KARNATAKA: LEADERSHIP: Young Indians to host Y20 Dialogues event in Mysuru

Yi is hosting Youth20, an official consultation forum that encourages youth as future leaders to raise, as a prelude to G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance that is hosted in New Delhi in July this year

India is hosting the 2023 G20 Summit at New Delhi in July this year. As part of it,Young Indians (Yi), a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is all set to host the G20 YEA (Young Entrepreneur Alliance) India Summit in Delhi from July 13 to 15. As India has taken over the G20 presidency, this is a moment of great pride for Yi to bring together over 800 changemakers from 20+ nations at the G20 YEA India Summit in Delhi. The YEA is a global network of approximately 500,000 young entrepreneurs and the organisations that support them, a press release said here.

Before one of the most anticipated events of the year at Delhi, Yi is hosting Youth20 (Y20), an official consultation forum which encourages youth as future leaders to raise, it said. 

Yi Mysuru chapter, in collaboration with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and JSS Science and Technology University, Mysuru, is hosting Y20 dialogues event on Monday (April 24) at 12 p.m. Students from educational institutions associated with Yi Mysuru and SJCE will be part of this session.

The event will feature a master class on Trends in Artificial Intelligence by Navin Patel, Convenor–CII Mysuru IT and ITES Panel and Associate Vice-President, Infosys Limited, Mysuru.

Mr. Navin Patel heads the Technology Architecture Academy at Infosys. He has more than 25 years of experience in the IT field. Till recently, he headed the global pre-sales function for Healthcare, Insurance and Life Sciences verticals. In December, he took on a new role as the Head of Technology Architecture Academy, the release added.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ARTS & CULTURE / BEAUTY PAGEANT: Mangaluru’s Dr Priyanka Shekhar Bags Multiple Crowns, Titles at Mrs VogueStar India Beauty Pageant

City-based Dr Priyanka Shekhar won multiple crowns and titles at the three-day long Ms VogueStar India and Mrs VogueStar India 2023 all-India fashion week cum beauty pageant held in Jaipur.

Dr Priyanka won the crown for Mrs VogueStar India 2023 Mangauru winner, Mrs VogueStar India 2023 Karnataka state winner, Mrs VogueStar India 2023 Best body subtitle and Mrs VogueStar India 2023 national ambassador for VogueStar fashion week. The pageant was held from April 14 to 17.

Dr Priyanka hails from Shivamogga and has been living in Mangaluru since the last three years. She serves as bank medical officer in Statebank of India.

As many as 700 participants had applied to participate in the pageant out of which 300 qualified. There were 45 state and 15 national winners. Dr Priyanka was in top five.

Speaking to Daijiworld, she said, “Fashion is my passion. I used to receive many offers for movies and albums but could not spend much time due to my education. Now it is time to explore things as I am professionally settled. I feel there is no age limit for us to showcase our talent.

“I was extremely happy as I was representing national level from Mangaluru and Karnataka as a winner. Now I can inspire a lot of other women to go for more opportunities if they r interested in the modelling field,” she said.

Dr Priyanka was earlier the winner of a traditional wear ramp walk-fashion show held by Zeus Fitness on the occasion of Women’s Day.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SPORT / MOUNTAINEERING: Naveen Mallesh sets a New Record Conquering Peaks

This mountaineer set a new record by scaling two among the highest peaks in Asia, in a span of just three days.

When Naveen Mallesh  (35) stood atop Mount Fansipan in Vietnam in February this year, he was thankful for an uneventful trek.

At that moment, the mountaineer didn’t imagine he would eventually set a record of becoming the fastest individual to scale two mountains in South-East Asia.

Having undergone a month-long recovery process following a near-death experience while attempting to scale Mount Manaslu in Nepal in September ’22, Mallesh returned to mountaineering, scaling two among the highest peaks in South East Asia and Indo-China, Mount Kinabalu (Malaysia: 4,095m) and Mount Fansipan (Vietnam: 3,147m), respectively, within a span of just 3 days 10 hours and 49 minutes. “When I was talking to local guides in Fansipan, some didn’t believe I had come there having trekked Kinabalu just days before. They thought I had set a new record. It’s then that I applied for the Indian Book of Records and the Asian Book of Records,” he says.  

