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Welcome to the ‘Coorg Village’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
The renovated pond at Raja Seat as a part of the expansion of tourist facilities.   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A new tourist attraction is ready at Raja Seat in Madikeri to promote local culture, products

A project to develop and showcase a typical Kodagu village at Raja Seat in Madikeri, to promote the local culture and traditions besides making available crafts, spices and other commodities for which Kodagu is known, is now ready for launch.

The new attraction, called “Coorg Village”, is part of the expansion of tourism facilities in and around Raja Seat, a major tourist destination in Madikeri.

The area below Raja Seat is being developed with new facilities and one such facility is the “Coorg Village” that has around 15 stalls where the products for which Kodagu is famous would be made available for the tourists.

The new attraction is expected to be launched in the next few days as the stalls had been allotted to the government and institutions supported by the government for selling authentic commodities of Kodagu.

Also, the pond at Raja Seat has been renovated and garden had been developed around it, making it an ideal place to relax.

Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy has directed the officials to complete the pending works at the earliest.

Assistant Director of Tourism Raghavendra said the project is almost done and the stalls had been allotted to the government institutions and agencies so that only through them the products are marketed. No private players are allowed at the village and only certified products such as honey, spices, coffee and other products for which the “coffee land” is well-known would be made available.

This initiative is expected to help tourists get authentic commodities since it is a government-funded and government-backed project.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – November 28th, 2020

Mirra’s filter coffee making in-roads in TN market

Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

After focussing on institutional sales of the coffee bean for decades, Mother Mirra Group of Companies has forayed into the retail space with its filter coffee brand ‘Mirra’s’.

The company with coffee plantations located at Coorg in Karnataka is planning to leverage its brand presence at Coimbatore and Chennai in TN before expanding to other cities and States.

Sundar Subramaniam, Managing Director, Mother Mirra Group said online sales of Mirra’s coffee products recorded a huge surge between April and November, without quantifying the volume.

“Thanks to our online presence and tie-up with departmental stores and supermarkets, we saw the sales momentum pick-up during the lockdown phase. It (on-line sales volume) was around 5 tonnes a month. We are now looking to appoint distributors in Coimbatore and Chennai for our range of products, which primarily includes 12 variants of roasted filter coffee powder, pepper, cardamom, honey and wood-pressed oil to start with.

“We will soon be rolling out “Mirra’s Green Coffee”, Subramaniam told BusinessLine, highlighting some of the health benefits of Green Coffee. “The market is nascent in India; we foresee huge opportunities in this space. Further, we have an edge over other players as the bean is sourced from single estate.”

While gearing up to meet the demand on the retail front, the Group has in the last one-two months registered growth in institutional sales with the opening up of the hospitality industry and on the export front. “The Indian diaspora in Singapore and New Zealand have developed a taste for Mirra’s filter coffee powder. Our monthly export volume is around 20 tonnes.”

Notwithstanding these transitions, the Group, according to its MD is so looking to acquire coffee estates in the Coorg region. “Our estate is spread over 175 acres. We are looking to add another 100 acres,” Subramaniam said.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Agri-Business / by L N Revathy / Coimbatore / November 27th, 2020

It’s Official. Ponnampet Taluk Comes Into Existence

About Kodagu / Coorg, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All
  • Kushalnagar taluk to be inaugurated in a month: Minister
  • MLAs urge Govt. to release more funds for new taluks

Ponnampet:

The long-standing demand for the creation of Ponnampet taluk in Kodagu district was fulfilled today with Revenue Minister R. Ashok inaugurating the new taluk at a simple programme held at Ponnampet Taluk Office this morning. With the inauguration, Ponnampet taluk, which has been carved out of Virajpet taluk, has come into official existence, months after the Gazette notification in this regard was made on July 3, 2020. 

Ponnampet Taluk Action Committee, Citizens Action Committee and a host of other organisations had been demanding the formation of the new taluk ever since it was conceptualised 18 years ago in 2002.

Speaking after inauguration, Ashok said that he was virtuous to have got the opportunity to inaugurate the new taluk as Revenue Minister. 

Maintaining that he has a lot of affection, trust and respect for Kodagu district, he said that his Department has been working to expedite all pending initiatives. 

Revenue Minister R. Ashok, Horticulture Minister K.C. Narayana Gowda and MLA K.G. Bopaiah are seen lighting the lamp to mark the inauguration of new Ponnampet Taluk Office at Ponnampet this morning as MLC Veena Achaiah, MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan and others look on.

Pointing out that the 18-year wait of the people has ended with the inauguration of the new taluk, Ashok declared that the Gazette notification on the formation of new Kushalnagar taluk, which has been carved out of Somwarpet taluk, will be issued shortly and all other official procedures will be completed in a month. He asserted that he was sure of inaugurating the new Kushalnagar taluk as well in a month.

