KARNATAKA

TheKarnataka State Lamps Cooperation Federationis planning to openTribes India Outlets, branded as Tri shops, at many locations in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, to promote minor forest produces (MFP) gathered by tribal community members in the Mysuru region.

TheLampshas decided to open these outlets in association withMaharshi Valmiki Tribal Development Corporation. It has planned to open 15 such outlets at popular tourist spots and KSRTC bus stands across the state. To start with, six TRI shops will be opened in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, and Mysuru. Many of them will be opened at KSRTC bus stands.

Lamps has been promoting and Marketing MFPs like dry shikakai (soapnut powder), gooseberry, wild honey, seeded tamarind, resins, lichens, various fruits, roots and vegetables collected by tribal communities in Bandipur, Nagarahole, BRT Tiger Reserve and forests in Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagalur districts.

A large number of people and organisations have launched an online Twitter campaign demanding that Tulu be designated as an in Karnataka and Kerala. Many languages have been designated as “official” by the Indian government. They are enshrined in the constitution’s Eighth Schedule.

Tulu is a Dravidian language that is mostly spoken in the Karnataka districts of Udupi and Dakshin Kannada, as well as Kasaragod in Kerala.

According to the most recent census data, approximately 18 lakh people in India speak the language.

Scholars contend that Tulu is one of India’s earliest Dravidian languages, with historical records dating back 2000 years.

According to Robert Caldwell, Tulu is a highly developed language of the South-Indian language family.

The demand is primarily for the language to be designated as an official language and to be included in the constitution’s 8th schedule.

The Tulu language has a rich literary tradition that includes both folk and oral literature. In some places, the well-known theatre art Yakshagana is also performed in Tulu. Many films and plays are produced in Tulu. Tulu has been added to the Karnataka school curriculum as a third language to be studied.

The demise of noted environmentalist and leaderSunderlal Bahuguna, 94, is a personal loss for the eco fragile hill district ofWayanad, which had been dear to the heart of the green crusader.

Bahuguna had visited Wayanad several times to take part in various environmental agitations waged by Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi (WPSS) to protect the forests of the hill district and shared closed Bonds with the leaders of the Samithi.

The tree-hugging Chipko movement led by Bahuguna against deforestation in the Himalayan region had inspired a silent tree embracing agitation in Wayanad in 1977 itself when hundreds of people, including farmers and tribals, embraced the centuryold trees marked by state forest department for clear felling at the Kallur reserve forest near Noolpuzha.

The Supreme Court on Thursday said thatKarnatakagovernment’s decision toscrap 4 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBC) Muslim quotais prima facie based on “absolutely fallacious assumption”.
“Karnataka government’s decision to raise 2% quotas for Vokkaliga, Lingayat each; scrapping 4%OBC quotaforMuslimsprima facie shaky and flawed,” the Supreme Court said.

Last month, the Karnataka government scrapped the 4% reservation for Muslims under the OBC quota and distributed it equally among the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities. Muslims eligible for quota have been categorised under economically weaker sections (EWS) now.

In a major achievement for the higher Education department, 289 government first-grade colleges inKarnatakahave been accredited by theNational Assessment and Accreditation Council(NAAC) over the past two years.

Another 18 colleges are expected to get their grades by this month-end, which will take the total to 307.

I t is commendable that many government colleges from Karnataka have got themselves accredited with NAAC the quality assurance seal for higher education institutions for decades. Experts may raise their concern over NAACs accreditation process, saying it may not reflect quality. Nevertheless, the fact that the government is attempting to develop the standards of its higher education institutions is quite reassuring. The focus must be on improving the grades further in the next cycle of NAAC evaluations, thereby increasing the available to students for quality education

Of the 289 colleges that received NAAC accreditation, starting July 2019, Government Arts College in Bengaluru received an A+ grade. While 22 colleges received A grade, 65 were awarded B++, 95 got B+ and another 95 colleges were awarded a B. Eleven colleges got a C grade.

In the past three financial years, excluding the current one, the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) has registered a cumulative profit of Rs 188.2 crore, with the Mysuru District Co-Operative Milk Producers Societies Union Ltd (MyMUL), one of the 14 unions associated with the federation, slotting in at the third spot on the list of most profitable unions in the state for 2021-22. With a profit of Rs 7.7 crore registered in 2021-22, MyMUL trails only Bengaluru, and Dakshina Kannada, while the union in neighbouring Mandya district has bagged the fourth spot, with a profit of Rs 7.1 crore. However, if one were to take the total profit registered by the unions over three years, Mandya pips Mysuru to take the third slot Mandya has earned a profit of Rs 20.1 crore, while Mysuru earned Rs 19.5 crore.

The Bengaluru union registered a profit of Rs 45.4 crore, Dakshina Kannada Rs 21.2 crore over the past three years. With a registered profit of Rs 17.4 crore over three years, Kolar union completes the top five list on the rankings table.

The government government is thinking of reintroducingYeshasvini, which was once regarded as Karnatakas flagship Health scheme, especially focused on the rural Population, including farmers.

The programme rolled out by the department of cooperation was discontinued on May 31, 2018 after the government initiatedArogya Karnatakascheme that later became the co-branded Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme assuring Rs 5 lakh annual aid per BPL family. However, the mandatory referral letter to be obtained by government hospitals to avail treatment in private hospitals under AB-ArK is being seen as a major hurdle.

Yeshasvini, introduced in 2003, was initially meant for rural communities but extended to urban areas 2014 onwards. One of the largest self-funded healthcare schemes in the country, it required a person to be a member of a cooperative Society and covered 823 surgical procedures, which could be availed in empanelled private and government hospitals. The scheme provided a cover of Rs 2 lakh per year per family for rural beneficiaries and Rs 2.5 lakh in urban areas. It was crafted in such a way that members ofYeshasvini trustcontributed a premium which was used as the capital to run it.

Guest lecturers, who have been saddled with 15 hours of work, instead of the earlier eight hours, are upset over the states new policy. More importantly, they say half of the guest lecturers TEACHING in undergraduate or postgraduate colleges across the state, will lose their jobs.

The has decided to increase the monthly honorarium to Rs 26,000 to 28,000 from Rs 11,000 for guest lecturers. Those candidates who have cleared UGC-NET or completed their PhD, will be paid Rs 30,000 to Rs 32,000 (Rs 13,000 earlier salary).Karnatakahas around 14,000 guest faculty.