Mallesh’s only desire was to get back to doing what he loves and that drove him to undertake the challenge. “I explored trekking routes in the South-East and flew to Singapore. I then completed the trek to Mount Kinabalu in a day and flew back to Singapore. I had an 18-hour layover, flew to Vietnam, and completed the trek to Mount Fansipan,” he says, adding his experience helped him tackle the varied topography of both peaks. 

Like most mountaineers, Mallesh has always wanted to climb the highest peaks in all of the seven continents. In 2019, he scaled the first of the seven – Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. But the pandemic disrupted plans. So when he climbed the second of the seven peaks – Mount Elbrus, Russia, he dedicated that to Covid warriors. His next target was Mount Aconcagua, Argentina.

Yet again, the third wave and the ensuing restrictions forced the Banashankari resident to look elsewhere. He decided to scale Mount Manaslu – the world’s eighth-highest peak at 8,163m. When he was within touching distance of the peak, an avalanche buried him under snow. “It’s known as the ‘dead zone’. I had blockages in my lungs and frostbites on my toes. Thankfully, I was rescued,” shares Mallesh, who is now eyeing Mount Everest.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) Hosts International Global Health Advisory Board meeting of the Global Health Programme April 15-16, Udupi

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) hosted the International Advisory Board of the Global Health programme on April 15-16 followed by the Global Health Symposium.

The board met under the aegis of MAHE and the occasion was graced on April 15 by Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh, vice chancellor, Dr Sharath Kumar Rao K, pro vice chancellor- Health Sciences, Dr Giridhar Kini P, registrar, Dr Karunakar Kotegar, director – International Relations and, Dr Helmut Brand, director – Prasanna School of Public Health.

The meeting was chaired by Dr Thijs Teeling, director, Covalence, with representation from seven partner universities, including Canada, Netherlands, Norway, Colombia, Thailand, India and Sudan.

Dr Thijs Teeling presided over the meeting and stated: “I am very happy to be in Manipal and grateful to MAHE for hosting the board and students for the symposium. I am impressed by the preparation and coordination of the events and am looking forward to meeting the students at the symposium. To this point, the meeting has been a great success.”

Video greetings to the board and MAHE leadership were presented from the president of Maastricht University, Prof Dr Rianne Letschert and the dean and vice-president, faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, prof Dr Paul M O’Byrne. The Global Health International Consortium website and logo were presented by Dr Agnes Meershoek from Maastricht University which was applauded as a step in the right direction.

Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh, the vice chancellor of MAHE stated: “Global health is of paramount importance and is in accordance with the vision of the founder, Dr. TMA Pai who had worked towards the provision of quality healthcare, education and development.” He also emphasized that the deliberations of the Advisory Board and the development of a website dedicated to the Consortium for Global Health were in line with the theme of India’s G20 Presidency – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth. One Family. One Future.”

During the meeting, the guest speaker was Maj Gen (Dr prof) Atul Kotwal SM, VSM (retd)., executive director, National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), ministry of health & family welfare, government of India, and he provided comprehensive insights on the topic of ‘Global Health Leadership and Partnerships in Health System Strengthening Efforts’ emphasizing the example of India’s efforts towards equity with impacts on the local and global platforms.

Following the advisory board meeting, the annual Global Health Symposium will take place between April 16- 28, bringing together over 300 students and 37 faculty from partner institutions.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ILLUSTRIOUS PERSONALITY: R3 – R.R. Rao: a Book of Family History and Personal M Memories

Dr. Githa has collected 51 pictorial memories of her husband to document his life journey and construct a personal archive.

A book of memories compiled by Dr. Githa U. Badikillaya titled “R 3 – R. R. Rao: Resplendent, Resonating Reflections” was released by former ambassador Gurjit Singh on Sunday, April 17, 2023.

