Monday, January 31, 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011

28.01.2011: Govt Polytechnic: Foundation for Hostel

Photo: Janardan Kodavoor

Republic Day 2011


Udupi, Jan 26: Under the joint aegis of district Republic Day Celebrations Committee and district administration the 62nd Republic Day celebrations was held at Ajjarakadu Mahatma Gandhi Ground here on Wednesday January 26. “With the view to fulfill constitutional aims and motives, the state government has proposed and implemented several developmental projects so far and it will always strive hard for the well-being of the citizens”, said Dr V S Acharya, state higher education minister after the flag hoisting.

He further said that preserving the natural resources and tradition of the district is a responsibility of every citizen. The state government will ensure equal opportunities and facilities for all, he added.


Developmental Projects

Throwing light on the various developmental plans undertaken by the government, Acharya informed that a budget of 20 lac has been reserved for the setting up of tourist resorts and improvement of tourist locations. Under Gramodaya plan a budget of Rs 24.10 crore has been set aside to solve the water-related issues and for the setting up of houses for the poverty-stricken families.

Approximately 220 lac has been reserved for the self-help organizations and for the aid of physically challenged people. Acharya also briefed on some other proposed plans and highlighted some of the developmental plans like Yashaswini and Bagyalaxmi which has benefitted the people at large.

MLA Raghupathi Bhat, Zilla Panchayat president Gladis Almeida, town municipal president Kiran Kumar, vice-president Bharati Chandrashekar, Taluk Panchayat president Shyamala Sudhakar among othetr prominent leaders were present on the occasion.


Felicitations

For excelling in sports, Akkunje Ashwaini Shetty, Karkala Mamatha Poojary, Preethi, Soumyashree, Udayakumar Shetty Kannar, Arunakala S Rao and U Sudha Prabhu were conferred the Republic day award by Acharya.

Ashtro Mohan for wildlife photography, Mohammad Taajam Gangolli for Bravery too bagged the Republicday honour.

A splendid display of March Past by NCC cadets, police personnel, students among others were held on the occasion. The students of various schools and colleges also presented various cultural programmes portraying national spirit.

Report/ More Photos @ Daijiworld

Photos by Janardan Kodavoor

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cabinet Meet 18.01.2011

Bangalore,Jan 18 (PTI) Karnataka Government today enhanced allocation for the state's first DNA Centre from Rs four crore to Rs 12.15 Crore to fund its expansion and research activities. A sum of Rs four crore had been earmarked for the Centre in the 2010-11 budget and another Rs 8.15 crore was sanctioned today at a cabinet meeting, Minister for Higher Education V S Acharya told reporters here after the meeting. The Centre functioning at the Dharwad University is engaged in research work in genetic diseases like Haemophilia, Anemia,Sickle Cell,Breast Cancer, Uterine Cancer among others. The cabinet approved payment of revised AICTE payscales to teaching staff in 19 aided engineering colleges with retrospective effect from April one, 2010, Acharya said. Following the revision of scales, the pay slabs for lecturers would increase from Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000 to Rs 19,000, Associate Professors and professors from Rs 12,000-18,000 to Rs 37,400-67,000. The meeting approved the proposal of Karnataka State Road Transport Coproration to raise Rs 200 crore loan in two packages of Rs 100 crore each and also that of the BBMP for a similar amount. The cabinet meeting decided to conduct the state's first ever Agricultural Investment meet during this May-June, Acharya said.

Karnataka to promote smaller cities as tech hubs

Bangalore: Four electronic hardware parks and promotion of smaller cities as tech-hubs are proposed in Karnataka's new information technology and electronics hardware policy, state minister V.S. Acharya said on Tuesday.

The new policy will promote IT and related industries in smaller cities, the medical education minister said.

The electronic hardware parks will come up in the regions of Bangalore-Tumkur and Mysore-Nanjangud in the south, Shimoga-Hassan in central part, and Hubli-Dharwad in the north, Acharya, who is also the cabinet spokesman, told reporters. He added that the government will provide Rs 25 crore for the project in the 2011-12 state budget to be presented in February.

About 1,000 acres of land has been identified for setting up each of the parks, Acharya said.

Karnataka has exported software worth Rs 75,000 crore so far in current financial year that ends March 31.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said in October that he hoped the export to touch Rs 90,000 crore by March. IBN Live

Monday, January 17, 2011

State Enacts Legislation to Amend Mulageni Tenancy System

Bangalore, Jan 16: A long-awaited legislation for amending land tenure system, more commonly known as Mulageni Land Tenancy system, was passed by both the Houses of Legislature recently.

