully commissioned in five years, although a major section of the transit system could be commissioned in about three years. The light rail of the mass transit system would run in two alignments, the north-south (Jayanagar to Yeshwantapur) and east-west (Mysore Road to Byappanahalli). The two sections would meet underground beneath the existing Bangalore Bus Station at majestic. While people coming into the City by long distance trains could board the metro rail at Byappanahalli, those coming by long distance buses could board the metro rail at the Bangalore Bus Station. Sources in the State Government told The Hindu that unlike the Delhi Metro, where the Union Government had provided 15 per cent equity, the State Government would like to seek 25 per cent equity from the Centre and the State Government would provide an equal amount. Thus, the State Government and the Centre would together provide Rs. 2,000 crores and the remaining would be borrowed from international financial agencies. It is said that the Centre is likely to approve good equity participation as the State has already raised good amount. The Centre has to approve and source the international borrowings from agencies identified by the State Government. The preparations for compiling a detailed project report for mass transit system are in full swing. The State Government has requested the Managing Director of Delhi Metro, E. Sreedharan, who played a key role in building the Konkan Railway, to help prepare the report. Karnataka initiated the mass rapid transit system project in the early Nineties and successive Chief Ministers spoke on the project until the present Government decided to do away with the joint venture participation by the UB Group, which reportedly placed too many demands on the State including payment of a hefty compensation in case of a lower patronage from the commuters than envisaged. Financial analysts subsequently informed the State Government that the tie-up with the UB Group would prove uneconomical, more so since the State Government would end up investing nearly 75 per cent or more of the project cost.
50 p.c. of ministers should be from NK: Panel
Saturday, March 15, 2003
The High-power Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances (HPC) has recommended 50 per cent representation for North Karnataka in the ministry. Detecting wide disparities between North and South Karnataka in several vital areas, the HPC has, in its final report, sought 50 per cent representation for people from North Karnataka in public undertakings, corporations, the Karnataka Public Service Commission, and the State Planning Board, and in appointments of vice-chancellors to universities. It has also suggested 50 per cent representation in various commissions, committees, and task forces constituted from time to time. A 1,000-page document The committee, chaired by D.M. Nanjundappa, former Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board, has touched upon all aspects of regional imbalances and suggested remedies in its final report which runs into 1,000 pages. Making a convincing argument for a special eight-year development plan for North Karnataka, the HPC has recommended special schemes for the development of the region in the neglected aspects of public services, regional boards, education, social service, and tourism. 80 p.c. quota sought It has favoured 80 per cent reservation of posts in certain categories of Group C, which includes first- and second-division assistants, primary school teachers, and equivalent posts. It has said that all posts in Group D in the region, besides 70 per cent of posts in higher cadres of Group C, such as those of high school teachers, motor vehicle inspectors, commercial tax inspectors, sub-registrars, and equivalent posts should be reserved for people from the region. Sixty per cent of Group B posts at the divisional level should be reserved, according to it. As reservations can be made only by an amendment to Article 371 of the Constitution, the HPC has suggested to the Government to take steps in this regard. On the appointment of chairmen and members of academies, the committee has recommended 50 per cent representation for people from the Hyderabad Karnataka region. It has sought such reservation in selections for award and disbursement of honoraria. This is necessary for promoting "emotional integration", the committee has said. Art and culture Referring to the imbalance with regard to the promotion of art and culture in North Karnataka compared with the rest of the State, the HPC has suggested a special budgetary provision of Rs. 2 crore for North Karnataka for constructing a `Ranga Mandira', stadia, and playgrounds, purchasing sports goods, and setting up cultural training centres. The committee has called for legislation to ensure a fair distribution in representation in public services and committees, selections for awards and old-age pensions, and appointments of vice-chancellors. Criticising the functioning of regional development boards such as the Hyderabad Karnataka Area Development Board, the HPC has recommended their abolition, as "the voices of the people in backward regions have come out very sharply against these boards". According to the committee, an alternative mechanism for redressing regional imbalances should be evolved on the "Maharashtra model'' by seeking an amendment to Article 371 to form a special development fund, and empowering the Governor to act through the State Planning Department for ensuring grant of funds and implementation of projects. The HPC has suggested revamping the district and regional planning units of the State Planning Department and setting up technical cells at the zilla panchayat level. Education The committee has recommended the establishment of a Central university preferably at Gulbarga, an Indian institute of technology in Raichur, and an Indian institute of management at Hubli-Dharwad or Belgaum. For maintaining a balance, Bangalore University should be developed as a federal residential university under the Union Government, and organised on the lines of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, it has said. Women's development Regarding the development of women in the region, the HPC report has suggested that "women's concerns should become central in the development strategy of every department, and not just the Women and Child Development Department". Welcoming the 30 per cent reservation for women in all recruitments, the HPC has said that women from North Karnataka should get 30 per cent of posts in the region. On the demand for the establishment of a university for women, the committee has suggested that at least two universities for women be established in Hassan/Davangere and in Bijapur. It has touched upon glaring disparities in sports, and regretted that the region suffers from inadequate infrastructure, training programmes, and funds. The imbalances must be removed within five years, the committee has said. According to it, though there is potential for encouraging tourism in the State, particularly North Karnataka, little has been done to exploit it fully. The committee has pointed out that there is no full-fledged airport in the region except one in Belgaum, and it is not being utilised fully. It has said that it is necessary to develop airports in Hubli and Bellary, and suggested the setting up of a new airport midway between Bellary and Hospet, besides making use of the airport of the Indian Air Force in Bidar for the promotion of tourism in the region. `Most backward' taluks According to the HPC, while only 61 taluks of the 175 are "relatively developed", 35 taluks are "backward", 40 taluks are "more backward'", and 39 taluks are "most backward". Of them, 26 most backward taluks are located in North Karnataka.
State, AP to tackle naxalites
Saturday, March 15, 2003
The Minister for Home, Mallikarjun Kharge, said here on Friday that the governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh would draw up "an agenda" to contain the growing menace of naxalites in border areas. Mr. Kharge was returning to Bangalore through Tumkur District after inaugurating a police station in Madakashira taluk of Anantapur District in Andhra Pradesh. He told presspersons that the naxalite menace should be viewed from a social angle and tackled by a multi-pronged strategy. The chief ministers of the two States would finalise the agenda soon, he added. Reiterating the welfare measures he had been planning for policemen, he said funds would be allocated in the Budget to recruit 1,000 women for the police force, and create a separate contingent of policewomen.
Indian awarded for new diabetes therapy
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 14 (IANS) A combination diabetes therapy developed by an Indian medical clinical scientist is expected to be offered to the people in the U.S. and Europe this year. The therapy has earned Bangalore-based Jyoti Ghosh a $500,000 award from the U.S.-based Prosthetics for Diabetes Foundation. It can effectively prevent serious victims of diabetes from losing their limbs. "It is not possible for me to say how many people in the U.S. have already undergone this therapy (during the testing period)," Ghosh told IANS. "But now that this award has come, it would be implemented on a large scale this year in the U.S. and soon in Europe." Ghosh, who completed his research work in the U.S., Germany and India, has developed a combination regimen of phyto-pharmaceutical and natural origin medicines as a three-part formula. "What we have done is synthesised medicinal properties from natural resources along with the molecules," he said. "I did not invent the drugs. I have taken, say, A quality from D and B quality from C to prepare this three-part regimen dosage. "Of course there will have to be regular check-ups and the patient has to be on a maintenance course," he added. The U.S. foundation puts the cost of impact on productivity and healthcare at around $54 billion from this epidemic. Diabetes afflicts 177-200 million people worldwide. As per a World Health Organisation estimate, the number could soar to 300 million by 2025. In both Type 1 and 2 cases of diabetes, chronically high levels of glucose in the bloodstream can progressively damage nerves and small blood vessels, increasing the danger of blindness, kidney and nerve diseases. In developed countries, Type 2 diabetes accounts for nearly 85-95 percent of all cases. India has about 90 percent of diabetics with Type 2 variety. Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations. Ghosh said a personal incident inspired him to work towards such a therapy. "A maternal uncle of mine faced such a problem. A whole range of doctors, those days, in England could not do anything to stop the gangrene and the loss of limbs," he recounted. "It was when I saw his pathetic end that I had taken a vow to find an answer to this." That was what led Ghosh to finally work on his first area of specialisation, management of female hormonal aberration-based disease. "The more the treatment, the more they suffer. Women are mothers of the world, that is why I focused on this." Three decades of work by networking with specialists and researchers in the U.S. and Germany has finally brought Ghosh some satisfaction. "I feel (the award) is a great honour for the country. I will be able to finish my work in my first area of specialisation (which will take another year or two to bring results) with the funds I will get from this foundation and maybe another foundation," Ghosh said. Ghosh, who is managing director of an Indo-German joint venture company, will continue to treat patients for free. "I am a medical clinical scientist and my job is to treat patients, not charge them." The foundation's award announcement said: "Ghosh has been selected for the award not only for his pioneering and ground-breaking efforts but also for the fact that he does not accept any compensation for treating patients with diabetes or any other maladies. "His devotion to alleviate human misery and a sense of purpose have won him a wide range of patients falling in every age group."
Home-made jet trainers soon, declares George
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Bangalore, Mar. 14 : India is ready to launch indigenously built jet trainers, according to George Fernandes, Defence Minister. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Fernandes said in reply to a question that the state-owned Hindustal Aeronautics Limited was "very much ready with the indegenously built jet trainers. Yes, it is very much ready". Asked when he is coming to launch it, the minister said that the HAL has to decide the timing. Responding to a query about its significance, Fernandes replied that "it's a very good achievement. Our own scientists, our own technicians have brought it about." The announcement came just over a month after the minister said on February 5 that India was nearing a decision on buying new generation of Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT), setting off speculation at that time on whether the deal would be clinched by a British or an US firm. The defence ministry, however, has not made it clear whether the decision to acquire foreign-made AJTs still stands. Britain has been trying to persuade India for more than 15 years to buy 66 Hawk Advanced Trainer Jets from BAE Systems to replace Russian trainer jets in a deal estimated to be worth at least 1.6 billion dollars. India had plans to buy 66 AJTs. The price is quoted to be a cool 1.2 billion dollars. According to negotiations with BAE Systems, 22 completely built units will be delivered to Indian Air Force and the remaining 44 manufactured under the HAL. ndia's air force, the world's fourth largest, needs the planes to train pilots to help end a string of aircraft losses in the past decade. The United States and Britain are in the thick of the battle for this much-prized deal. While Russians too joined the fray, as for the fireworks, it may be a straight fight between the British Aerospace Enterprise Systems Hawk ZJ 100 and L-159, a US-Czech joint venture in which the former has the major stake. According to experts, Hawk is the most successful AJT in the world, operating in 18 countries, including the US, where its navy has chosen it as the lead trainer for the joint strike fighters. The Czech government took out a big advertisement on Tuesday in an Indian daily, The Economic Times, canvassing for its L159B trainer made by state-run Aero Vodochody in which BAE's rival Boeing holds 35 percent stake.
BMP to issue voter ID cards
Saturday, March 15, 2003
The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) will issue voter identity cards on Thursday between 8.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. in the following places in Bangalore Urban District: The Government Urdu Primary School, Dasarahalli; Government Lower Primary School, Kalenagrahara; Standard English School, Dasarahalli; Government Model Primary School, Begur; R.L.English School, Gangondanahalli; Nalanda Kannada and English School, 16th Main Road, J.C. Nagar; BMP High School, HMT Colony, Jalahalli; Government Lower Primary School, Avalahalli; and Tahsildar's Office, Anekal.
St. Joseph's exacts revenge
Saturday, March 15, 2003
St. Joseph's College (Irinjalkuda) exacted sweet revenge defeating Karnataka State Police 3-1 in the knockout phase of the National volleyball tournament at Manipal. Having lost in a five set match in the round robin stage, St Joseph's showed its fighting spirit again to turn the tables and set up a clash in the final against Central Railway (Mumbai) on Sunday. Karnataka State Police wrested a win in a the hard fought first set, but St. Joseph's after inducting Sunaina in place of Bijila in the second set found a winning rhythm. Sunaina set up a number of passes for her skipper Rency George to effectively smash with her lefthanded power. V.C Ageesha, Minu Priya and Rejani ensured that no points were lost for want of trying. Karnataka State Police just could not rally and often left large gaps in the court for the Kerala girls to exploit. Coach Muralidharan Palat said that if star player Shalita Prasad were in the team it could well have won the tournament. Shalita incidentally is turning out for Kerala State Electricity Board in the tournament at Bangalore. Kochi Refineries Limited needed just 38 minutes to reiterate its superiority over Indian Telephone Industries in the knockout match on Friday. Playing to near empty stands thanks to the India-Kenya match in progress in the World Cup, Kochi Refineries' Tom Joseph playing his usual leading role with able support from teammates, Jayaprakash, Ismail, Anil and Kishore Kumar. Points were rattled up at a very swift pace and Tom Joseph's six points in a row during his service in the final game set the pace for an early closure of the match. Only at one stage in the third set did Indian Telephone Industries keep abreast of Kochi Refineries with the scoreboard reading 11 each. That was before Tom Joseph began his service and with his colleagues supporting him to the hilt finished the match in a hurry. For Indian Telephone Industries, Wilfred Veigas, Nagraj Hegde and Ujwal Shetty gained some consolation points. Ujwal Shetty impressed the army referee Gurbaksh Singh enough to be shortlisted for an army appointment. Earlier, Integral Coach Factory (Chennai) put the Karnataka State Police in its place scoring a three set win in 52 minutes. KSP showed some challenge in the first two sets collecting 21 and 20 points but was blown off the courts in the third being able to log only 12 points. ICF's captain Selvarasu was in good touch and Sakthivel along with M Thiyagarajan (both Indian University players) took ICF to victory. The results: women: St. Joseph's (Kerala) bt Karnataka State Police 22-25, 25-23, 25-11, 25-22. Friday's results: men: Integral Coach Factory (Chennai) bt Karnataka State Police 25-21, 25-20, 25-12; Kochi Refineries Limited bt Indian Telephone Industries 25-18, 25-14, 25-15.
Bhavani row: Karnataka backs Kerala
Saturday, March 15, 2003
With Kerala strongly defending before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal the construction of a check dam across the Bhavani near Mukkali and Karnataka supporting it, the row has taken a new turn. On an application from Tamil Nadu last month, the tribunal, comprising the Chairman, Justice N.P. Singh, N.S. Rao and Justice S.N. Agarwal, ordered status quo and asked Kerala to file its response. Tamil Nadu had alleged that Kerala was going ahead with the construction of the weir and a link canal and prayed for a direction to restrain the State. In its response, Kerala justified the construction and said the project at Mukkali envisaged only the use of 0.718 tmcft of water to provide drinking water to 22,000 persons in the most backward and drought-affected areas of Mannarkkad, Anamooli and Thenkara villages in the Attapady valley region and for minor irrigation of a mere 2,000 hectares. It said Tamil Nadu was attempting to prevent Kerala from utilising its share of 2.5 tmcft of water under the agreement to provide Siruvani water to Coimbatore. And it was only seeking to use 0.718 tmcft of the 2.5 tmcft. Appearing for Kerala, senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan, said the tribunal had no powers to pass an interim order and it could only pass an interim award. He also pointed out that in the absence of a specific reference about the project, the tribunal could not pass any order, as it would be outside its jurisdiction. Contending that Tamil Nadu had not made out a case as to how diversion of 0.718 tmcft of water would affect its interests, counsel sought dismissal of Tamil Nadu's application. In its response, Karnataka said diversion of water outside the Cauvery basin was not permissible. However, its counsel argued that in the given circumstances with Kerala seeking to use only 0.718 tmcft of water, the project could be permitted. Senior counsel for Tamil Nadu, C.S. Vaidyanathan, cited various apex court judgments and said the tribunal had ample powers to order an interim injunction as it was adjudicating into all issues pertaining to the Cauvery water dispute. In its fresh application, Tamil Nadu sought a direction to order a joint inspection of the site by the assessor and engineers of both Tamil Nadu and Kerala and a direction to the latter to submit all the documents relating to the check dam project.
Malavalli invests Rs.50 million in Bangalore company
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Bangalore, (IANS) Storage networking guru Kumar Malavalli has invested Rs.50 million in Apara enterprise solutions in a bid to take the storage networking solutions to the small and medium enterprises. The investment is expected to ensure the Bangalore-based company's foray into professional services and consulting as well as providing training in the Asia Pacific region. "Apara provides the channel to reach smaller companies and I am determined to help create the eco-system for storage area networking (SAN) to reach the small and medium enterprises," he told a news conference here. Malavalli was inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame in Silicon Valley. "To put the other way around, the benefits have to trickle down from Fortune 100 companies to the Fortune 2000 or 3000 companies. I plan to invest another Rs.50 million in Apara," he said in reply to a question. Malavalli has already invested over $12 million in various companies spread across the Silicon Valley, Canada, Israel and India to create the eco-system for the growth of SAN. Malavalli has been made the chairman of Apara. "Apara will also offer education and training in storage including certified courses for the world's leading storage vendors," said M.S. Sidhu, the managing director of Apara. And to provide a boost to its foray into the education and training field, Apara has also got G.S. Ravi of Edurite Technologies appointed as director on the board. "You will not imagine the opportunity in education and training in the AsiaPacific region. It is right now close to Rs.200 million. We will be the first ones to provide education and training in SAN," Ravi told IANS. Apara was started with an initial investment of $100 a few years ago. Today, it is a $ 20 million company with a clientele in the banking sector, oil and gas, manufacturing and other sectors.
