Dr. Kottangada Pemmaiah, an Indian Revenue Services (IRS) (Income Tax) officer from Kodagu, currently posted in Surat, Gujarat, as the Deputy Director (Investigation), has been additionally appointed as the Deputy Director of Foreign Asset Investigation Unit (FAIU) in Surat.
Dr. Pemmaiah will work in the FAIU that has been created by the Union Government in the countrywide investigation wings of the Income Tax Department for focussed probe in cases of undisclosed assets held by Indians abroad and possession of black money in foreign shores.
FAIUs have been recently created in all the 14 Investigation Directorates of the Income Tax Department located in various parts of the country that are primarily tasked to undertake raids and seizures, and develop intelligence to check tax evasion done by various methods.
Gujarat has created two such units, one in Ahmadabad and the other in Surat. Karnataka will have one. The FAIUs have been created as new wings within the various Investigation Directorates of the Income Tax Department to bring focus on cases of undisclosed assets held abroad by Indians and black money stashed abroad, Government sources said.
The new units will also probe cases of Indian entities named in global tax document leaks like the Panama Papers. The FAIUs will be under the authority of the jurisdictional Director General of Income Tax (investigation) rank officer and its work will be directly monitored by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
Dr. Pemmaiah is the son of Kottangada late Devaiah. His mother Viju Devaiah is a social worker and President of Cauvery Pommakkada Koota at Gonikoppal. Before getting into Civil Services, Dr. Pemmaiah was serving as Resident Medical Officer at Gonikoppal Community Health Centre.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 27th, 2021
You’re reading this with a cup of coffee in your hand, aren’t you? Coffee is the most popular drink in many parts of the world. Americans drink more coffee than soda, juice and tea — combined.
How popular is coffee? When news first broke that Prince Harry and Meghan were considering Canada as their new home, Canadian coffee giant Tim Hortons offered free coffee for life as an extra enticement.
Given coffee’s popularity, it’s surprising how much confusion surrounds how this hot, dark, nectar of the gods affects our biology.
Coffee’s ingredients
The main biologically active ingredients in coffee are caffeine (a stimulant) and a suite of antioxidants. What do we know about how caffeine and antioxidants affect our bodies? The fundamentals are pretty simple, but the devil is in the details and the speculation around how coffee could either help or harm us runs a bit wild.
The stimulant properties of caffeine mean that you can count on a cup of coffee to wake you up. In fact, coffee, or at least the caffeine it contains, is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world. It seems to work as a stimulant, at least in part, by blocking adenosine, which promotes sleep, from binding to its receptor.
Caffeine and adenosine have similar ring structures. Caffeine acts as a molecular mimic, filling and blocking the adenosine receptor, preventing the body’s natural ability to be able a rest when it’s tired.
This blocking is also the reason why too much coffee can leave you feeling jittery or sleepless. You can only postpone fatigue for so long before the body’s regulatory systems begin to fail, leading to simple things like the jitters, but also more serious effects like anxiety or insomnia. Complications may be common; a possible link between coffee drinking and insomnia was identified more than 100 years ago.
The National Film Board of Canada produced a documentary on the cultural history of coffee called ‘Black Coffee: Part One, The Irresistible Bean’
Unique responses
Different people respond to caffeine differently. At least some of this variation is from having different forms of that adenosine receptor , the molecule that caffeine binds to and blocks. There are likely other sites of genetic variation as well.
There are individuals who don’t process caffeine and to whom drinks like coffee could pose medical danger. Even away from those extremes, however, there is variation in how we respond to that cup of coffee. And, like much of biology, that variation is a function of environment, our past coffee consumption, genetics and, honestly, just random chance.
We may be interested in coffee because of the oh-so-joyous caffeine buzz, but that doesn’t mean that caffeine is the most biologically interesting aspect of a good cup of coffee.
In one study using rats, caffeine triggered smooth muscle contraction, so it is possible that caffeine directly promotes bowel activity. Other studies, though, have shown that decaffeinated coffee can have as strong an effect on bowel activity as regular coffee, suggesting a more complex mechanism involving some of the other molecules in coffee.
Antioxidant benefits
What about the antioxidants in coffee and the buzz that surrounds them? Things actually start out pretty straightforward. Metabolic processes produce the energy necessary for life, but they also create waste, often in the form of oxidized molecules that can be harmful in themselves or in damaging other molecules.
Antioxidants are a broad group of molecules that can scrub up dangerous waste; all organisms produce antioxidants as part of their metabolic balance. It is unclear if supplementing our diet with additional antioxidants can augment these natural defences, but that hasn’t stopped speculation.
