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The hospital focuses on providing treatment to children of any background.

 Humanitarian leader Madhusudan Sai was conferred Fiji’s highest honour, the ‘Companion of the Order of Fiji’, by the President of Fiji Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu at the State House of Fiji on Friday.

Madhusudan Sai’s influence in Fiji is reflected through the creation of the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital, the first state-of-the-art, fully free children’s hospital in the South Pacific.

The hospital focuses on providing treatment to children of any background.

His other initiative, the Sai Prema Foundation in Fiji, works for social welfare and humanitarian service across the nation, addressing issues like healthcare, education, disaster relief, and food security.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Udupi Cochin Shipyard Ltd. (USCL) on Wednesday delivered the first in a series of six 3,800 T dead-weight dry cargo vessels, Wilson Eco 1, to M/s. Wilson Ship Management AS, Norway, the largest short sea shipping company of Europe in Mangaluru.

The formal delivery programme was organised at New Mangalore Port here in the presence of New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) chairman A.V. Ramana and senior officers of NMPA. Senior officials of M/s Wilson Ship Management AS, Einar Torsnes, Chief Financial Officer, Sergey Bogdashov, New Build Superintendent and the Wilson site team were present. USCL CEO A Harikumar, General Manager CEO, UCSL and Sivaram N Swamy and others were present.

In the last three years, Udupi shipyard in a release here said it has constructed and delivered eight aluminium hulls for Cochin Shipyard Ltd. for the Kochi Water Metro Project; eight tuna long liner cum gillnetters under the Pradhan Mantri Mathsya Sampada Yojana; two 62 tonne bollard pull ASTDS tugs to M/S Ocean Sparkle Ltd., an Adani harbour services company, and two 70-tonne bollard pull ASTDS tugs to M/s Polestar Maritime Ltd., complying with the Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative of the Union government.

The shipyard has also signed orders for construction of another 11 70-T bollard pull tugs with M/s Ocean Sparkle and one 70-T bollard pull tug with M/s Polestar Maritime. The contracts signed with Ocean Sparkle Limited for construction of eleven 70-T tugs is the largest series tug construction order ever signed by an Indian shipyard.

Wilson Eco 1 is designed as an all-weather ship for unrestricted operation with unmanned machinery space certification. It is also equipped with all navigation and communication equipment as per the latest class and flag requirements. Under “Make in India Make for the World” initiative of UCSL, the shipyard has used steel manufactured domestically for construction of the entire vessel, including the piping systems.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

City’s tennis prodigy Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar completed a double fete at the recently concluded Asian U-14 and Junior Ranking Tennis Tournament 2025 at Malancha Niwas, Agartala, by winning both Singles and Doubles tournament.

In the Singles finals, Padmapriya defeated Diya Ravikumar 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 and in the Doubles, she partnered with Diya Ravikumar and defeated Maria Patel and Dhitri Sandra in straight sets 6-2, 6-0. This talented tennis player is currently ranked 6 in U-14 category in the country.

It may be recalled that Padmapriya had also emerged victorious in U-14 National Series Singles Tournament and ended up winning the runner-up trophy in the Doubles tournament at Jassowal in Punjab recently.

She is being coached by Raghuveer Ponnuswamy in city. Padmapriya, an 8th std. student of Excel Public School, is the daughter of Dr. P. Ramesh Kumar, Conservator of Forests (Project Tiger), Mysuru and Dr. Malathi Priya, Conservator of Forests (Mysuru Circle).

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

Prof. Suresh Renukappa, Director of the Centre, stated that the centre would focus on climate resilience, healthcare, smart cities and villages, energy security, waste-to-wealth initiatives, pollution control, and the Brand Bengaluru initiative.

Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, Minister for Higher Education of Karnataka, inaugurated the Wolverhampton-Bangalore Research and Innovation Centre (WBRIC) at the newly-established academic wing of Bangalore City University (BCU) in Bengaluru on April 22. The centre is a collaborative initiative between BCU and the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

Dr. Sudhakar highlighted its potential to open new academic and research avenues for students across Karnataka, emphasising the government’s commitment to supporting higher education and research in public universities.