Birthday bash promotes Mysore as destination for the rich (INTERVIEW)
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 12 (IANS) It was a 50th birthday with a difference for the scion of the family that once ruled Mysore. Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, the son of the former maharaja of Mysore, used the occasion to not just party with friends but also give a fillip to high-end tourism in his native land of rich heritage. He showcased Mysore to his 140 guests from abroad, including an eight-member team of top officials of Credit Suisse, non-resident Indians (NRIs), members of India's erstwhile royalty as well as top industrialists. Wodeyar combined his birthday on Monday (celebrated as per the Hindu calendar) to sell Mysore as the destination for the rich and famous from India and abroad. He said he wanted to "attract the high end of the market to conduct conferences or even visit as tourists" by giving them a taste of Karnataka's rich art, music and cultural heritage along with a presentation on textiles and costumes of Karnataka by fashion guru Prasad Bidapa. "At the 'Evening of Culture' on Sunday, everyone just sat and witnessed the entire show from 6.15 p.m. to nearly 2.00 a.m. They were really enthralled," an excited Wodeyar told IANS on the two-day event that the media was mostly kept away from. The guests, including members of the erstwhile ruling families of Mewar, Narasimhagadh and Nabha, industrialists like the Singhania brothers, Lalit Suri, Ajit Nambiar and Azim Premji, columnist Shobha De, a representative of Harper magazine and venture capitalists, were driven down to Mysore, 140 km from here. "There are eight of us from Credit Suisse. We are looking for joint ventures," Joachim H. Straeble, CEO, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Americas, Eastern and Northern Europe, Credit Suisse, was quoted as saying to a guest. Credit Suisse co-sponsored the event with the intention of bringing investment bankers and top industrialists together. "The whole thing was an experience of a lifetime, meeting royalty," Straeble was quoted as saying. Elephants garlanded the guests on arrival. The guests were then escorted by traditionally dressed hostesses to the inner courtyard of the illuminated Mysore Palace. Wodeyar personally received each of the guests. Monday was dedicated to religious rituals that lasted around two hours before lunch was served. The seer of the Parakala Math blessed Wodeyar. The last time such a function was held at the Kalyana Mantap or wedding hall of the palace was when Wodeyar's youngest sister, Visalakshi Devi, was married 23 years ago. "It was also a great family reunion. Normally all the family members get together for Dasara (a festival in October). But this was an occasion that everyone came for," said Wodeyar, who represents the Mysore Lok Sabha constituency as a Congress MP. To promote Mysore as a destination for the rich and famous, Wodeyar is personally supervising the conversion of the Rajendravilas Palace there into the Grand Heritage hotel after having completed the renovation of the Ooty palace (in Tamil Nadu) "at an unbelievably low cost". "The Grand Heritage hotel will have 31 suites in the main palace and the annexe. The Ooty palace has 32 suites. These have provided the most exquisite suites to the visitors. One is focused on attracting the high-end of the market and it will, naturally, lead to economic activity all around Mysore and Ooty," said Wodeyar. "The Rajendravilas palace is more the Rajasthani type with cupolas and the Ooty palace hotel is more like the English country home. I am also getting the Indo-Dravidian architecture Srirangapatna palace furnished. That will have about eight to nine suites," he added. "My guest list was about 200, but 60 of them could not come. Quite a few them could not come because they could not get a suite in the big hotels of Mysore. The best of the lot has just one suite. "We are hiring troupes, cooks and equipment. All this will give a boost to economic activity in and around Mysore," Wodeyar said. "I hope Mysore gets an airstrip soon so that people can fly down from Bangalore or directly in their private jets.
No impact of Iraq war: Wipro
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 11 (IANS) Indian IT major Wipro Limited sees "zero impact" on its business in case of a war in Iraq. "They (customers) do not see it directly affecting us," Vivek Paul, vice chairman and CEO of Wipro Technologies, told reporters on the sidelines of the Wipro Tech Forum meeting Tuesday. In fact, fewer questions were being about the impact of a war against Iraq than were asked during the India-Pakistan border standoff last year. "If you compare the two timeframes, the ratio of questions we get from customers is 50:1. In other words, we are getting one-fiftieth of the questions we got last year. The volume of questions is substantially lower," Paul maintained. Basically, "(customers) don't see Iraq as impacting on India. It has zero impact on us. The customers' only concern was whether it would cause any disruption to their business. They do not see the Iraq war as having any disruptive risk," he added. But, it was clear "more and more companies are aggressively looking at outsourcing to India. India is not about setting up a facility and hiring low cost engineers. India is about quality."
Mob storms church at Davargere
Saturday, March 15, 2003
A group of at least 20 persons, shouting pro-Hindutva slogans, disrupted a prayer in a church in Bangalore Rural District and allegedly assaulted a Padre on Sunday. The police, however, denied that anyone had been assaulted. The miscreants barged into a church at Harubel Colony at Davargere in Talghatpura in Bangalore Rural District and created a scene suspecting conversion activities. The miscreants came to the church in 20 motorcycles when the service was on. They ransacked the church and attacked the Padre. The reason for the incident is yet to be ascertained. The Inspector-general of Police (Bangalore Rural district), K.V.R.Tagore, said there were 15 miscreants. They wanted to know whether those within the premises were engaged in conversion activities. When told politely that no such activity was taking place in the church, the miscreants took the trainee priest, Prashant, to a telephone booth and asked him to call the main priest. The main priest, in turn, confirmed that no conversion took place in the church. The police claimed that nobody was assaulted and the prayer hall was not damaged. The miscreants took away a statue of Christ, Bible and a photograph. The All India United Christian Voice has alleged that the prayer hall was attacked by Bajrang Dal activists. It condemned the violence and demanded action against the culprits. The Global Council of Indian Christians, in a statement, has alleged that some militant Hindu outfits were behind the attacks. The All India Christian Voice, dubbing the attack on the trainee priest as "dastardly", has urged Mr. Tagore to take action against the culprits immediately. The Council accused the Sangh Parivar of orchestrating the attack, in which the "cultural commissars" tore the trainee priest, Prashanth's cassock, spat on his face, spread Kunkum, and forced him to shout slogans ridiculing the Pope. In a press statement, the Council's national convenor, Sajan K.George, said: "We are intrigued by the desecration of the church and destruction of St. Antony's statue by the Swadeshi terrorists who are only interested in sowing the seeds of hatred to divide different communities in the name of religion." The Council wanted the National Commission for Minorities to investigate the attack.
IT course to be introduced at undergraduate level
Saturday, March 15, 2003
The University of Mysore will introduce a vocational course in Information Technology at the undergraduate level from the next academic year. The Academic Council, which met here on Monday, approved the introduction of the course after the Board of Studies in Computer Science proposed its introduction. The introduction of the course was also suggested by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to assist the undergraduate students in understanding Information Technology better. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, S.N. Hegde, who presided over the meeting, said such a course would strengthen the undergraduate courses. It would help students in improving their knowledge in information technology. The course would be first introduced in Mahajana First Grade College, and it would be an additional-cum-optional course. Modalities of the course would be chalked out soon, he said and added that it could be a certificate, a diploma, or an advanced diploma course based on the term of the course. Courses cancelled The University of Mysore has withdrawn affiliation to several courses in 11 colleges following the recommendation of the fact-finding committee. The colleges are: Government First Grade College, Kuvempunagar (B.Sc./B.Com.); TTL College of Management, Mysore (B.B.M./B.A.); Government First Grade College, Bannur (B.A.); Government First Grade College, Hanur (B.A.); Government First Grade College, Malavalli (B.A.); Government First Grade College, Chennarayapatna (B.A.); Government First Grade College, Holenarasipura (B.Sc./B.Com.); Government First Grade College, Sakaleshpura (B.Com.); YDD Government First Grade College, Belur (B.Com.); Government First Grade College, Javgal (B.Com.); and Sri Kaginele Mahasamsthana Kanakagiri Peeta Shikshana Mahavidyalaya, Mysroe (B.Ed.). Renewal of affiliation Participating in the discussion on renewing affiliation to 78 colleges, the Director of Physical Education, Krishna, said though there was a norm that every college should have a physical education instructor many colleges did not follow it. Though 26 colleges did not have physical education instructors, they had applied for renewal of affiliation. Stating that strict action should be taken against those colleges that did not have physical education instructors, he said sports had to be encouraged at the college level. However, the Director of College Development Council, Mruthyunjaya Kulenur, said the first grade colleges had been granted affiliation to attract grants from the University Grants Commission. Pointing out at the volume of grants received by the first grade colleges in the neighbouring States, he said the grants received by the colleges in Karnataka were abysmally low. Though the colleges had been given affiliation, they had been asked to appoint physical educaton instructors. Affiliation had been granted to more number of colleges to attract grants, he added. One of the members of fact-finding committee, B.R. Ananthan, who is the Dean of Faculty of Commerce, said though they were aware of the absence of physical education instructors, the fact-finding committee had proposed the colleges for affiliation after setting a pre-condition. They had been asked to the appoint physical education instructors, he added. Prof. Hegde announced that a committee would be set up to look into the status of physical education in degree colleges under the university. The Academic Council also approved the request for fresh affiliation by the Mata Amrutanandamayi Math College for B.Sc. and B.B.M. courses.
Kamalahasan joins anti-war cry
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Bangalore, March 11: The Congress, the BJP and even the Samajwadi Party have time and again displayed their silver screen star pool, but not the Left. However, in the campaign against a possible US war on Iraq, the Left parties have bagged a prize catch Kamalahasan. The former superstar will participate in a series of anti-war meetings across south India in the next few weeks. The meetings will be officially sponsored by an organisation called Janakiya Yudha Virudhha Vedi (People's Anti-War Platform) but will basically be shows of the CPM and its front organisations. The campaign will kick-off tomorrow with a rally at Kannur, a CPM bastion in Kerala. The next meeting would be held at Alappuzha, another CPM stronghold. This would be followed by meetings in other south Indian states. Though Kamalahasan, who is from Tamil Nadu, a state where almost everybody with some association to the film world has political ambitions and affiliations to political organisations, he has till now stayed away from pursuing a political objective actively. Speaking to The Telegraph, Kamalahasan said he took the new turn because he felt strongly about the "unjust war" that was being imposed on the global community. However, there are recent pointers that he has developed a soft spot for the Left. In his latest film, Anbe Sivam (Love is God), Kamalahasan plays a CPM activist who forsakes his beloved for the larger good of the workers in a factory. The film revolves around the conflict between a trade union leader Kamalahasan and a young advertisement professional supporting globalisation and economic liberalisation. The story for Anbe Sivam and the script was by the star himself. A significant moment in the film has the ad professional asking the union leader why people like him continue to support ideas like socialism and communism though it has failed, as shown by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Kamalahasan's character responds by asking whether the young man would stop living if the Taj Mahal collapsed one fine day. The film has enthused Left activists across Kerala and Tamil Nadu and has been a moderate success at the box office as well. Whether Kamalahasan would move forward from the anti-war campaign to espousing other contemporary Left causes more actively is to be seen, but the CPM should certainly be keen to cash in on his popularity in all the south Indian states.
Four locations identified for racecourse: CM
Saturday, March 15, 2003
The Chief Minister, S.M.Krishna, told the Legislative Assembly today that the Government was identifying land for shifting the racecourse located in the heart of Bangalore. Replying to a question raised in this regard by R.Ashok (BJP), Mr. Krishna told the House that the Revenue Department had identified four locations and asked the stewards of the Bangalore Turf Club to select one of them. Mr. Krishna said the Government would proceed with acquisition of land after the BTC selected the location. The Government was keen on maintaining the racecourse as a lung space for the City. He said the Government had already handed over the Bangalore Central Jail land to the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike for developing it into a park. The Central Jail had been shifted to the Parappana Agrahara jail complex. Regularisation The Chief Minister said that the work on regularisation of the services of 17,070 daily-wage workers in various government departments would be speeded up. Replying to a question raised in this regard by the Leader of the Opposition, Jagadish Shettar, Mr. Krishna said he had received a report in this regard from the Chief Secretary and it would be examined at the time of regularisation of these daily-wage workers. Mr. Krishna said the High Court had set aside an order directing the Government to confirm the services of those who were appointed on daily wages on or after July 1, 1984 on a writ appeal. He said a Special Leave Petition filed by the daily wage employees' association before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order was pending. He said the Government was taking steps to fix minimum wages for these workers. He agreed to direct the Cabinet subcommittee to go into the matter to speed up its work. Pay and park Mr. Krishna said that steps would be taken to curb irregularities in the working of the "Pay and park system'' introduced by the BMP in some localities in Bangalore. He said the BMP had introduced the system on 95 roads and the contract for this year would end on April 1 this year. Steps would be taken to introduce "monthly pass'' system from next year, he added.
Britain's BT says to open call centres in Delhi, Bangalore
Saturday, March 15, 2003
LONDON (Reuters) - BT Group Plc, Britain's largest fixed-line telecoms provider, said on Friday its BT retail unit would set up two call centres in India, joining a long list of firms moving there to cut costs. Pierre Danon, chief executive of BT Retail, told reporters the two Indian call centres would not cost UK jobs, and said BT would still spend over 97 percent of its planned 108 million pound ($173 million) investment in call centres in Britain. "None of BT's permanent employees in the UK will be made redundant as a result of the new centres opening. BT has also made the commitment that no agency people who work for BT Directories in the UK will have their contracts terminated," a BT statement said. The opening of the Indian centres -- where salary costs of around 1.25 pounds an hour compare with 5-10 pounds in the UK -- is part of BT Retail's strategy to consolidate its 104 UK locations into 33 centres in a bid to achieve annual cost savings of 150 million pounds. The two Indian centres, one in New Delhi and the second in Bangalore, will initially handle parts of BT's directories and phone conferencing work. The centres, which will start with 500 employees by the end of March, rising to around 2,200 by March 2004, will have BT's systems and will be managed by its staff, but will be owned by units of Indian firms HCL Technologies and Infosys Technologies. BT plans to invest three million pounds in the three centres and have three of its employees initially manage them. SORE POINT Moving jobs to countries like India, where salaries are far lower, is a sore point with trade unions in Britian. However, Danon defended the move, saying BT owed it to its shareholders to explore cost-effective options and said the company had not resorted to compulsory redundancies. He said BT was redeploying and retraining employees to do new jobs and said BT had no plans to further increase the number of centres in India. Transferring work to India is part of BT's plan to retain market share in UK directory inquiry services, a 700 million calls a year business where it lost a monopoly last December. Danon said established providers had lost up to 40 percent market share in Ireland and Germany after deregulation. "We will not allow that to happen to us," Danon said. Many overseas companies have outsourced back-office functions to Indian firms, or set up their own units to service global clients from India which is a cheaper location with large technically skilled workforce. Britain's largest insurance group Aviva Plc said last month it plans to set up a call and claims processing centre in India, employing about 1,000 by the end of 2003. Other firms which have shifted their back-office and call centre functions to India include General Electric, HSBC and Citigroup.
Nitrate, another killer lurking in your wells
Friday, March 14, 2003
Consumers are still wary about drinking bottled water. Now, they also have to be careful about nitrate in groundwater steadily increasing in certain areas around Bangalore, which is a cause for concern, according to the latest report of the Central Groundwater Board. The Indian Drinking Water Standards says that nitrate may cause gastric cancer and affect the central nervous system. Nitrate in water should not exceed 45 mg/l, says the Bureau of Indian Standards. Nitrate is supposed to be carcinogenic and the tests have revealed that nitrate content was high in wells in places like Kengeri - 530 mg/l, Sonnenahalli 530 mg/l, Siddanaikanahalli 150 mg/l, and Nelamangala 360 mg/l, Anekal - 280 mg/l, Hargadde - 550 mg/l, Gottigere 152 mg/l, Yelahanka 380 mg/l, Kodagurki 267 mg/l, Horohalli 147 mg/l, Naikanahalli 318 mg/l and Kailancha 180 mg/l. Upstream of the Silk Board office, in the Hosur road and Double road junction, all the wells are polluted with nitrate. Water samples in 48 per cent of the areas tested had nitrate in them and were not suitable for drinking, the Board’s Regional Director C S Ramasesha told Deccan Herald. Nitrate values were in the range of 0 to 550 mg/l. Twentyeight water samples (58 per cent) showed high alkaline rendering them unsuitable for drinking. ‘’Fluoride and nitrate in groundwater will become a major health hazard and the government will have to consider alternative sources of water including roof top rainwater harvesting in towns, which is safer than ground water.’’ said the director. The nitrate content in water samples tested in Bangalore in 1999-2000 by the board, was much higher than what it was in 1998-99. In some of north Bangalore’s well waters, nitrate concentration has gone up twofold within a year! More than 50 per cent of Bangalore district has nitrate in its groundwater. In North Bangalore, about 70 per cent of the area has groundwater with nitrate concentration, more than 45 mg/l as compared to 30 per cent in the south. This could be because well waters are contaminated through sewage or the well is not in use and is being used as a waste dump. The government will have to improve the sewage system, ensure that people do not locate their wells near latrines and control the use of fertilisers, all of which contribute to nitrate in groundwater, says the report. Nitrate in water should not exceed 45 mg/l, says the Bureau of Indian Standards. This is alarming as Bangalore’s periphery areas do not get water from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and rely totally on borewells. Two samples collected at Kengeri and Sonnenahalli showed EC values beyond 3000 u/S/cm. making them unsuitable for drinking. People in these areas who use their well water for drinking should get it tested for nitrates, and other contaminants, says the board. To be safer, go in for rainwater harvesting which will give you the safest water for drinking! You can get your well water, tubewell water etc, tested for nitrates and other contaminants at the Department of Mines and Geology, Phone: 2384134 or the Public Health Engineering Department in Anand Rao Circle. The Central Groundwater Board will also test well water samples for the poorer section who cannot afford to pay for testing. They can call the board at 6631336.
English not mandatory as second language
Friday, March 14, 2003
The Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Educ-ation B K Chandrashekar told the assembly that the government had not issued any order making it mandatory for Kannada medium primary schools to teach English as the second language from third standard onwards from the next academic year. Replying to questions raised by Mr V Somanna (Ind) during the zero hour, he said the Kan-nada Development Authority had recommended to the government to allow Kannada medium schools to teach English as the second language from third standard and English medium schools to teach Kannada as the second language from third standard. Though the government in principal had agreed, no government order had been issued to this effect, he clarified. The minister said some English medium schools have filed petition in the Karnataka High Court questioning the validity of the KDA’s recommendations to make English medium schools to teach Kannada. The court had directed the government to maintain status quo. But there was no such stay against Kannada medium schools teaching English as the second language. We have not issued the order and are awaiting the court’s final judgment, he said. He said he had observed that rural students were not scoring well in English, science and mathematics. Despite good coac-hing in government schools, rural students prefer to join private schools bec-ause they are taught English, he added.
Jagannath Shetty inquiry commission Recommendations referred to sub-panel
Friday, March 14, 2003
The State Government has referred the recommendations of the Justice K Jagannath Shetty Inquiry Commission set up to look into the Bhatkal violence in 1993, to a Cabinet sub-committee and is awaiting its report, said Chief Minister S M Krishna at the Legislative Council during the question hour today. Replying to a question by Shantaveerappa Gowda on beh-alf of B S Yediyurappa (BJP), who sought details on when the commission will be wound up and the reasons for the delay in submitting its report, Mr Krishna said of the 24 commissions set up in the last 10 years, 17 have submitted their inquiry reports, the recommendations of which are under consideration. However, reports by six other commissions are pending. The Justice Jagannath Shetty Commission’s report is being examined by a Cabinet sub-committee. Once the government gets the report, the sub-committee’s observations will be made available to the house, he said. The sub-committee is also examining the report of the Justice K Ramachandraiah Inq-uiry Commission set up to probe the death of Bhatkal MLA Dr U Chittaranjan. In both these inst-ances, there have been delays because of the sensitive and communal nature of the cases, Mr Krishna said, even as he assured the house to look into the matter. To another question on the delay in submission of report by the Justice S R Rajashekhar Murthy Inquiry Commission probing the police firing in Hubli in 1994 that claimed five lives, Mr Krishna said, the Government has accepted the commission report and follow-up action is being taken.