The Minister further said that the formation of two new taluks (Ponnampet in South Kodagu and Kushalnagar in North Kodagu) in the district will geographically help the residents in their daily work and activities.

Highlighting the initiatives taken by the Revenue Department after he took charge of the Ministry 16 months ago, Ashok said that old age pension will now be credited directly to Aadhaar-linked Bank account of the beneficiaries, which he claimed was a revolutionary step in maintaining transparency in the delivery mechanism of Government benefits.

Virajpet MLA K.G. Bopaiah, in his address, wanted the Government to appoint a permanent Tahsildar for the new taluk and also sanction more funds to provide necessary infrastructure.

Madikeri MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan urged the Govt. to release Rs. 10 crore for infrastructure development in the new taluks of Ponnampet and Kushalnagar.

MLCs Sunil Subramani and Veena Achaiah, Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, ZP CEO Banwar Singh Meena, Assistant Commissioner Eshwar Kumar Khandu, Tahsildar Kusuma and a host of other officials were present.

However, Kodagu District Minister V. Somanna and Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha were conspicuous by  their absence.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / November 20th, 2020

Revenue department takes over 15.12 acres of gomala land

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Records, All
Revenue department workers take over the gomala land at Arji village in Virajpet taluk and secure it by erecting fences. Credit: DH.

Revenue department workers took over 15.12 acres of gomala land identified through the survey at Arji village in Virajpet taluk on Tuesday and secured the land by erecting fences.

Thirty days ago, the taluk Gomala Samrakshana Horata Samiti had staged a protest and urged the local administration to preserve the gomala land in Arji.

Tahsildar Nandish, after holding a discussion with the committee, had ordered for a survey of the land. Accordingly, the survey department identified the 15.12 acres of land and handed over the map to the tahsildar.

The tahsildar, with the cooperation of the villagers of Arji, took over the land and installed fences.

The official meanwhile assured that all gomala land will be cleared of encroachments and the same will be protected.

Twenty-three acres of gomala land has been encroached upon. Notices will be served to 51 people to clear the encroachments within the next 30 days, he said.

Also, a five-acre land was reserved for the construction of KSRTC bus depot. Currently, the land is vacant. If the said land is taken over by the revenue department, 28 more acres of land will be recovered.

Including the land recovered on Tuesday, a total of 43.12 acres of land will be added to the gomala, he added.

Virajpet Taluk Panchayat president Smitha Prakash, Zilla Panchayat member Acchapanda Mahesh Ganapathy, Taluk Panchayat member B M Ganesh, district BJP unit former president Suja Kushalappa, Gomala Samrakshana Samiti convener M M Ravindra, members Purushottam, Ramaiah and others were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Virajpet / November 25th, 2020

Rajyotsava Puraskara for teachers on November 28

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All
Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan will inaugurate the programme. Credit: DH.

District Kannada Sahitya Parishat will confer Rajyotsava Puraskara for teachers at Devraj Urs Bhavan on November 28.

Addressing reporters in Madikeri on Wednesday, Kodagu district Kannada Sahitya Parishat president B S Lokesh Sagar said that the programme will begin at 2.30 pm.

Virajpet Arameri Kalancheri Mutt Shantamallikarjuna Swami will grace the occasion. Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan will inaugurate the programme.

Virajpet MLA K G Bopaiah, MLC Sunil Subramani M P, Madikeri Taluk Panchayat President Tekkade Shobha Mohan, DDPI P S Macchado and others will be present.

Lokesh Sagar further said that the programme which was not held for the last seven to eight months owing to Covid-19 will be held regularly in future.

“Teachers who are not members of the Sahitya Parishat too have been considered for the felicitation. Teachers known for innovative methods of teaching will be felicitated. Also, the award-winning teachers will be honoured on the occasion,” he added.

Light songs competition

He said that the district unit of Kannada Sahitya Parishat will conduct a district-level Bhavageethe competition in Kushalnagar on November 29.

Also, a Vachana Sahitya Samavesha will be held in Somwarpet on December 12. A Suggi Kavigosthi in Ponnampet, a programme on Dasa compositions in Madikeri and an essay competition in Virajpet have been planned, he added.

District Kannada Sahitya parishat office-bearers Kudekal Santhosh, Nagaraj Shetty, Dayananda, Dhananjaya and Kavan Cariappa were present in the press meet.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DDNS, Madikeri / November 25th, 2020

‘Install Pandyanda Belliappa’s statue in Kodagu’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All
Achievers in the cooperative field were felicitated during the valedictory programmeof the Cooperative Week in Madikeri on Friday.

District Cooperative Union President A K Manu Muttappa demanded the installation of the statue of Pandyanda Belliappa, who has immensely contributed to the development of cooperative and education sectors in Kodagu district.