Mulageni Tenancy System, which means tenancy of land in perpetuity, was introduced decades ago to satisfy the condition of land possession then. For more than a century, this system was not reformed due to the lackadaisical attitude of past political and ruling classes of society. Both the Mulagers (landlords) and Mulagenidars (tenants) suffered doubts of title ship of lands under this system thereby preventing development activity of any kind on such lands.

The recent developments in real estate have brought focus on these lands due to acute shortage of viable lands for residential/commercial development especially in urban areas. These lands, situated in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and North Kanara and parts of Kodagu districts of the erstwhile Madras province during British rule, came under the Mulageni system.

The new enactment confers right on the Mulgeni tenants to become owners of the holdings in their possessions while giving compensation specified to the landlords.

The law seems to solve the problem without causing any pain, hardship, or loss to the landlord while the tenant earns what he justly deserves. The landlord is entitled to receive a compensation equivalent to 500 times the annual rent in the case where there is no restraint against alienation and in other cases the compensation would be 1,000 times the annual rent. The tenant shall be the absolute owner of the lease held in his possession when he deposits the amount.

The MLAs of coastal region of Karnataka have done a very laudable work in enacting this welfare legislation. Mulageni Okkalu Rakshana Vedike put a great effort towards enactment of this Bill. Daijiworld

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Alva`s Virasat 2011: Day5

Violin players Dr Mysore Manjunath, Mysore Nagaraj and contrabass flutist Ned Mc Goven from America being felicitated by Dr V S Acharya. Dr Mohan Alva, has been organizing this cultural festival at Moodabidri from the past many years.

Develop innovative minds

UDUPI: Higher Education Minister Dr V S Acharya stressed the need to pay attention towards the study of basic science. Children should be made to show interest in basic science.

Delivering presidential address at three-day UGC sponsored national conference on “Astronomy and Astrophysics”, jointly organised by Poorna Prajna College (PPC), Udupi and Association of Physics Teachers of Mangalore University , he said that India will play a vital role in the next 40 years in the world of knowledge. India is poised to become top nation by 2020. The development of human resource is essential for the progress of the country. There is great need to develop innovative minds and attitudes in our schools and colleges, he said. He said astronomy and astrophysics is one of the emerging sciences.

Even before the invention of telescope, our ancestors had the knowledge on the movement of planet and stars. ‘Vedas and Vedanta’ have vast knowledge on astronomy, mathematics, medicines and chemistry. Dakshin Times

Thursday, January 13, 2011

India is now the land of growth opportunities

India is the land of growth opportunities, S. Ramadorai, Vice Chairperson of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), told youngsters, addressing the eighth graduation ceremony of PES Institutions held here earlier in the week.

Dr. Ramadorai was the chief guest.

Fifteen ranks

PESIT secured 15 ranks in the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) examinations with four first ranks in MCA, M. Tech, CSE and ECE.

These rank holders were conferred gold medals by Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya on the occasion. TheHindu

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

IT can enable the disabled

While giving employment to the differently-abled, the society should view it as fulfilling their rights and not as an act of charity.

This was the thrust of a national conference — ‘IT for persons with disabilities’— held by the state department of information technology, biotechnology and science and technology on Monday.

Participating in this first-of-its kind conference, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa said the event was a small step to help the unfortunate. “We need to provide them opportunities for better education and hone their skills so that they are gainfully employed,” he said.

After the government sector, the IT industry has the potential to employ numerous disabled people. While the government sector provides reservation for the disabled, there are no such provisions in the private sector. “As part of the corporate social responsibility, companies should take up the initiative,” he said.

However, Prof MK Sridhar, executive director and member-secretary for Karnataka Jnana Aayoga (Karnataka Knowledge Commission), felt that a rights-based vision should be the approach towards the differently-abled, rather than a charity-based one. “The differently-abled should be employed based on their rights and companies need not have to take up employing them as part of their corporate social responsibility,” he said.

He emphasised on empowering the physically challenged by catering to their specific needs, making use of technology. The information and communications technology, which has the potential to aid the differently-abled, should be used, he said.

Minister of higher education VS Acharya too said technology should be put to use to help the differently-abled. “The central and state governor, in private sector, a lot of options could be explored,” he said. Photo:Pics4news/ Report: DNA)

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Who won? Depends on which newspaper you buy











Gauging the mood of the people from zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections is akin to touching different parts of an elephant with a blindfold and arriving at conclusions that suit you.

It’s all in the interpretation.

The lead headlines from the two leading Kannada newspapers show us why.