Proposal to stop grants to aided colleges Govt yet to take decision: Minister
Friday, March 14, 2003
Higher Education Minister G Parameshwara today told the Legislative Council that the government had not yet taken a final decision on the new ‘exit policy’ on education which proposes to stop grants to aided colleges. Replying to a question raised by Mr K Balakrishna Bhat and Dr M R Thanga (both BJP), Mr Parameshwara said the proposed policy was a tentative report of the committee which was constituted to review the grant in aid for educational institutions. A final decision in this regard would be taken only after a detailed assessment of the pros and cons of the policy, he said. Participating in the discussion, Mr Balakrishna Bhat opposed the ‘exit policy’ on education saying it was a ‘death sentence’ to private aided colleges. It would force the private educational institutions to hike the fees which would make education prohibitively expensive. The proposed policy is too harsh and it should not be implemented, he argued. Dr Parameshwara however, said that it was the decision of the government to cut down aid to higher education and provide more funds to primary and secondary education. Raising objection to the minister’s statement, Mr Basavaraj Horatti (JD-U) said the government should think of reducing expenditure in other areas instead of cancelling aid to aided colleges. If you want to cut down expenditure, you can do it by downsizing the jumbo-sized cabinet or reducing the size of the bureaucracy. When the Opposition members insisted that they be consulted before finalising the policy, Dr Parameshwara said he would not be able to say anything on the issue until he consults the chief minister.
Where is Malashree?
Friday, March 14, 2003
Sometime back there was news that Malashree would be acting in a television serial. Sudharani is acting in Chandana, so we all hoped to see Malashree on ETV. But she wont be acting in any TV serials. Very soon we are to see her on the silver screen. Her dream is to act in a film based on Kiran Bedi's life. Though we get to hear that very soon this film will go on floor, we also see Malashree putting on weight as if there is no tomorrow. But Ramu assures that very soon say in another month or so he would start the film. Recently Ramu had a bad experience with the film HOLLYWOOD. The film had a total budget of seven crores and it failed in the box office. This has cautioned Ramu and he will be careful with all his future ventures.
Rama Jois urges students to adopt simple lifestyle
Friday, March 14, 2003
Jharkand Governor and former chief justice of Haryana High Court Rama Jois said that once the value that every woman is mother, is ingrained in the heart of an individual, then the sinful thoughts of committing any offense against a woman gets destroyed. Delivering the convocation address at the 21st convocation of Gulbarga University here today, Justice Jois said that the respect for women was the most cherished value of life from times immemorial in India. Women were not considered as an object of physical pleasure by man, but were regarded as ‘divine treasure for family life’, he added. Stating that "Dharma" was the greatest and the most valuable contribution of India to humanity the world over, Justice Jois said, on account of its antiquity, utility and universality, the very mention of the word "Dharma" rouses the conscience of every individual in this land, he noted. However, he lamented that, all the present day problems are a direct result of disregarding "Dharma", under the influence of the western materialistic philosophy, in the belief that it alone could usher in happiness and secure the welfare of the people. Justice Jois said, it was the desire of all human beings to enjoy life, and to secure happiness. A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort was necessary, but above a certain level it becomes hindrance instead of help. Thereby, he requested all to opt for simple life style, and not to go for extravagant five-star life. Governor T N Chaturvedi, who presided over the convocation, presented 124 gold medals, 54 PhDs, and 1,424 certificates to the students. As many as 11,992 candidates, including 4,851 girls, were awarded degrees. H Venkatesh became the "golden boy" by winning six gold medals for securing the highest marks in MA Kan-nada. Gulbarga University Vice-Chancellor V B Coutinho and others were present.
Kokkare Bellur as tourist spot may spell doom for birds
Friday, March 14, 2003
The State Government’s proposal to develop Kokkare Bellur, the bird-sanctuary in Mandya district, as one of the important tourist spots in the State, has raised a number of questions regarding the safety of the birds and their habitat. The villagers, bird lovers and environmentalists, are concerned over the possibility that the Rs 73 lakh the government is planning to pump in to create infrastructure for tourists may commercialise the place and endanger the habitat of birds. The government is planning to set up a canteen with service counter, information centre, twin cottages, landscaping and seating arrangements for bird watchers, display boards, construction of approach roads, bird watch towers along with toilets and drinking water. Minister of State for Tourism D B Inamdar, however, allays the fears by stating , The government has designed a comprehensive plan keeping in mind the development of the village. The project will be implemented in such a way that the natural habitat of the birds is not disturbed. The intention of the Department of Tourism is undoubtedly good but commercialisation may happen beyond one’s control and affect the already-dwindling bird population, villagers and bird lovers fear. Their apprehension may not be unfounded. The bird population is already on the decrease due to various factors and this may be the last nail in the coffin, they feel. The increasing human and livestock population over the years has been straining the resources. The steep rise in the demand for firewood and fodder is resulting in the felling of huge canopied trees, which are home to hundreds of birds. Also, the dried ponds have left the birds with little choice for source of food. The impact is already obvious. The birds have already started shifting to Mysore in search of water bodies and large canopied trees, says Mr Manu K, a member of the Mysore Amateur Naturalists, a non-profit organisation conducting conservation activities with the villagers. In such a situation, the sudden exposure to commercialisation and increased volume of tourists are more likely to disturb the serene atmosphere of the village. No doubt the villagers may benefit in the form of employment opportunities. But in the long run, the villagers will have to pay the price. Development in the right spirit is what is needed, says Shivu, a villager. Of course there are some solutions. The department can consider setting up some of the facilities like canteen at a safe distance from the sanctuary. And at the same time, it should look at spending considerable amount of funds on improving the facilities for the birds by planting more trees and de-silting of the lake. Increasing the meagre annual compensation, given to the tree- owners as an incentive not to fell them , may also help in protecting the valuable trees used for nesting, says Nagesh, another villager. Perhaps, the department can also think of promoting the sanctuary as a place for eco-tourism and study of birds. This combined approach may help restore the symbiosis between humans, birds and development in Kokkare Bellur.
All for a girl
Friday, March 14, 2003
Teenage sensation Radhika (of Neenagaagi fame) is doing a ‘different’ role in Hudugigaagi opposite S P Charan, son of singer S P Balasubrahmanyam. Charan is facing the camera after a long gap. His earlier film Mahaedabidangi opposite S P Balu and Khusbu is still languishing in the cans. Hudugigaagi is all about how a guy tries to win over a girl through the help of his friends. The film is directed by B Manjunath and the film is produced by Baba Meher Prasad M and Manjula Chandru. Shashank has penned the story besides writing the screenplay with Daya.
Chiguridha Kanasu
Friday, March 14, 2003
Dreams have come true. "It was a dream from the past ten years. Its coming true now," said Parvathama Raj Kumar. The Muhurath of CHIGURIDHA KANASU at took place Sadshivanagar in Dr Rajkumar's house. APPU was a huge success. The Mahurat of this film was done at Dr Raj's house. Now any film from their home production, the Muhurath is done at Dr Raj's residence. The film has Shivraj Kumar in the lead. This film is originally Dr Shivram Karanth's story. It had been Shivrajkumar, director Nagabharana and Parvathama Raj Kumar's dream for the past ten years. And the dream comes true now. Dr Raj's brother Varadaraj was present at the ceremony.
Preethi Prema Pranaya
Friday, March 14, 2003
All of a sudden Ananthnag looks years younger. This enthusiasm was evident when he spoke. Ananth is too busy these days. He has a couple of films in hand, which include, PREETHI PREMA PRANAYA, LANKESH PATHRIKE, MOUNI and a film based on a Marathi-Hindi drama. This film based on Marathi-Hindi drama is being directed by Amol Palekar. What is interesting is, Sonali Bendre stars with Ananth. Recently we met him at the Oberoi Hotel. "Sixteen years ago I worked with Lankesh. During that time Kavitha was in class five. I remember holding her hand and walking with her. Today she is directing films. She dares to make films on bold subjects. Kavitha has set values. Someday she wants to make films in English. I hope she succeeds." Said Ananth. In PREETHI PREMA PRANAYA he is cast opposite Bharathi. Kavitha Lankesh said that it was a wonderful experience working with such experienced stars. She hopes that this film gets an award. Once this film hits screen, she wants to make an Australian film.
Absence of young poets irks crowd
Friday, March 14, 2003
The poets’ meet held every year at the Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelan is a crowd puller and the sort of event that people look forward to as they can catch litterateurs live in action. Besides, it is also looked as a honourable platform to announce one’s skill and gain recognition. In this regard, it is rightfully felt that the poets’ meet should make space for budding talents to display their expertise in poetry. But the poets’ meet of the 70th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahit-ya Sammelan was a far cry from this as a majority of those who took part in it were veteran poets including previous sahitya sammelana presidents. While the audience did enjoy this ‘treat’, the absence of young poets palpably stood out. The decision of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat’s Central Committee drew flak from its district unit presidents today. At a meeting held here, the district presidents sought to know the rationale behind selecting famous veteran poets as participants at the cost of aspiring talents. Some of the big names who took part in the poets’ meet were Dr G S Shivarudrappa, Channaveera Kanavi, both previous presidents of Akhila Bharata Sahitya Sammelan, Prof G S Siddalingaiah, Dr N Mogasale, Dr Sumateendra Nadiga, Dr B C Ramachandra Sharma and Prof Chandrashekar Patil. These poets have already carved a niche for themselves in the literary world and have held important positions. Instead of them, the Central Committee should have given priority to young poets, the district unit presidents said. They argued that if the idea was to have famous poets at the function, then the Central Committee could have invited them as special guests for the programme and not as participants. The Kannada Sahitya Pari-shat office-bearers, who were caught off-guard by their own men, maintained that the poets themselves had asked to include their names in the poets’ meet and they could not turn them down. The Poets’ Meet will be held on Sunday at 11:30 am. Besides this, the choice of participants of the various sessions on important topics also came under fire from the district presidents and also from the audience.
Vani Ganapathy: Bold and beautiful
Friday, March 14, 2003
She is bold, bright, and beautiful. Vani Ganapathy, the renowned Bharatnatyam dancer, enjoys living life to its fullest. While dance is, obviously, the number one priority with her, Vani is also a dance teacher running her own dance school and an interior dancer much in demand with celebrities. Despite having been through trying times especially when her marriage with film star Kamal Hassan broke up, Vani has managed to emerge a stronger person and a personality in her own right. She spoke on her personal life, her dance, and why she chose Bangalore to be her home. Excerpts: Vani, tell us about your dance. When did you start? I started when I was 4 years old. It was only when I was 11 or 12 years old did I feel the spirit to excel. Opportunities opened up over the years. Which have been your best moments on stage? When I was 16 or 17 years old, I danced for dignitaries like the Romanian President, the King and the Queen of Nepal. Also, sharing the stage with senior dancers like Indrani Rehman, Gopi Krishna and the Manipuri sisters at that young age was really exciting. Transition from marriage to single-hood must have been a difficult journey. How did you cope? My parents, sister, relatives and friends supported me, gave me moral strength, as also my belief in God. Of course, my dance was the one thing that helped me the most. Although I have moved out of marriage, I am still close to the Hassan family - Suhasini, Mani Ratnam, Charu Hassan and their families.. What is the kind of lifestyle you have now? What has been the change over the years, at different stages in your life? Things, of course, change when you are single. I had two choices: either to opt for the lesser or to maintain my standard of living. Since I am hardworking and God has been with me, I have been able to carve a niche for myself. I am able to lead a comfortable life. Any plans of remarriage? I never plan anything. You run a dance school called Sanchar. Tell us about it. Presently, I have 18 students. I expect complete dedication, sincerity and perfection from them. That is the reason why I have less students. Students from abroad do come to me to learn, but just a couple of them. But I don’t like this shortcut method because I will not be fair to both the student and the art. I don’t enjoy it either because it is unprofessional. How did you venture into interior designing? I started this about five years back. It’s my hobby-cum-business and right now, it is not a full-fledged career. I like to devote more time to my performances. But I have worked on many interior projects. Do you design dresses too? I used to but my sister and brother-in-law are into this now; so, I don’t. They design my dresses. Where do you like to shop? The Home Store, the Bombay Store, Shristhi, I buy sarees from Deepam, Vijayalakshmi and Angadi. I also like Saboo collections and Kanya boutique. Do you like partying a lot? Everyone likes to be seen at the right places, but, over the years, it gets saturated. Now, I prefer small gatherings with may be 10-15 people. What is your favourite hangout in Bangalore? I like the Windsor Manor, Thai Food at Taj West End, Bangalore Bistro and Mainland China. There are other places too. I love food although the quantity I eat is less. What is it that you like about Bangalore? Climate. Earlier, I loved Bangalore for its lung space, but it has disappeared. Bangalore has lost its old charm. What is it that you hate about the city? Pollution. I also hate the disinterest of the officers who are not doing enough to improve the city. It is not that they are not capable, but they do it just as a job. The Chief Minister has constituted a high-powered task force. Let’s see if things improve. You are involved in social service too.. My involvement is through art. I am involved with an organisation in Lingarajapuram. When my presence is required, I go there. I am doing a bit of PR work for them. When I travel, I distribute brochures. Are you religious? Yes. I believe in the divine power. I love going to temples. I enjoy rituals as a tradition. How has dance and mythology helped you develop your personality? It has exposed me to spirituality. Mythology helps one to choose the righteous path. It has helped me imbibe good values. Who are your favourite dancers? I don’t have any favourites in any field be it films, dance, or anything. I admire Padma Subramanium because she conveys whatever she wants to, in dance very clearly.
Ashwini Nachappa: Destined to run
Friday, March 14, 2003
Once she was the glamour girl of Indian sport. Ashwini Nachappa burnt up the tracks ten years ago besides starring in a number of movies. A Karnataka state record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres she represented India in three SAF games winning 5 Gold and 2 Silver medals. She has also represented India in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and was honoured with and the Dasara, Rajyotsava, Shiromani and Arjuna awards. Today, though she looks as fit as ever, her goals are firmly fixed on bringing up her two daughters. With a name which means "horse" she was destined for running from birth. Even now her day starts at 6 a.m. when she goes for a jog, at times with her elder daughter Anisha. Far removed from the world of the track and celluloid both of which she stormed briefly, the 33-year-old Ashwini now works for the Vijaya Bank. On a day when she skipped work to be with her daughter on her first day at school, she spoke to Sifycities. Ashwini, new goals? Yes. I find motherhood most satisfying. It has brought about a turn around in my life. And now everything revolves around my two daughters. At five-and-a-half, I think Anisha is good at badminton. I am planning to send her to Prakash Padukone. But there are no pressures. Right now she loves sports, I don’t know if she will continue with it. How did your passion for the track develop? I was a naughty child. I once pushed my sister out of bed and she had to have 4 or 5 stitches. While my sister was into comics and reading, I was not fond of them. I was a very average student. My mom brought us to Bangalore to give us a good education, while my father continued his job in Calcutta. Our house was very close to the Kanteerava stadium. My mother made my sister and me join the sports activities there. She thought it was better than having us play on the streets. I started running enticed by the chocolates Mohinder Singh gave us. Did you set yourself any goals? I did not have any goals, dreams nor had I imagined I would make it big in athletics. I think I was lucky because I started winning right from an early age and there were no disappointment. This pushed me through. I won gold for Karnataka during the All India Nationals held in Bangalore when I was about 12-1/2 years old. The then Chief Minister Gundu Rao gave me a cash award of Rs 1,000. That was the best moment on the track, the other of course was beating Usha. The first time it was by chance and the second time it was a reality. When you were making your mark, Usha was already a superstar. How was your equation with her? Usha was a top-level athlete and would stay aloof. I had a different coach and would just say hello. I am not in touch with her now. You have acted in a number of movies - Ashwini, Adarsham, Inspector Ashwini, Arambham and Miss 420. Has it been a good experience? After I beat Usha there was lot of media hype. I was not keen on acting when I was approached. Later on I liked the story and I agreed to act in Ashwini. It was an altogether wonderful experience. I would be on the crane and with the light boy. The crew liked me and I would talk to them while jogging. But I said no to films during Anisha’s pregnancy. You’ve travelled all over but which is home for you? Oh I love Bangalore because it is a happening place, with an attitude. Moreover, I started my career here and the people are very enthusiastic. But I hate the traffic and pollution. And of course I love the Chinese food at the Oberoi and the pani puri at Indiranagar. Does Bangalore offer enough facilities to sports enthusiasts? It’s far better than other cities. It is next best to Madras. What have you been doing for sports in Bangalore? I am on the Board for Special Olympics, India, which is recognized by International Olympics Association. We promote sports among the mentally challenged. We have reached about 25,000 children in India, but unfortunately we have not been able to do much in the rural areas due to lack of funds. Do sports women sometimes have to face sexual overtures? I did not. May be in individual sports ones performance does all the talking.