Prof. Suresh Renukappa, Director of the Centre, stated that the centre would focus on climate resilience, healthcare, smart cities and villages, energy security, waste-to-wealth initiatives, pollution control, and the Brand Bengaluru initiative.

In his keynote address, Prof. Prashant Pillai, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, mentioned that the centre will facilitate scholar exchange programmes, joint PhD opportunities, seminars, and conferences to foster international academic collaboration.

Prof. Ebrahim Adia, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, underscored the importance of the historic academic ties between India and the UK. He stressed the value of such international collaborations.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Noted independent publishers like Aharnishi, Pallava, Ruthumana, Akruthi, Jeerunde have already become members of the association.

Small indie publishers of Kannada books have joined hands with booksellers and writers to form a new association, ‘Karnataka Booksellers, Publishers and Writers Association,’ aiming to revive the Bengaluru Book Festival and organise similar book festivals in other districts regularly.

The new association will be inaugurated on Wednesday. Noted independent publishers like Aharnishi, Pallava, Ruthumana, Akruthi, Jeerunde have already become members of the Association.

“Now, there are two such associations already. But both associations are dominated by big publishers and small indie publishers like us, neither has a say nor any space in those associations. Our issues and requirements are different. New and small publishers like ours need professional workshops, access to distribution networks, among others. The existing associations do not focus on these issues,” said N. Dhananjaya of Jeerunde Prakashana and Beetle Book Shop, Secretary of the new association.

“The two existing associations only have publishers and don’t include booksellers and writers. We think we need to include the entire ecosystem to work effectively,” he said. 

“We intend to organise workshops for publishers on professional aspects of publishing like printing, online sales, selling translation and adaptation rights for the books we publish, among other issues. As an association, we want to see whether we can also create a distribution network and make it available to our members. For instance, presently, no Kannada publishers go to book fairs across the country or abroad. We want to represent all our publishers at such fairs. This may help our books get picked up for translation,” said Guruprasad D.N., of Akruthi Books and President of the new association. 

As part of their objective to provide a distribution network for publishers, the association wants to revive Bengaluru Book Festival, which was an annual feature earlier and has been not held since the pandemic.

“Book festivals are a very big source of revenue for book publishers and booksellers. Presently, the only such avenue is the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. We want to hold talks with the government and revive the Bengaluru Book Festival this year, if possible. Many districts in the state do not have a single bookshop. Holding book exhibitions in districts will help us reach untapped readership,” Mr. Guruprasad said. 

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The Konkani-speaking community of Australia, especially in and around Melbourne, has something to celebrate and be proud of. Mira D’Silva, an ardent supporter of the Karaval Konkans community, has been confirmed as the Liberal candidate for the Lalor seat in Victoria.

Mira’s journey has been nothing short of inspiring. Born and brought up in Bengaluru to Mangalurean (Kulshekar) origin parents, Mira migrated to Australia a little over two decades ago and has embraced this country as her home.

From doing odd jobs as a first-generation migrant to now being recognised as a force to reckon with across the Australian political landscape, Mira’s trajectory is truly remarkable.

The success, accolades, and recognition have not in any way distanced Mira from her roots, culture, or heritage. As someone who proudly professes her love for her mother tongue, Konkani, Mira remains equally grateful to her country of birth, India, whose multicultural demography helped shape her worldview and prepare her for the challenges ahead.

In a recent interview with the Karaval Konkans Australia team, Mira shared insightful anecdotes and life experiences that clearly demonstrate how her principles and values form a strong foundation for success.

A successful entrepreneur, Mira is also well known for her philanthropy, her support for Konkani culture and heritage, and her assistance to newcomers in Australia. A conversation with Mira leaves one inspired by her deep commitment to language, culture, community, and social causes—always expecting nothing in return.

