The last date for submitting nominations is December 11 In the backdrop of the State Election Commission announcing election to Madikeri CMC, the authorities have started making preparations for the smooth conduct of election.
To check the movement of people in front of CMC office, a barricade has been installed. The nominations will be received at a building next to Kaveri Kalakshetra. No nominations were received on the first day. The last date for submitting nominations is December 11 and nominations will be scrutinised on December 12. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is December 14. The public campaign will end on December 20 and election will be held on December 22 from 7 am to 5 pm.
The counting will be held on December 24 at 8 am. The total population in the CMC limits is 33,381. There are 24,325 voters, of which 11,934 are male and 12,391 are female voters.
There are 28 polling booths. Two election officers and two assistant election officers have already been appointed for 23 wards. Deputy Registrar of Cooperatives S Sridhar will be the election officer for ward 1 to 11. Youth Services and Sports department Assistant Director Jayalakshmi Bai will be the Assistant Election Officer.
Similarly, Watershed department Deputy Director Tirumalesh will be the election officer for ward number 12 to 23 and Horticulture department Assistant Director Pramod will function as Assistant Election Officer.
Three booths have been identified as hypersensitive, two as sensitive and 23 booths as general. St Michael High School booth has highest number of voters—1263 and Taluk panchayat building polling booth has lowest voters—465.
A total of 120 officials will be deployed for election.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS – Madikeri / December 04th, 2013
A picture of a misty Talacauvery shrine in Kodagu Mysore :
Until recently, Munnar in Idukki district of Kerala trumped Kodagu as a tourist hotspot, but the hilly district of Karnataka with its coffee plantations and pleasant weather has emerged as the new favourite in 2012-13.
From January to November this year, Kodagu received as many as 10,73,961 tourists and Munnar only 3,53,545, although it has more to offer tourists in terms of infrastructure, going by the data of the tourism departments of the two states.
A recent survey by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation, New Delhi, too placed Kodagu in numero uno position among hill stations of the country, says Mr Phaneesh, assistant director of Department of Tourism, Kodagu.
With its many homestays and natural beauty drawing more people to the ‘Orange County’ of late, the department of tourism is now waking up to its potential and building more facilities here for visitors.
“We are also in the process of regularising the unauthorised homestays that have come up all over the district,” Mr Phaneesh adds, clearly upbeat at the new emerging trend which he is sure will bring good business to the district.
While Kodagu saw a large number of tourists even in the monsoon, Munnar received 40 percent less tourists owing to bad weather, according to Mr Soman, assistant wildlife warden of Eravikulam-Rajamala Wildlife Sanctuary.
“Tourism in the hill station has been badly hit due to the heavy monsoon. The average tourist inflow per day has dropped from 6,000 to 3,000 this year,” he says.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Travel / DC / by S. V. Krishna Chaitanya / November 27th, 2013
Local flavour: Tata Starbucks recently launched the Indian Estates blend./ Photo by Janak Bhat
Innovation has been the watchword for coffee brand Barista Lavazza, and this is highlighted in Amore, an art-themed menu for India. The menu pairs food and coffee, and the selections are presented using pop art. The company regularly does thematic menu launches. Last year it tied up with fashion designer Rina Dhaka to launch Milano Collezioni, a fashion-inspired menu. The art work for Amore was done by Arrested by Art, a Delhi-based art boutique. And, Barista Lavazza is not the only coffee outlet that is introducing new concepts and innovation to woo Indian customers, particularly the youth.
Tata Starbucks recently launched the India Estates blend, an addition to its Indian Espresso Roast blend. Sourced and roasted in India, this blend is part of the company’s strategy to deliver locally relevant experiences to its customers. The company recently introduced Pumpkin Spice Latte, a Starbucks classic. And, to complete the experience, it is offering a wide range of merchandise, including a mug designed specifically for India. Internationally, Starbucks’s country and city mug series is quite popular.
Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) introduced Friends of Frappe, a new menu comprising beverage and bite-sized snacks focused on the Indian market. The special menu offers Bestie Combos, which pairs a snack and beverage like Amore does.
With coffee culture becoming popular in the country, the number of cafes has been growing fast. At least 200 outlets have been opening every year, for the past five years. The market is estimated to be worth Rs.1,000 crore, and growing at around 15-20 per cent annually. It is said that India can take another 2,000 cafes in the near future.