In the book, Dr. Githa has collected 51 pictorial memories of her husband, fondly called R-Cube, from his colleagues, friends and relatives.

The author saw in this project an opportunity to document her husband’s life journey, construct his personal archive, define family history and gift it to their 10-month-old granddaughter Ira, said a release. It’s a perfect way of preserving knowledge, wisdom and memories down the ages, the release added.

Value of individual memories

On what motivated her, Dr. Githa said, “Every family member has stories that need to be told and archived. These individual memoires are of great value to the members and extended members of the family as it humanises our ancestors. These are the micro-narratives that form a part of the larger societal multi-layered legacies. There is a need for documenting a collection of anecdotes from our ancestors even if its contemporary, as memories become fragmented and are lost over time.”

“Families are becoming diversified and cross cultural across the globe. As such, future generations will have more than one family history, and documenting family histories is an investment in oneself and one’s family. The impact leads to understand how the family has interacted with larger historical changes, and the specific family traditions that depict a changing social milieu.” 

The book is available for sale at an early-bird price of ₹150. Readers can contact 9845327145 to order their copies.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: BUSINESS & ECONOMY / FOOD & BEVERAGES: Mysuru-based start-up ‘Eshanya Beverages’ formally releases Innovative ‘Betel Leaf Tea Bags’

The product developed at Nitte’s DST TEC is available online.

Mysuru-based start-up, Eshanya Beverages, on Friday formally released ‘Betel leaf tea bags’, which was developed at NITTE (Deemed to be University) DST Technology Enabling Centre (DST TEC).

Sandeep Eshanya, a resident of Vijayanagar in Mysuru, told reporters that he quit his job in Bengaluru during COVID-19 second wave. He read a research paper on betel leaf tea. “I was fascinated with the idea as I come from the land of betel leaf and approached a few start-up incubation firms.” NITTE DST TEC agreed to support Mr. Eshanya and NITTE University’s Centre for Science Education and Research (CSER) was asked to study the product.

B.S. Mamatha from NITTE’s CSER said they researched on the product for a year. The research involved the way the betel leaves can be dried and cut into small pieces, which will release its natural taste when placed in hot water. “It took a year to come out with the product that had mild and natural taste of betel leaf,” Ms. Mamatha said, adding the product retains the health benefits of betel leaf.

Mr. Eshanya said apart from natural flavour, they brought out betel leaf bags in orange, rose petals, and lemon flavours. His wife Rani Vishwanath said they approached Ramaiah Evolute, start-up incubator of M.S. Ramaiah Institute, where they received help from Sadananda Maiya, a pioneer of ready-to-eat products, in marketing the product.

Eshanya Beverages sold over 300 boxes of tea, each containing 50 bags and priced at ₹349, through an online platform recently. Betel leaf tea bags are available in retail stores in Mysuru, Mr. Eshanya said.

Launching the product, NITTE Vice-Chancellor Sateesh Kumar Bhandary said TEC set up at NITTE is among a few set of TECs set up by the Union government’s Department of Science and Technology across the country. “Since the last three years, TEC has been supporting new entrepreneurs,” he said.

Iddya Karunasagar, advisor (Research and Patent), NITTE, said the TEC recently transferred technology of making of almond milk powder to a Delhi-based start-up. Technology transfer related to two more products of TEC is in the pipeline, he said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: EDUCATION / DRONES & REMOTE PILOTS: Centre of Excellence for Drone Education and Remote Pilot Training to come up at Chickballapur

This institute will serve as a platform where students learn the fundamentals of drones, drone mapping, GIS, data processing, and a certified remote pilot training course.

Aereo, an end-to-end drone solutions startup, has partnered with SJC Institute of Technology to open a centre of excellence in Chickballapur.

This institute will serve as a platform where students learn the fundamentals of drones, drone mapping, GIS, data processing, and a certified remote pilot training course.

This institute is the first-of-its-kind for advancing holistic drone education in India alongside fundamental remote pilot training.