The BJP’s hold over the 30 ZPs has gone up from 4 in 2005 to 12 this year; the number of seats its members occupy in those ZPs has shot up three fold from 145 to 441.

Out of the 176 TPs, BJP has gained control over 68 of them, more than the Congress (31) and JDS (29) put together.

Yet, for Vijaya Karnataka, which is furiously pedalling backwards, it is “aralada kamala”, the lotus that didn’t bloom. And, for Praja Vani, it is “aralida kamala”, the lotus that bloomed.

So, has the lotus bloomed because its ZP tally has entered double digits, or has it not bloomed because it has not been able to obtain a stranglehold like the Congress did in 2005, winning 22 of the 27 ZPs?

Courtesy: Churumuri

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

03.01.2011, Cabinet Meet

BANGALORE: Gas connectivity to your kitchen through pipelines is closer to reality. The state cabinet on Monday gave approval to pipeline connection from Dabhol in Maharashtra to Bangalore.

A joint venture (JV) company involving Karnataka State Industrial Investment Development Corporation (KSIIDC) and Gas Authority of India Ltd ( GIAL) will be formed to distribute gas in Bangalore.

Initial investment has been pegged at Rs 100 crore, where KSIIDC will invest 24%, GAIL 26% and the rest by private companies. "Distribution is likely to start from June 2012,'' higher education minister V S Acharya said.

GAIL has taken up the Dabhol-Bangalore 16 million metric standard cubic meter per day ( MMSCMD) gas pipeline passing through Belgaum, Dharwad, Gadag, Bellary, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Ramanagaram, Bangalore Rural and Bangalore Urban, at an estimated investment of Rs 5,000 crore.

In addition, gas supply to Karnataka will be augmented by another pipeline being laid by GAIL through Kochi-Koottanad-Mangalore-Bangalore city, with estimated investment of Rs 3,300 crore. Further, the Krishna-Godavari line promoted by Reliance is also in the pipeline.

Slums to go vertical
Space-strapped Bangalore will see slums going vertical in future. The cabinet has approved the slum redevelopment scheme - to construct multi-storeyed buildings for slum dwellers.

This means, 28,118 dwelling units will be built in 152 slums which will benefit 1,40,590 people. The parliamentary standing committee on urban development had recommended that slums go vertical so that more number of people can be accommodated in less space.

Of the projects approved under JNNURM scheme, 17.60% is reserved for basic services to the urban poor.

Once multi-storeyed buildings are built, the government will give 15-year occupancy right to beneficiaries and later it'll be converted to absolute ownership. (TOI)

State to students: Get cash, buy a cycle

Jan. 3: Facing a series of allegations over corruption in the purchase of bicycles for distribution among school children, the state government on Monday decided to emulate Bihar which has started giving the beneficiaries money to purchase cycles on their own.

Speaking to the media after a Cabinet meeting, higher education minister Dr V.S. Acharya said that with the Opposition demanding a probe into the alleged scam, the state government could not take a final decision on floating tenders for the bicycle supply scheme. “As the academic year is coming to an end, it’s too late to call for tenders or purchase cycles and distribute them. Hence, the state government has decided to award `2,250 to every beneficiary so that they can purchase cycles by themselves,” he explained.

Replying to a question, Dr Acharya said the government will disburse `133 crore to the beneficiaries by opening zero balance accounts in all banks in their names. This is to make sure that parents do not utilise the money for some other purpose, he explained.

In response to a question, Dr Acharya asserted that the state government was not doing anything unusual by releasing money to zero balance accounts as this was an accepted norm in most government welfare schemes. “Even in Bihar where cycles are being given to school students, money is being transferred to the beneficiary’s account instead of purchasing cycles and distributing them,” he said.

He said this was a one-time measure which had been adopted due to lack of time. Cycles will be purchased and distributed from the next academic year, he added. (Deccan Chronicle)

Draft Bill of Mulgeni Rights

The state administration has prepared a draft of Mulgeni Rights Bill in order to address several years of grievances by Mulgeni right owners and tenants in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The draft of Bill was approved in the cabinet meeting held here on Monday January 3, while it will be tabled in the assembly shortly. Addressing the media persons after the cabinet meeting, state higher education minister Dr V S Acharya said that the draft bill likely to be approved in the assembly, will entitle the tenants to get substantial amount of compensation, which will be 500 or 1000 times of the geni to the muladars. Mulgeni Rights were revoked after the enforcement of Karnataka Land Tribunal Act, which caused major hindrances to both Mulgeni right owners and tenants. The bill was drafted in order to resolve the long pending issue.


Photo Courtesy: Kanwar Singh