Three top women officers are leading from the front the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in Kodagu.
Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, Superintendent of Police Suman D. Pennekar and Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K. Lakshmi Priya, who were in the vanguard when Kodagu was devastated by floods and landslides last year, are once again in the frontline of the campaign titled #KodaguFightsCorona.
In fact, Ms. Pennekar was serving the district when Kodagu witnessed unprecedented floods and landslides in 2018. Srividya P.I. was the Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu during the 2018 floods.
The top officers worked as a team and used to visit the affected areas together to realise the situation and provide relief accordingly.
In the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, the district administration, the district police and the zilla panchayat are again in “battle mode”.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – April 09th, 2020
Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy and SP Suman D. Pennekar at a containment area in Kodagu for checking the spread of COVID-19. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Kodagu had reported its first and only case on March 19 and thereafter zero cases till date; Union Health Ministry quotes containment efforts
Kodagu’s efforts to contain the spread of novel Coronavirus have been admired nationally since it is one among two districts in the entire country where no new COVID-19 case had surfaced for 28 continuous days even as cases had been soaring in other States, including in many parts of Karnataka as well.
The first case in Kodagu was reported on March 19 and there had been zero cases subsequently. Besides Kodagu, Mahe in Puducherry had also reported nil cases since over four weeks.
Joint Secretary (Health) Luv Agarwal, while citing Kodagu’s COVID-19 combat efforts during his media briefing, lauded the containment efforts and felt that such results can also be expected in other districts if such efforts were replicated.
The Centre’s appreciation has boosted the morale of Kodagu district administration, which, under the direction of Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, got into a “battle mode” almost a month before the first case was reported and when the virus was causing havoc in neighbouring China and spreading fast in Europe.
How did the district administration fight COVID-19?
The biggest challenge before it was the surveillance on the border with Kerala, which had a spike in cases, particularly from Kasaragod and Kannur areas. The health authorities started screening the people entering Kodagu from Kerala and later sealed some key border check-posts after the cases soared in the neighbouring State.
Sources in the Health Department told The Hindu that awareness programmes on COVID-19 that took off in February and surveillance on the borders helped the administration to confidently combat the disease.
Another reason for containing the spread of the contagion was the quick tracing of primary and secondary contacts of the first positive case (Kondangeri village) and the lockdown in 3-km radius of village to which the patient belonged to and its buffer area.
“None of the residents were allowed to step out of their village. All essentials were supplied to them by the district administration. After the two-week quarantine, they were under observation for any symptoms. Such containment efforts with round-the-clock monitoring with police patrol helped us to a large extent,” says Kodagu District Health Officer K. Mohan.
Also, the administration’s launch of e-commerce portal under #KodaguFightsCorona for delivering essential goods to the people’s doorsteps (to stop them from moving around) and the strict enforcement of the lockdown while easing the curbs three days a week for procuring essential supplies, and surveillance of fever cases on the district borders are the other efforts which could have worked in Kodagu’s favour.
The efforts of the district police, led by Superintendent of Police Suman D. Pennekar, in reaching out the ration and other essentials to the poor and migrant workers also helped to keep them indoors.
Also, 15 attendees of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin were identified and all of them were placed in hospital quarantine. They are now in 15-day home quarantine.
Around 400 medical teams are on the look-out for fever cases with door-to-door surveillance and reporting the suspected cases to the isolation ward.
With cases soaring in Mysuru, the administration, as a preventive measure, has decided to screen those transporting vegetables, fruits and other essentials in trucks from Mysuru to Kodagu from Monday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Shankar Bennur / Mysuru – April 20th, 2020
The Forest Department distributed ration to over 60 Mahouts and Kavadis of Dubare Elephant camp near here on Saturday.
Speaking after distributing ration, Madikeri Sub-Division Conservator of Forests (CF)Prabhakar said that the families of Mahouts and Kavadis who live in tribal hamlets were facing a lot of difficulties due to the lockdown.
The Department, taking note of their plight, decided to distribute ration and essential items kits to them. Asking the Mahouts, Kavadis and their family members to stay at home in order to maintain their health in the wake of COVID-19, he highlighted the need for everyone to maintain social distance in order to be safe.
Somwarpet ACF Nehru, Virajpet ACF Dayanand, Kushalnagar RFO Ananyakumar, Dubare Sub-Division Forest Officer Ranjan and others were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 12th, 2020
The district administration has launched an online telemedicine fever clinic, for consultation with doctors.
The website is www.kodaguedoc.letstart.in
A control room has also been set up with a doctor and the number is 9480610807.
People having fever and other symptoms of Covid-19 can log into the website and register. Later, with the help of the registration ID number, the person should call the control room number.
The doctor in the control room will obtain the registration ID and will prescribe the medicine through the website.
