Category Archives: Business & Economy

Chondamma Cariappa is helping keep traditional ethos alive with her handcrafted footwear label

March 8, 2018Business & Economyadmin

From advertising to blogging, and then finally designing shoes for her own footwear label, Chondamma Cariappa has come a long way. Read her #PassionToPaycheck story below.

These boots are meant for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do.

These lines from Nancy Sinatra’s hit number could very well be the theme for Chondamma Carippa – an avid traveller-turned-footwear entrepreneur.

Hailing from a small hill town in Coorg, the travel bug bit Chondamma at a very young age. “I grew up in various cities across India because my Dad was in the army and we would move every few years,” Chondamma recalls.

Chondamma was always drawn towards shoes, especially the handcrafted kind. “In school, my sisters wore delicate ballerinas while I was made to wear sturdy handmade shoes, because I would ruin the dainty ones,” she says.

So it was only time before she decided to combine her love for travel and shoes with her own footwear label, ‘The Sole Sisters’.

The first steps
It all began with a Facebook album named ‘Fetish’. Chondamma, an advertising professional, would post pictures of the shoes from various parts of the world that she came across on her travels. This soon took the form of a blog titled ‘The Sole Sisters’, and Chondamma started inviting followers to share their shoe stories. But what she didn’t anticipate was the kind of attention the blog would receive. She says, “That’s when it struck me that I can turn this into a much larger platform for women to share and discuss shoes. And since I already had a community of women (from the blog), along with a creative background and my fascination with shoes, I decided to make a capsule collection and introduce it to the blog community.”

The response that followed was so overwhelming that Chondamma decided to quit her advertising job and make time to learn the art of designing shoes. “One of the main challenges was teaching myself shoe-making techniques. With no prior training in this craft, it was initially a bit of a roadblock,” she adds. But things finally fell into place, and Chondamma started ‘The Sole Sisters’ label in January 2014 along with Parveez Shaikh, a screenplay writer.

A soleful adventure
“Knowing how much we love rocking a strong stride, our first priority has always been comfort and quality. Then comes our sense of unique style, where we believe every woman is rooted, yet reaching up to find herself in the most individualistic way possible. This is why we’ve chosen to re-invent, handcraft, and deep-design every process that goes into each pair,” says Chondamma.

‘The Sole Sisters’ draws inspiration from traditional crafts and earthy culture. Chondamma’s ideas and thoughts are based on her travels, surroundings and observations. She also relies heavily on her gut instinct for colors and combinations. The next step is spending hours with the right craftspeople. She explains, “Once I’ve decided on the designs, most of the time is spent in new development/sampling. I feel this is the most important stage in the process. Comfort and usage of materials is the key. After we’re done with the samples I test them with my close circle of family and friends.” This is the cycle they follow every time a new collection is launched.

At present, ‘The Sole Sisters’ clientele ranges from women in their early 20s to late 40s, across the globe. Every shoe that is made is handcrafted from personally sourced leather and fabric. “After traveling across the country, I fell in love with local culture, textile and craft. This love for the traditional is the inspiration for my fabric and motifs, which I blend with a strong contemporary aesthetic. The fabric of every shoe is hand-spun and hand-woven because we do our best to support and empower local crafts and women,” she says.

The path ahead
Chondamma feels that they’ve reached the right markets so far. There has been an organic growth, and they never felt the need to raise funding. She says, “We love our craft and will continue to make handcrafted shoes and reach boutiques and stores who understand and appreciate this process. We intend to make money via this process gradually as opposed to mass producing.”