Girish Kasarvalli
Friday, March 14, 2003
This ace Kannada director needs no introduction. He has to his credit Kannada classics such as Ghatashraddha, Kraurya, Mane, Bannada Vesha, Tabarana Kathe, Mooru Darigalu and more recently, Thayi Saheba - all of which have won rave reviews and many awards. In conversation with Ranjni Raghotham he speaks about the Kannada film industry, the problems it faces, and why it has degenerated to its current state. Let start at the beginning, how did you get into film-making? I am from a village - Kasarvalli - which is between Thirthahalli and Sringeri. I have an agrarian and traditional background. There I hardly got to see films. One touring talkies would come to a town nearby and camp there for a week or so and I would may be get to see 5 or 6 films a year. I have a degree in Pharmacy. In the 60s and the 70s there was some kind of a new awakening in Kannada literature. That was the time when a new wave for alternate cinema movement gained momentum. I was in college and was fascinated by this development. After my graduation I worked in Hyderabad and that is when I got to watch lot of movies, especially parallel cinema made by Film Finance Corporation and others. I then got a diploma from the Film Institute in Pune. But before I joined FTII, I did not have an opportunity to see many films, including Kannada films. I had also not see any Hindi film till then. I would hear songs on radio and would mug them up. I thank God that I got exposed to good cinema while in Hyderabad. In the 70s Kannada cinema reached a zenith with films based on literary works. They had good subjects with a social bearing and impact. Now Kannada films are in many ways bad - I would like to clarify one thing. I normally don’t watch many films. I have not seen films made in other languages and hence I am not in a position to draw a comparison. Films in general -- Tamil, Telugu - are bad now. It is just that we keep saying Kannada films are bad and the rest are good. The exception is Malayalam cinema, they make good films. Whatever little I see of Hindi is trash. It only has more glamour and is well packaged. If you really look at their content and presentation they are as bad as Kannada films -- Kannada films are a little vulgar and crude while Hindi films are more polished. Who is to blame the film makers or the audience? I don’t blame film makers. They are making a product and will make what sells. For me cinema is not a product, it is an art. If one takes up this medium as a consumer good you will make what sells. If that is bad why do people buy it? One cannot expect a film maker or a producer to go on making good films that are not sponsored by the audience. I put the blame on the audience. Unless they are selective, the quality will not change. Good Kannada films don’t run - we had a good film Munnudi recently that ran for just one week and it was not able to recover the money while some third-rate film, which is obscene is minting money. Obviously one will hesitate to take up such assignments. Nobody likes to spend Rs 40 lakhs and just give it away. This is happening in other languages as well - blame the audience’s taste. We don’t get to see many good films... True, some of the good films don’t come here at all. We don’t even get to know them. For example, some films in other languages that won the Golden Lotus awards last year were exceptionally good. Who’s seen them? What the solution? I think media should question this. They need to create awareness. Why aren’t quality films supported and sub-standard films promoted? Everyone puts the blame on the industry and keeps quiet including the audience. When there are good films to see where is the audience? I am not talking about art films, I am talking about well made films. What changes have you noted in the taste of audiences in the past five years. Has exposure to TV channels changed the viewer’s perception? We are passing through a very peculiar period in Kannada cinema now. From 60s to 80s we had a fairly good clientele. Middle-class families would go and watch movies. Now we have to compete with other languages, our budget and market is small and we cannot match them in terms of glamour and gloss. Others can go to a foreign location to shoot a song, but we can’t. Ultimately, to compete we compromise on quality. Now film producers say that those who watch Kannada films now belong to a different class. The audience that feels this way chooses instead to go English films or watch television. Now in our attempt to impress a different audience we need to show more body and obscene elements, which further distances us from the middle-class clientele. This is a peculiar vicious circle. Nobody makes a film to lose money, what has your experience been like? All my films have made money but not through the local market. We have sold it to different channels. We have recovered our investment. I wouldn’t say we have made huge profits but a small profit. Are producers approaching you to direct movies? I wouldn’t say they are waiting for me to direct movies. When they come to me and ask me to make formula movies, I say no. I am not for such movies. Sometimes I succeed in convincing them otherwise. Can you tell us what you are working on now? I am working on two projects. One is a 52-episode serial titled `Grihabanga’ based on SL Byrappa’s novel. This is my first serial. The other project is a film - `Dweepa’ - based on a novel by Na D’souza. I had planned this for last year, but due to Rajkumar’s abduction it had to be postponed. We had to wait for the rainy season. Nature is an important element in the film. Rain happens to be the central theme. Soundarya is producing as well as acting in the film. The two projects on hand will go on till mid-2002. After that I may start on another film. What according to you is your best film? Ghatashraddha. Thayi Saheba was appreciated, how does it feel? I am very happy. I tried something very unique inter-knitting the external and internal world. Without showing the external world I have brought in all the trauma and tensions of the external world. This was an ambitious project, both in script and approach. Your favourite film-makers? Satyajit Ray and Kurasowa. You are residing in Bangalore since 1975. How is Bangalore now and how was it then? For the past 10 years Bangalore is a totally different city. Now people talk only in terms of money and business. It is not old Bangalore when people leisurely talked about values in life, art, tradition, etc. I regret this change. I don’t want to sound pessimistic or like an old-timer. Why did you choose to settle down in Bangalore? Professional compulsions. Barring Mane none of your films talk of Bangalore... I don’t feel I am an integral part of Bangalore or Bangalore is an integral part of me. One film-maker has said without Calcutta he could not have made films. And someone has said he would not have been successful without Bombay. I don’t feel that way about Bangalore. True, none of my films talk about Bangalore. They all have elements of my village. Even today my memories are small town images not Bangalore.
Now, Malaysians in State to come under scanner
Friday, March 14, 2003
Now, Malaysians in State to come under scanner BANGALORE: In its first direct reaction to the episode relating to action against Indian IT professionals by Malaysian authorities last week, Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs), including the one in the city, have been ordered to check the credentials of Malaysian nationals registered here. The Centre wants the FRROs at the state level and FRO's in several metros to go through its list of Malaysians with a fine tooth comb and check their antecedents. Highly placed officials said the order came late on Wednesday night. There are several hundred Malaysians in Karnataka, most of them students studying in Bangalore, Mangalore, Manipal and Hassan medical and engineering colleges. ``Most of the Malaysian citizens who come here for study are of Indian origin and do their medicine here. There are around 400 Malaysians registered in Bangalore. While most are students, there are also some business families here,'' a police officer in charge of FRRO office in Bangalore told this website's newspaper. ``Most students go away after their studies, while some come back for specialising in a particular branch of medicine,'' he added. Malaysia, a Muslim nation with 10 per cent population of Indian-origin, has a huge stake in India, apart from having good bilateral relations, so far. They have been exporting their expertise in building roads and are trying to attract Indians to see their country. An estimated four lakh Indian tourists visit Malaysia every year and the Malaysian Tourism Board (MTB) wants the figure to touch a million mark by this year-end, officials from MTB who were here recently said. In fact, in the last one year, Malaysian Airlines has started several direct flights to Kuala Lumpur and Penang from several Indian cities including Bangalore. Malaysia has also forged close ties with Karnataka over the last few years. The Malaysian Public Works Minister Sami Velu, a Tamilian of Indian-origin, has been making several trips here. His country is keen to develop highways on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis. They are also keen to develop the Mysore-Hunsur-Madikeri road but the State Government is negotiating hard on the price and trying to avoid a BOOT kind of agreement.
Fog on the windscreen? No, that's killer dust
Friday, March 14, 2003
Fog on the windscreen? No, that's killer dust BANGALORE: It's as if the trees are covered with snow and the ground beneath is sheathed in a layer of fine white powder. And it's not Switzerland we are talking about. This is a National Highway stretch between Bangalore and Kolar, where a large number of stone-crushing industries throw up a smokescreen of dust across windscreens, paving the road for a potential disaster. Located close to Narasapura village, the dust kicked up by these units -- most of them law-breakers -- has even the Mines and Geology Minister V. Muniyappa smarting. ``This has become a serious problem,'' he told this website's newspaper on Wednesday. As per guidelines, stone-crushing units have to be set up at least 250 metres away from the National Highway. Obviously, as this website's newspaper team found out, it's not happening here. So what's the Government line? According to Muniyappa, the Government has decided to shift these units to isolated places following the State Lokayukta's directions and complaints from the public. ``The process to identity suitable land is underway and shifting will be done shortly,'' he promised. Till then, the danger is considerable as all these units start work simultaneously in the morning, blowing large quantity of dust on to the Highway, reducing visibility. ``This has also affected sericulture,'' the Minister pointed out. Meanwhile, poor villagers in the area seem to have learned to live with the dust as these units are major sources of employment, especially since Kolar, a dry district, has been badly hit by drought in successive years. ``Only the sound is a problem,'' said a villager living near a stone-crushing unit. Starvation or survival, that's their dilemma. ``But continuous inhalation of dust will lead to health hazards in the long term and many of the villagers are not aware of it. We are making efforts to solve it,'' said a senior officer of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). The KSPCB has directed these units to continually sprinkle water on the main crusher to contain the dust. ``We have to look at their problems also as water is a scarcity,'' the officer said. 'CLOSE THEM' The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KPSCB) office in Kolar has recommended that 12 stone-crushing units, along the National Highway, be closed. ``The KSPCB Regional Officer in Kolar has recommended the closure of these units, which are violating provisions,'' revealed a Pollution Control Board officer. Incidentally, the KSPCB had issued closure notices to some stone-crushing units in 2000, but they were later withdrawn after the `violators' promised to comply with norms.
Tech city reaches out across digital divide
Friday, March 14, 2003
Tech city reaches out across digital divide BANGALORE: This hi-tech city is the seventh knowledge society of the world, but for the thousands who live elsewhere in Karnataka, information is only just beginning to peer into their lives. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conference, which wound up at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) here recently, placed the focus firmly on Information Communication Technology (ICT) for development. ``Karnataka is a frontline State in taking technology to the people, but it still has a long way to go before achieving sustainability of such projects,'' says Asish Sen of NGO Voices, one of the leading lights at the conference. Voices has set up an audio production centre in Buddhikote from where villagers came to share their experience with community radio. ``A woman who believed that she had to take her daughter, struck by measles, to the temple to be cured went to the doctor after listening to audio cassettes playing health messages,'' says Sen. In 1995, the Supreme Court declared that airwaves should be regarded as ``public good'' but the State has not made it legal for communities to broadcast as yet. ``ICT is not just about computer-aided technology, community radio is an important aspect in a holistic view,'' says Sen. While community radio has a long way to go to gain legitimacy and build sustainable roots in other parts of the State, the new trailblazer is telemedicine. In another first of its kind, Karnataka has launched a telemedicine project jointly by ISRO and Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH). Cardiosurgeon and managing director of NH, Dr Devi Shetty, who gave a presentation at the conference said, ``Telemedicine will save patients the trouble of coming to cities for healthcare. They can get expert advice right where they are.'' Patients can be connected to doctors via satellite from miles away. Fund-based accounting, adopted by the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) enables citizens to see at a glance how public money is being spent. And the Bhoomi project has revolutionised the concept of e-governance by computerising land records. The simputer has meant that a person with no idea of computers can still acess information with sight and audio interface. The common line at the conference? With ideas burgeoning and NGOs and universities helping strengthen public-private partnership, every village in Karnataka has come a little closer to being connected with the world.
Krishna wishes speedy recovery to Rajkumar
Friday, March 14, 2003
BANGALORE: Chief Minister S. M. Krishna on Thursday wished ‘‘speedy recovery’’ to matinee idol Rajkumar who is hospitalised in Chennai. Kannada thespian Rajkumar, who was held captive in the deep forests by sandalwood smuggler Veerappan for over 100 days, underwent a total hip-replacement surgery at a hospital in Chennai on Thursday. The 73-year-old actor was ‘‘perfectly alright now. We have replaced his left hip with an artificial joint and the operation was a great success,’’ said Dr. P.V.A.A. Mohandas, who performed the hour-long surgery. He said the actor had been suffering from arthritis for the past few years. The bones had suffered wear and tear and his condition worsened during his stay in the jungles where he was held captive by Veerappan in mid-2000. He had to walk at least 40 km a day during his captivity, Dr Mohandas said.
Rajkumar undergoes hip replacement surgery
Friday, March 14, 2003
CHENNAI: Kannada actor Dr Rajkumar on Thursday underwent a hip replacement surgery at MIOT Hospitals. Doctors said the 40-minute operation went off well and he is normal. ``He will be able to walk in the evening. We intend to do a total knee replacement on the right knee in a couple of days,'' a statement from the orthopaedic surgeon, Dr PVA Mohandas, said. Rajkumar flew down to Chennai on Wednesday.
Maharaja prefers to celebrate 50th B’day in traditional way
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
MYSORE: Congress MP and scion of the Mysore royal family Srikantadutta Narasimharaja Wodeyar celebrated his 50th birthday in a traditional way on Monday with a few select guests. The celebrations, which were confined to the famous Mysore Palace, was a purely private affair. Though Palace sources refused to divulge details of the guests, they said many industrialists and guests from abroad were invited. Some of the guests flew down to Mysore in their chartered flights and were housed at the famous Lalith Mahal Palace. Palace sources said the celebrations had begun with the Parakala mutt pontiff, also the religious consultant of the Maharaja, being accorded a traditional welcome by the scion and his wife Pramoda Devi Wodeyar. The celebrations, which started off at 10 a.m., continued till mid noon with poojas being offered to the palace deities. The royal couple also performed a ‘homa’, religious offering to the deity, amid the chanting of Vedic hymns. Family members, including the sisters of Wodeyar, close aides of the royal family and well-wishers took part in the celebrations. The Government of Karnataka was represented by senior Minister K.H. Ranganath and M. Shivanna. On Sunday, the VIP guests were treated to special performances at Race Club. Wodeyar also unveiled a bust of the erstwhile ruler of Mysore, Chamarajendra Wodeyar. Senior police officer Shankar Bidri, Deputy Commissioner of Mysore Kumar Naik and legislator Papanna were among those invited. Congress leader Vasu, who took part in the celebrations, termed it as ‘‘simple and purely traditional’’. He said the birthday celebrations were devoid of any extravaganza. Purohits from various temples showered their blessings while Muslim religious heads offered floral tributes to the maharaja.
MLAs want TVs installed in Karnataka Assembly to watch India's matches
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
UNI BANGALORE: The absence of members in the Karnataka Assembly during the proceedings on Monday prompted the legislators on Tuesday to suggest installation of a television screen, muting the audio, in the House so as to enable them to watch India's World Cup cricket matches even while attending the session. The quorum bell of the lower house had to be switched on during the afternoon session on Monday following very low attendance of members when India were playing Sri Lanka in a Super Six encounter at Johannesburg. On Wednesday, a suggestion was made by Janata Dal (United) member and former Minister S S Patil to fix a television and muting the audio enable the presence of members in the House without missing the crucial cricket matches, but Speaker M V Venkatappa ruled it out. Expressing serious concern over the low attendance, Venkatappa said he might have to seek the members to sign the attendance register during the afternoon session as well.
New technology will track cars, ward off thieves
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
New technology will track cars, ward off thieves BANGALORE: The advent of technology has made life simpler. In today’s fast-paced world, where clogged roads make commuting a hazard, technology has once again stepped in to make life safe and secure. Allow us to introduce telematics -- the new technology on the block. Derived from a combination of telecom and informatics, converging automobile engineering, digital chip design, wireless communication and Internet, telematics is about navigation, safety, security and real-time information at your fingertips. More importantly, it is a field where techies from Bangalore can gain the cutting edge by making an early move. At least, that is the message being beamed loud and clear from Tele Trans 2003, a two-day conference-cum-exhibition that opened in Bangalore on Monday. ‘‘Telematics can make a huge difference to our traffic management system and productivity of freight movement. Today, we operate at levels of efficiency, which can be enhanced dramatically through the application of telematics,’’ says R. Seshasayee, president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. A point that was reiterated by Sam Pitroda, architect of Indian telecom revolution and chairman and CEO of US-based World Tel. So how does telematics improve your life? Simple. Thanks to telematics, the day will not be far off when you take your vehicle to a software campus for upgrading its system.
Parents of foreign-based B’loreans turn to the net
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Parents of foreign-based B’loreans turn to the net BANGALORE: No longer are they lonely. No longer are they willing to wait endlessly to hear from their children. These new age parents have shrunk the distances and interact with their sons and daughters ‘virtually’ at will. ‘‘My son Deepak is not far from me. Computer and Internet have brought him closer, though he is miles apart,’’ says Shrilata Srinath, a single parent. Shrilata is one among thousands of Bangalore-settled parents whose children are well-placed abroad and to whom they communicate regularly through e-mail. ‘‘The need to learn computers arose when my son left for Manchester three years ago. It was and still is a necessity,’’ says the self-employed teacher who runs a play school at her house. Shrilata underwent a three-month course in MS Office at KEONICS and didn’t fare too badly. Her liking for the system is well expressed when she says that she got her son to get married by sending constant reminders. P.R. Anandamurthy and his wife Kusum have a different story to tell. At the age of 68, Anandamurthy, president of the Khoday group, found the learning process tiresome, though exciting. ‘‘The convenient, cheap nature and the timing have definitely helped us in getting closer to our kids than the phone. More information can be included and we can browse any time,’’ says Kusum, who seems more inclined to the experience than her husband. For the past five years, the couple have been spending more than an hour every day to chat with their son and daughter in US. Parents are unanimous in their praise of the interface. Most of them root for the intimacy factor as compared to other means of communication. Yahoo and Rediff are the favourite service providers.
‘Get MBBS seat, have tax officials on your trail’
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
‘Get MBBS seat, have tax officials on your trail’ BANGALORE: Admissions to professional courses brought much unwanted attention in their wake, senior JD (U) leader B. Somashekhar said in the Assembly on Tuesday. The exorbitant fee collected in colleges didn’t help and IT officials, by keeping a special eye on parents of students admitted to a particular college and demanding to know their sources of income, had contributed to this perception, he quipped. Somashekhar was participating in a discussion on the confusion created as a consequence of the October 31 order of the Supreme Court regarding professional colleges. Parents were unable to furnish the fees fixed by colleges and, even if they did, could not account for it, he said. Poor students would be the likely sufferers on account of the government’s proposed move to give free rein to college managements, he opined. He wondered how the government would fund the education of SC/ST students, which had always benefited from full reimbursement. The government had also failed to respond to the situation on time and consult other political parties soon after the judgment came out, he said.
Arundhati Nag is Radio City Woman of the Year
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Arundhati Nag is Radio City Woman of the Year BANGALORE: Radio City has honoured acclaimed theatre-person Arundhati Nag as their Woman of the Year after an on-air poll. The result was declared after an intense five-day on-air survey, which saw more than 51,000 listeners send in entries via SMS and e-mail. The other nominees were producer and director of Deveeri, Kavita Lankesh, Arjuna award-winning athlete, Reeth Abraham, Lintertainment CEO, Gitanjali Kirloskar and executive director of NGO Madhyam, Munira Sen. Arundhati has assisted famous director David Lean in filming A Passage to India and written Hindi dialogues.
He lures and robs foreign tourists at Hampi
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
He lures and robs foreign tourists at Hampi BELLARY: Bellary and Koppal district police have launched a manhunt for a dreaded criminal who specialises in luring and robbing tourists, specially foreigners visiting Hampi. The operation to nab Maddi Nagendra involves 34 constables, four sub-inspectors and an inspector under the leadership of additional SP Shivanna Tavargi from Bellary side while an equal number is deputed from Koppal district. The team is combing the Hampi ruins since four days, said Superintendent of Police Hemanth Nimbalkar. Nagendra who was released from prison recently, is reported to have returned to his calling with a vengeance. The complaints received from the region forced the police of the two neighbouring districts to launch the intense search, Nagendra, a native of Kamalapur, began his criminal career in a modest way by stealing fruits, cycles, motorcycles and then graduated to attacking and robbing lonely tourists. According to additional SP Shivanna Tavargi, Nagendra, a jail bird, made friendship with tourists, took them to isolated places, threw chilli powder on their faces and took away their belongings. Some tourists begged him to leave their visa and passport. According to sources, Nagendra was involved in the killing of an Itallian who tried to resist his attack. Emitha Merome, an Isreali woman who fought back, was left with a chopped off finger. Nagendra also inflicted injuries on her chest. Japan national Takkai Koike was attacked in Matunga Hills while Australian Micheal Vaal was robbed at Hampi by Nagendra. The main problem at Hampi is it is divided by river Tungabhadra. The other bank of Tungabhadra falls under Gangavati taluk of Koppal district. Virupaksha temple falls under Bellary district while Virupapura Gadde on the other bank of Tungabhadra river is an island and almost a no man’s land. The area after Virupapura Gadde falls under Koppal district. The place is full of boulders, stones and bushy plants which make it difficult to chase a slippery criminal. It is here that most of the crimes take place.