The person should later log into the website again and download the prescription and consult the doctor online.
The website will be operational soon, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / by DHNS / April 15th, 2020
District and Sessions Judge V V Mallapura and Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Noorunnisa visited district hospital in Madikeri.
District and Sessions Judge V V Mallapura and Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Noorunnisa visited the district hospital and Ashwini Hospital in Madikeri and inspected the facilities at the hospitals.
The judge collected details about the measures taken to check the spread of Covid-19 from doctors, paramedical staff and nurses.
Following the directions of the High Court, the judge also gathered information on stock of medicines, masks, hand gloves, sanitisers and ventilators at the hospitals.
Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences Dean Dr Cariappa and others were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / April 11th, 2020
Koodige milk dairy in Somwarpet taluk, which is a branch of Hassan Milk Producers Union Ltd, has been supplying milk to 3,000 families in the district free of cost.
Financially deprived people who are affected by the lockdown will benefit from the scheme.
Koodige dairy has been supplying 860 litres of milk to Madikeri, 656 litres to Virajpet, 685 litres to Kushalnagar and 715 litres to Somwarpet.
The free supply of milk started from April 4 and will continue till the end of the lockdown, said Koodige dairy marketing officer Mallesh.
Currently, free milk is supplied to destitutes, migrating labourers and construction workers. Health inspectors, civic workers and volunteers from the Red Cross have been supplying milk to the houses, under the supervision of taluk level officers, he said.
MLA Appachu Ranjan, while distributing free milk to people in Kushalnagar on Wednesday, said that the district is now free of Covid-19 as the person infected by the disease has been cured.
However, it is mandatory for everyone to follow the rules of lockdown, he added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Kushalnagar / April 09th, 2020
Mobius Foundation, a Delhi based NGO, handed over four ventilators to Kodagu district administration, for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Also, essential items for daily wage workers and the financially deprived, who are affected by the lockdown, were supplied by the NGO.
The items were handed over to the ‘Hasida Hottege Tanivu Pettige’ initiative, conceptualized by District Superintendent of Police Dr Suman D Pennekar.
Mobius Foundation convener Madhu Bopanna also handed over masks and medical kit for the medical staff, police and journalists.
Speaking on the occasion, he said that the organisation has contributed an amount of Rs 1 crore for PM CARES Fund on COVID-19. About 2,000 kg of lentils and 2,000 litres of oil have been contributed to ‘Hasida Hottege Tanivu Pettige’ initiative.
“It is the duty of every individual and organisation to help the needy during such a situation,” he added.
Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, Superintendent of Police Dr Suman D Pennekar and Kodagu Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K Lakshmi Priya were present.
Mobius Foundation had also lent a helping hand to the district during the flash floods and landslides.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Aditya K A / DHNS, Madikeri / April 07th, 2020
Kodava is a small and beautiful mountain district of Karnataka and is well known in the world for coffee and its ‘brave warriors’, men and women, serving in all services.
File photos of Lt Gen CP Cariappa, Lt Gen CB Ponnappa (R) and Lt Gen PC Thimmaya (L). (Photo | KodaguConnect Twitter handle)
New Delhi :
It was a proud moment for the people of Kodava district when Lt Gen CP Cariappa took command of India’s elite 1 Strike Corps at Mathura on Friday. Lt Gen Cariappa became the Corp Commander and the District boasts of rare distinction of three Lieutenant Generals serving the army simultaneously.
Kodava is a small and beautiful mountain district of Karnataka and is well known in the world for coffee and its “brave warriors”, men and women, serving in all services. Talking only of Indian Army there are 90 posts at the rank of Lieutenant General.
Lt Gen PC Thimmaya and Lt Gen CB Ponnappa are the other two generals. Lt Gen Thimmaya is the Army Commander at the Army Training Command and Lt Gen Ponnappa is the Chief of Staff at the Northern Army Command. All three officers are a product of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and joined the army at different times.
Lt Gen CP Cariappa is the junior-most among the three generals and was commissioned on 09 June 1984 into the 4th Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles. He served in UN Peace Keeping Force at Mozambique (Africa) and Iraq – Kuwait. Prior to taking over command of elite 1 Corps, he was the Military Secretary to the President of India at New Delhi. The officer on taking charge emphasized that his priority is ’fight against COVID-19 threat.’
Number of Kodava Lieutenant Generals in Indian Army at present: 3 File photos of Lt Gen CP Cariappa, Lt Gen CB Ponnappa (R) and Lt Gen PC Thimmaya (L). (Photo | KodaguConnect Twitter handle)
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At present Lt, Gen PC Thimmaya is the seniormost coorgi officer, who became Army Commander on 1 November 2018. He was the best cadet in pre-commission training at Indian Military Academy and was awarded the Sword of Honour. He got commissioned into 5th Battalion of the Mechanised Infantry in June 1981.