The entrepreneur wants to expand ‘The Sole Sisters’ range to include footwear for younger girls. Apart from that, a website is also in the pipeline. It’s been quite a journey for Chondamma, and it hasn’t been without hitches. But Chondamma believes in taking risks, and ‘The Sole Sisters’ was one of them. “If you strongly believe in your passion, my advice would be to take risks. Things fall in place eventually. You have all your life to play safe,” she signs off.

source: http://www.yourstory.com / YourStory.com / Home> Signature Startup – Brand Spotlight / by Deepika Singhania / March 07th, 2018

25-year-old wakes up and smells the coffee; builds single origin coffee brand Cauvery Peak

March 7, 2018Business & Economy, Coffee Newsadmin

With coffee consumption on the rise globally, fifth-generation entrepreneur Vishnu Rajes wants to take single origin coffee from his estate in Yercaud to homes across India with ecommerce.

At a glance:

Founded: 2017

Founders: Vijayan and Vishnu Rajes

Type of Business: Ecommerce for coffee single origin

Funding: Self funded.

Based in: Yercaud

Sector: Digital Commerce

What happens when you have a 150-year-old legacy of growing coffee? You use it to build an ecommerce business of selling coffee across the world. The GlenFell Estate Classic Arabica Coffee, of Cauvery Peak, is rated five stars on Amazon. Peruse the Cauvery Peak website, and you will find premium coffees that are gourmet standard. If you are used to coffee with chicory, Cauvery Peak isn’t for you.

But fifth-generation entrepreneur Vishnu Rajes realised that things – and the taste for coffee – were changing in India. Vishnu had been groomed to take over his family business, MSP Plantations, in Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, and continue trading coffee. But his stint abroad, at Washington College in the US, made this 25-year-old realise that the power to build a brand – and not trading – was the need of the hour.

He came back and began creating coffees at his plantation. Not long after, in mid-2017, he floated his website Cauvery Peak.

The key, though, was in the creation of the coffee.

“I realised that the market out there for connoisseurs of coffee was very large globally. Even in India, premium coffees have not been marketed very well,” says Vishnu, Co-founder of Cauvery Peak. He began sorting coffee based on their nose and palette. “The opportunity to create a brand was too large to ignore because we were supplying coffee beans to traders who were selling it to coffee companies,” he says.

However, Vishnu needed investment and told his father, Vijayan Rajes, who was keen on the idea and became the investor and co-founder. He seed funded Vishnu with Rs 50 lakh for the business.

The origins of the business
Although the family has been in the business for 75 years, after taking it off British hands, the current strain of coffee has connections to the American continent. To improve the coffee strain Vishnu’s grandfather travelled the world for a plant whose beans could add a bold flavour.

The coffee strain at the Yercaud estate is of Costa Rican origin. The story goes that Vishnu Rajes’ grandfather went to the estate of Judy Garland, the famous American actress of the forties, who advised him to procure the plant strain from Costa Rica. Ever since then, the company has been supplying coffee beans to local traders based on this plant strain from Costa Rica.

But under Cauvery Peak, the taste caters to the palate and its three varieties of coffee vary in taste and nose. Cauvery Peak serves the modern customer who is global and shops digital.

“The single estate coffee beans are planted, picked, processed, roasted, packed, and dispatched from the estate directly to you in order to ensure freshness, consistency, traceability, and quality,” Vishnu says. He adds that being online allows him to reach a wider audience. The variety’s sold on the website include single origin coffees like Shevroys Estate single origin. This coffee produces a sharp flavour profile for discerning coffee enthusiasts who love a fine aroma, crisp acidic flavour, medium body and a distinct citrus aftertaste in the cup. The Cauvery Peak Estate single origin has a sweetly round aroma, richly low-key acidity, full body. Hints of fresh- cut cedar, lemon and chocolate in the aroma. In the cup, mid toned with distinct, clean fruit leaning toward chocolate.

Then the Glenfell estate is planted with both Arabica and Robusta varieties and inter-planted with cloves, nutmeg and pepper vines.

The competition and opportunity
Vishnu is building the reach slowly. He has opened three retail outlets in Yercaud and is also supplying his coffee to six hotels across the country. Currently the brand is only nine months old and Vishnu is not worried about sales as yet. He is taking the brand to forums like the Coffee Board of India and to conferences on coffee.