Santhosh Unni, CEO, Costa Coffee India, said coffee shops “have become the favoured hang-out zone for the youth and the preferred meeting place for a wide profile of people”. “It highlights not just a shift in taste, but a cultural shift as well, where young, affluent Indians are more interested in global trends than ever before,” he said. “The increase in disposable income and shifting lifestyle preferences are the key drivers of the growth being witnessed in the Indian coffee market.”
Traditionally, India is tea-drinking, with the coffee to tea ratio being 1:7. India consumes only 80gm of coffee per capita, as against six kilo per capita in Italy. The current boom in India is coming from two distinct trends—middle-class consumption and out-of-home consumption.
“Consumer acceptance is actually driving the growth in consumption, as well as the café culture,” said Nilanjan Bhattacharya, COO (India and SAARC), Barista Lavazza. “Globalisation, expanding base of the middle class, rising disposable incomes, changing lifestyle patterns, coupled with exposure to international trends through films, advertising, youth community sites and personal blogs are all factors which are driving this trend and the shift in consumption patterns.”
Tata Starbucks sees a huge opportunity in sourcing and roasting local premium Arabica coffees for international consumption. Tata Coffee ensures that the coffee supplied to Tata Starbucks is 100 per cent locally sourced and roasted. Tata Starbucks is a joint venture of Starbucks Corporation and Tata Global Beverages.
All the major players in the Indian cafe market are trying to maximise the customer’s experience in the cafe. CCD has around 30 outlets uniquely designed to hook the youth. The company is active on social media, using the platform to gather feedback from customers. It also holds coffee-tasting sessions for customers.
Avani Davda, CEO, Tata Starbucks, said the “Starbucks Experience” is built on three basics: “our products, our places and our people”. “Our offerings, in-store experience, and store design reflect the community gathering place that Starbucks is known for,” she said. “Customers come for coffee, stay for the inviting warmth and return for the very human connection.”
K. Ramakrishnan, president (marketing), CCD, said the company had coffee plantation trails at its resort—The Serai in Chikmagalur, Karnataka. Tata Coffee, too, is popularising coffee plantation trails at some of its exquisite estate bungalows in Karnataka.
Costa Coffee launched Costa Laughaccino, a stand-up comedy series by leading artists from India and the US. They also organised Costa Rhythm and Brew, where the likes of Leslie Lewis, Rabbi Shergill, Indus Creed and Indian Idols performed at Costa cafes.
Barista Lavazza reached out to the customer with its Click-a-Coffee photography contest. The best 100 photographs chosen by ace photographer Pradeep Dasgupta will be brought out as a coffee table book. The company also has Friendship Jam, an event for music lovers and amateur bands. The company has been hosting Penguin book launches. The first book to be released was Shobhaa De’s Sethji. Barista Lavazza also brought out a new coffee, named after the book’s title character, for the launch. During the launch De tweeted: “Sethji coffee—go for it guys. It’s seriously yummmmm. Even the book reads better after a mug or two of the brew….”
Visibility, too, is top on the list for the cafe chains. “We have established our outlets at different locations such as places of tourist interest and hill stations to catch the attention of the customers,” said Ramakrishnan. “CCD has outlets all over, from religious places such as Vaishno Devi, Haridwar and Rishikesh to places near Metro stations in Delhi. We also have outlets in Austria and the Czech Republic.”
And, the coffee boom is good news not just for the well-heeled. Costa Coffee’s special HR initiative provides employment to the physically challenged, including the hearing-impaired. The company invests in special training for these employees. Store managers, shift managers and many in the senior management are schooled in sign language to ensure better coordination with the special employees. Currently, 15 per cent of Costa Coffee employees are special, and the company plans to raise it to 25 per cent by the end of next year.
EXPANSION PLANS
Cafe Coffee Day: First cafe at Brigade Road, Bangalore, in 1996. More than 1,500 cafes today. Target: 2,000 cafes by 2015.
Tata Starbucks: Born in October 2012. Has 25 cafes across Mumbai, Delhi and Pune. Probable next stop: Bangalore. Also looking at Tier-II cities.
