India, for the first time, will chair the board of International Coffee Organization (ICO) for a term of one year with Anil Kumar Bhandari, president of India Coffee Trust (ICT), getting elected as the chairman of Private Sector Consultative Board (PSCB) of ICO.
PSCB is an international coffee organisation body comprising 16 leading industry representatives from producing and consuming countries. The board’s main mission and objective is to increase the world coffee market in value and volume and also support various initiatives in the field of coffee and health.
Bhandari is the first representative from India to occupy the important position and his election is significant in the backdrop of World Coffee Conference (WCC) scheduled in Bengaluru, in April 2020.
Speaking about his election, Bhandari said, “My election as chairman, Private Sector Consultative Board of International Coffee Organization is an honour for India and India Coffee Trust. This is the first time that India has chaired the PSCB. I see this as the confidence reposed in India and ICT, going into the World Coffee Conference in 2020, which would be hosted by India and will be held for the first time in Asia. It also indicates the interest that the global coffee sector has in the Indian coffee industry and the Indian coffee market.”
The 121st Session of International Coffee Council (ICC) under ICO was held in Mexico City from April 9 to 13, 2018. ICO is an intergovernmental body of coffee buying & producing nations, having more than 72 member countries and India is one of the founding member.
It is the main intergovernmental organisation for coffee, bringing together exporting and importing governments to tackle the challenges facing the global sector through international cooperation. Its objective is to strengthen and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the betterment of all participants in the coffee sector.
source: http://www.fnbnews.com / FnBnews.com / Home> TopNews / by FnB News Bureau, Bengaluru / April 30th, 2018
Mukkatira Punith Kuttaiah from Kodagu has secured an All India Rank of 324 in the Civil Services examinations that were conducted by the UPSC in 2017, the results of which were announced on Apr.27.
He is currently undergoing training in New Delhi for Indian Defence Estate Service under the Ministry of Defence.
Punith studied at Good Shepherds Convent Ammathi and at Coorg Public School. He has scored 90 percent in SSLC and 92 percent in PUC. He appeared for UPSC Central Armed Police Force in 2015 and secured 8th rank (all India) and was selected for Central Industrial Security Force.
In 2016, he appeared for UPSC Civil Services Examinations and secured an All India Rank of 501. This time, he has improved in his ranking and has secured 324th rank.
Speaking to Star of Mysore yesterday, Punith said that he loves trekking and his other interests are reading, football and hockey.
Punith is the son of Mukkatira (Devanageri) Prakash Belliappa of Byrambada village in Kodagu and Jamuna Akkamma (Baduvanda).
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 01st, 2018
Neglected: A tribal hamlet at Kollangere in the Nagarahole National Park where no candidate has campaigned for votes. | Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM
Few candidates want to invest their time and resources to reach interiors of Nagarahole forests to seek votes from Jenu Kurubas.
The dense jungles of the Nagarahole National Park, 60 km from here, are an unlikely setting for the heat and dust of an election campaign.
The national park where nearly 90 tigers and 800 elephants roam free in their natural habitat is a no-go area for the general public, except for the guided safari. But there are about 1,250 Jenu Kurubas — an indigenous tribal community — still living in the national park and approaching them is inevitable during election times when every vote matters. But few candidates want to invest their time and resources to reach the forest interior, given the lack of easy access to the hamlets and the distance to be commuted.
Kolangere — a tribal hamlet of about 25 families — is a case in point. It is located about 20 km from the Veeranahosahalli checkpost gate at the entry of Nagarahole from the Hunsur side and around 35 km from Nanchi gate from the Kutta side.
The meandering potholed road is open only from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during which there is limited access to vehicles. There are 29 votes in this hamlet which falls under the Virajpet Assembly segment in Kodagu district. The nearest polling booth is at Moorkal, about 6 km by walk through the jungles, but there is a motorable road leading to it.
“No MLA has visited any of the tribal hamlet so far, but their representatives approach us for votes once in five years,” said Muthanna, a Jenu Kuruba.
The adivasis subsist on roots and minor forest produce. Though their needs are few, they work in coffee plantations in Kodagu to earn a living.