Over the last year, several coffee retailing companies have been born. Startups that offer purchase of coffee online include Flying Squirrel, from Coorg and Chikmagalur region; and Blue Tokai, from Delhi. These brands bring single origin coffees to the table.

Research and Markets, in its India Packaged Coffee & Cafe Chain Market Overview, said that the packaged coffee market is expected to grow between 10-15 percent CAGR over the next five years. The report added that coffee as a segment has steadily gained share of total consumer spending on beverages over the last many years. The growth of cafe chains over the last decade has also boosted the visibility and per capita consumption of coffee among Indian consumers. Cafe Coffee Day, Barista and Tata Starbucks are some of the leading players in the cafe market.

Coffee consumption is higher in the southern part of the country. However, it is expected to increase in other regions during the forecast period. The production of Robusta coffee is much higher than Arabica in India, which is anticipated to increase in the future years. According to Franchise India, the coffee and tea industry has taken a big leap from Rs 25,166 crore in 2013 to almost Rs 41,800 crore in 2017. In less than five years, the industry has grown three-fold, bringing out a lot of business opportunities in the tea and coffee sectors. It is being predicted that the total number of organised cafe chains will increase from the 3,500 at present to almost 6,200 by 2020. These figures are a clear indication of the success brewing for interested investors.

But, for Vishnu Rajes, the journey of coffee has just begun. The reason they call their brand Cauvery Peak is because they could see the river Cauvery from the mountain top of their estate. This legacy brand has successfully gone from local to pan-Indian; and Vishnu now has plans to take it global.

Website
https://www.cauverypeakestate.com/index.php

source: http://www.yourstory.com / YourStory.com / Home> Start Ups / by Vishal Krishna / posted March 06th, 2018

Madikeri CMC presents Rs 3.50 crore surplus budget

March 1, 2018Business & Economyadmin

Amid the boycott by the BJP members, CMC President Kaveramma Somanna presented the budget for 2018-19.

With the upcoming assembly elections and the code of conduct to follow, the CMC president has presented the budget in a hurry. “The budget has not been prepared as per the guidelines, and all the members were not taken into confidence,” said BJP and JD(S) members K M B Ganesh and Leela Sheshamma. The BJP and JD(S) members boycotted the meeting.

Members of the Opposition alleged that suggestions from the public were not collected before preparing the budget. The budget copy was sent to all the members on Sunday.

Though Congress members H M Nandakumar, SDPI member Ameen Mohisin and Mansoor Ali appealed the members to allow the budget presentation, the opposition members continued to level allegations.

Finally, president Kaveramma Somanna presented the budget. Commissioner B Shubha said that the discussion on the budget will be held after three days.

Surplus budget

The Madikeri CMC budgetary estimates for the financial year 2018-19 indicates a surplus of Rs 3.50 crore with a projected revenue of Rs 65.87 crore and expenditure of Rs 62.37 crore.

The CMC has decided to spend Rs 85 lakh for water supply, Rs 15 lakh on NULM training, Rs 1.6 crore on repair of crematorium and markets, Rs 25 lakh for honorarium for Council members and study tour, Rs 40 lakh on maintenance of streetlights, Rs 2.37 crore for sanitation, Rs 20 lakh for implementation of Swaccha Bharath, Rs 2.35 crore on supply of drinking water and electricity, Rs 15 crore on maintenance of buildings, Rs 20 lakh on purchase of furniture, Rs 30 lakh for the constrction of toilets.

Further, Rs 2.6 crore has been earmarked for the welfare of SC/ST, backward classes and the physically challenged.

The CMC is expecting Rs 2.63 crore from property tax, Rs 1 crore from water bill and deposits, Rs 1.25 crore for rent of the stalls, Rs 1.25 crore from trade license, Rs 30 lakh from parking fee, Rs 40 lakh from market fee, Rs 30 lakh from toy train, Rs 30 lakh from advertisements, khata change fee and others.