He was speaking during the valedictory programme of the 67th All India Cooperative Week in Madikeri on Friday.

“Pandyanda Belliappa was famously known as Gandhi of Kodagu. He was instrumental in the establishment of the senior college in Madikeri in 1950. He was also one of the pioneers of the cooperative movement in the district, along with Pandikuttira Changappa and M C Nanaiah,” he said.

Manu Muttappa further said that the District Cooperative Union has been bringing out a trimonthly magazine and the members of cooperative societies should utilise the same.

Various programmes are being organised by the District Central Cooperative Bank to strengthen the cooperative sector, he said.

Receiving Kodagu Sahakara Ratna award, M P Muttappa said that all people should acknowledge the contributions of the cooperative sector, which is run by the people and for the people.

He also felt the need to apply modern technology in the cooperative sector, to bring the sector closer to people, by sharing information about the same.

Kodagu Sahakara Ratna felicitation was offered to Matanda A Ramesh.

Kumbugowdana Uttappa was felicitated with Shrestha Sahakara Sanmana.

Macchamada Kanda Bhimaiah, Chotteyandamada Baby Poovaiah and KACM principal Dr R S Renuka were also felicitated on the occasion.

District Central Cooperative Bank vice president Kotolira Harish Poovaiah, District Cooperative Union vice president Pattada Manu Ramachandra, directors B D Manjunath, H M Ramesh, P B Raghu Nanaiah, Kannanda Sampath and others were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / by DHNS, Madikeri / November 20th, 2020

Villages buzz with activities ahead of GP polls

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All
K K Manjunath Kumar.

As the date for the Gram Panchayat elections could be announced at any time, the political arena in Kodagu is buzzing with activities.

Politicians, especially the young leaders from the BJP, Congress and JD(S) have been paying visits to rural areas.

MLAs, ZP president, Taluk Panchayat presidents and members have gone one step ahead and have been performing groundbreaking for various development works in rural areas from the past four to five months.

Candidates of Gram Panchayat election do not contest directly through political parties but are supported by the political parties externally.

Political parties are making their best possible effort to attract voters for the candidates supported by them. They are not leaving any stone unturned to ensure their victory as the Gram Panchayat election is a good opportunity to strengthen the roots of the party.

Also, for young leaders, it is the first step to enter into politics. Discussions are being held about the young leaders in each ward of the village, who are contesting elections.

Kodagu has been a strong fortress of the BJP from the past several years when it comes to the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, Zilla Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat and Town Panchayats.

There is only one MLC from Congress and JD(S) is yet to open their account. The political parties think that victory in the Gram Panchayat will pave the way to win more seats in the upcoming Assembly elections.

BJP particular on winning

BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel has conducted a meeting of leaders in Madikeri and has asked them to ensure that 80% of the winning candidates are from BJP.

Congress chants unity mantra

Congress leaders have been forgetting their internal differences and have been conducting meetings.

Kodagu District Congress Committee President K K Manjunath Kumar said that the party has been making preparations from the past six months to face Gram Panchayat elections.

Meetings with local leaders are being conducted regularly and the leaders are being trained. There is a good response, he said.

Even though JD(S) has been making preparations, there is no buzz of activities, say the rural voters.

District administration starts preparations

On the other hand, the district administration has been making preparations to conduct free and fair elections in Gram Panchayats.

A preparatory meeting has been held by Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy.

There are a total of 104 Gram Panchayats in the district and 562 polling booths have been identified.

Returning officers and assistant returning officers are being deputed. Training will be held for officials in Madikeri on November 21, in Somwarpet on November 23 and in Virajpet on November 24.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A, DHNS, Madikeri / November 21st, 2020

This Coorg coffee cultivator wants to grab a slice of India’s packaged coffee market

Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Records, All

Launched 3 years ago, Levista is eyeing expansion in south India, Mumbai and Delhi

S. Shriram, vice-president-sales and marketing at Levista

Coorg in Karnataka, is among the foremost coffee growing regions in India. SLN, a three-decade old coffee plantation company in the region is now aiming to grab a slice of the Rs 2,200-crore annual packaged coffee market, which is dominated by big players like Nestle (Nescafe), Hindustan Unilever (Bru) and Tata Coffee.

SLN launched its own brand of coffee called Levista three years ago and has ever since expanded to 40,000 retail outlets, predominantly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It has now set its sights on expanding across other markets, starting with the rest of south India.

“Of the Rs 2,200 crore market annually, over 80 per cent of the coffee consumption happens in the five southern states and Union territories. Therefore, we aim to reach a significant market share here rather than being sparsely spread all over the place,”  S. Shriram, vice-president sales and marketing at Levista, told THE WEEK.