He commanded Army’s 10 Corps and was the Commandant, Army War College at Mhow before becoming Army Commander. Like the other two officers he also had UN Stint, was a Military Observer in UN Mission, Angola. He also was Defence Attache in the High Commission of India in Bangladesh. He assumed the command of Army Training Command in Nov 2018.
Lt Gen C Bansi Ponnappa is Chief of Staff of the prestigious Northern Command since Feb 2020. He was commissioned into 2 MAHAR Regiment in Jun 1985 and later commanded the same unit. The officer had two UN Tenures. He was in Somalia under UNOSOM-II and North Kivu Brigade of UN Peace Keeping Force in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
These officers follow in the footsteps of illustrious predecessors like Field Marshal K M Cariappa and General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya. Field Marshal Cariappa was first Indian Commissioned Officer, first Indian General and then first Commander-in-Chief of India.
A total of eleven officers from Kodagu have occupied top posts in the Army so far. This apart, Kodagu also boasts of having 20 Major Generals and four Air Marshals, which undoubtedly makes Kodagu, the Land of Generals.
Although, with time the numbers of people joining forces from the district have fallen, steps are being taken to regain it. The district has its own War Memorial with names of all martyred soldiers of Kodagu. A museum in the name of former Army Chief General Thimmaiah is also being constructed. The Kodava Legacy in the Army will continue.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by Mayank Singh / Express News Service / April 06th, 2020
The state government has reached out to tribals from Chamarajnagar stranded in Kodagu and provided them with food.
Mysuru :
The state government has reached out to tribals from Chamarajnagar stranded in Kodagu and provided them with food.Tribal development officials supplied 8 kg of ragi, wheat, sugar, jaggery, dal, horse gram, green gram, eggs, ghee and edible oil to the families of the migrant labourers.
The measure followed a report on ‘Soliga tribals of Chamarajnagar running out of food and desperate for vehicles to go back home’, published in TNSE.
Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol took up the matter with social welfare officials and directed them to contact the tribals and provide them with essentials. He, however, said they could not be shifted back to Chamarajnagar because of the ongoing lockdown.
Chamarajnagar District Minister Suresh Kumar directed DC Annies Kanmani Joy to provide foodgrains to the migrant labourers, following which the supply was ensured.
Tribesman Dasegowda confirmed that officials visited interior villages of Kodagu and supplied foodgrains to the labourers. The tribals, who had migrated to Kodagu to work in coffee estates, have been stranded there.
Kodagu District Minister V Somanna said, “I will meet the people on Tuesday and reassure them that the government will stand by them.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by K Shivakumar / Express News Service / March 30th, 2020
The Ibnii Spa and Resort in Coorg, Karnataka, weigh the food wasted by customers and makes them pay for it at the time of checkout.
The guests have to pay Rs 100 for every 10 gram of food wasted by them. | Image: Unsplash | Photo Credit: Representative Image
Bengaluru:
Food waste is definitely not a good taste. A luxury resort in Karnataka came up with an ingenious way to decrease the wastage of food by its guests. The Ibnii Spa Resort started charging its customers for wasting food.
The resort which is located in the hills of Coorg, Karnataka, has come down from 14 waste bins to just one since the initiative was implemented.
The composting unit of the resort used to be overworked with 14 huge garbage bins of leftover food daily. The resort decided to decrease the quantity of waste by informing guests that they could place their orders any number of times.
However, when the wastage of food did not stop, the resort came up with the unique idea of making the guests pay for the food they ordered but did not eat.
How much do the guests pay for wasting food?
The idea was simple. At the end of every meal, all the leftover food is weighed on a weighing machine in front of the guests. At the time of checkout, the guests are told how much food they wasted during their stay. They have to pay Rs 100 for every 10 gram of food wasted by them. The amount is to be dropped in a donation box which goes to a not-for-profit organisation that feeds children at an orphanage in Madikeri.
How have the guests reacted to the initiative?
The initiative which was started six months ago has made a huge impact on the conscience of the guests. “We have seen a drastic decrease in the quantity of food waste. From fourteen waste bins every day, we now only need one,” Shreya Krishnan, CSR adviser at The Ibnii, told Deccan Chronicle. The guests have appreciated the resort’s efforts to reduce food wastage.
How much food do we waste?
One-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations.
Not only is wasting food doing wrong to the farmers who grow the crop and to the chefs who cook the dishes but it is also unfair to those people who can’t afford two meals in a day and impacts the environment too.
source: http://www.timesnownews.com / TimesNowNews.com / Home> News> Buzz / by Saumya Agrawal / February 21st, 2020
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