The CMC budget has earmarked Rs 1.85 crore for construction of buildings, Rs 30 lakh for welcome arch, compound wall and installing name boards for the roads; Rs 6.10 crore for footpath, retaining wall and drains; Rs 1.5 crore for installing streetlights; Rs 1 crore for stormwater drains construction; Rs 2 crore for development of lakes; Rs 2 crore for development of markets; Rs 80 lakh for development of gardens, and Rs 30 lakh for solid waste management.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service / February 27th, 2018

‘Let Kaveri Flow’: This short film’s take on the Cauvery water dispute explores the debate in a new light

February 28, 2018Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Videosadmin

The allegory in the film underlines that the present actions of man — be it deforestations or mining — have led to the return of the demon Shoorapadma that once turned the basin dry and left it without water and jeopardised life.

With a aim to promote afforestation and let the river thrive, this short film tries to highlight the environmental issues shawdowed by the Cauvery water dispute. (Source: Early Man Film/ Vimeo)

As the historic verdict of the Cauvery water dispute was given out by the Supreme Court of India on February 16, it was started a new debate and discussion. The age-old dispute between Karnataka, the state where the river originates and Tamil Nadu, where it is the largest river — is all about ‘unfair’ use of the total water. The modern-day water-war that has often been marred by protests, violence and even death. While Karnataka claims the verdict as a “victory” and TN as a “disappointment”, political leaders seem to be missing a fact how many actions in the war has been killing the river slowly. Damaging its ecological balance and aid to global warming and climate change.

Amid all the mathematical calculations and discussions about the long-term benefit of the verdict to both the states, a film on the ‘Holy Ganga of South’ is going viral. The film made in Kodava, the native language of Kodava-speaking communities in the Kodagu region where the river originates, narrates the tale of the River Cauvery. From the ancient history of his mythological existence of how it was created by Lord Shiva’s blessing to the modern-day harmful impacts of mining in the basin — the film captures the entire trajectory of the river. The film highlights the plight of the river, which is referred to as Goddess Kaveri Amman, and how she is dying a slow death as her children continue to water they ignore her death.

The allegory underlines that the present actions of man — be it deforestations or mining have led to the return of the demon Shoorapadma that once turned the basin dry and left it without water and jeopardised life.

The SC verdict is significant as for the first time took cognizance of the availability of groundwater, in determining the quantum of water sharing, is expected to create ripple effects in inter-basin and inter-state water disputes. The apex court raised Karnataka’s share of the Cauvery waters by 14.75 thousand million cubic feet to 284.75 TMC ft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share from 419 TMC ft to 404.25 TMC ft.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Trending> Viral Videos / by Shreya Das / New Delhi – February 18th, 2018

Meet Brijesh Kalappa-The Man behind Karnataka’s Victory in the Cauvery Case

February 28, 2018Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Records, Alladmin

The Supreme Court delivered its historic verdict on Friday that the state of Karnataka will get 14.75 TMC or thousand million cubic feet more water, in addition to the 270 TMC awarded by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in 2007. The Cauvery water sharing dispute has been a bone of contention between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu since the time of the British Raj.

This verdict is a clear victory for the poll bound Karnataka. However, Karnataka’s victory is mainly credited to Brijesh Kalappa who quit his cabinet rank post for the case.

Brijesh Kalappa is an advocate in the Supreme Court and Former Additional Advocate General, Haryana. He is an alumnus of the National Law School of India University and has also been a Legal Advisor to the Government of Karnataka (with the rank of Minister of State.) He has a sustained interest in public affairs even from his student years. He is a former journalist and has a wide range of interests including reading and travelling. On the professional front, he has worked with several legal luminaries on subjects of importance in civil, criminal, water and electoral laws and has individually represented governments, eminent individuals and major industrial houses. He is gifted with the prowess for distinctive sharp-edged analysis and has the advantage of surmounting well accepted beliefs by his inquiring nature. He is also the spokesperson of the Indian National Congress.