“All we seek is a settlement on the forest boundary along the elephant-proof trenches but our requests are rejected,” said Mr. Muthanna whose community has refused to relocate away from the forests.
Political awareness
It is the same scenario at Nagarahole, Nanachigadde Haadi, Gonigadde, Kolle Haadi, Tattekere or Kumbarkatte. But not withstanding the indifference of politicians, political awareness among the tribal people has increased over the years.
“Jenu Kurubas have traditionally supported the Congress. But the new generation has different views,” said Sanappa, head of the tribal community who relocated from the forests to Nagapura at Veeranahosahalli. Drinking water scarcity, lack of basic health care and educational facilities, and unemployment plague them even after relocation. The tribal people who volunteered to be relocated in 1998 were promised 5 acres of land as compensation, but 20 years on, it is yet to be fully implemented. “Yet there is no talk of boycott as we are hopeful that the government will act,” said Kalappa, a resident of Nagapura.
Survey under way
But a section of the adivasis of Nagapura whose patience is running out, launched an agitation on January 26, 2018, which lasted 75 days, forcing the authorities to take up a survey to demarcate the land. “We have now adopted a wait-and-watch policy on whether to boycott the polls or not in view of the ongoing survey,” said M.B. Prabhu, a tribal leader spearheading the agitation.
Tribals in Hunsur threaten poll boycott
Jenu Kuruba tribals from six hamlets in Hunsur have threatened to boycott the elections if their long-pending demands for proper rehabilitation and land allotment are not fulfilled.
The hamlets come under Hunsur Assembly constituency and banners announcing poll boycott have come up in some of them. There are about 300 families in these six hamlets and they account for at least 1,000 votes. The boycott threat indicates their frustration, according to Sreekant of Development Through Education, an NGO working for uplifting tribals. “Their language betrays their feelings and it is the successive governments that are to blame for the sad state of affairs as [the tribals] are left begging and pleading for basic amenities,” he said.
The hamlets that have called for election boycott include Hebbala, Neralakupe B. Haadi, Billanahosahalli and Chikkejejjur. Though the local authorities have been directed to prevail upon the tribals not to boycott the polls, DEED has sought the intervention of the Assistant Commissioner to end the impasse.
“He should visit the hamlets affected, understand the condition of these communities and list out the pending works for their comprehensive rehabilitation. Though most of the demands are outside his immediate purview, the Assistant Commission can make recommendations to improve their living conditions,” Mr. Sreekant said.
The demands include land allotment as part of the rehabilitation package that was promised to the tribals when they were shifted from Nagarahole and clearing land encroachment reported in 10 hamlets.
Tribal communities threatening to boycott elections is not something new, and they always end up exercising their franchise, according to DEED. But the larger message being sent out is the failure of the authorities to fulfil the promises made decades ago.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Elections> Karnataka 2018 / by R. Krishna Kumar / Mysuru – April 30th, 2018
Coorg Assembly was constituted in 1924 and the only election was held in 1951
Though reduced to two Assembly segments after the 2008 delimitation, the hilly district of Kodagu from where the Cauvery takes its birth has a royal pedigree and boasted of its own Legislative Assembly to frame law for the local region and the people.
What is more, Coorg (as the district was then called), which was merged with Mysore State in 1956, also had its own Chief Minister to govern the province from 1952 to 1956.
The Legislative Assembly of Coorg was constituted in 1924 and the first and only election was held in 1951. The members represented 18 constituencies, which had 24 seats as six of the constituencies had to elect two members each.
The constituencies were Sanivarasanthe (2 seats), Somwarpet north and south, Fraserpet, Sunticoppa (2 seats), Mercara town, Murnad, Mercaranad, Srimangalanad (2 seats), Hudikeri, Berriathnad, Ponnampetnad (2 seats), Virajpet town, Virajpetnad (2 seats), Ammathinad, Siddapur (2 seats), Napoklunad, and Bhagamangalanad, according to the Election Commission of India data.
Of the national parties, only the Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India were represented and 15 seats were won by the INC and Independents won 9 seats. While the 15 councillors represented the prevailing majority view that Coorg should merge with Mysore, the 9 Independents were against the merger. There were 60 candidates in fray and the number of voters was 1,38,440 of whom 87,947 exercised their franchise (63.53%).