Antioxidants have been linked to almost everything, including premature ejaculation.
Are any of the claims of positive effects substantiated? Surprisingly, the answer is again a resounding maybe.
Coffee and cancer
Coffee won’t cure cancer, but it may help to prevent it and possibly other diseases as well. Part of answering the question of coffee’s connection to cancer lies in asking another: what is cancer? At its simplest, cancer is uncontrolled cell growth, which is fundamentally about regulating when genes are, or are not, actively expressed.
My research group studies gene regulation and I can tell you that even a good cup of coffee, or boost of caffeine, won’t cause genes that are turned off or on at the wrong time to suddenly start playing by the rules.
The antioxidants in coffee may actually have a cancer-fighting effect. Remember that antioxidants fight cellular damage. One type of damage that they may help reduce is mutations to DNA, and cancer is caused by mutations that lead to the misregulation of genes.
Studies have shown that consuming coffee fights cancer in rats . Other studies in humans have shown that coffee consumption is associated with lower rates of some cancers.
Interestingly, coffee consumption has also been linked to reduced rates of other diseases as well. Higher coffee consumption is linked to lower rates of Parkinson’s disease and some other forms of dementia. Strikingly, at least one experimental study in mice and cell culture shows that protection is a function of a combination of caffeine and antioxidants in coffee.
Higher coffee consumption has also been linked to lower rates of Type 2 diabetes. Complexity, combined effects and variation between individuals seems to be the theme across all the diseases.
At the end of the day, where does all this leave us on the biology of coffee? Well, as I tell my students, it’s complicated. But as most reading this already know, coffee will definitely wake you up in the morning.
This is an updated version of a story originally published on Jan. 19, 2020. The original story called coffee the world’s most popular beverage. The term “most popular” can be defined differently. Retail sales of coffee outpace tea globally, but tea is the most consumed beverage after water.
Thomas Merritt , Professor and Canada Research Chair, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laurentian University .This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
source: http://www.interaksyon.com / InterAksyon / Home / by Thomas Meritt via The Conversation / February 15th, 2021
Chanda shocks Lili; Noah Nirmal Tom suffers injury
M.R. Poovamma won the women’s 400m comfortably but there were some big surprises in the Indian Grand Prix-1 on Thursday. The 30-year-old defeated Kiran Pahal, who surprised many when she clocked an impressive 52.73s in the 2019 National Open in Ranchi. Poovamma clocked 53.45s, a good time to start the season.
Muhammed Anas, who made his 100m debut, shocked Indian record holder Amiya Kumar Mallick while finishing second to Krishnakumar Rane in 10.70s. Dutee Chand was the fastest woman.
K.M. Chanda improved her personal best by nearly five seconds while winning the 800m in 2:04.91s. Arokia Rajiv won the men’s 200m in 21.40s.
A group photo of the new Management for Kodava Samaja Cultural and Sports Club, Vijayanagar, Mysuru, for the year 2020 – 2022.
(Sitting from left) Aramanamada M. Ponnanna, Hon. Treasurer; Iychanda Ashwath Chengappa, Vice-President; Kuttimada D. Muthappa, President; Mechanda S. Bopanna, Hon.Secretary; Meederira K. Prakash, Hon. Joint Secretary; (Standing from left) Committee Members Alemada M. Ponnanna, Alemada K. Nanjappa, Iychettira M. Dilip Kumar, Ayylapanda A. Pemmaiah and Mundotira C. Kavin Kushalappa.
All of them were elected unopposed in the recently held Annual General Body Meeting of the Club.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> PhotoNews / February 25th, 2021
Deputy Commissioner Charulatha Somal watching the drill at Talacauvery in Kodagu on Tuesday.
A drill was staged at Gajagiri hills in Talacauvery in Kodagu on Tuesday to demonstrate the steps taken for rescue during landslips and floods. The demonstration displayed the preparedness of the forces in case of emergencies.
An effort of the Kodagu district administration and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the drill was conducted in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Charulatha Somal, Superintendent of Police Kshama Mishra and other senior officers.
The personnel of the NDRF, the Fire Department, Home Guards, the police and other agencies aiding rescue operations jointly carried out the exercise on how rescue efforts have to be carried by the teams amidst the calamities. Various types of rescue operations were demonstrated mocking a situation of landslips at the hills. The demonstration was carried out at the same site where a major landslip had occurred at Talacauvery last year.