As a Legal Adviser, Kalappa could not appear on behalf of the State of Karnataka. The Cauvery Water Dispute had been very close to his heart, more so since he hailed from Kodagu. Thus he expressed his desire to re-join legal practice in order to continue to appear for the State of Karnataka when the prospect of the final hearing in the Cauvery Dispute before the Supreme Court loomed. The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah understood its significance, since he belonged to the basin area of the Cauvery River and thereby consented. Kalappa therefore resigned from the position of Legal Adviser to the Government of Karnataka/Chief Minister and re-entered the legal team that he was a part of for a decade and a half.

Kalappa had written a detailed post sharing his experience of appearing in the Cauvery case

In this interview, Kalappa has an exclusive chat with The Indian Jurist regarding the latest victory of Karnataka in Cauvery River dispute and his all over experience throughout the case.

The Indian Jurist: Sir, First of all Congratulations for the victory in the Cauvery Judgment. To begin with- you quit your position as the cabinet minister to concentrate on this case. So what exactly gave you the courage and the motivation to do so?

Brijesh Kalappa: In 2007, when the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award has come, at that time I was very much a lawyer and then I had also prepared the SLP and had worked in regard to the Cauvery case. From 2007 onwards we kept waiting that the Supreme Court will hear the matter and finally when the Supreme Court actually decided to hear the matter on a day-to-day basis in 2017, ten years later, I had been by then appointed as legal advisor to the Chief Minister of Karnataka and Mr.Siddaramaiah was kind enough to have conferred me the rank of minister so at that time my first instinct was that we should succeed in Cauvery just like we had succeeded in Krishna earlier. I was the Advocate on Record for the State of Karnataka in the Krishna Water Disputes, where Karnataka was the beneficiary of the greatest possible award of 524.256 m for the Almatti Dam and enhanced share of the share of Karnataka from 734 to 910 Tmc.

TIJ: Though there has been a reduction in the share of Tamil Nadu but now Karnataka is obligated to release a monthly share. So this in turn does benefit Tamil Nadu and is not complete loss for the state?

BK: No, certainly it is not a loss for Tamil Nadu and I would actually look at it this way that as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, it is important only if they have a workable order- doesn’t matter if they receive 500 TMC from Karnataka every year. But if Karnataka has refused to give them 500Tmc and they are running to Court every year then what is the joy of having an order like that. It should be a workable order. If it doesn’t work then there is no point. Tamil Nadu will also not enjoy the sweet success of having an order which isn’t going to be implemented. The thing which is important is to have something which is implementable.

TIJ: In one of the media interactions with the reporters at Vidhan Soudha, Karnataka Chief Minister Mr.Siddaramaiah stated that the verdict was not in full accordance with the plea and only some relief had been sought. So are you satisfied with the judgment?

BK: As far as the complete requirements are concerned they are certainly not fulfilled. One can see straight off that Karnataka people could have had much more. But I think there has to be a sense of give and take. We also have a sense that this is final because after the Supreme Court where else can you appeal? You can only go to God next.

TIJ: The major grouse of Karnataka was that the farmers in the Cauvery basin were restricted by curbs on the water usage. So how far this judgment would be beneficial for the farmers now?

BK: The victory is straightaway for farmers. About a lakh and half farmers are going to be benefitted straightaway and as far as the Bengaluru city is concerned, I think the needs of Bengaluru city, which was considered as of the most unlivable city after Cape Town (South Africa), that will finally be resolved.

TIJ: So how has been your experience throughout the entire case these years? You might have been receiving both brickbats and bouquets as well in the case?