Explain yourself minister, says oppn
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
BANGALORE: Ahead of an all-party meeting to discuss the CET wrangle, the opposition put higher education minister G. Parameshwara in the dock on Tuesday over his dual’’ role as minister and management representative. In the Assembly, opposition leader Jagadish Shettar said the government’s mishandling’’ of the issue has evoked suspicion. By showing helplessness, you have opened yourself to doubt. There was scope for filing a review petition or taking it up with the Centre, but you have not shown any initiative, so one wonders on whose side you are.’’ B. Somashekar (JD-U) added: A senior Congressman who heads a medical college in Davanagere, has put out an ads in the papers announcing the fee structure for courses in his college. Can you take any action against this?’’ Jayaprakash Hegde (JD) said Parameshwara could prove his clean’’ credentials by announcing that government seat matrix would apply to the Siddartha group of institutions in Tumkur, which he heads. Parameshwara will reply to the debate after Wednesday’s meeting. Govt explains: The government hasn’t gone for a review of the SC’s CET order as it was not legally faulty.’’ Law and parliamentary affairs minister D.B. Chandre Gowda said this during the discussion on CET. We have to explain what is the extraordinary situation under which we want a 11-judge constitutional bench order to be reviewed, and we cannot do this. We had given a written affidavit on the reasons behind the CET and why it should be continued. What new argument can we furnish now,’’ he asked.
Cup beckons Bangaloreans
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
BANGALORE: World Cup fever has caught Bangaloreans after it became certain that Indians are playing in the semi-finals and could even lift the World Cup. Airlines are adding more flights to S. Africa, and calls for tickets have shot up, but tickets are not available. It is not just individuals who are raring to go, there are several groups planning a trip too. And topline companies like LG, Britannia, BPL and Hewlett-Packard have sponsored their dealers to go to South Africa. To woo passengers, several airlines and travel agents have offered match tickets along with airline tickets and this has worked splendidly.
Road repairs begin in Hubli city
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
HUBLI: Hubli’s citizens can slip their gears into the fast lane, for there is a smooth ride ahead. Finally, work on the city’s arterial roads was taken up two days ago. All thanks to the Rs 3.75-crore road rehabilitation programme taken up by the National Highway Authority (NHA), attached to the Union Ministry of Road Transport. Until now, a ride through the city could be bone-wracking, and a struggle through roads covered with cavernous potholes. Roads stretching over a length of about 8 km (Hubli-Dharwad bypass to Gadag Road underbridge) will get a new look with the NHA launching its ambitious plan to asphalt and develop NH 63, which vertically bisects Hubli city centre. According to Mujumdhar, chief engineer of the NHA, Dharwad, the impending work was part of the Ankola-Gooty Highway project launched around seven years ago. Though around 132 km of work had been completed under this project, some works had been suspended for want of funds. M.S. Nayak, the contractor carrying out the task, is using hot mix plants with a capacity of mixing 40 to 60 tonnes of asphalt every hour, the Mechanical Paver Vibratory Road Roller, ordinary road rollers and other equipment that have been calibrated as per the Indian Road Congress specifications. Work will be monitored and contractors have been asked to deploy adequate manpower and necessary equipment, and all works will be completed by March 31, Majumdhar said. So far, our effort has produced a street system that is in better condition and less expensive to maintain, he said. Our plan’s success will be apparent. Although more than half the project is complete, he said a lot of work remains. Traffic can now move freely on the changed routes, the chief engineer said. The idea in making these improvements is to create adequate space for buses, and also to cope with increased traffic near Lamington High School. These changes will facilitate highway traffic too.’’ Although the works put motorists to a lot of inconvenience on Tuesday, nobody complained. While appreciating the efforts of NHA, S.K. Bendigeri, a senior citizen, said the city administration and council had ignored road problems, which had resulted in a pile-up of repairs. The administration failed to initiate any road repairs until 2001, which is why our roads became so congested, he said. Around 56 miles of Hubli’s 411 street miles need repairs, while around 21 miles have deteriorated below acceptable standards. HDMC Commissioner Biradar said all 28 miles of streets slated for repair in the city would be taken up at the earliest to catch up on the backlog of repairs and keep up with annual repairs.
Let down, farmer sets himself ablaze
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
MYSORE: Official apathy in releasing compensation for land lost under a government housing scheme coupled with mounting debts due to failure of crops, resulted in a farmer ending his life by immolating himself. On Sunday night, Sangappa of Linganpura village in Chamarajnagar taluk, set fire to waste hay and firewood dumped in an abandoned well in front of his house and jumped into it. Next morning when his son Shivananjappa saw flames leaping out of the dry well and discovered materials for pooja, he suspected the worst. Though the fire brigade from Chamarajnagar rushed to the spot they could only recover the farmer’s burnt body after clearing the waste. It was revealed, the government acquired land belonging to Sangappa in 1983 to build 40 houses for shelterless people from the village. When he tried to get compensation for the land, it was futile. In fact, Sangappa was sent to jail on the charge of preventing officers from discharging their duty.
Absentee ministers to get notices
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
BANGALORE: Ministers, who have been irregular to the Legislative Assembly since the session commenced on February 27, will be issued notices by the government chief whip A.S. Nada Gouda shortly. As regards the 155 Congress MLAs including associate members, a tab will be kept on their attendance. Some members who used to just sign in the muster rolls and disappear will also have some explaining to do, henceforth. Speaking to The Times of India here on Tuesday, Gouda said he had taken the absence of ministers in the ongoing session seriously. I want the ministers to whom notices will be sent to explain their absence. I am getting details of the number of hours and days allotted for the ministers to sit in the Assembly and why some of them did not adhere to it,’’ he stated. Gouda said the ministers have been instructed not to convene meetings during the session hours and also not to accept invitations for functions in their constituencies. In the previous session, I wrote letters to them. But this is the first time notices will be issued, he added. The appraisal reports which the Congress high command is seeking from its MLAs have one column where the members have to reply on the number of days the session met and the number of days they attended. Gouda said one reason for the poor attendance in the post-lunch session was: The MLAs who either go home or to their rooms for lunch have visitors waiting for them. They get busy in meeting the visitors. A move to do away with the lunch hour was vetoed in the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Tuesday. According to Gouda, there was no provision in the conduct of the business rules on tackling absenteeism by members. The members should not expect a whip to be issued frequently to ensure their presence in the House,’’ he added.
1 killed in Gundlupet clash over drainage
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
GUNDLUPET: One person was killed and two others sustained serious injuries when people of two castes clashed at Bammalapur village in the taluk on Monday night. The police said the clash followed a dispute over the laying of drainage pipes. The government had recently sanctioned a drainage scheme for the village under Nirmala Grama Yojane and work was in progress. One community objected to the spot where drainage water was to be finally let out, saying it was a religious place. On Monday night, some youths, who were protesting, were challenged by people of another caste resulting in a wordy duel which later turned into a fight with daggers, lathis and rods. Stones were pelted at houses. Three persons sustained injuries and one of them died on way to hospital. The police rushed to the spot and chased away the mob. Prohibitory orders are in force. Officials led by Chamarajnagar S.P. Pandurang
Rs 525 cr for development of silk industry: Yatnal
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Hassan - Minister of State for Textiles Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal said that the Union government has set aside Rs 525 crores for the development of silk industry in the country and has a target of producing 30,000 tonnes silk by 2010. He added: even though there is a demand for 25,000 tonnes of silk in the country, we are producing just about 17,900 tonnes at the moment. Therefore the Centre has decided to take steps to increase the silk produce. By producing the required silk right here, the import of silk from China will come down to a large extent. All necessary steps will be taken to stop the import of silk, he said. About five schemes have been implemented at an expenditure of Rs 100 crore for the handloom weavers. The insurance coverage for the weavers has been hiked to Rs one lakh. Five per cent rebate will be given for modernising electric weaving machines. The Union government is ready to release 50 per cent of the funds required for laying the railway lines of Hassan-Ban-galore, Ankola-Hubli, Gagad-Sholapur and Hospet-Gunt-akal. However, the government sho-uld also come forward to sanction the other 50 per cent of the amount, added Mr Yatnal.
KERC allows 2 pc hike in power tariff
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
In a pro-consumer order, the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission permitted power utilities to increase tariff by a mere 10 paise per unit for metered consumers. Below-poverty-line, irrigation pumpsets and commercial consumers using less than 50 units per month are exempt from this. But hours after the order, an unhappy Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTC) decided not to accept it. The increase can come into effect only after it is notified in the newspapers by power utilities. The KPTC and the four distribution companies had asked for an average 10.5% hike to net Rs 590 crore towards revenue gap. But KERC Chairman Phillipose Matthai announced: "We are permitting them to raise only Rs 113.45 crore with an average hike of 2.02 per cent." KPTC managing director KN Shrivastava told: "We’re certainly not notifying this hike. We’ll hold discussions with the state government on today, explain our position and file an immediate review petition before the KERC. If they don’t agree, we will go to the high court." The order, in what Matthai called a "path-breaking" trend, has said a review could be done in October. "If the rains are adequate and the power utilities still feel they need Rs 602 crore towards power purchase costs, we’ll clear it without further public hearings. If there is a good monsoon, the Commission will itself effect a reduction in the tariff," he said. Shrivastava contended that the Commission had "not understood" KPTC’s requirements. "Due to bad monsoon in 2002, we’ve had to pay an excess amount of Rs 350 crore towards power purchase costs, which we need to recover through this order. But they have simply disallowed both this and the Rs 120 crore towards interest payment against our borrowings." The decision to waive fixed charges of Rs 20 per horsepower on pumpsets, if the timing and quality power supply were not adhered to, would open a "Pandora’s box of objections from lakhs of IP set owners." "We cannot assure quality unless we have sufficient generation and 20 per cent more, which cannot happen anytime soon," he added. Major features • An increase of 10 paise per unit. • Below-poverty-line, irrigation pumpsets and small commercial consumers exempt from hike. • IP set tariffs will be linked to quality and timing of power supply. • Subsidy requirement from the government cut to Rs 1,143 cr against the committed Rs 1,480 cr. • Rebate for solar water heaters increased to 35 paise per unit, subject to a maximum of Rs 35 per month Rs 10 more. • Rural rebate of 25 per cent on fixed charges will continue. • 10% additional fixed charge for Bangalore Metropolitan Area Zone rejected.
World Bank to assist Hubli-Dharwad get over water crisis
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
A World Bank team visited Hubli City and held discussions with the Mayor and other Corporation officials to solve the drinking water problems there. The team, which included Stefen Myers and Andreas, held a meeting with the Mayor of Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Prakash Kyarakatti, Commissioner S.G.Biradar, Superintendent Engineer, HDMC, S.L.Koshti and other senior officers of the corporation. The officials apprised the team of the existing water problem being faced by the people of Hubli-Dharwad and of the methods adopted by the Corporation authorities in distributing and supplying water to the twin cities. They also explained the pipeline network system in the City. After holding thorough discussions, the team members said that there was a plan to take up a project to solve the drinking water problem and to supply 24 hours drinking water to the people of Hubli-Dharwad within the next ten years. The team members also said that the World Bank was keen to provide all possible assistance and release adequate funds to tackle the drinking water problems here. The team has also conducted a survey of the drinking water sources and visited some wards of the City. The team is expected to submit its report after going through the facts and information gathered from the Corporation authorities. They are also expected to hold a demonstration on its plan to end the drinking water problem in the twin cities, probably by May.
CLP slaps notices on 6 Ministers
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 11 - Show-cause notices have been issued to six state Ministers for not attending the Congress Legislature Party meeting held on Thursday last. Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister M. Y. Ghorpade, Primary Education Minister Prof. B. K. Chandrashekar, Cooperation Minister H. Vishwanath, Labour Minister Qamarul Islam, Library Minister Baburao Chauhan and Small Savings and Lottery Minister Baburao Chinchansur are those pulled up for playing truant. Ghorpade and Chandrashekar had arrived for the meeting, but had to leave halfway through the proceedings, sources said. However, party legislators, agitated over not being able to elicit replies to their queries, prevailed on CLP secretary Kariyanna to issue show-cause notices to all the absentees.
Computer trainers threaten legal action
Monday, March 10, 2003
MYSORE: Computer trainers, who were recruited to carry out the state government’s ambitious Mahiti Sindhu programme, aimed at spreading computer literacy in rural areas have now threatened to take legal recourse. The Association of Computer Trainers, attached to government schools in Mysore, pointed out that the government had failed to redress their grievances, despite assurances by the Minister. Former MLC M. S. Sidharaju, who heads the association, said earlier attempts to move the Lokayukta had failed. The association would apprise the Lokayukta of the issue and would move the court later. The Education Minister and the commissioner, who had promised to redress their grievances when the issue was taken up in the Assembly, had not kept their word, he said. The trainers were exploited by the government. The remuneration provided to them did not match the agreement they had made earlier, Sidharaju said. Basic facilities like Provident Fund and medical assistance were not provided. He said the trainers had to pay for even the centre’s telephone charge
Bangarappa exhorts minorities to educate their children
Monday, March 10, 2003
SHIRALKOPPA: Congress is gaining its glory under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, said Lok Sabha member and former Chief Minister S.Bangarappa. He was speaking as chief guest at a programme organised to felicitate the newly-appointed chairman of the Karnataka Minorities Commission Mir Azeez Ahmed here on Thursday. The programme was organised by the Shikaripur Block Congress unit and elected representatives. Party workers must strengthen the hands of Sonia Gandhi by taking part in party activities, he said. Appreciating Chief Minister S.M.Krishna for nominating Mir Azeez Ahmed, Bangarappa said the Chief Minister has honoured the minority communities through this nomination. He hoped that the opposition would be sidelined in the district if the minorities and other communities joined hands. He advised the minority communities to go for better educational facilities and asked them to adopt small family norms. Better education can be provided only if they have a small family, he said. The BJP’s effort to repeat the Gujarat election performance elsewhere in the country has failed. People still have faith in secularism, he said. He said the BJP had been upsetting the national policy on different issues by deputing officials of their choice in strategic posts. Such a trend should be arrested, he said. He felt that a war with Iraq would affect India in many ways than one. Reacting to the felicitation, Mir Azeez Ahmed declared that he would treat all communities as equal. Shikaripur MLA Mahalingappa presided over the function. ZP president Gayathri Revappa, vice-president Arun, Youth Congress district unit president Ravikumar, TP president Jagadish and Nazir Sab were also felicitated on the occasion. Former ZP president J.Phakirappa welcomed. Thadagani GP president, K.M.Manjunath, compered the programme.
Mysore Palace closes doors to mark Wodeyar’s birthday
Monday, March 10, 2003
MYSORE: The Mysore Palace closed its doors on Sunday evening to tourists and visitors. The stately palace is getting spruced up for the birthday bash of the scion of the Mysore royal family, Srikantadutta Narasimharaja Wodeyar. Wodeyar, who is also the Mysore MP, turns 50 on Monday going by the Hindu calendar. The prince is said to have worked out an elaborate list of guests and the programme will be a private affair, according to palace sources. Captains of industries and visitors from abroad, who are close friends of the prince, will be the privileged few to attend the function. Most of the guests, who have already arrived, have been accommodated at the Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel in Mysore. Wodeyar will unveil the bust of Chamarajendra Wodeyar at the Golf Club on Monday evening. Though the guest list has not been made public, no names from within the City have been included, according to palace sources. Palace elephants, cows and palanquins would be showcased and cultural programmes would be held. The public have also pitched in to celebrate the event. The Muslim Girls Orphanage conducted a prayer meeting for their maharaja.
Doctors reach joint agreement to lower costs
Monday, March 10, 2003
MYSORE: Orthopaedic experts, who attended the two-day workshop on joint replacement here, felt the need to work on more cases of joint replacements to bring down the costs. Many experts in the field, including Kent Samuelson, who designed the famous FS-Knee, besides some 150 delegates from South India participated. Nityananda Rao pointed out that Kent had performed more than 10,000 joint replacements till date and had been working on designing and operating for the last 40 years in the US. Kent noted that while replacement of organs needed huge funding, knee replacements could be done at relatively nominal rates.
Users fail to connect with rail Internet booking facility
Monday, March 10, 2003
BANGALORE: Though hailed as a pioneering e-commerce venture, the seven-month-old railway internet ticket booking facility is yet to get over initial hiccups and become user-friendly. Apart from the fear of using credit cards on the net, the system has been hit by this condition -- you have to book tickets at least three days in advance. There is also an element of uncertainty as the tickets reach your doorstep via courier from New Delhi. Then again, this facility accepts bookings only on long-distance trains. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager S.P. Shastry told this website’s newspaper that web booking was not being done in Bangalore. ‘‘It is handled by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC). The server and the printer are at the Delhi IRCTC office. You can personally collect your tickets only in Delhi,’’ he said. IRCTC has no office in Bangalore and, in case, the user has some queries, there is no one to answer them here. Shastri admitted that his office was receiving complaints, but were unable to do anything. Agents too are unhappy. ‘‘Net booking was introduced to reduce overcrowding at booking counters and give a fillip to e-commerce. But the biggest disappointment is that one cannot book and travel at short notice,’’ says N. Hemanth, a travel agent. Internet booking was also expected to compete with the airlines, which were skimming away the creamy layer of rail travellers by offering cheaper fares on trunk routes. Agents like Hemanth assumed it meant an end to all those multiple trips to jostle in reservation queues. But, in reality, it is not a round-the-clock service. One can use the facility only when the reservation counters are functional -- from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and 8 a.m. till 2 p.m. on Sundays. It’s also not accessible on closed public holidays. The internet interface also has its pitfalls, apart from the 1.8 per cent that the user pays to the credit card company for the transaction -- for every ticket booked, an additional sum of Rs 30 has to be paid. Officials, on condition of anonymity, said the IRCTC site was the largest e-commerce site for credit card transactions in India and was being billed as the fastest growing for card companies that do business online. When compared to reservation counters that sell five lakh tickets a day, this site, introduced in Aug 2002, has sold 65,000 tickets valued at Rs 9 crore. But the limiting factor is that the home delivery facility has been extended to just 14 cities. That is one reason just two lakh people have registered as users here, an official said. SOME HURDLES * You have to book your tickets three days in advance * Only bookings on long-distance trains accepted * Tickets reach you via courier from New Delhi TO RESERVE ONLINE: To use the internet reservation facility, log on to www.irctc.co.in and punch in your credit card number and travel details. The system shoots a query to the booking server about fares and availability. At the same time, it also checks the validity of the card with the payment gateway. Once confirmed, the ticket will be printed in Delhi and couriered to your doorstep.