Ms. Somal said the district administration was preparing itself for handling emergencies in the wake of three successive floods and landslips since 2018. The rescue teams were staging the drills at vulnerable sites, demonstrating the preparedness.
Ms. Mishra said the police would extend all support to the NDRF, SDRF and other rescue teams and coordinate with them on handling emergencies.
Importantly, the district administration has prepared the District Disaster Management Plan for bringing into effect preventive and mitigation measures whenever necessary, and chalked out an action plan for the reconstruction and rebuilding of Kodagu.
The ‘template’ of handling disasters and lessons learnt from the experience came in handy for also handling the pandemic in the district, with the district administration working and coordinating with the police, and other key departments during floods for reaching out rescue and relief to the affected.
The coordination that was displayed in handling the crisis last year was notable with the elected representatives, elected bodies and the officials working together as teams to manage the disasters. The administration, in 2019, had estimated ₹1,700-crore for rebuilding Kodagu after the calamities. The loss suffered by the coffee industry was over ₹53-crore while the black pepper industry’s losses had been pegged at ₹83 crore.
Minister in-charge of Kodagu district V. Somanna had said last year that a loss of ₹415 crore had been estimated based on the damage caused to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure facilities across Kodagu during floods and landslides in 2020. As many as 91 villages bore the brunt of floods and nearly 28 villages witnessed landslides.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – February 24th, 2021
Parts of North Kodagu were swathed in a white carpet yesterday with ice left behind after a hailstorm.
Heavy rains and hailstorms lashed villages of Nidtha, Ankanahalli, Mullooru, Dundalli, Doddalli and Gudugalale near Shanivarsanthe of Somwarpet taluk in Kodagu district yesterday, taking residents by surprise. In Chamarajanagar too it rained hail last evening, throwing traffic out of gear.
In Kodagu, due to rain of hail, villages resembled snowing Kashmir plains. Children and women cheered the hail storm and they rushed outside homes to fistfuls of hailstones. Photos and videos of the hail went viral, inviting reactions of awe and delight in social media.
While the hail rain looked attractive with white carpet spread and with visuals of people holding the hailstones in their hands, it worried the farmers and coffee growers of Kodagu as this is the season of coffee blossoms and if it rained hail, it would damage the flowers resulting in low-yield next year. The growers are already tormented by unseasonal rains and, lack of support from the Government and less pricing for coffee.
Heaps of hailstones were found on the roads, coffee estates, roof of the houses and coconut plantations. The Ankanahalli Government School and a veterinary clinic were covered with hailstones. Along with hailstones and rains, the gusty winds also damaged the standing crops including coffee, paddy, green chilli, mango and arecanut in the district as there is high moisture content. This also will dent the product quality.
As the weatherman has predicted rains for two or three more days, coffee growers have said that due to rain, ripe coffee berries have fallen onto the ground and the drying process has been affected as it rained in the second and third week of January — a crucial month for drying. The rains also resulted in early flowering before the annual harvest, they said.
Ice formation in static clouds
Giving a scientific perspective to the hailstorm, former Deputy Director General of Geological Survey of India (GSI) told Star of Mysore this morning that though the hailstorm looks beautiful with white ice cubes all over, it is bound to cause major damage to standing crops.
“There was a dip in the temperature in January this year and the average temperature ranged between 12 to 13 degrees Celsius. And there was no cloud movement for more than 15 to 20 days after the cold spell. This caused ice to form in the static clouds and now due to rise in temperature and Rathasapthami, the ice has melted and it has resulted in the rain of hail. While in Kodagu small white ice cubes fell onto the ground, in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh large cubes even weighing about 500 grams fell from above,” he explained.
The Kodagu District Administration must send a team to the affected villages and assess the damage that will be severe. Farmers and growers are entitled for Government compensation, he added.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has predicted scattered to widespread light to moderate rains with isolated heavy rains likely over South interior Karnataka and Malnad districts and isolated to scattered very light to light rains likely over Coastal and North interior Karnataka districts for three more days.
The rains are a result of a weather system — a trough in Arabian Sea from Kerala to Gujarat coast. The weather system which was over Vidarbha as a cyclonic circulation has now shifted towards Madhya Maharashtra and adjoining areas. A trough is also extending from this cyclonic circulation to Kerala. These two weather systems — resulting low level moisture feed from Bay of Bengal in the form of South-easterly winds and humid winds from Arabian Sea at a height of three kilometres — are causing rains and hailstorms, says weatherman.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 21st, 2021
Years after it was formed, the Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences at Madikeri, the District Headquarters, has been granted permission by the Government for introducing B.Sc Nursing Course. The course was a long-standing demand from the people of Kodagu, which did not have any medical institute until 2014, when the Medical College was announced.