BK: See, when you appear in a case like this, a daily assessment is made about your performance. The Cauvery Case is not about the final order, like as if it were to happen in a single day, For instance whenever there is distress, fate is ours to release say maybe 15 cu ft or 20 cu ft of water, many people don’t understand the outcome or implications of this, they would immediately say that the legal team have totally failed us and then there will be burning of effigies and people sending us very vicious WhatsApp messages and people making very horrible comments and mainly these people have lived of the state for so long but what they forget that this is an ongoing case and it is going on, at least as far as I am concerned, for a decade and a half. Suppose they say look Rs 1 Crore has been given to “X” lawyer then public says ‘look at this lawyer they have received such a huge amount’. But 1 Crore rupees over 15 years is nothing or 2 crore rupees a year means nothing because once you are living in Delhi, the living standards are very high there and how much a lawyer earns is very high. So in comparison to all of that what you are actually earning is probably less than a techie who is working in a top software firm. But people will say, “No-No Look at the kind of money these guys are making”. So this is the kind of campaign which really hurts you. But the overall point is that there must be satisfaction in what you do and satisfaction comes from within. So once you understand that this all blaming is just people’s frustration then you are okay with it. Even the normal client, when fails to get justice, he will always blame the lawyer and he will not say anything against the judge or anyone else. So we think of it in that sense. I have personally received both brickbats and bouquets during these years. I have endeavored to treat both with equanimity. This is actually what Lord Buddha says. There is much more to do, miles to go before we sleep. Threats to our environment ought to be thwarted, greater concern for water usage implemented and selfish concerns repelled.

TIJ: So finally this landmark judgment has held that a river is no one’s exclusive property; it is a national property and not a state owned. Will this judgment become a basis for all the other water disputes as well?

BK: This is indeed a wonderful law which has been laid down by the Supreme Court because the previous law had always been laid down under a reference for under such circumstances. So this is a particular law in regard to equitable apportionment which has been now laid down and it’s of course a high point as far as the law in regard to equitable apportionment is concerned. And further, everybody will certainly look at this judgment for all times to come.

source: http://www.theindianjurist.com / The Indian Jurist / Home / by Naazish Fatima / February 19th, 2018

Develop scientific temper, students told

February 28, 2018Business & Economy, Education, Records, Alladmin

Kaveri College students present cultural programme, during the inauguration of mini Vidhana Soudha, at Virajpet on Sunday.

District in-charge minister M R Seetharam called upon the students to develop a scientific temper.

Speaking after inaugurating the mini Vidhana Soudha at Virajpet on Sunday, he said, “Public should exert pressure to accelerate public works, which are moving at a snail’s pace. A lot of development works have been initiated after the Siddaramaiah-led government came to power in the state.

Title deeds

The taluk authorities had received 3,900 applications seeking title deeds. Already, 2,459 title deeds have been distributed. The remaining will be distributed within 15 days.

The minister distributed title deeds to 121 beneficiaries on the occasion.

The students of Kaveri college presented cultural programmes as well.

BJP boycotts

The inauguration of mini Vidhana Soudha was scheduled at 11 am. As the minister arrived late, the programme started at 12.45 pm. BJP elected representatives, who had arrived on time, boycotted the programme citing they had other engagements.

Reacting to this, Seetharam said, “Politically-motivated behaviour does not speak well for anyone. Two programmes were fixed at 11 am. After taking part in a programme at Madikeri, I arrived at Virajpet.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service, Virajpet / February 18th, 2018

A barefoot movement to help the poor walk safely

February 28, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Sportsadmin

Joyappa Achaiah and Lim Changappa have started a campaign to ensure that the poor are able to walk safely.

Bengaluru duo roughs it out to convince people to donate footwear

It was not a barefoot beach holiday. When Joyappa Achaiah and Lim Changappa, both 36, doffed their footwear and walked to work for 100 days from May to August, they were keen to make a point.

A large segment of the population, they say, cannot afford footwear. This, despite India being the second large producer in the world. The Bengaluru-based entrepreneurs came up with the Barefoot India Campaign to drive home the message, that the poor should be able to walk safely. A month-long footwear collection drive has begun in Bengaluru as part of the effort, from September 3.