This beach is a waste, in many ways
Monday, March 10, 2003
MANGALORE: Setting sun, gentle waves.... the scene is picture perfect. But it stinks. Unlike other beaches, the wind blowing eastwards over this five-kilometre strip, between Gurupur River and Arabian Sea, tells a sorry story. Of 3,000 families, stuck without toilets, dumping human waste in plastic bags on a beach, which otherwise could have been a tourist’s dream. ‘‘People, including women, hoard these plastic bags in a corner. Before dawn, or after dusk, they throw them on the beach along with other domestic waste,’’ says Hassan Sali, a contract cook from the area. District Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Nodal Officer H. Jayaprakash Bhandary recollects a recent tree-planting programme organised by the Forest Department and Rotary Club at Beary Kariya (as the area is popularly called), when a plastic bag came sailing from nowhere and fell on the chief guest’s head. You need to step on the beach with protective gear, including a helmet, he quips. ‘‘It’s a beautiful place. If the beach from Thota Bengre to Beary Kariya is cleared of plastic bags, it’s beauty can still be restored,’’ he adds. So why can’t residents build toilets? They simply can’t afford to. Almost all of them are daily labourers who earn just enough keep hunger away. But what has prevented them from availing the many government-sponsored toilet schemes? According to area corporator Mohammed Farooq, the place, geographically alienated from the mainland, was officially a no-man’s land. ‘‘But now the Mangalore City Corporation has wrested control over the land from Old Port and plans to build toilets under the ADB scheme,’’ he says. ‘‘The MCC responded after it received more than 400 applications from residents,’’ he adds. Meanwhile, some garbage workers were recently spotted digging pits in the beach for dumping all those plastic bags. Some temporary relief!
Immunisation fails to arrest monkey fever
Monday, March 10, 2003
KOPPA: With the death of Chandrashekar Bhat (52) of Hanthavani village of NR Pura taluk on Friday, the number of those who have died due to Kyasanur Forest Disease has risen to five in Koppa and NR Pura regions. People here are living in fear as they anticipate an epidemic. KFD, popularly known as Monkey Fever, is spreading despite the vaccination drive taken up by the authorities this year. Vijayendra (35), an agriculturist of Gaddemane village, his uncle Vagade Ramegowda (65) and Vagade Shankara Bhat are suspected to have died of KFD. The reasons for their death is yet to be confirmed by the Health Department. Govinda, who committed suicide by hanging himself, had reportedly resorted to this ultimate step when his blood samples proved that he was affected by KFD, his relatives say. A medical officer in Koppa maintained that death could have been avoided in the case of Chandrashekar Bhat. Bhat was brought to hospital 10 days after he was affected by KFD. He could have been saved with immediate medical attention, he said. Over 8,000 people in Koppa taluk were immunised against KFD this year. He said 37 of the 200 cases of blood sample testing proved to be positive to KFD. However, statistics prove that this disease is spreading fast in the surrounding villages along the borders of Koppa, N.R.Pura and Tirthahalli taluks. Patients treated for suspected KFD in January were from Ardok Estate near Kudregundi. Presently, people from Sampigemane near Kordihitlu, Guddehalla, Kanuru, Vagade, Ramanadlu, Hanthuvane, Kumarihadlu, Bellur, Nagarabanahadlu, Gaddemane, Sathuvane are coming for KFD treatment. Around 20 people are undergoing treatment at Koppa Hospital and four more were admitted on Saturday. More than 170 people have already taken treatment here. According to sources in NR Pura Hospital, 130 people were treated there so far since January. Thirteen patients are still under treatment. Cases from Gadigeswara and Bandihole have also started pouring into this hospital. Totally, 53 of the 140 cases tested have been detected as positive. Around 18,000 people have been immunised. Though Government sources maintain that immunisation was a shield against the spread of KFD, people have lost confidence in the process. Mere statistical support does not mean anything to them. Sujatha of Kanur village had taken the prescribed two doses of vaccination last year and the booster dose this year against KFD. But she got KFD this year. Her daughter Shashikala (5) and son Shashikumar (9) too had KFD attacks although they were immunised. Sources in NR Pura Hospital claim that people got fever even after immunisation. But that is not alarming. It will subside after sometime, sources added. But Sujatha says she could save her son Shashikumar after he was rushed to Shimoga for better treatment. He was earlier treated at NR Pura and other local hospitals. People feel that the Health Department was also not serious about the vaccination programme. In Kanur village, the immunisation programme was delayed due to shortage of syringes. This year,a temporary clinic was opened in Kanur village to provide preliminary treatment to villagers. When the cases started coming from around Kuduregundi area, the clinic was shifted from Kanur to Kudregundi.
Assistant teachers to protest today
Monday, March 10, 2003
Members of the Karnataka State High School Assistant Teachers’ Association have decided to stage a protest tomorrow (March 10) before the office of Commissioner for Public Instruction here demanding removal of wage discrepancies and change in promotion and increment policies. Addressing a press meet here, General Secretary of the Association Mr T Laxman pointed out that wages of Central government school teachers were 25 per cent more than that of State government school teachers and demanded that this discrepancy should be removed. He alleged that the Court had ordered that 75 per cent of the posts of headmasters should be filled by giving promotions to assistant teachers. But this was not implemented and only 50 per cent of assistant teachers were being promoted to the posts of headmasters. He urged the government to implement the Court order. The association’s other demands included; enhancing SSLC invigilation/evaluation fee and to take back the circular issued by Commission of Public Instruction which says that remarks should be written in confidential reports of headmasters of those high schools that achieve less than 30 per cent results in SSLC.
State to seek more rice from Centre
Monday, March 10, 2003
The State government which has received 3.65 lakh tonnes of rice under the Food for Work Programme, is all set to exert pressure on the Centre to release another 7.35 lakh tonnes of rice to distribute it in the drought-hit places. A ministerial delegation comprising Home Minister Mallikharjun Kharge, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister M Y Ghorpade, Minister of State for Rural Water Supply K B Koliwad would be meeting Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and a host of other Union ministers at New Delhi on March 11 to seek additional foodgrain. Mr T B Jayachandra, special representative of Karnataka in New Delhi, who would be accompanying the ministers to Delhi, told reporters that the State while seeking 7.35 lakh tonnes of foodgrain would also request the Centre to give sufficient time for distribution of foodgrain in drought-hit places. Mr Jayachandra said there was inordinate delay transporting the stock from the godowns of Food Corporation of India to Karnataka. We are getting rice from Chattisgarh. It takes not less than 45 days to get the stock here. And, the state government is expected to lift and distribute the stock within 45 days. It is impossible to carry out the task within the stipulated time. So we are going to request the Centre to give at least 45 days to distribute the stock to the beneficiaries from the godowns of FCI in taluks, he said. The State would also submit a memorandum to the Centre seeking grants under the National Calamity Contingency Fund. The Prime Minister constituted this Rs 650 crore fund this year to help states in tackling drought. POWER TARIFF: Replying to a question, Mr Jayachandra said the government must not increase the power tariff even if the KERC recommends so. The state was reeling under severe drought and at this juncture people especially farmers should not be burdened with tariff hike, he said. AIRPORT: Asked about the progress regarding the proposed international airport in Bangalore, he claimed that all hurdles would be cleared by this month-end and the work may begin in April. The Prime Minister himself had directed the Finance Ministry to clear the hitches by March-end. A bill to amend the Aviation Act would be introduced in the on-going Parliament session. The amendments would help Karnataka in getting the international airport, he added.
KERC’s order on power tariff hike likely today
Monday, March 10, 2003
BANGALORE, March 9 (DHNS) The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) is likely to come out with its order on the tariff proposal of the power supplying companies seeking 10.2 per cent hike tomorrow. After the regulatory body came into being, power tariff has been hiked twice in the last three years. While the tariff had been hiked by 17 per cent in 2000, it was increased by 16.20 per cent in 2002. As per the Karnataka Electricity Reforms Act, the power supplying companies and the KPTCL cannot hike the power tariff on their own. They can only make a proposal in this regard to the power regulator which will take an appropriate decision on the quantum of hike to be allowed by eliciting the views of various categories of consumers through public hearings besides considering technical and economical aspects. According to sources, the hike sought by each of the four power supplying companies varies. While Bescom has sought nearly 10 per cent hike, the Mes-com has sought about 10.35 per cent.
Illegal sand mining continues on Tungabhadra river bank
Monday, March 10, 2003
Illegal sand mining on the banks of Tungabhadra River continues despite prohibitory orders issued by the Mines and Geology Department. Mines and Geology Minister V Muniyappa in a statement issued at the Council recently had said that the sand mining were on in 957.10 acres of land around the river and quarrying activities were also taking place in 76 places along the banks of the Tungabhadra river. Keeping in mind the ill effects of mining on the river ecology, sand mining has been prohibited. However, the truth is that sand mining here continues and the district administration has turned a blind eye to it. Due to failure of rainfall last year, the river had almost dried up by December end. And since there is hardly any water in the river, sand mining is all the more easier. Farmers residing in surrounding areas have stopped farming and taken up sand mining. Most of their lands are now godowns for sand mined out of Tungabhadra river bank. The farmers who were worried about the drought-like situation have now made sand mining an alternate business. Sand mining activities are on day and night in Govinahalli, Sasvehalli, Rampura, Belemal-lur, Kotemallur, Balleshwar, Bidaragudde, Haralehalli, Deda-gur, Harihar of Honalli taluk, Chikkabidari, Vatlahalli, Sarathi, Kadathi, Nandyala, Nittur, Tavarekere and various other villages of Harapanahalli taluk. Villagers complain, the condition of roads have deteriorated due to frequent movement of lorries carrying sand. Not just this, the environment is also polluted and we are against sand mining. Residents of Duggathi village panchayat of Harapannahalli taluk had once taken out a rally protesting against sand mining. However, a case was registered against 70 protesters by persons allegedly involved in sand mining. They reportedly have contacts with higher authorities. After this incident, villagers are just not ready to protest against any illegal matter. Duggathi Gram Panchayat Vice-President Sharanappa Raddera says: if the responsibility of sand mining is handed over to the gram panchayat, the GPs will not have to depend on the government for funds for developmental works. Even if the gram panchayts charge a certain amount for every load of sand mined from the Tungabhadra River bank, the GP will have abundant funds to take up various kinds of development works. If the sand mining here does not stop immediately, the residents of the surrounding areas will have to suffer during the next monsoon.
Withdrawal of grants to aided colleges retrograde: Moily
Monday, March 10, 2003
Former chief minister M Veerappa Moily today condemned the proposal of the State government to phase-out grant-in-aid for aided colleges and termed the move as a ‘retrograde step.’ Delivering the valedictory address at a seminar on ‘Grant-in-aid for higher education: Indispensability, uncertainty,’ organised by the Federation of University and College Teachers’ Association in Karnataka (FUCTAK), Mr Moily stressed the need for reforms to gear-up the higher education sector and asserted that withdrawal of grants was not the solution. It may be mentioned here that a high-level committee constituted to review the grant-in-aid system for higher education had recommended to phase out grant-in-aid for ten-year-old colleges in cities and 15-year-old colleges in the rural areas within the next five years and replace it with a student centred system. Mr Moily suggested that if the government was facing financial constraints, it could mobilise funds by plugging leakages in revenue collection. He said that if the government effectively implemented the recommendations of the Tax Reforms Commission, which he chaired, could lead to mobilisation of additional revenue to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore. With the advent of globalisation certain reforms need to be ushered in the higher education scenario and teachers should be ready to accept them. However, the government should continue providing grants to educational institutions in the interest of socially and economically weaker sections of the society. Withdrawing it at this stage is unscientific and illogical, he said. A comprehensive education policy was the need of the hour and higher education alone should not be dealt in isolation, he pointed out. In his address, noted educationist G Ramakrishna said higher education was paramount to achieve self-reliance, free thinking, development planning and technical advancement. I wonder at the logical behind the government’s decision to save a few crores at the cost of progress of the State and the country, he said. Earlier, inaugurating the seminar, Kannada Development Authority Chairman Baraguru Ramachandrappa expressed concerns at the industrialisation of education. He said the move would led to hijacking of the education sector by industries. Coming down heavily on the Birla-Ambani report which had recommended abolition of permanent jobs in the higher education sector, Prof Ramachan-drappa said it would led to instability and insecurity. He appealed the authorities to reject the proposals outright as it was detrimental to the very existence of private aided degree colleges in the State.
Hampi to be 'recreated' using digital techniques
Monday, March 10, 2003
PTI BANGALORE: To promote tourism and to showcase Karnataka in all its splendour, Hampi, the seat of erstwhile Vijaynagar kingdom, would be recreated using digital techniques. Rathan Condominium Private Limited (RCPL), which had taken up the scheme, said its intention was to promote international tourism, adding that information technology had paved the way for revitalising the rich cultural heritage mysteriously buried under the ruins. The primary objective was to showcase Karnataka in all its splendour, covering all the major and important sites of historic and tourist interest, a RCPL release said. Several attractive capsules would be produced for the benefit of both domestic and international markets to suit the requirements of department of tourism, hotel industry, schools and universities, aviation industry and railways, among others, the release added. Hampi has been declared a "heritage site" by UNESCO.
Kannada Sahitya Sammelan urges Govt to remove regional imbalance
Monday, March 10, 2003
The 70th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelan today unanimously passed seven resolutions with focus on strengthening Kannada language, protecting the interests of the State and of Kannadigas. The Sammelan urged the State Government to implement the recommendations of the Dr D M Nanjundappa report aimed at eliminating regional imbalance in the State and make budgetary allocation this year (2003-2004) to achieve the same. The sammelan also urged the State Government to hold the winter session of the State legislature in Belgaum to ensure the comprehensive development of the State. Expressing concern over the adverse impact of globalisation on farmers and labourers, the Sammelan wanted the government to take the responsibility of protecting the interests of the farmers and labourers. The other resolutions passed are as follows: Taking moral responsibility, the Centre should immediately implement the Mahajan Commission recommendations; The Karnataka government should hold a Vishwa Kannada Sahitya Sammelan in the State in 2004; The language and education policies should not change frequently according to the whims and fancies of the people in power; To protect the interests of the Kannada language, the government should take steps to enforce Kannada as a compulsory subject in pre-university colleges, first grade colleges, professional and B Ed courses and to foster the growth of Kannada language among children, the government has been urged to set up a Childrens’ Sahitya Academy. Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Harikrishna Punaroor read out the resolutions to a cheerful crowd. On the occasion, the people of Belgaum demanded that the district unit of the Sahitya Parishat should have its own building and hence it should be included in the resolution. MLC and Sahitya Sammelan reception committee working president Prabhakar Khore said the Belgaum Sahitya Bhavan was under litigation and they would make efforts to take possession of it. A minute’s silence was observed to pay respects to personalities from different fields who have died since the previous Sammelan, held in Tumkur.
VAT to end ST competition
Monday, March 10, 2003
VAT to end ST competition STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BANGALORE, March 8. The immediate impact of Value Added Tax, proposed to come into effect from 1 April in the country, would be an end to the needless competition among states to give sales tax sops and exemptions to attract investment. The last few years have seen states such as Karnataka,Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad, giving concessions in sales tax to attract industries particularly in automobiles and related sectors. A case in point being Tamil Nadu which gave handsome concessions to attract Ford Motors and others into the state in the mid-nineties. The VAT would make most taxes uniform now. For Karnataka, which was the first to take the initiative on the possibilities of implementing VAT, another honour is not too far away. The government, which introduced the VAT Bill in the assembly this week, could well become the first in the country to get the approval of the President, if things go well. According to information available here, the Bill is expected to be taken up for discussion in the state assembly with every indication that it will be passed by the members. After that we hope to get the President’s approval fast, a senior official here said. Significantly, since over two decades, the state has been seeing nearly 37 odd rates of taxation. Now with the proposed implementation of VAT, only two rates will be applicable on the goods. The official explained that the biggest advantage of VAT would be the widening of the tax base. Equally important, in keeping with its image of being a tech savvy state, Karnataka would be using a special software which will monitor the entire tax progress. As a result, interaction between dealers and traders and VAT officials would be reduced to a mere three minutes or so. More weighty would be the fact that traders and dealers would also get computer generated Taxpayers Identification Numbers (TIN) akin to PAN for income tax payers. As has been mentioned in the budget proposals of the Union finance minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, the Centre would also reimburse the states for the loss in revenue from implementation of VAT. For Karnataka, this benefit could exceed Rs 700 crore.
Pollution threatens to choke Karnataka’s lifeline
Monday, March 10, 2003
The pollution level in South Karnataka’s lifeline, river Cauvery, may reach alarming levels unless pollution control measures are immediately put into place. Certain stretches of the river are so saturated with pollutants from the agricultural fields, towns and industries that the self-purification mechanism of the river may be affected if urgent measures were not taken, warn researchers. Studies carried out at the Department of Environmental Science, Bangalore University for almost a decade under various projects funded by the Department of Forest Ecology and Environment and National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) shows that the water quality of the river downstream of the KRS dam is deteriorating compared to the upstream. This is because of various factors like the discharge of untreated sewage from KR Nagar, Kollegal and Srirangapatna and industrial wastes and sewage from Nanjangud town being let out into the Kabini river, which joins Cauvery at T Narsipur. While there are no treatment plants at KR Nagar, Kollegal and Srirangapatna to treat sewage, the one at Kollegal has been defunct since the last four years, says Dr Somashekhar, Co-ordinator of Department of Environmental Science. Apart from sewage, another source of pollution has been the use of fertilizers in the agricultural fields in the Cauvery basin. According to long-term studies carried out by Researchers Raghavendra K and Prakash K L, a significant amount of fertilizers used for agriculture ends up in the river. Our mathematical models predict that the river carries a whopping 1,051 tons of sulphates per day during monsoon, total phosphates (21 tons/day) and nitrates (34.88 tons/day). In summer, the river carries sulphates (79 tons/day), total phosphates (2.14 tons/day) and nitrates (3.28 tons/day), says Raghavendra. The water quality in the Kollegal stretch is deteriorating due to discharge of raw sewage from the town. The faecal coliform counts are quite high during monsoon as the faeces present in the open is washed into the river. Luckily, the river water quality levels are naturally being restored to safer levels due to self purification by the river at about 5 km downstream from Kollegal town. But, if the pollution load increases, this self-purification process might break down. So, it is necessary to ensure that the pollution levels are brought down, Raghavendra warns. Sand mining in certain stretches of the river is also disturbing the ecology of the river, he adds. The NRCD has released funds to various municipalities to construct toilets to prevent open defecation and oxidation ponds for treatment of sewage. It is essential that various municipalities, including Kollegal, make use of treatment plants to ensure a cleaner river, says Dr Somashekhar.
Joshi bowls Karnataka to an emphatic win
Sunday, March 9, 2003
Karnataka have thrashed Kerala by an innings and 11 runs to win the Ranji Plate final played at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore. The hosts, who began the third day at 293/5, went on to make 405 before being all out, gaining a first-innings lead of 215 runs. They, then, bowled Kerala out for 204 to seal their emphatic win in three days. In the morning, Karnataka lost Sunil Joshi (2) with the addition of just one run to their overnight total. Next man C Raghu too did not last long, making just eight, before falling to Sunil Oasis. But Naidu, who began the day on 35 not out, and Dodda Ganesh managed to put on 26 runs for the eighth wicket, before Naidu (59) fell. After the wicketkeeper batsman's dismissal, Ganesh took over the helmsman's role, hitting out merrily on his way to 50 off 60 balls with the aid of eight fours and a six before he became the last man to be dismissed. The hosts by then had gained a massive first-innings lead and were in a position to press on for an innings win. For Kerala, veteran leg-spinner KN Ananthapadmanabhan, who claimed five wickets, was the most successful bowler. The visitors made an indifferent start to their second innings with one of their stars Sujith Somasunder being dismissed for just 19 with his team's score reading 29/1 in the 10th over, It was all downhill for Kerala from there on with left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi claiming six wickets and running through their batting order. Only C Hemant Kumar, who made 44, and M Suresh Kumar, who made 33, put up any resistance, as the visitors slumped to an ignominious defeat. They can, though, gain comfort from their showing in the rest of their matches this season which has seen them graduate into the Elite Group with Karnataka.