“At the moment, we have a deep presence in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. We launched our coffee in Goa in February and business is growing steadily. We will be entering the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana market by Sankranti and will penetrate deeper in there. Kerala will follow next.”

The company has the markets of Mumbai and Delhi-National Capital Region on the radar, too, however, it has not finalised a launch date yet, added Shriram.

Levista is also available on online platforms, including Amazon and it is also scaling up on other e-commerce platforms to reach a wider audience.

“Players like Big Basket have also aided our brand coverage, as has Flipkart. We have been recently on boarded through Udaan that reaches small retailers as well as hyperlocal players MilkBasket,” said Shriram.

While south India has a strong tradition of filter coffee, the rest of the country has largely been a tea drinking market. However, things have started changing with penetration of cafes like Cafe Coffee Day and Starbucks in the last decade. International coffee brands like Lavazza are also expanding in the country, buoyed by rising coffee consumption here.

“There is a huge scope for us to grow. The coffee market has been growing steadily. Out of home coffee consumption through cafes has already hit a pan-India presence and thanks to this familiarity, more new consumers are sipping coffee at home, through packaged coffee,” noted Shriram.

Levista’s parent SLN currently has a capacity upwards of 50,000 metric tonne per annum, and Shriram says the company will be able to produce enough coffee for the domestic market as well as for exports.

Talking of exports, the brand is already present in Singapore, Malaysia, Middle East, Maldives and Sri Lanka, reaching out to the south Indian consumers in these markets. The company intends to have a larger international presence next year, added Shriram.

source: http://www.theweek.in / The Week / Home> News> Business / by Nachiket Kelkar / November 20th, 2020

Appointed As Additional Director Of Factories And Boilers

Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

Mysore/Mysuru: 

Karthamada Ganapathy Nanjappa has been appointed as the Additional Director of Factories and Boilers, Department of Factories, Boilers, Industrial Safety and Health, Government of Karnataka. 

Profile: After studying in Government Primary School, Napoklu, St. Michael’s Higher Primary School, Madikeri, Government Junior College, Madikeri, Nanjappa completed his PU at MGM College, Udupi. He took up B.E. in Mechanical Engineering at PES College of Engineering, Mandya under Mysore University. 

On completion of under-graduate studies in Engineering, Nanjappa worked for sometime as a Quality Engineer at Krishna Fabrications, Peenya, Bengaluru and Design Engineer at Promac Engineering, Bengaluru. He joined the Government of Karnataka State Civil Service as Gazetted Probationer during the year 1995 as Inspector of Factories and served at Bengaluru. 

He was promoted as Senior Inspector of Factories in 2001. He was later posted as Deputy Special Officer in the Child Labour Cell of the Government of Karnataka and then served as Senior Inspector of Factories at Mysuru and Bengaluru.

Nanjappa was promoted to the cadre of Deputy Director of Factories in the year 2012 and posted at Mangaluru and Bengaluru. In the year 2019, he was promoted to the post of the Joint Director of Factories. Now he has been posted as Additional Director of Factories and Boilers in the year 2020 on promotion and is working at Bengaluru. 

Nanjappa has had special training in the field of Industrial Safety and Health at: Director-General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute, Mumbai; Regional Labour Institute, Chennai; Regional Labour Institute, Kolkata; Incident Response System (IRS) in the management of disasters from the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Bhopal.

 He is the son of Karthamada Nanjappa Ganapathy and Ponnamma (Kanathanda), both of whom were teachers at Napoklu and Madikeri and presently residents of Birunani in South Kodagu. He is married to Kalengada Bojamma  and blessed with a son Adith studying in 10th std

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / by November 23rd, 2020

Ponnampet Tahsildar Takes Charge

Business & Economy, Records, All

Taluk begins official functioning

Ponnampet:

The new Ponnampet Taluk that has been carved out of Virajpet Taluk officially began functioning from yesterday with the new Tahsildar Kusuma taking charge. A puja was performed at the Tahsildar’s office at Ponnampet that was attended by many senior citizens and stakeholders. 

They honoured the new Tahsildar and wished her the best. The State Government, in a notification issued on July 3 this year, had officially notified Ponnampet as a new taluk under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act. 

The new Ponnampet taluk comprises four hoblis with the inclusion of 49 villages bifurcated from Virajpet taluk. The four hoblis are Ponnampet, Balele, Srimangala and Hudikeri. Boundary details — East: Hunsur taluk of Mysuru district; West: Virajpet taluk; North: Periyapatna taluk of Mysuru district; South: Kerala State.

Virajpet Taluk from which the Ponnampet Taluk has been carved out has an area of 160 kms and the new Ponnampet taluk promises the Southern region of Kodagu more Government facilities along with better access to healthcare, transport and other facilities.

Ponnampet already has Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court (Senior Division). 

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / November 20th, 2020