The centre will provide exposure to students and help them build a career in India’s booming drone industry. The courses will be taught by highly experienced industry experts, said Aereo, which was founded in 2013 in IIT Kanpur.

“This centre of excellence will lay the groundwork for drone education in the country. We are extremely grateful to SJCIT for their collaboration and look forward to providing top-notch drone education to the youth of Karnataka. Lack of high-skilled workforce is a primary bottleneck for the Indian drone industry. By imparting holistic drone education along with remote pilot training, we aim to create thousands of new drone-related jobs and pave the way for R&D in indigenous drone technology. It will equip students with real-world experience and skills required to forge a lucrative career in the Indian drone industry,” said Vipul Singh, co-founder, and CEO of Aereo.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA : NATIONAL: Indigenous Chip for NavIC-based Satellite Navigation launched by Elena Geo Systems, Bengaluru

The processor will give India a huge edge as both government and private sector can move away from their dependence on the American Global Positioning System, says founder of Elena Geo Systems.

In a step towards expanding usage of indigenous satellite-based Navigation, NavIC, a chip that can form the core of the Navigation, Positioning and Timing applications developed by Elena Geo Systems, a Bengaluru-based space technology company, was unveiled at the Defence Space Symposium on Thursday. The chip works using Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellites.

A chip was formally handed over by Lt. Col. V.S. Velan (retd.), founder and Chief Technology Officer of Elena Geo Systems, to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan.

“We are thrilled to present India’s first fully designed and developed NavIC chip. The processor will give India a huge edge as both the government and private sector can move away from their dependence on the American Global Positioning System (GPS). Elena is in the process of patenting the technology and the product which has been developed by our dedicated R&D team,” Lt. Col. Velan said.

The chip has many cores that service the requirements of signal acquisition, regeneration, processing and the output interface and hence it is has been named as the NavIC processor, he stated. “We will be manufacturing 10,000 chips in the first batch,” he told The Hindu. He said they had demonstrated several of their products to the armed forces and were supplying 200 NavIC receivers to the Army through Bharat Electronics Limited.

High precision

The chips will enable high precision and accuracy for all the three types of applications such as navigation, positioning and timing, providing self-reliance, Lt. Col. Vasan said, adding that they have been pursuing advance technologies to manufacture these chips and modules; some of which have been supplied to the Indian Army and some private entities.

Elena Geo Systems was incubated at IIT-Kharagpur in 2012 and is now a member of the Delhi-based Indian Space Association (InSA) which organised the symposium in association with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Elena demonstrated its first processor in April 2019, which could receive and process signals of NavIC S-band, L5 band, GAGAN, GPS and Russian GLONASS. In the last two years, Elena successfully demonstrated its capability across devices and applications for reference stations, DSM map display system with IRNSS for the Army, map display system for patrol boats, marine NavIC receivers, intelligent vehicle tracking devices, NavIC drone navigation units and NavIC-based atomic clock, Lt. Col. Velan added.

source / content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: From Indira Gandhi to Modi, Bandipur Project Tiger Reserve has become one of the World’s Top Tiger Habitat

Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched ‘Project Tiger on April 1, 1973, at Bandipur to protect the big cats and promote their conservation in India. Since then, the project has helped in increasing their population and strengthening conservation efforts.

Fifty years later, all eyes are on Bandipur Project Tiger Reserve again, not only because Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming there to inaugurate the celebrations to mark 50 years of Project Tiger, but bacause the reserve is recognized as the prime tiger habitat in the world today.

According to official statistics, the number of tigers when Project Tiger began in 1973 was 12. Due to rampant poaching and no protection, the big cat was pushed to the brink of extinction. As per the statistics by the National Tiger Conservation Authority the number of tigers has now been recorded at 126. The Authority has mentioned the number under the title “Status of Tigers Co-predators and Prey in India for 2018”. However, the number of tigers in the park is pegged at 173 today.

