KARNATAKA

Centres support essential for permanent solution to sea erosion: Karnataka minister Mankal Vaidya

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Minister for , Ports and inland water transportMankal S Vaidyasaid that the support of central government is essential to find a permanent solution to the problem of sea erosion that affects 320km seashore inKarnataka.

The minister, who visited various places on the coast in Udupi district on Sunday, said that fishermen in Goa, Karnataka andKeralahave been facing difficulties due to the issue of sea erosion. “When a solution is found in one stretch, the issue crops up in another stretch. A permanent solution needs to be chalked out to prevent damages caused by sea erosion. Hence, we have been sending teams to all affected areas to conduct studies. We need support from the central government to find a permanent solution for sea erosion. It will not be possible for the State Government alone to find a permanent solution for the menace, the minister said.

Karnataka govt may defer zilla panchayat, taluk panchayat polls

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Facing a stiff challenge of completing the process of determining reservation for OBCs and completing delimitation of wards across the existing 30 ZPs and 176 TPs, theKarnatakagovernment may defer these polls to beyond the assembly which is likely in April-May next year. “The focus is on completing these processes for BBMP wards first.

With Supreme Court and Karnataka High Court deadlines over holding local body elections polls fast approaching, the State Government is under pressure to speed up the process of determining reservation for Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and completing delimitation of wards across the existing 30 zilla panchayats (ZP) and 176 taluk panchayats (TP).

Constituencies will need to be reserved for these communities based on their Population strength. And all this, within the HC time frame. Senior ministers say that even if the process is completed, it does not mean elections can be held immediately.

One in three school students lacks internet access in Karnataka

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More than 31.3 lakh students inKarnatakadont have digital devices, 37.8 lakh lack Internet access and 8.7 lakh have no television or radio in their homes, said a government report on Thursday. The department of public instruction released the report, which details gadget and net availability, as thousands of government and state board schools in Karnataka reopened for the academic year 2021-22 in virtual mode.

Over 1 crore children are enrolled in classes 1 to 10 in the state. It seems from the findings that a large number of students of government schools may be deprived of mainstream Education. Like 2020, it is unlikely that they will be called for regular oncampus classes anytime soon. Learning will take place through online modes such as WhatsApp andYou-Tube, and DDChandanachannels.

The report has once again brought the issue of the digital divide into focus. Educationists have been saying that lakhs of students miss out on learning because of officials and schools emphasis on technology. They have suggested that the government must find ways to restart offline classes safely.

Bengaluru Urban (South) has the highest number of students (11.1 lakh) among all education districts. According to the report, more than 8 lakh students here have smartphones or tablets, while 1.4 lakh have neither of these. Nearly 7 lakh students have internet access, but 2 lakh students dont. Over 9 lakh students have a TV and 2 lakh have a radio, while 37,213 have neither.

Kalyana Ktaka monument replicas are displayed at new Parliament bldg

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The replicas of rare monuments related toSamratAshok, which were found in Kalaburagi, Raichur and Koppal districts in the KalyanaKarnatakaregion, are displayed at the newly constructed Parliament building in New Delhi. Prime MinisterNarendra Modihad on Sunday inaugurated the new monument.

The huge display dedicated to the king includes the only depiction of Samrat Ashok along with his wife and two children found at Sannati in Kalaburagi district. Only edicts, emblems and pillars of Ashok have been found elsewhere in the country.

The second replica is a stone script by Samrat Ashok written in Brahmi that was found at Maski town in Raichur district. The third one is an ancient map of India with a mention of Koppal and Maski.
It is said that the display aims to introduce the upcoming generation to the great legacy of Ashok.

Karnataka govt clears projects worth Rs 13k cr amid pandemic

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The state high level clearance committee (SHLCC), headed by chief minister BS Yediyurappa, on Wednesday cleared projects worth Rs 13,175 crore amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prominent among the cleared projects include a major in the production of liquid Oxygen by Jindal Steel Works (JSW).

At a time when JSW is the single largest source of medical oxygen in the state, close to 440 MT at full capacity, an added facility is likely to benefit Karnataka in the long run and add to the capacity of the steel manufacturing major.

The project, sub-leased fromJSW Steel Ltd, will be executed by a subsidiary of its under the name of JSW Techno Projects Management limited at a cost of Rs 892 crore inTorangallu,Ballari.