As the first Mangalurean and Konkani-speaking community member to step into Australian politics, Mira now counts on the support of everyone around her in this challenging election campaign. A win for Mira will be a matter of pride and a sense of achievement for every migrant who came to Australia with hope—and can now dare to dream.

Karaval Konkans Australia Inc. extends its wholehearted best wishes to Mira for the upcoming Federal election.
Those wishing to volunteer and support her campaign can register at: https://www.miradsilva.com.au/volunteer

The Lalor seat spans 180 square kilometres on the south-western edge of Melbourne. It includes the satellite city of Werribee and the suburbs of Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Williams Landing, and parts of Truganina and Point Cook. The Federal elections have been scheduled for 3 May 2025.

The journey is by no means an easy one. Elections are only won when communities come together, rally behind their own, and support each other to the finish line. This election presents an opportunity for the community to unite and create history by supporting Mira D’Silva in becoming the first Mangalurean to enter the corridors of Canberra.

(From the Editorial Desk of Karaval Konkans Australia Inc)

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

Aadit Palicha, CEO of Zepto, praised the strong talent base in India, counting it as a major advantage in his entrepreneurial journey. 

Aadit Palicha has nothing but praise for Indian talent. The Mumbai-based CEO of Zepto recently sat down for a conversation with his counterpart at Y Combinator, where he delved into everything from his startup’s beginnings to the transforming quick commerce space in India. When Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan asked him about the unique advantages and challenges of building a startup in India, Palicha highlighted the country’s talent pool, counting it as a big advantage in his entrepreneurial journey.

Zepto was launched by Stanford computer science dropouts Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra in 2021. What began as an idea in a WhatsApp group is today one of India’s most popular grocery delivery apps that has over 3,000 corporate employees.

Benefits of building in India

Talking about the benefit of building a startup in India, Palicha said: “I think the advantage is that the talent is incredible. I initially didn’t realise this deeply, but you know we interviewed American engineers – and they’re exceptional – but we said hey, the guys that we have here are as good.”

“I think a lot of people underestimate that. That’s why you know a lot of great internet startups set up offices in Bangalore and hire people there,” the Zepto co-founder told Tan on YC’s How To Build The Future podcast.

He acknowledged that it would have been unlikely for him to recruit the same level of talent in San Francisco as he had been able to in India.

“So the big advantage is you just have such an incredible talent base. And although it’s very competitive, it’s still a lot less competitive to get such high quality talent than it would be sitting in San Francisco,” said Palicha.

As one of India’s fastest growing startups, can Zepto be called a success? Not according to its CEO.

“No, absolutely not. Not even close to it,” Palicha told Y Combinator’s Garry Tan when asked if Zepto is a success. “I think we’ve got couple of decades before we can realistically say that we’ve won.”

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

Line 1 (Purple Line) accounted for 4,35,516 riders, Line 2 (Green Line) saw 2,85,240 commuters while a significant volume of traffic — 1,87,397 — was also recorded at the Kempegowda (KGWA) interchange station.

In a historic milestone for Bengaluru’s urban transit, Namma Metro recorded its highest-ever daily footfall on April 17, with an impressive total of 9,08,153 boardings.

According to official data, Line 1 (Purple Line) accounted for 4,35,516 riders, while Line 2 (Green Line) saw 2,85,240 commuters. A significant volume of traffic — 1,87,397 — was also recorded at the Kempegowda (KGWA) interchange station.

The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) expressed gratitude to the city’s residents for embracing Namma Metro as their preferred mode of public transport. 

With ongoing expansions and infrastructure upgrades, BMRCL anticipates further growth in ridership, especially as the metro network extends to newer areas of the city.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The highest pledging has been recorded in the age group of 30-45 years with 16,045 persons in this age group pledging their organs.

Karnataka stands fourth in terms of organ pledging in the country,  according to data from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO).

As of April 17, while Karnataka has registered 35,920 pledges so far, Maharashtra has the highest with 50,886 registrations. Rajasthan and Gujarat follow with 43,376 and 36,550 registrations.