Following the sanction for starting the much in demand B.Sc (Nursing), the Medical College has begun preparations for admitting 100 students in the current academic year. As all the 100 seats are under Government quota, the students have to get admission through counselling from Karnataka Examinations Authority.
The construction of the building for Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences began in 2014 and was completed in 2016. At present, there are 750 students in the College studying for MBBS course and the District Hospital, which has been attached to the Medical College, has been recently upgraded.
Medical College Dean Dr. Cariappa said that with the Government granting permission for B.Sc Nursing, the classes will begin from this year itself. Pointing out that there are 100 seats for B.Sc Nursing, he said that this is a four-and-half-year course. The College has recruited teaching and non-teaching faculties and classes are expected to commence soon, he added.
Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan said that the Government was appealed last year to start Nursing Course in the Medical College. The Government has now granted permission and the course will commence this year itself. However, a meeting of Medical College authorities and Health Department officials will be held shortly to decide on the place where classes will be held, he added.
Virajpet MLA and former Assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah said that the Health Minister was appealed to start B.Sc Nursing when he last visited Kodagu. This apart, the Chief Minister too was appealed to start the course.
Now, responding to our appeal, the Government has granted permission for Nursing course and classes are expected to commence soon, he pointed out.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 22nd, 2021
A four-month dragonfly survey that concluded at the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) recently spotted 84 species of odonates (order of insects comprising dragonflies and damselflies) belonging to 59 genera under 11 families.
The survey was jointly conducted by the Forest Department and Ferns Nature Conservation Society (FNCS). Of the 84 species, 49 were dragonflies and 35 damselflies. Muneer Tholpetty, secretary, FNCS, told The Hindu.
A previous survey by the Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS) in the sanctuary in 2016 had identified 75 species of odonates belonging to 50 genera under 11 families.
“Since odonates are amphibiotic insects, the study focused on waterbodies in the sanctuary. Ponds were the richest in terms of species, but streams had the most number of endemic species,” Mr. Muneer, who coordinated the survey, said.
The four-month-long study was held from August to November 2020 when waterbodies in the sanctuary were full after the southwest monsoon.
“This is the time when large number of adult odonates can be seen flying around, jostling, mating, and laying eggs in water. They live as aquatic nymphs for a few months and later emerge out as aerial predators we commonly see,” he said. The team covered 33 ponds, 28 streams, and 12 swamps of the 344.44-sq.km sanctuary spread over four forest ranges.
“The spotting of Coorg False Spreadwing [Indolestes pulcherrimus] in the sanctuary is a first for the State. The rare damselfly was earlier thought to be restricted to the Coorg region of Karnataka,” Mr. Muneer said.
“Restless Demon (Indothemis limbata) and Azure Dartlet (Amphiallagma parvum) were the other rare odonates we were able to record,” Vivek Chandran of the Society for Odonate Studies, who extended technical assistance for the study, said. Odonates are good bio indicators and help the scientific community assess the health of freshwater ecosystems, he added.
“The Forest Department has plans to extend the study on odonates across all seasons to document their diversity in the sanctuary and give training sessions to field staff and students on odonates,” WWS warden S. Narendra Babu said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by E.M. Manoj / Kalpeta – February 22nd, 2021
Bengaluru-based advocate sends legal notice to clear the Statue near Kushalnagar; Kannada activists oppose move
Kushalnagar/Periyapatna:
The Statue of Cauvery on the border of Mysuru-Kodagu near Kushalnagar has become a flashpoint with a Bengaluru-based advocate sending a legal notice to Periyapatna Tahsildar to clear the Statue as it obstructs smooth traffic.
This legal notice has, however, irked Kannada activists who have demanded that the legal notice must not be considered and the Statue must be retained in as-is where-is condition.
The notice has been issued by High Court advocate Amruthesh to Periyapatna Tahsildar under Mysuru District Administration. The Statue, however, is situated in the land that comes under Kodagu District and a banyan tree near the Statue is considered as the actual border area and belongs to Koppa, under Mysuru District.
Whoever travelling from Mysuru to Kodagu via Bylakuppe and Kushalnagar can see the big Statue of Cauvery that has been established by the side of the road. The Statue was installed at this point to convey a message to tourists that they are entering Kodagu the birthplace of River Cauvery that is a lifeline of people of Mysuru, Bengaluru, Mandya and Tamil Nadu where the river is considered holy.