‘Essential gear’

On what motivates them, Mr. Achaiah said, “We’ve been doing multiple drives to educate the girl child, and on women’s safety and environment protection. But these are initiatives that a lot of other NGOs have also taken up. We thought about the one thing that everyone needs, which is footwear. It’s not just part of attire, but essential protective gear.”

Before launching the campaign, they visited villages and slums and spoke to people about what they needed the most. “More than money, they highlighted the difficulty of walking without cover for feet. More than 10% of the poor in the State cannot afford footwear. We want to help them,” said Mr. Changappa.

The activists decided to convince by example, and took up the 100-day no-footwear challenge.

For the collection drive, cardboard boxes are being kept in public locations like ITPL, Manyata Tech Park, Embassy Golf Links, Forum Mall and Phoenix Mall, and in colleges. “People can drop their used pairs,” he said.

Those in good condition will be distributed directly, and the rest, refurbished.

The entrepreneurs have petitioned the Karnataka government to initiate a ‘Padharaksha Bhagya’ programme to supply footwear to 10 lakh needy people. A marathon in November and a shot at a Guinness record with a 100 ft rangoli of a bare foot are on the cards.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sarumathi K / Bengaluru – September 03rd, 2017

Mini Vidhana Soudha to be inaugurated today

February 28, 2018Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

A view of the mini Vidhana Soudha in Virajpet.

The first phase of the Mini Vidhana Soudha in Virajpet has been completed and will be inaugurated on Sunday.

With this, the long-pending demand of the people in the taluk will be realised. The first phase of the work was taken up at a cost of Rs 2 crore. It has seven rooms including the tahsildar’s court and toilets.

In the second phase, two-storeys will be built. A proposal for Rs 6 crore has been submitted to the state government. With the completion of the first phase of the work, the taluk office, sub-treasury, Department of Survey will be shifted. Once the second phase of the work is complete, entire Revenue Department of the taluk will function under one roof, according to officials.

The mini Vidhana Soudha for Virajpet was sanctioned way back in 1997. A committee was constituted to decide on the place for the Vidhana Soudha. Though there was a demand to build the Soudha at Ponnampete or Gonikoppa, it was decided to construct it at Virajpet keeping in mind the convenience of the citizens.

It was said that three years were spent on identifying the land. As suitable land was not available it was decided to construct it in a place where the old taluk office existed. The old building was demolished to facilitate the work on the Vidhana Soudha.

Accordingly, PWD invited e-tender for the work. Two contractors who had taken up the work left the work halfway. Later, once again tender was invited in 2013. Owing to a shortage of sand, and change in contractor, the work was further delayed.

District-in-charge minister M R Sitharam will inaugurate the Mini Vidhana Soudha, while MLA K G Bopaiah will preside.

With the completion of the first phase work, the offices will start functioning from mini Vidhana Soudha from March itself, said tahsildar R Govindaraj.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service, Virajpet / February 17th, 2018

India International Coffee Festival 2018 concludes on a high note

February 28, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Coffee News, World Opinionadmin

The theme for the event was ‘Express Yourself with Coffee’.

It highlighted the merits of coffee tourism for the coffee industry and the small farmers associated with it.

The India Coffee Trust and Coffee Board of India jointly hosted the 7th edition of India International Coffee Festival 2018 in Bengaluru for the first time. Hosted from 16- 19 January at The Lalit Ashok, the four day event included workshops, fireside chats, keynote address by various speakers representing different industry sectors and a coffee exhibition.

The event was attended by trade visitors like roasters, retailer’s distributors, café owners, policy makers, industry captains, exporters,manufacturers and host of other luminaries associated with the coffee industry.

It was inaugurated by Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Karnataka, along with Sudhir Sitapati, Executive Director – Refreshments, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Anil Kumar Bhandari, President, India Coffee Trust. Jose Dauster Sette, Executive Director, International Coffee Organisation, Srivatsa Krishna, IAS, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary, Coffee Board of India, Sunalini Menon, CEO, Coffee Lab Limited Trustee, India Coffee Trust.