Costa Coffee: Came to India in 2005. 100th store opened at Carter Road, Mumbai. Target: 300 cafes by 2015. Recent cafes: Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Agra and Jaipur. Coming soon: Hyderabad. Looking closely at Tier-II & Tier-III cities.
Barista Lavazza: First store at Basant Lok, New Delhi, in February 2000. Aiming at Tier-II and Tier-III cities. Recent cafes: Patiala, Surat, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur and Nagpur.
source: http://www.week.manoramaonline.com / The Week / Home> Business / by Abhinav Singh / Monday – November 25th, 2013
Leading bourse National Stock Exchange (NSE) today gave its approval to merger of Alliance Coffee with its listed parent firm Tata Coffee saying the amalgamation does not violate provisions of securities law.
Tata Coffee in September had announced that its board has approved the merger of Alliance Coffee with itself, consequent to which the draft scheme of amalgamation was filed with stock exchanges for necessary approval. (NSE also said that Sebi’s…)
In a communication to Tata Coffee, NSE said it is granting its ‘no-objection approval’ to the proposed scheme and this observation letter will be valid for six months starting today, within which period the company would have to file the scheme with the High Court for further clearance.
Another bourse, BSE granted its no-objection to the scheme on November 21.
NSE also said that Sebi’s observations on the scheme requires Tata Coffee to display ‘fairness opinion’ submitted by it on the website of listed firm.
“We have perused ‘draft scheme of arrangement’ and related documents submitted by Tata Coffee including the confirmation of the company secretary that the scheme so submitted does not in any way violate, over-ride or circumscribe the provisions of securities laws or stock exchange requirements,” NSE said.
“Accordingly, we do hereby convey our ‘no-objection’ with limited reference to those matters having a bearing on listing /delisting/ continuous listing requirements within the provisions of the Listing Agreement, so as to enable the company to file the scheme with the High Court,” it added.
According to norms, companies seeking to execute merger or de-merger strategies need to obtain ‘no-objection certificate’ from stock exchanges.
source: http://www.articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> Markets> Commodities> Exchanges / by PTI / November 25th, 2013
With homestays mushrooming rapidly of late, many of them unauthorisedly, the Kodagu district administration on Thursday came up with a plan to regularise them.
The action comes weeks after MLC and senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader, M.C. Nanaiah alleged that unauthorised homestays were being used for immoral activity and appealed for a crackdown on them.
Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari, who chaired a meeting on Thursday to discuss strategies on ways to regularise the unauthorised homestays without hampering promotion of tourism, said a detailed action plan had been prepared to tackle the problem.
While only 216 homestays are registered with the authorities, Tewari explained the rest could not be termed illegal. “Under Karnataka’s tourism policy we can’t penalise the owners of homestays for not registering. It’s more of a voluntary thing.
However, under the proposed new tourism policy, which is likely to come up for approval during the winter assembly session, a more detailed methodology has been worked out to prevent unauthorised tourism facilities from coming up in the district.
Until then we will have to work with the present tools,” he said, adding that directions had been issued to Chesscom, the commercial tax and city municipality to ensure the homestays followed the guidelines laid down under civil laws.
The issue will be discussed at the District Tourism Council meeting in December as well.
Tewari also directed the superintendent of police to keep a check on the increasing number of unauthorised adventure camps in Kodagu and warned that recreation clubs that didn’t comply with the new set of guidelines issued by the state government would be closed down.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / by S.V.Krishna Chaityanya / November 22nd, 2013
Manam’, the first 3G (three generation) film in Telugu casting the legendary actor Dr. ANR, his son Nagarjuna and grandson Naga Chaitanya will resume shoot from the 1st December in Coorg, a hill station in Karnataka.
Director Vikram Kumar said ‘The schedule will be on for 15 days in which we will film some key sequences between Nagarjuna, Sriya, Naga Chaitanya and Samantha. I wish our hero Chaitanya a happy birthday’
Chaitanya said ‘This will forever be the most memorable film in my career coz it has the thrilling experience of acting alongside Dad and Granddad. Vikram is carving a beautiful family entertainer and this will be my third with Samantha after YMC and ANS’
ANR, Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya are the male leads in the film with Samantha and Sriya as the female leads. Brahmanandam, Tanikella Bharani, MS Narayana, Jaya Prakash Reddy, Posani, Nagineedu, Saranya, Kasi Vishwanath, Ravi Babu, Vennela Kishore and Melkote are playing the other key roles.