Another major project which recieved clearance from the SHLCC was that of a single unit complex ofIndian Oil Corporationlimited (Iocl) in Chitradurga for storage and dispatch of petroleum on a 130 acre land parcel.

Them apart, the government also cleared a mega real estate construction of an integrated Township at Yelahanka on a 211 acres land parcel, which will be constructed by Rasasri tech park limited.

Panels for safe environment for kids in villages

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TheKarnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights(KCPCR) chairmanNaganna Gowdaon Tuesday announced village level committees composed of social activists, representatives of NGOs, locals, etc to create a safe Environment for kids in the village level, which will be monitored bygram panchayatand district-level officials.

Meanwhile, a new observation Home for children in conflict with law is planned in Sathagalli area of the city. This home is coming up with all modern facilities.

Karnataka govts GramaOne programme sees one crore beneficiaries

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The number of beneficiaries of GramaOne, theflagship programmeofKarnataka governmentthat delivers citizen Services at the doorsteps of villagers, has crossed the one-crore mark.

The milestone has been recorded within ten months of the launch of programme, which was intended to help rural residents in availing of multiple government services without having to travel long distances to visit the district headquarters, taluk office and hobli centres to get their official work done. Currently, about 800 services including G2C (government to citizens), B2C (business to citizens),Banking services, and RTI (Right To Information) queries are being delivered through the 7,112 GramaOne centres across the state.

Karnataka resubmits development scheme for Chamundi Hills

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After a central snub, the Karnataka government has resubmitted its interest to secure funds for developing the religious tourism centre ofChamundi Hillsin Mysuru under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (Prashad) and suggested new tourism circuits under the Swadesh scheme of the Union Government.

At the recently concluded southern region tourism and cultural ministers conclave, central tourism minister G KishanReddyand state tourism minister Anand Singh found each other at opposite ends over the reasons for Karnataka not being accorded funds under the two tourism schemes for development of state circuits. While Reddy had termed it a failure of Karnataka to provide the report, Singh and the state tourism department had said it was a technical rejection.

With over Rs 100 crore of central government grants at stake, the schemes, if approved, are expected to help the Karnataka tourism sector, which is under distress due to the pandemic.

The department has proposed a Smart Heritage idea, which involves an interactive museum and interpretation centre narrating the HISTORY of Chamundi Hills and Mysuru with audio visual aid. The Narratorium will showcase the Wadiyars of Mysuru, souvenir collection stores and a childrens park with the theme ofMahishaandMahishasura Mardhini. It will also have interactive signages, smart parking and information and weather alert systems.

On the Swadesh scheme, the Karnataka government is waiting for the Centre to announce the Swadesh 2 programme under which it is likely to propose at least two to three new tourism circuits, including coastal, heritage and adventure Sports.

Karnataka high court second in country to livestream proceedings

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TheKarnataka became the second HC in the country, after Gujarat, to livestreamproceedings. On trial basis, the hearing in Court Hall No 1 of two PILs challenging the Karwar port expansion project was live streamed on YouTube close to an hour in the afternoon.

Livestreaming of court proceedings has been a long-standing demand of advocates. The matter had reached theSupreme Courtwhich said in 2018 that it is up to the chief justices of respective high courts. Recent comments by new Chief Justice of India NV Ramana that The Supreme Court is actively considering the option has further strengthened the demand.

With lockdowns becoming all too common in the pandemic, the judiciary has started hearing matters through video-conferencing.

KIMS is now a designated ICMR clinical trial centre

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TheKarnataka Institute of Medical Sciences(KIMS), Hubballi, has been selected by the Indian Council of Medical Research (Icmr) as a centre for clinical trials, making the institute the first and only government facility in Karnataka to be among the handful of such campuses across the country.

Clinical trials are done to study the impact of any medicine or vaccine.

ICMR had invited applications from medical colleges to start clinical trials after setting some conditions.

The opportunity to learn from clinical trials is limited in government colleges as most of them do not have clinical trial centres. The KIMSs selection could be a boon for medical students to learn and hone their skills in clinical trials and help the existing staff in medical colleges to upgrade their skills in the clinical trials, Kaulgud said.