The theme for the event focused on the lines of ‘Express Yourself with Coffee’. It highlighted coffee tourism as not just benefiting the coffee industry and the small farmers associated with it, but also to bring in the much needed growth to the tourism in the state.

Anil Kumar Bhandari said, “With this 7th edition of IICF, we are optimistic about the great ideas shared by industry experts and eminent speakers. Some exciting initiatives were also discussed during the event and we will take them up to make World Coffee Congress in 2020, a grand success.”

Srivatsa Krishna said, “Bangalore being the coffee capital of India, we are seeing this as a preparatory event leading us to the World Coffee Congress in 2020. For coffee tourism, we are also in talks with few startups for creating coffee trails which will soon be in process.”

source: http://www.voyagersworld.in / Voyager’s World / Home / by Irene Susan Eapen / February 12th, 2018

Karnataka halts Kerala in its tracks, saves Kodagu

February 28, 2018About Kodagu / Coorg, Agriculture, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Science & Technologyadmin

Says it has not approved the Thalassery-Mysuru rail link

A burgeoning environment movement across Kodagu was put to halt — albeit breifly — by the state government on Wednesday.

Putting an end to the rising levels of anxiety among thousands of Kodavas and green activists, the state government clarified that it has not approved the controversial rail link connecting Thalassery (Kerala) with Mysuru (Karnataka) via Kodagu. Further, the state government clarified that it would not even allow preparation of detailed project report (DPAR) for the proposed rail link as the project would jeopardise the fragile ecosystem of the pristine Western Ghats.

Allaying the fears of thousands of people, RV Deshpande, Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries and Infrastructure, told the state legislature that the government expressed its opposition for the project. Drawing the attention of the state government, BJP MLA from Virajpet KG Bopaiah alleged that both Karnataka and Kerala already met once and agreed to carry out survey for the proposed rail link amidst stiff opposition from the local population.

Deshpande acknowledged that a meeting between secretaries of Karnataka and Kerala did take place recently, however, the Karnataka government had not consented for the project. “Holding a meeting does not ensure our approval for the project. We have not consented for the rail link project. Further, the project is yet to be approved by the Railway Board and thereafter a formal request has to be made by the Kerala government. Only then, we will be able to take a decision,” Deshpande revealed.

Going further, Deshpande stated, “We already had discussion about the project at government level. Our forest department has not only expressed reservations but also opposed the project as it would jeopardise the green cover and affect elephant corridor through which the rail link passes. Hence, the state government in principle has not consented for the project.” According to Bopaiah, as per the Railway minister’s reply in the Lok Sabha in December 2017, a joint meeting between Kerala and Karnataka secretaries had resolved to take up survey along the route only if the Kerala government submits a proposal to Karnataka provided it does not cause disturbance to wildlife areas. Interestingly, the rail link spanning more than 200 km would pass through Wyanad of Kerala and enter Kodagu at Kutta to pass through thick forest regions like Balele-Nittor-Canoor and Thithimati to reach Mysuru.

Perturbed that the new railway line with a project cost of Rs 6,685 cr would result in clearing of about 40 per cent of Kodagu’s forest, Kodavas, including retired defence officials, planters, environmentalists and public had staged massive protest rallies recently at Kutta and Madikeri. Fighting against the projects that would spell doom over the fragile eco-system of Kodagu where the River Cauvery originates, people from Kodagu, Mysuru and Bengaluru had launched Save Kodagu and Cauvery campaign led by Coorg Wildlife Society. Col (Rtd) Muthanna had even accused Kerala political leaders, including Congress parliamentarian KC Venugopal, of misusing his office as the Congress in-charge in Karnataka by leading Kerala delegations to push for destructive projects cutting through Kodagu benefiting Kerala.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> States / by Niranjan Kaggere, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / February 08th, 2018

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