An apiculture park will be set up at Bhagamandala in Kodagu district to revive apiculture in Karnataka, Horticulture Minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa said on Thursday.
He told reporters here that the park would come up on six acres at Bhagamandala. The department would distribute 20,000 boxes to Jenu Kurubas, a tribe that has expertise in honey cultivation and extraction.
According to him, Rs. 60 lakh had been earmarked in the current fiscal to promote apiculture. “At present, the honey production is around 800 metric tonnes but it is possible to increase it to 8,000 metric tonnes per annum. Besides awareness, training would be imparted to the local tribe to promote apiculture. There is a lot of scope for promoting apiculture in Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and other Malnad districts,” he said.
Neera Policy
The minister said the department has submitted a proposal to the Finance Department to announce a policy on neera.
“An amendment to the State Excise Act is necessary to allow the tapping and selling of neera in the state. Already, steps have been taken to promote value-added products from the neera like palm syrup, palm jaggery and palm sugar. Now it is up to the Finance Department to table a bill in the State Legislature to pass the Neera Policy,” he said.
Proposal Submitted
He said the state government has submitted a proposal to the Union government seeking release of Rs. 100 crore to revive coconut plantations in several districts.
“Thirty per cent of the coconut plants have perished due to pests and failure of monsoon. The department is educating the farmers of rain-fed areas to go for alternative crops,” he said. According to him, the department has given Rs. 12,000 per acre to farmers for loss of coconut plants.
Auction Centres
Shamanur said two flower auction centres set up in Tumkur and Davangere would be inaugurated soon. The Department of Horticulture has provided the infrastructure but it would be managed by the Karnataka Agricultural Marketing Department.
“Floriculture is no longer a profitable venture following competitions from the African countries. In recent years, Kenya and Ethiopia have emerged as leading flower export countries after the European countries. Despite this, many flowers are being exported from Karnataka thanks to the department’s support. Fifty per cent subsidy is being given to entrepreneurs under the National Horticulture Mission to promote floriculture,” he said.
Census
He said the census of horticulture crops’ areas under cultivation and production were in progress in Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davangere, Gulbarga, Hassan, Kolar, Mysore, Shimoga and Tumkur districts. According to him, Rs. 5 crore had been earmarked for the purpose. “Nearly 50 per cent of the work has been completed,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service – Bangalore / November 22nd, 2013
Govindappa Jayaram from Kodagu district has been elected as Chairman and K Kurian from Chikmagalur district as Vice Chairman of Karnataka Planters’ Association.
Jayaram and Kurian got elected at the 55th Annual General Meeting of the Karnataka Planters’ Association.
The following have been elected to executive committee of KPA: Chikmagalur District – H.T. Pramod, Shirish Vijayendra, Mahesh Shashidhar.
Kodagu District – A.A. Ponappa, N. Bose Mandanna, M.A. Sampath (Corporate Seat).
Hassan District – V. Murali (Corporate Seat) and Baba P.S. Bedi.
Small Growers seat – Kodagu District – Dr M.M.Chengappa.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Agri-Biz / by Anil Urs anil.u@thehindu.co.in / Bangalore – November 17th, 2013
Nectar Fresh honey. Credit: Chayaa Nanjappa
Coorg (Kodagu) is a picturesque hill district along the verdant western Ghats Mountains in the state of Karnataka, South India, which is well known for its aromatic coffee, luscious oranges and fragrant spices. This landscape with steep hills, valleys and ravines with countless streams is home to forests of rosewood, teakwood, sandalwood and silver oak. In this setting, one entrepreneur is turning the region’s traditions of beekeeping and honey collecting into a global operation called Nectar Fresh honey.
Honey is an important part of the culture in Coorg, where bees are kept and honey is cultivated throughout the dense forests and on the many coffee plantations. At “A Cookery Year in Coorg,” Shalini Nanda Nagappa writes “at a Coorg child’s naming ceremony, a gold coin is dipped in honey, and touched to the infant’s lips, a symbolic wish and blessing for the child to live a life of sweetness and prosperity.”