The notice has, however, stirred a hornet’s nest as the advocate has claimed that the Statue obstructs traffic on National Highway 275 and it must be cleared. Many rituals including pujas, homas and havanas are held near the Statue frequently and this obstructs traffic. As per the norms of National Highways, the Statue must be cleared, advocate Amruthesh said in his notice.
The Statue was constructed in 2013 by Baravi Kannada Abhimanigala Sangha at an estimated cost of Rs. 16 lakh. Later, protective walls were built around the Statue. In his notice, Amruthesh further argued that as per Supreme Court guidelines, no religious structures should come up beside National Highways and this Statue on NH 275 violates the Supreme Court orders.
Amruthesh basically hails from Somwarpet in Kodagu District and is at present settled in Bengaluru. His notice has ruffled the feathers of Kannada activists who alleged that Amruthesh was doing this to gain cheap publicity. The Karnataka Kaavalu Pade has urged the Mysuru District Administration and Periyapatna Tahsildar not to give importance to the legal notice. They have submitted memorandums in this regard.
Periyapatna Tahsildar Shwetha confirmed that the legal notice has been sent. “We will have to examine the notice first and then take a call. Also, it is a Statue, not a religious place. We will make this point clear to the advocate,” she said.
Meanwhile, Baravi Kannada Abhimanigala Sangha President Babindra Prasad said that the Statue was a public property and the Sangha is pained to hear about the legal notice.
“The land on which the Statue stands comes under Kodagu District and Periyapatna Tahsildar has no jurisdiction over it. Permission to construct the Statue was obtained from the Kodagu and Mysuru Public Works Department and 13 other Departments including Karnataka State Pollution Control Board in 2008 and officials from Mysuru and Kodagu districts have done spot inspection and cleared the Statue. It was constructed and inaugurated in 2013 and there is no illegality in this,” he said.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 05th, 2021
A woman crosses the road through the pouring rain, in Bengaluru on Friday. Many parts of the city received unseasonal showers | AshishKrishna H P
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials in Bengaluru were surprised on learning about hailstorms in Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru during this time of the year.
Madikeri :
It was a surreal experience for many in parts of Kodagu district on Friday.
A sudden, heavy hailstorm, lasting over half an hour, left several villages across Shanivarsanthe wearing a snow-capped look.
While youngsters in the villages frolicked with chunks of ice, the farmers were worried about crop losses.Villages including Nidtha, Mulluru, Gudugalale, Ankanahalli and Dundalli in Shanivarsanthe hobli were swathed in about 1.5 inches of white.
Many students of Mulluru Government Primary School had their first experience with a hailstorm. “Hail stones had collected on a tarpaulin we had put up outside the classrooms for conducting classes. All the students brought buckets and collected ice chunks. It was a unique experience for them,” explained Satish, a teacher at the school.
“I have not witnessed such a hailstorm in the last 45 years of stay at Shanivarsanthe,” said M P Mohanraj, an agriculturalist. He grows pepper, coffee, orange and lemon and expressed concern that this was not good news. “Such rains are always disastrous for farmers and growers. Following the coffee picking season, the coffee plants have to dry till March. On March 31, the farmer’s much sought-after rain – the ‘rathi’ rain – enables blossoming of the crops. This hailstorm will damage the crops and will affect the next year’s crop,” he felt.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials in Bengaluru were surprised on learning about hailstorms in Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru during this time of the year. The IMD-Bengaluru, Director in-charge, Geeta Agnihotri, told TNIE that thunder and lightning, coupled with light rainfall, was the forecast following the formation of the easterly system.
“There was no forecast of a hailstorm. It has come as a shock. The conditions were also not favourable for it to occur as there was no rise in temperature and sufficient moisture in the air,” she explained. She added that they have been getting inputs from across districts about hailstones and damage that have occurred. The IMD has forecast rainfall and thunder showers for the next three days.
As per the IMD, Bengaluru received 5.7 mm rainfall and HAL airport recorded 5.8 mm rainfall till 8.30 pm on Friday. Most parts of Karnataka received rainfall because of a trough over north Kerala to south Gujarat coast. The rainfall and dip in temperature is also because of easterly winds, explained an official.
Heavy rains lashed Chitradurga district on Thursday and Friday, inundating low-lying areas. Several parts of Chikkamagaluru district also received moderate rainfall on Friday. A 20-year-old youth died after he was struck by lightning at Nidgal village in Khanapur talluk on Wednesday evening.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / February 20th, 2021
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