KARNATAKA

Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting, a part of Wipro Enterprises, on Monday announced the acquisition of Nirapara, a Kerala-based packaged rice powder and spice mixes brand.

The move comes a few months after Wipro announced its plans to foray into the packaged foods business. Nirapara was launched in 1976 and is owned by KKR Group of Companies. It is best known for its blended spices and ready-to-cook rice powder products. It has an annualised revenue of Rs 100 crore.

About 63% of its revenue comes from Kerala, while the bulk of the rest comes from GCC countries that have a strong diaspora Population from Kerala, said Wipro Consumer Care CEO Vineet Agrawal. Nirapara is our 13th acquisition and gives us a clear foothold in the spices and ready-to-cook segment, he added.

The final deal price will be determined after 12 months and will be based partially on the performance of Niraparas products during that period. Wipro Consumer Care is best known for its soap brand Santoor and Yardley talcum powder and recorded a revenue of Rs 8,630 crore in the last financial year.

Barely 24 hours after the suggested thatnon-Karnatakastudents cannot be compelled to learnKannadaor any other language, chief minister BasavarajBommai, with passion that could easily have been taken for defiance, said his government will continue to fight to make the language a compulsory subject, not just in primary and secondary schools, but at the degree level as well.

Three days later, Bommai, in his state formation day speech on November 1, pledged that he is committed to establishing the supremacy of Kannada in Karnataka, and promised to reserve 75% of jobs for Kannadigas in both government and private sectors.

In line with the Centres policy, Karnataka has also taken steps to introduce Kannada medium of instruction in professional colleges. Approval has been granted to four engineering colleges Bheemanna Khandre Institute of Technology (Bhalki), SGC Institute of Technology (Chikkaballapur), Maharaja Institute of Technology (Mysuru) and BLDEB Institute of Technology (Vijayapura) to teach students from civil and mechanical streams in Kannada.

Tele-MANAS, a programme that provides 24/7 counselling and mentalhealthservices, was launched by governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at the 26th convocation of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans).

Tele-MANAS Services will begin in 20 states, includingKarnataka, and eventually be expanded to others. Toll-free helplines 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 have been set up with the provision for callers to select a language of their choice for availing services. The platform connects patients, mental health professionals and mental health institutions.

The national tele-mental health programme (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States, or Tele-MANAS) includes a Network of cells, mental health centres of excellence, and regional coordination centres. In all, 51 Tele-MANAS cells will provide basic support, counselling and mental health services, as well as links with mental health professionals, eSanjeevani, Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, and emergency psychiatric facilities.

Nimhans will serve as the apex nodal coordinating centre, while International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru (IIIT-B) will provide technological support.

Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, said there is a need for developing technical skills in children with at least some high schools becoming technical high schools.

He also urged minister department of electronics, IT, BT and S&T to upgrade Atal Bihari Vajpayee Tinkering labs even in small capsules to create at the school level.

IT, BT, Science and Technology and higher Education minister C N Ashwath Narayan said that the government would set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering inHubballi soon as an Industry-institute initiative.

The minister said that setting up of CoE is part of the Karnataka Digital economy Mission. He promised that a park would be developed at Hubballi to facilitate graduating startups to grow further.

The government has brought effective policies to promote innovative technologies and the duration of internship has been raised from 3 weeks to 30 weeks. Students will also be given the opportunity to undergo internship abroad.

Coffee growing countries, India, Brazil, and South Africa, should collaborate to combat common challenges they face such as global price volatility, high cost of production, and labour shortage, suggested International Coffee Organisation (ICO).

India produced over 3,20,000 tonnes of green coffee in the last harvest season that ended in March 2021. Karnataka alone accounts for over 70% of the countrys total coffee production, with Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan districts being the States coffee heartlands.

Coffee production had increased 34% in that country in the last two decades although the area under production had only reduced. Indian coffee community had to adopt cost-effective growing techniques and yield enhancing practices from Brazil.

The state-level convention ofKarnatakaState Loading and Unloading Labourers Federation organised byKarnatakaShramika Shakthi (KSS) will be held on July 10 at Freedom Park at Bengaluru, said Mysuru district unit president Kariayanayak.

He said that the convention is organised to mark the 10th anniversary of implementation of AnnaBhagyascheme by the . The scheme provides jobs to lakhs of loading and unloading workers in the state, he said.

He said that CM Siddaramaiah, food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa, labour minister Santosh Lad will take part in the convention.
He said that the association will demand the state government to constitute a Loading and Unloading Welfare Board on the lines ofMaharashtragovernment to ensure all government benefits, including Scholarship, PF, ESI, medical care, loan, free bus passes and other social security schemes are provided to them.

TheKarnatakagovernment is likely to forgo its share of taxes on diesel for all four state-run road transport corporations (RTCs) to bail them out of their financial problems.

At present, the four RTCs together spend a whopping Rs 11.5 crore daily to purchase around 13 lakh litres of diesel. They can save over Rs 1.5 crore a day if the waives its share of taxes.
The daily diesel payout would have been more than Rs 15 crore if RTCs went for bulk purchase, as there is a gap of almost Rs 35 a litre between retail and bulk prices. As a result, RTCs have been buying diesel from retailers recently.

Realising the urgent need for addressing the financial needs of these corporations, whose collective losses are touching Rs 5,000 crore, the government has set up a panel under retired Ias officer MR Srinivas Murthy to suggest reforms to make the RTCs not only self-reliant but also profitable. The committee is expected to submit its report in a few weeks.

The water pathways of the Cauvery recorded heavy inflow on Thursday with Karnataka releasing more water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini Dams to the state.

A public works department (PWD) official at the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur said Karnataka had increased the quantum of water being released from the Kabini dam to 5,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) from 700cusecs on Thursday morning. The water discharged from the KSR dam was also increased to 1,400cusecs from 800cusecs on the day.

The inflow to both the Kabini and KSR dams had increased following continuous rain in the catchment areas such as Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikmagalur, Hasan and Koorg districts. The tributaries of the Cauvery had swelled following the incessant rain, forcing Karnataka to release more water to the state.