Ramesh Aravind New Mantra
Saturday, March 8, 2003
One of the highly respected and middlemen hero of Kannada cinema Ramesh Aravind says there will be no ventures but only adventures in his future professional life. He strongly believes that it is only the content in the film that draws audience and in addition to it the budget control would be an added advantage for a film maker today. With a Telugu film ‘Golmal’ (just released in Andhra Pradesh) and ‘Kaththegalu Saar Kaththegalu Saar’ ready for release 100 films old hero Ramesh is waiting to come out from the comedy pattern for which he is tucked now and give something new. He is in touch with No.1 actor of Indian cinema Kamal Hassan and going through a lot of preparations. He has plans to act in P.H.Vishwanath film and for that story should come out pukka he says. Under the present circumstances we have to go out from the conventional boundary and offer a six or a double six. After routine family dramas the era of comedy is still sailing and even before the audience get bored we have to change the format opines Ramesh. Whenever Ramesh is around there is no dearth for laugh and sensible chat. He explains his Archives visit recently, explained an incident of a blind girl and a hard-core criminal in a hospital and a story of a worker who is affected with cancer and learns that he lives only for six months. What steps he takes to enjoy his six months and finally landing in his work and doing social service has been a touching story for Ramesh.
AIR Honors to three
Saturday, March 8, 2003
There is some good news for Bangalore All India Radio and also for people of Karnataka. An environment base program broadcast from All India Radio Bangalore has bagged the second best National award. The key persons to this ‘Nalegalu Namagirali’ Parisara Samrakshane Manavathavadha K.Kalyan script and dialogue, Smt.Manjula Gururaj music composer and singer and Geetha Ramanand a staff of All India who is the concept head and producer share the top honors. All of them receive a certificate, medal and cash prize from the Government of India. Top compeer Aparna narrated this program that was broadcast recently in AIR. The award function would take place at Gauhati soon says Kalyan.
Rajesh Krishna Plays Hero In Telugu
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Noted playback singer Rajesh Krishna announced his debut in Kannada ‘Kausalya Supraja Rama Poorva…..,’ has deferred it and signed a Telugu film ‘Yaare Nee Prema Bangara Kanu’. The reason is the change of KSRP producers resulting in delay of Kannada project to take off. For the Story, Dialogue, Screenplay, Direction of Rajshekar Murthy S.R (an assistant with Sunilkumar Desai) the first producer Mohan registered the title at Film Chamber under the banner Honnale Creation. Mohan had financial problems and backed out. Then Manjunath came and gave a letter to the Film chamber took over the project under his name. Manjunath also after sometime developed inability and backed out of the project. Rajshekar Murthy who was supposed to do his maiden direction was frustrated. Now Krishnappa, a businessman has come forward to take up KSRP. Even before the launch we are hearing three producer’s names. Probably this must have made the mellifluous singer Rajesh Krishna to go ahead with Telugu project. However for `Kausalya Supraja Rama Poorva….. Kannada venture the song recording muhurut had was taken place for only one day on 9th July 2002!. Except Kalyan lyric for one song all other song lyrics are ready. Now if everything goes well, KSRP will again go to Akash Audio for song recording from 1st March and shooting will start after that. Will Rajesh Krishna be free?
SPB Son Going Great
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Never say no is the mantra of son of eminent singer of this country S.P.Balasubramanyam CHARAN. He is forging ahead with lot of confidence and bubbling nature. Clear in his thoughts and quiet in his approach Charan has began his second innings in Kannada film. After three years is coming back in ‘Hudugigaagi’ with actress Radhika as his counterpart. I know that I come from family of very good background and that’s why I am very careful and observant in my nature. I want to live up to at least 50 percent of my father SPB’s ability in my life says Charan to the media at a private house in Bangalore. Charan’s debut with his father in ‘Maha Edabidangi’ and Kushboo is in cold storage and he knows nothing about the fate of that completed film. However in his second Kannada film ‘Hudugigaagi’ Charan has showed promises in his media briefing. A multifaceted youngster Charan has already sung 300 songs in five years and acted in Agathyan’s Tamil film ‘Kadhal Samrajyam’ and signed a Telugu film. He is also in small screen (Kadhal Unjal and Annamalai) and brought out a private album in his own music direction. ‘I know that I am riding two horses’. Acting and Singing. I would like to establish in singing says Charan on his top priority. Good luck Charan. You repeat your father’s contribution. That’s our wish
Preethigaagi TV serial 100
Saturday, March 8, 2003
MURTHY AND HAMSALEKHA CLASH At the 100 episodes celebration of Hamsalekha’s much cherished baby ‘Preethigaagi’ the straightforward approach of veteran Kannada film actor Srinivasamurthy caused inconvenient atmosphere for Hamsalekha. Murthy avaru was very right in pointing the mistake as to why the ‘Preethigaag’ did not take off properly. Giving the reasons for poor response of ‘Preethigaagi’ Srinivasamurthy opined it is because of non -Kannada artistes Sharat Babu and Ambika the television serial did not give required punch and could not take off very well. Excusing for such bold remark murthy avaru pointed. When Hamsalekha is so much concerned about Kannada uplift why did he opted for non -Kannada artistes was lingering in the mind of murthy avaru. Thus came the outburst at the time. Apparently murthy avaru has also done a role in ‘Preethigaagi’. Responding to this remark Hamsalekha brought to the notice that murthyji gave only two days call sheet when I asked for bulk dates. I asked Chitra Shenoy for bulk days but she gave only one day. This is the situation today he informed. Later in the part Murthy replied strongly. I gave 19 days call sheet. But he used only 10 days. Gave payment for 8 days. He can’t accuse a pure Kannada artiste like me. Murthy was little upset when he said like this during his drinks interval.
THARA’S WISH
Saturday, March 8, 2003
The charming looking actress Thara after receiving the Suryodhaya Art Foundation maiden film awards for her role in ‘Ninagaagi’ as best female comedian expressed her wish to win a child actress award. The crowd booed at this new demand that is difficult to fetch for Thara. Pranayaraja Srinath made a timely reply to the wish of Thara at the awards evening at Ambedkar Bhavan in Bangalore on Sunday evening. Artistes who are more in age than me would come together and make you to act. Then with all gray hair around you would look like a child in that film Srinath replied and crowd acknowledged it too by clapping. Yen Tara, Balanati yantha magu irabekada vayasinalli yee aasene?
Vinayaka Joshi now a hero
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Years back he was a child artist in NAMMOORA MANDARA HUVE. Today Vinayaka Joshi has been signed to act as the lead actor in NANNA KANASINA HUVE. If one were to explain this young upcoming actor it would be that he has talent and is a very good orator. Vinayaka Joshi won the state award for his performance in AMRUTHAVARSHINI. He also gave a good performance in APPU as Puneet Rajkumar's friend. Apart from these films he has acted in 'CHITRA' and 'PRATYARTHA'. Joshi's father Vasudev Joshi is not keen on his son's career in films. In fact he did not want this to happen so soon. But when the producer Shiva Kumar Patil told him the story of the film, he was impressed. Also the title in NANNA KANASINA HUVE is fascinating. Keerthana is introduced as the heroine in this film. Girija Lokesh is playing a important role in the film.
Ravichandran, now 'PANDURANGA VITTALA'
Saturday, March 8, 2003
For the time being Ravichandran has kept all his banners aside. He has plans to act in other banners. He burnt his fingers with his dream project. Long back he had acted in YAARE NEENU CHALUVE, which was directed by D Rajendra Singh Babu. Some misunderstanding cropped up and they never worked again. Now they both are back. Ravi and Babu will be working together in PANDURANGA VITTALA. This film is not based on love stories; it's entirely a humorous film. Ravi plays a triple role. He hopes that this new image would get him some luck. Once this film is completed, Ravi will complete his home production project SHAKUNI. After SHAKUNI he plans to finish ADHISHESHA.
Sacchi
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Cast: Om Prakash Rao, Navya Music: Gurukiran Director: Om Prakash Rao You see a body fully merged in blood. This is the very first scene in SACCHI. They just thrash people with whatever they get. It could be gun, revolver, knife and a lot more. This is their daily routine. We can call them underworld dons. Sachidanand, is a religious person with high moral values. His family is destroyed by the anti-social elements. He enters the underworld in search of the people who destroyed his family. Needless to say what happens in the end. Though the main story is simple and predictable, it has a lot of sub plots, which makes the film an interesting one. The film reminds you of Shivaraj Kumar's OM and seems to be inspired by several Bollywood flicks. The best thing in this film is the cinematography. Performance wise, Om Prakash Rao is a disaster. The leading lady Navya, has astonished all with her acting skills. Thriller Manju's thrills are passé. Music by Gurukiran is functional. First song will impress one a lot. Only those who will love bloodshed and violence will appreciate this film.
Pakka Chukka
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Cast: S Narayan, Ramesh, Mahalkshmi and Ruchita Story, music and Direction: S Narayan PS: If S Narayan were to write a review on his film, how would it be? Please assume that S Narayan has written this review. People have forgotten to laugh. Though they know that laughing is very necessary for good health. Actually there is no one to make them laugh. I want people to laugh and am ready to do anything for that. Right now my contribution for this noble cause is this film. The name of my film is PAKKA CHUKKA. Many of them asked me what does that mean. Well I have only one thing to say, "People want change." I feel thrilled when I think of the story. There are two guys who witness a murder. Due to some bad people they reach the mental asylum and run away from there. Then they suddenly land in a rich man's house. This rich man has two daughters, who have rejected all the good-looking men under the sun. But one look at these two guys the girls fall flat. Throughout the film Ramesh and I have worn a golden haired wig. Many people said that we have lost our senses. To understand the greatness Ramesh's acting skills, one has to watch this film. It's no joke that an actor who gave brilliant performance in the film AMRITAVARSHINI, runs in briefs in this film. Doddanna has screamed a little more than necessary, but then what is wrong in that. If you call this loud what about the noise pollution due to traffic. If a person can handle the noise due to traffic, then my film is not a big issue. Finally I would like to say that, no Bollywood film could offer you the unlimited humor, which my film offers. I honestly believe that my film deserves an Oscar.
Shashi Kumar juggling two careers
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Shashi Kumar who has danced his way into the hearts of many people and has his own strong fan following is unable to decide which career he has to give more importance to!!! Its difficult to manage two jobs at a time but film stars are known for this and they try keep their feet on both the grounds i.e., act as well as serve people as politicians!!! The trend these days is that more and more actors are becoming MPs, MLAs and politicians. Anant Nag was both a minister and an film actor at one time but now that he is not a minister, he has ample time and is fully immersed into acting. Another actor-politician is Ambarish who has managed to act in films like Diggajaru and Vande Matharam. Even though Mukyamanthri Chandru is not as busy as Mukyamanthri S M Krishna he nevertheless is active in both politics as well as films. But Actor-MP Shashi Kumar who was recently seen in films like Yarege Saluthe Sambala, Halushakkare,Yajamanac seems to have no time for his "other" profession-politics and is accused of neglecting it. For the time being there are no elections but if he continues to neglect his duties as a politician, he might not win the next elections. Besides the parliament session and budget sessions are to begin soon and he will have to go to Delhi, so is it wise to accept new films now? Shashi Kumar, it seems is said to be in a dilemma about what he wants to do!!! A lot of his well wishers have been askng him to seek some kind of suggestions and advice from other actor-politicians like Anantag and Ambarish, but Shashi Kumar seems to be listening to anyone is hell bent on finishing his films by the time the sessions begin. To top it all, he is also getting many offers, well, all we can say is that some people wait for opportunities and they won't get it, some people get opportunities but they don't have time!!!!
Dr Raj hopes to act again
Saturday, March 8, 2003
A small fish in a huge ocean. Here ocean is being referred to art. This is how Dr Rajkumar describes himself. This is his simplicity. Dr Raj was speaking at the muhurath of director V Rajendra Singh Babu's son Aditya's debut film LOVE. Of late he has not been participating in many ceremonies. After long he was speaking with great zeal. He said that he still hopes to act in films. He blessed director V Rajendra Singh Babu's son. Speaking on the occasion Dr Raj said that a student should be humble and this is what his father told him long back. Dr Raj clapped for the film. He wished Aditya all the best for his bright future. Aditya's grandmother, senior artiste Prathima Devi lit the lamp on the occasion. Ravichandran, Hamsalekha, M P Shankar, Jayanthi, Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, Jai Jagadeesh and Sunderraj were present at the muhurath. On the occasion of Dr Raj's birthday (April 24th), Puneet Rajkumar's next film ABHI will be released. Lots of hopes have been pinned on this film. His first film APPU was also released on Dr Raj's birthday.
St Joseph's Club women beat GKM Chennai
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Manipal, March 7: Women's team of St Joseph's Club (SJC), Thrissur, beat GKM, Chennai, 25-13, 25-19, 25-21 in the National Volleyball preliminary league match here Wednesday night. In another women's section, Central Railway, Mumbai, beat Karnataka State Police (KSP), Bangalore, 27-25, 25-12, 25-12. Karnataka State Police (KSP) men beat Indian Telephone Industries (ITI), Bangalore, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-13. Rajani, senior state player and Agisha V C, Calicut University player of SJC's team were adjudged the best players in the first match. In the other women's encounter, Radhika, Hema and Ursaal, the international players of Central Railway team, and Supriya, Captain of the KSP, who also represented Indian youth team, were adjudged the best players. Babu and Prabhakar of the KSP and Nagaraj Hegde of ITI, senior Indian players, were the best players in the men's tie.
Centre Moves SC Against Karnataka HC Order On NPP
Saturday, March 8, 2003
New Delhi, March 7: The Union government has filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court appealing against the orders of the Karnataka High Court staying the implementation of National Pharmaceutical Policy (NPP) 2002. The government has stated in SLP that the high court had passed directions to include all essential and life saving drugs under price control and called for a review of the list of essential and life saving drugs in consultation with ministry of health and family welfare. The court had further ordered not to give effect to the policy till the time this exercise was completed. In its petition, the government has stated that giving weightage to only one element of the policy, namely pricing in isolation, as the high court seems to have done would be detrimental and would defeat the very purpose of formulating a policy for the benefit of common man. The government has further stated that the primary aim of formulating the policy was not controlling the prices of drugs but to help industry meet emerging new challenges on account of liberalisation of the Indian economy and the need for radically improving the policy framework for this knowledge-based industry so as to enable it to ensure abundant availability of medicines under the changed economic scenario which is the main objective of the policy. Some of the specific objectives of NPP highlighted in the petition include ensuring abundant availability at reasonable prices of good quality essential pharmaceuticals of mass consumption, strengthening indigenous capabilities, a better system of quality control, encouraging research and development and creating an incentive framework promoting new investment in the pharmaceutical industry. The petition has also clarified that the aim of the national essential drug list drawn by the ministry of health and family welfare is to list out drugs needed in the country at various levels of medical care and not the price control. The 74 items of drugs currently price controlled under Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 1995 are not based on this essential drug list. The government has further clarified that most of the essential and life saving drugs are not in the basket of price control even at present and that any promulgation of new price control order has to be achieved in accordance with the dicates of the NPP. Listing out grounds for interim relief, the government has stated that an issue of pure policy has been mixed up prematurely with issues of implementation based solely upon apprehensions by the respondents.
Bangalore Urban district may get one more LS seat
Saturday, March 8, 2003
BANGALORE: By June end, Bangalore Urban district is expected to have 24 Assembly segments, up by eight from the present 16, and an additional Lok Sabha seat. These calculations are broadly based on the terms of reference given to the Delimitation Commission, headed by Justice Kuldip Singh. The commission has undertaken a country-wide exercise, to reorganise the Lok Sabha and Assembly segments, after it came into being by a Parliament Act as notified in the gazette on June 4, 2002. The main focus of the reorganisation exercise is to level the size of constituencies, and ensure that each one has the same population. But the total number of constituencies in a state -- for instance, 224 Assembly and 28 LS in Karnataka -- must remain the same. The exercise is done by dividing State’s population (1991 Census) of 4.49 crore by 224. According to this calculation, Bangalore Urban - with a population of 48.39 lakh -- will get 8 more Assembly segments, each with a little over 2 lakh people. This automatically adds one more LS seat to the district. Davanagere and Raichur districts too are expected to get one segment each. Eight new segments in Bangalore Urban district and one each in Davanagere and Raichur mean as many constituencies will face a cut elsewhere. In other words, existing constituencies with less population than stipulated will be divided, according to convenience, and merged with neighbouring ones. As per preliminary calculations, 10 districts -- Bangalore Rural, Kolar, Tumkur, Shimoga, Gadag, Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mandya and Chamarajnagar -- are likely to lose one Assembly segment each. Bangalore city, as of now, has the following segments: Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Gandhinagar, Binnypet, Chamarajpet, Basavanagudi, Jayanagar, Shanthinagar, Shivajinagar, Bharathinagar and Jayamahal. These, along with Yelahanka, Uttarahalli, Varthur and Anekal, form the Urban district. The 1991 Census puts the Bangalore city population at 26.60 lakh, which means it will get one extra Assembly seat. The commission will make districts into units for the LS constituency with their headquarters as centres. Every district, however, need not turn into a LS seat and smaller ones get merged with the neighbouring ones. By this logic, 28 constituencies will be spread over 27 districts. The associate members of the commission in the state are Speaker M.V. Venkatappa, Leader of the Opposition Jagdish Shettar, Ministers Mallikarjun Kharge and D.K. Shivakumar, JD (U) leader P.G.R. Sindhia and MPs K.H. Muniyappa, H. D. Deve Gowda, G.S. Basavaraju, Ananth Kumar and Margaret Alva.
AICC seeks performance report from legislators, Ministers
Saturday, March 8, 2003
BANGALORE: The comprehensive victory at the Humnabad by-elections -- wresting the seat from the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party -- has not left the state Congress party self complacent. With general elections to the Legislative Assembly barely a year-and a-half away, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has started assessing the performances of its Legislators and Ministers in the state. The party has sought self-assessment reports from legislators, including members of the Legislative Council and Ministers that would reflect their performance in political and developmental works. In a communication to legislators, AICC general secretary Vayalar Ravi, official in-charge of Karnataka, has expressed hope that a truthful performance report would provide evidence to the people of the state, regarding the implementation of the party manifesto and also help the party face the challenge of its rivals. The legislators would have to send the performance report every month to the computer cell at the residence of Chief Minister S.M. Krishna. The report for the month of February should reach the cell before March 15. The appraisal report would be forwarded to the AICC headquarters periodically for review. For the first time, the party has been making a detailed appraisal of legislators. In the letter, Ravi said it was imperative for the AICC members to ensure that the development process was ‘‘continuous and regular.’’ A six-page booklet, in which the members including Chief Minister Krishna record their impressions, had asked the party men to list 15 priority areas such as employment creation, agriculture, poverty alleviation and social welfare. It also urged members to mention the number of days they attended the legislature session and the period spent by them in their constituency. The questionnaire also wanted members to furnish details about their travel in their constituency and also the steps taken to solve the problems of voters.