Among districts, Dharwad has recorded the highest number of pledges with 8,196 registrations so far. Dharwad is followed by Ballari (8,095). These two districts have recorded the second and third highest pledges in the country after Ahmedabad, which has recorded the highest at 29,763 pledges.

Youth registrations highest

The highest pledging has been recorded in the age group of 30-45 years with 16,045 persons in this age group pledging their organs. This is followed by those in the age group of 18-30 years with 8,423 registrations. 

Women have outnumbered men in organ pledging, with 18,655 of the total 35,920 registrations being by women, according to data. 

QR code

To pledge for organ donation in Karnataka, people can use the NOTTO QR code, which is linked to the State health department’s initiative to simplify the process. This QR code that was launched in 2023 can be found on the websites of NOTTO or Jeevasarthakathe, the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO), the nodal agency that facilitates cadaver organ donations. 

Rajani M., State Joint Director (Medical), said organ pledging increased after the introduction of the QR code and a campaign launched by the Union Health Ministry last year to encourage pledging.

“People can use the QR code reader on their smartphones or other devices to scan the code and fill out the pledge form. Upon successful pledge registration, the person will receive a donor card with a unique registration number. We are working with all hospitals to encourage pledging,” she said, adding that QR codes and online pledge options make the process of pledging easier and more accessible.

Organ donations

When this year is taken into account, Karnataka has seen 63 organ donations till April 17. It has been recording over 150 donations for the last three consecutive years annually. This year, so far, while Tamil Nadu has recorded the highest donations at 74, Telangana has 64 donations. 

Less than 5% turn into donations 

Although the number of people pledging organs is on the rise, not even 5% of them actually turn into donors. Naushad Pasha, Chief Transplant Coordinator at Jeevasarthakathe/SOTTO, said that of the total 1,155 organ donations in Karnataka so far (from 2007), not more than 15 donations are by those who have pledged organs.

Elaborating on the reasons, he said sometimes, the identified donor is not fit to donate due to  clinical reasons. “Or, someone from the donor family/distant family/friends circle says no to organ donation and the next of  kin do not have much say in taking a decision against the wish of those opposing it. Also, most of the time the family is not aware of the organ pledging done by the person,” Mr Pasha said, adding that it is important for people to keep their families in the loop while pledging organs.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The inauguration of the Dakshina Kannada district chapter of the Kerala State Kannada Chutuku Sahitya Parishat, founded by Dr Vaman Rao Bekal, and the release of the book ‘Horanadinda Tuluvaru’ authored by Mumbai-based Vishwanath Dodmane, will be held on April 18 at 2:00 pm at the Yugapurusha Auditorium in Kinnigoli, according to a press release issued by Dr Vaman Rao Bekal, founder president of the Kasaragod Kannada Bhavana and Library.

Former president of Dakshina Kannada Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, will inaugurate the new district unit. The book ‘Horanadinda Kannadigaru’, also written by Vishwanath Dodmane, will be released by national award-winning teacher Jayaananda Peraaje.

The event will begin with the lighting of the lamp by Kolachappu Satyavati Bhatt. Dr Shanta Puttur will deliver the introductory address, and Dr Kolachappe Govinda Bhatt, president of the newly formed district unit, will preside over the programme.

During the ceremony, the prestigious Govinda Pai National Award 2025, instituted by the Kannada Bhavana Central Committee of Kasaragod, will be presented to Dharmadarshi Dr Harikrishna Punaruru, Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, Captain Ganesh Karnik, Shripathi Bhatt Moodbidri, and Bhuvanabhirama Udupi.

The winners of the Chutuku poetry competition, held under the auspices of the Kerala State Kannada Chutuku Sahitya Parishat’s Dakshina Kannada chapter, will also be honoured. The recipients of the Dakshina Kannada District Chutuku Kavya Award 2025 are Nirmala Suratkal, Geetha N Narikombu, Dr Sumathi P, Abdul Samad Bava, and Dayavati Charantimath.

A Chutuku poetry session featuring 24 poets will also be held under the chairmanship of Kolachappu Satyavati Bhatt.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)