Modi will release the latest statistics of tiger estimation (2022) at the “Commemorating 50 years of Project Tiger” programme, which will be held in Mysuru on April 9.

The Bandipur National Park was formed by including most of the forest area of the then Venugopala Wildlife Park established by the government of India on February 19, 1941. The area was enlarged in 1985 extending over 874.20 square kms and was named the Bandipur National Park.

This reserve was brought under Project Tiger in 1973. Subsequently some adjacent reserve forest areas were added to the reserve extending it to 880.02 square kms. The present area under the Bandipur Tiger Reserve is 912.04 square kms.

In 2007-08, an area of 39.80 square kms attached to the Karnataka Forest Development Corporation plantation area was handed over to this division. During 2010-11 the Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary was also handed over to the wildlife division.

In old Mysore State, a forest department was established on January 11, 1864 and an army officer Major Hunter was appointed Conservator of Forests. The state’s rulers realizing the significance of the preservation of wildlife, passed the Mysore Game and Fish Preservation Act in 1901.

The Mysore Gazetteer recorded that tiger blocks were identified and restrictions were imposed on shooting them.

The Bandipur Tiger Reserve along with the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in Tamil Nadu including the Wayanad forest region in Kerala is home to the highest number of tigers in the country (724) and the largest Asian Elephant population.

The Bandipur Tiger Reserve has become a popular destination for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers from across the world because of its rich biodiversity. Anti-poaching patrols, habitat management and community based conservation programmes have yielded good results.

The authorities are dealing with the challenge of encroachment in buffer zones by the local communities. The development has resulted in man-animal conflict.

Environmentalist Dr A.N. Yallappa Reddy, talking to IANS, stated that Karnataka even today remains the leading state in preservation measures. The tiger population here is the highest in the country. The politicians and earlier the maharajas here paid attention to conservation, he added.

Karnataka was the first state to implement Project Tiger. Because of the Mysuru rulers, the state was the first in the country to declare Bandipur Sanctuary to protect tigers and elephants, he said.

Late former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs was also concerned about wildlife, nature, forests and tree protection. He implemented the guidelines of Project Tiger and abolished the “Pre-Paid license” scheme which allowed people to go into the forests by paying Rs 2 or Rs 3 for a pass. Hundreds of bullock carts entered the forests and people stayed there for one or two days, he explained.

Yallappa Reddy said that when he was deputy conservator of forests in Hunsur, he took Devaraj Urs to see the plunder of the forests. “He banned the practice. Simultaneously Project Tiger was implemented,” he stated.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com (headline edited)

REGIONAL – KARNATAKA : MEDICAL LABORATORY & DIAGNOSTICS: Lupin Diagnostics Opens Regional Reference Lab in Bengaluru as part of pan-India expansion

Lupin Diagnostics, a part of pharma major Lupin Ltd., has opened a regional reference laboratory in Bengaluru as part of country-wide expansion of its diagnostics networks. Lupin currently has 25 such labs in the country.

Lupin Diagnostics leveraged automation and streamlined processes to deliver highly accurate test results, empowering patients to make informed decisions about their health, said Ravindra Kumar, CEO of Lupin Diagnostics, while addressing a media conference here on Wednesday.

 “Accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective disease management. With cutting-edge technology and personalised smart reports, patients and doctors can gain valuable insights into health trends and make informed decisions about treatment options,” he said.

In addition to routine and specialised tests, the laboratory offers a comprehensive range of diagnostics services, including molecular diagnostics, cytogenetics, flow cytometry, cytology, microbiology, serology, haematology, histopathology, immunology, routine biochemistry, among others, he added.

Lupin is also planning to scale up the number of its sample collection centres across the country from 400 currently to 1,000 by the end of financial year 2023.

Lupin currently has a leadership position in the cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, and respiratory segments and has a significant presence in the anti-infective, gastrointestinal (GI), central nervous system (CNS), and women’s health areas. Also, it is the third-largest pharmaceutical company in the U.S. by prescriptions, as per senior executives of the company.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)