Campaign to eradicate child labour through education
Saturday, March 8, 2003
GULBARGA: Chairman of the Vishvaseva Mission Vishvanath Swamiji has called upon every individual and family to contribute their mite for the education of child labourers and thereby hasten the process of eradication of the evil called child labour. Speaking at the inaugural function of the child labour school to be run by the mission in Gulbarga city, the Swamiji said the administration, UNICEF and NORAD had been striving hard to put an end to the practice of child labour. He asked the people and non-governmental organisations to join hands with the administration for the eradication of the practice and make the less fortunate children enjoy their childhood. The Swamiji pointed out that the children of Gulbarga district were in no way inferior to the children of any other district, either in intelligence or in capacity, but what they really needed was proper opportunities and quality education. Inaugurating the school, deputy conservator of forests N.Rajashekhar regretted that Gulbarga district had high incidence of child labour and lauded the efforts of the Vishvaseva Mission for volunteering to run a school for child labourers. Presiding over the function, regional transport officer Shivaraj Patil underlined the importance of yoga and pranayama in the self emancipation of a person. He distributed certificates among the participants of the yoga camp conducted by the mission. Karnataka State Pollution Control Board member Sangameshwar, Leader of the Opposition in the city municipal corporation Hanumant Gudda and UNICEF-NORAD co-ordinator Mahendra were present. Convenor of the mission L.B.Bannikoppa welcomed the gathering.
CET seat selection from July 15, says Higher Education Minister
Saturday, March 8, 2003
BANGALORE: The Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell will start seat selection process for admissions to professional courses on July 15. The process will be over by Aug 5 to facilitate commencement of the academic year by Aug 11, Higher Education Minister Dr G Parameshwar said on Thursday. The Minister was speaking to reporters here after releasing the CET 2003 brochure, with application form, for the test being held on May 30 and May 31. The CET Cell will offer unfilled and cancelled seats in a casual vacancy round to candidates who have not selected seats and those who have not joined colleges after selection. The round will be completed before last date of admission, as fixed by the varsity. ELIGIBILITY: The candidates must have aggregated 45 percent in the optional subjects for engineering, technology and architecture courses. The criterion is 35 percent for SC/ST and Category-1 candidates. For new inclusions -- medical, dental, ayurveda, homoeopathy, unani, naturopathy and yoga courses -- candidates should have aggregated 50 percent in optional subjects. As for SC/ST and Category-1 students, it is 40 percent. For details, log on to: http://kar.nic.in/cet
Krishna Govt responsible for Nagappa’s death: Yediyurappa
Saturday, March 8, 2003
BANGALORE: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party member B S Yediyurappa on Thursday criticised the S M Krishna government for not giving a clear reply to the allegations made by former Director General of Police (DGP) C Dinakar in his book Rajkumar, Veerappan’s prize catch. Dinakar had alleged that the government paid a ransom of Rs 20 crore to forest brigand Veerappan to secure the release of Rajkumar. Raising the issue during the discussion on motion of thanks to Governor’s address, Yediyurappa said the Government had not only remained silent on the issue, but also failed to order a CBI inquiry into the death of former Minister H. Nagappa in the custody of the brigand. Holding the state government responsible for Nagappa’s death, he said, ‘‘In a desperate effort to get Rajkumar released, you blindly accepted several demands made by Veerappan. But later, you did not fulfil many of them. That is why Nagappa was kidnapped and killed,’’ he alleged. ‘‘On one side, the state was talking about the efforts made by the STF to nab Veerappan, while former DGP and present security advisor to the government Srinivasulu himself admitted to the STF’s failure on this front,’’ the BJP member said. Criticising the government for not ordering a CBI probe into the multi-crore fake stamp paper racket, Yediyurappa alleged that Karim Lala -- the kingpin behind the racket lodged in the central jail here -- was provided with ‘‘five-star facilities including a cellphone to facilitate his illegal trade.’’ Asked about the Supreme Court directive on encroachment of forests lands, Yediyurappa said the government, instead of ‘‘blindly carrying out the order,’’ must file a review petition before the SC. Chairman B L Shankar replied that Yediyurappa ‘‘must utilise his good relations with the Prime Minister and appeal to him to request the Attorney General to transfer such cases to the State High Courts,’’ instead of the SC deciding on the issue. ‘‘You (Yediyurappa) can also urge the PM to convene a meeting of forest ministers of all States to resolve this issue,’’ Shankar said.
SP orders ban on beating of drums during Mohurram, Holi in Hubli
Saturday, March 8, 2003
HUBLI: In view of Moharam and Holi due to be observed in the second week of March, police here have taken some precautionary measures, including banning the beating of drums with immediate effect. This is to prevent any untoward incidents during these occasions in Hubli-Dharwad. Police have banned the beating of drums after 9 pm with effect from Thursday. People who observe Holi have been instructed to beat drums only in their respective streets or mohallas without causing problems to others within the deadline set by the police. In an official press release, K.V.Gagandeep, Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner, said people should not mix any harmful substance in the liquid that they use during Holi. Action would be taken against revellers found splashing colours laced with harmful substances, he said. Similarly, action would also be taken against those revellers who forcibly splash coloured water on the public and those who try to extort money from people by threatening them with dire consequences during the festival. He said the police have made elaborate security arrangements in Hubli-Dharwad, especially in sensitive areas of the City, to prevent any untoward incidents during the festivals. Police have already taken some miscreants and trouble-makers into custody as a precautionary step, he said.
54 to be awarded doctorate at GU convocation
Saturday, March 8, 2003
GULBARGA: Fifty-four candidates will receive doctor of philosophy (PhD) award for their research theses in various subjects of different faculties at the 21st annual convocation of the Gulbarga University, to be held here on Saturday. Besides, 124 candidates will receive gold medals for their excellent academic performance in various subjects. According to the university registrar, 1,424 candidates have applied for receiving degrees in person and 442 in absentia. Jharkhand Governor and former chief justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Rama Jois will deliver the convocation address at the function to be held at the Mahadevappa Rampure Open-Air Theatre in the university campus. Governor T. N. Chaturvedi as the Chancellor of the university will preside over the function. Minister for Higher Education and pro-chancellor of the university, Dr. G. Parameshwara, will participate in the convocation.
Super fast train between Gulbarga, Bangalore sought
Saturday, March 8, 2003
GULBARGA: The Gulbarga District Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GDCCI) has urged the Railways to introduce a super fast train like Jan Shatabdi between Gulbarga and Bangalore and convert the weekly Solapur-Bangalore express into a daily train. GDCCI president Siddayya Mailapur said the lone Mumbai-Bangalore Udyan Express took about 14 hours to reach Bangalore and the train had failed to meet the increasing commuter traffic demand. A super fast train from Gulbarga to Bangalore (if possible, till Mysore) should reach Bangalore within 8 to 10 hours, he added. Seeking conversion of the weekly Solapur-Bangalore express into a daily train, Mailapur asked the Railways to explore the possibility of extending this train from Bijapur to Mysore to connect the two historical and high tourist potential cities. The GDCCI has also suggested to the Railways to attach three more sleeper coaches and one three-tier air-condition coach to the Gulbarga-Raichur inter-city train leaving here at 5.30 p.m. to connect them to the Parbhani-Bangalore link express, either at Wadi junction or at Raichur facilitating Bangalore-goers.
Joshi bowls Karnataka to an emphatic win
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Karnataka have thrashed Kerala by an innings and 11 runs to win the Ranji Plate final played at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore. The hosts, who began the third day at 293/5, went on to make 405 before being all out, gaining a first-innings lead of 215 runs. They, then, bowled Kerala out for 204 to seal their emphatic win in three days. In the morning, Karnataka lost Sunil Joshi (2) with the addition of just one run to their overnight total. Next man C Raghu too did not last long, making just eight, before falling to Sunil Oasis. But Naidu, who began the day on 35 not out, and Dodda Ganesh managed to put on 26 runs for the eighth wicket, before Naidu (59) fell. After the wicketkeeper batsman's dismissal, Ganesh took over the helmsman's role, hitting out merrily on his way to 50 off 60 balls with the aid of eight fours and a six before he became the last man to be dismissed. The hosts by then had gained a massive first-innings lead and were in a position to press on for an innings win. For Kerala, veteran leg-spinner KN Ananthapadmanabhan, who claimed five wickets, was the most successful bowler. The visitors made an indifferent start to their second innings with one of their stars Sujith Somasunder being dismissed for just 19 with his team's score reading 29/1 in the 10th over, It was all downhill for Kerala from there on with left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi claiming six wickets and running through their batting order. Only C Hemant Kumar, who made 44, and M Suresh Kumar, who made 33, put up any resistance, as the visitors slumped to an ignominious defeat. They can, though, gain comfort from their showing in the rest of their matches this season which has seen them graduate into the Elite Group with Karnataka.
Krishna tables Bill on value added tax
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Chief Minister S M Krishna tabled the Karnataka Value Added Tax Bill 2003 in the Legislative Assembly today to introduce value added tax to replace the present sales tax system in line with the national consensus for bringing in reforms in commodity taxation. Mr Krishna, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the new legislation would help for widening of the tax base by levying tax on sale of goods at every point of sale, makes the levy of tax transparent and removes cascading. It compels issue of tax invoices by dealers indicating the tax charged separately. It provides for set off of all tax paid at the earlier points of goods sold (that would include tax paid, defined as input tax on capital goods, raw materials, components and other inputs including consumables with some restrictions and packing materials that are used in the resale or manufacture or processing of goods being sold) against tax payable, defined as output tax, at any point, the set off scheme being called as input rebating. Tax paid on inputs purchased within the state is provided to be rebated against goods sold within the state, in the course of inter-state trade. It provides limited rebating of tax paid in excess of 4 per cent to input used in the goods sent out of the State on stock or consignment. It promotes voluntary compliance by providing for acceptance of returns filed by dealers on self-assessment basis and for scrutiny of books of account only in selected cases. Enhances compliance by providing for non-discretionary automatic penalty for offences of non-compliance and contravention of the various provisions of law. One of the objectives is to minimise disputes regarding the time of sale by defining the same, and thereby, ensuring payment of tax without delay and also requires dealers to issue tax invoices within reasonable time to the buying dealers.
Sunil Joshi bowls Karnataka to innings victory over Kerala
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Bangalore, Mar 6 (UNI) Left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi (six for 75) bowled Karnataka to an emphatic innings and 11-run victory over Kerala in the finals of the Plate division of the Ranji Trophy Championship, with two days to spare, here today. Needing 215 to avoid an innings defeat, the visitors were bundled out for 204 at the fag end of the third day's play with Joshi, who had taken six wickets in the first innings, finishing the match with a rich haul of 12 for 137. Kerala were in deep trouble with half the side back in the pavillion for 110. However, tail wagged for a while and delayed the inevitable. C Hemanth Kumar was the top scorer with 44 runs. Sureshkumar (33) and spinner Ananthapadmanabhan (22 n.o) were the other main scorers. Ably supporting Joshi, spinner Udit Patel finished with two for 72. Earlier in the day, resuming at 293 for five, Karnataka posted an impressive 405 with overnight batsman Tilak Naidu notching up 59 before he was trapped leg-before by Ananthapadmanabhan, who finished with five for 118. Medium-pacer Dodda Ganesh scored a half century. Brief scores: Kerala 190 and 204 (C Hemant Kumar 44, Suresh Kumar 33, Ananthapadmanabhan 22 n o, Sunil Joshi 6/75) lost to Karnataka 405 (J Arun Kumar 84, S Shinde 84, V S Tilak Naidu 59, Dodda Ganesh 50 Ananthapadmanabhan 5/118).
Autonomy makes colleges more committed: Governor
Saturday, March 8, 2003
TUMKUR: Governor T N Chaturvedi said here on Thursday that providing autonomy to educational institutions will bring greater commitment and responsibility in them to render good service to the society. He was speaking after inaugurating the new MBA building in the Siddaganga Institute of Technology (SIT) campus. Referring to the globalisation, he termed the present time as the age of convergence as both the corporate and political governance will have to work together complementing each other. The essence of administration and management is to get the best out of the limited resources, he reminded the students. The Governor said he was impressed by the great vision of Siddaganga Mutt seer, Dr. Sri Shiva Kumara Swamiji, and the harmonious combination of spiritual and social values. Higher Education Minister Dr G Parameshwara, said he would recommend autonomy for the institutions so that they can run on their own with no government interference.
World Woman’s Day to be held
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Mangalore, March 7: Woman and Child Welfare Department of DK Zilla Panahayat, South Kanara Zilla Mahila Mandalagala Okkoota, Mangalore will hold ‘World Woman’s Day’ at Town Hall on March 8 at 11.30 am. Transport Minister B Ramanath Rai will inaugurate the function. Mangalore MLA N Yogish Bhat will preside over the function. South Kanara Zilla Panchayat president Jyothi R Sallian will inaugurate the competitions. Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) Mayor Shashidhar Hegde will distribute the prizes. DKZP Chief Executive Officer Gonal Bhimappa, dr Ashajyothi A Rai of ‘Chirayu’ and Corporation Bank Deputy General Manager N N Pal will be the chief guests at the function.
Ayurveda workshop today
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Mangalore, March 7: A daylong workshop on ‘Ayurvedic Practices for better living’ has been organised under the aegis of Department of Applied Botany-Mangalore University at Old Senate Hall. Prof M V Shastry will preside over the programme, which will be held on March 7. There will be lecture cum demonstrations by eminent scholars on different themes like food habits as explained in Ayurveda, Ayurvedic concept of diseases and treatment, relaxation exercise etc, said a release.
Anna Hajare to inaugurate Krishi Mela in Hebri today
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Hebri, March 7: Gandhian and social worker Anna Hajare will inaugurate the three-day Krishi Mela at Hebri in Karkala taluk on Friday, March 7. Dr D Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala Temple, will preside over the function. According to a press release from the Information Department, Ports and Fisheries Minister Vasanth Salian will inaugurate the exhibition organised as part of the Krishi Mela to be held under the auspices of Sri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) at Sri Ardhanareeshwara Temple premises in Hebri. Legislator K Abhayachandra Jain, Udupi Zilla Panchayath Chief Executive Officer Sundar Naik, Karkala Taluk Panchayath president Nirmala, TP members Indira Nayak and H Prasanna Ballal and Hebri Grama Panchayath president Vasudha Prabhu will participate as the chief guests, the release said. Demonstration on profitable paddy cultivation, mechanised farming, workshop on women’s role in creating happy families, farming activities and empowering women, vanilla cultivation and other programmes will form part of the Krishi Mela. Former Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily will be the chief guest at the valedictory function with Horticulture Minister Shivanna and Member of Parliament D C Srikanthappa as guests.
Make use of resources, youths told
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Mangalore, March 7: Youths should make use of the available resources for a prosperous future, said K V Kamath, Managing Director of ICICI Bank. Inaugurating the ‘Sri T V Raman Pai Convention Centre’ at Canara High School, Dongarakeri, here on Thursday, Kamath said over 60 per cent of India’s population is in its 30s, which should give prominence to education and contribute for a ‘healthy society’. Renowned physician Dr A R Pai, who was the chief guest, said every individual should strive for the development of the society, from which he has been benefitted to a great extent. T Vimala V Pai handed over the key of the T V Raman Pai Convention Centre, built in memory of her husband, to Canara High School Association. She said the centre has been dedicated to Canara High School as Raman had studied here during 1935-1946 and led a prosperous life. Portraits of T V Raman Pai and T Narayan Pai were unveiled on the occasion. ‘Kamadhenu’ annual journal of Canara High School was released. Speaking on the occasion, T V Mohan Das Pai, Chief Financial Officer of Infosys and son of T V Raman Pai called upon parents to educate their children properly and suggested utilising opportunities that came on their way. He said the country would develop only when priority has been given to education. Canara High School Association Secretary Kepul Dinesh Nayak welcomed. President Basthi Narayan Shenoy spoke. Dr U S Mohandas Nayak proposed a vote of thanks. B B Shanubhag was present. Raghavendra Rao and Sandhya, Bangalore compered the programme.
Make use of resources, youths told
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Mangalore, March 7: Youths should make use of the available resources for a prosperous future, said K V Kamath, Managing Director of ICICI Bank. Inaugurating the ‘Sri T V Raman Pai Convention Centre’ at Canara High School, Dongarakeri, here on Thursday, Kamath said over 60 per cent of India’s population is in its 30s, which should give prominence to education and contribute for a ‘healthy society’. Renowned physician Dr A R Pai, who was the chief guest, said every individual should strive for the development of the society, from which he has been benefitted to a great extent. T Vimala V Pai handed over the key of the T V Raman Pai Convention Centre, built in memory of her husband, to Canara High School Association. She said the centre has been dedicated to Canara High School as Raman had studied here during 1935-1946 and led a prosperous life. Portraits of T V Raman Pai and T Narayan Pai were unveiled on the occasion. ‘Kamadhenu’ annual journal of Canara High School was released. Speaking on the occasion, T V Mohan Das Pai, Chief Financial Officer of Infosys and son of T V Raman Pai called upon parents to educate their children properly and suggested utilising opportunities that came on their way. He said the country would develop only when priority has been given to education. Canara High School Association Secretary Kepul Dinesh Nayak welcomed. President Basthi Narayan Shenoy spoke. Dr U S Mohandas Nayak proposed a vote of thanks. B B Shanubhag was present. Raghavendra Rao and Sandhya, Bangalore compered the programme.
Free ambulance facility in the city soon
Saturday, March 8, 2003
Mangalore , March 7: A free ambulance facility will be started here shortly for accident victims on National Highway 17 from Mulki to Mangalore, by the Kasturba Medical College as part of the various social service initiatives to mark its golden jubilee year. In Mangalore, highway road traffic accidents victims usually do not get transportation facility at the earliest resulting in the loss of prime time in medical management, said a press note from KMC Dean Dr H S Ballal and Dr D P Saraswat, Chief Operating Officer of KMC Hospital, Attavar. To begin with an ambulance will be stationed in Kulai on NH-17 covering the highway from Mulki to Mangalore, they said. Surthkal Legislator Vijaya Kumar Shetty will inaugurate the ambulance on March 8 in the Kulai Mahila Madal premises with Mangalore Sharada PU College principal Dr Leela Upadhyaya in the chair. Lalitha Shenoy will inaugurate an exhibition on the occasion and MLC K Balakrishna Bhat will release donations to orphanage.