Humble beginnings with a dream
In 2007, Chayaa Nanjappa, a young woman from Coorg, decided to leave her job in the hospitality industry to follow her dream of starting her own honey business. Her initial plan was to supply the purest quality honey from her hometown to the local markets in Bangalore.
To learn the ropes of the new business, she trained at the central Bee Research and Training Institute in Pune, Maharashtra. With a small loan from her mother and with the support of Khadi and Village Industries. she started her business Nectar Fresh honey in Bangalore.
Honey is collected directly from the source and filtered. It later undergoes moisture reduction and then again more filtration. It is then cooled and sent to settling tanks. Processed honey is meticulously tested for quality at the in-house laboratory. Initially the honey was processed and packaged for the pharmaceutical, ayurveda, and hospitality sectors. After serving solely as a supplier to other brands, Nectar Fresh began marketing honey and related products under its own label across India in 2007.
Three years later, Nanjappa relocated the flourishing business to Mysore. Kuppanda Rajappa, a well-known businessman of Coorg origin, with considerable experience in management of plantations and retail sector joined the company as partner. Nectar Fresh was initially sourcing honey only from Coorg. Today the company selectively sources raw honey from various honey-rich regions of India. The honey is collected from forests, certified apiaries, tribal societies and small farmers.
Growing Nectar Fresh honey’s export operation
Pure unadulterated Coorg honey is unique in flavor, aroma and color. These qualities vary depending on the nectar source, age and storage conditions of the honey. Honey extracted during different seasons and from various parts of Coorg carries the flavor of seasonal and regional flowers. Color ranges from dark to light amber: Pale honeys have a mild flavor, while the darker ones have more robust flavor.
Honey made primarily from the nectar of one type of flower is called mono-floral. They have high value in the market due to distinctive flavor. Darker honeys are used for large-scale commercial purposes while lighter honeys are marketed for direct consumption and demand a premium price over the darker counterparts. Most of Nectar Fresh honey is organic and the company also specializes in mono-floral honeys, including Coorg honey, eucalyptus honey, acacia honey, clover honey, mustard honey, sunflower honey, jamun honey, lychee honey and forest honey, which is sourced from dense forests where herbal plants known for their medicinal properties grow.
From the new processing plants in Mysore the company started marketing single-portion packs and 30-gram bottles under Nectar Fresh brand for sale in the hospitality industry. Soon Nectar fresh launched retail-portion package of jams and sauces. Nectar Fresh is one of the largest suppliers of bulk honey from south India, and today its products are exported through middlemen to United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and European Union markets. Recently Nectar Fresh met the stringent standards necessary for approval to export honey to Germany.
The company is awaiting the completion of a new processing plant with a much larger capacity, which would enable Nectar Fresh to produce even more honey. Another plant for processing fruit jams and tomato sauces and purées is expected to be operational by June. The company is in the process of introducing Nectar Fresh Coorg coffee. Plans are also in the works for marketing Coorg-grown pepper, cardamom and kokum.
Nanjappa is a member of the National Bee Board of India. From humble beginning of supplying quality honey to the local market, the company has evolved into one of the top five suppliers and exporter of bulk, raw honey as well as processed honey and the only one manufacturing different varieties of mono-floral honey.
source: http://www.zesterdaily.com / Zester Daily / Home> World / contributor Ammini Ramachandran, Texas based contributor / June 06th, 2013
The State government on Friday issued transfer orders to five IAS officers.
M V Savithri as been appointed the new Managing Director, Karnataka Public Lands Corporation Limited, and Priyanka Mary Francis is the new Managing Director for Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation.
The other officers are: V Srirama Reddy, MD, Managing Director for Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited; Dr D S Vishwanath, Deputy Commissioner, Ramanagara district, and P I Sreevidya, the Deputy Secretary, Zilla Panchayat, Kodagu — who has been given the additional responsibility of being the Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Panchayat, Kodagu.
Other officers
The government has also appointed V Umesh Kusuga, KAS, the new MD, North-Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation, Hubli, and K B Anjanppa, CEO, Zilla Panchayat, Haveri.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / Bangalore – November 08th, 2013
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