According to the district gazetteer published by the State government, the Indian Constitution recognised Coorg as a Part C State and thus it was entitled to posses a responsible government. This came into vogue in 1952 and the post of Chief Commissioner also continued and C.M. Poonacha, who was elected to the Coorg Legislative Assembly from Berriathnad, was the first and only Chief Minister of Kodagu.
When the State Reorganisation Commission recommended the merger of Coorg with the new Mysore State, Coorg became one of the districts on November 1, 1956 and Poonacha became a Minister in the S. Nijalingappa Cabinet.
He later became a Rajya Sabha member (in 1964) and was elected as MP from Mangalore Lok Sabha seat in 1969 (Kodagu was then attached to the Mangalore Lok Sabha constituency) and went on to hold different portfolios, including that of Minister of Railways.
C.P. Muthanna, son of Poonacha, recalled that there were hundreds of administrative entities, including princely States, at the time of Independence and they wanted to merge them into larger States to create a more cohesive administrative unit. “Since my father was the Chief Minister of Coorg at that time, there were many — keen on maintaining Coorg’s distinct identity — who imagine it was my father responsible for merging Coorg with Mysuru State.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by R. Krishna Kumar / Mysuru – April 29th, 2018
The tentacle solar fencing project, aimed at reducing man-elephant conflict in Kodagu district, kick started in Kushalnagar-Thithimathi forest range.
Madikeri :
The tentacle solar fencing project, aimed at reducing man-elephant conflict in Kodagu district, kick started in Kushalnagar-Thithimathi forest range. The 67.91 lakh project will have improved fencing hanging from 20 ft above and promises to keep the check the conflict.
Green tall posts were planted beside the roads bordering Maldare and Chikka Reshme forest area and steel wires were hung from these posts as opposed to the earlier fences that ran across the polls vertically. Solar power generation systems too were connected and had a tagline ‘save wildlife, save forest’ imprinted on them.
Forest officials confirmed that the fencing would be carried out across 24 km of the stretch. One km fencing with two posts will cost `2.80 lakh and the tender for this project was grabbed by Mysuru bidder Ambarish Gowda.
While the old solar fences in the range were blamed for their under-maintenance, the new project promises to overcome this issue as the bidder has signed the contract agreeing upon to maintain the installed solar fences for a span of three years.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / April 20th, 2018
Yuki Bhambri achieved a career-high rank of 83 in men’s singles and Rohan Bopanna is the French Open mixed doubles champion.
AFP
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has nominated country’s top singles player Yuki Bhambri and doubles expert Rohan Bopanna for the Arjuna award.
AITA Secretary General Hironmoy Chatterjee confirmed that they have nominated the two players.
Yuki recently reclaimed his place in top-100 after a string of impressive performances, achieving his career-best rank of 83.
“It’s an honour to be nominated. It’s acknowledgment of my hard work,” said Yuki.
Bopanna, who had won the French Open mixed doubles title last year with Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski, was nominated last year after the deadline had passed.
Since only one athlete is presented the award from a discipline, most likely it will be Bopanna who will bag the award if a tennis player gets it this year.
Winning a Grand Slam is equal to winning a World Championship as per the points system.
“There are definitely many players who deserve it and Rohan is one of them. He has done well over the years,” said Yuki.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> Indian Tennis> The Field / April 27th, 2018
Cherumandanda Kamini Joyappa (Mandachanda), wife of C.K. Joyappa and a resident of V.V. Mohalla in city, passed away at her native place Parane in Kodagu on Sunday. She was 77.
She leaves behind her husband, two sons, a daughter, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.
Last rites were performed in Kodagu yesterday, according to family sources.
Family can be contacted on Mob: 98456-36948.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Obituary / April 25th, 2018
A file photo showing group of female plantation workers walking on the road in the Kuppamundi Coffee Estate in Kolagapara near Sultan Battery, a location in the Wayanad dsitrict of Kerala. (Photo: iStock)
Coffee exports from India, Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter, reached an all-time high at 3.95 lakh tonnes in the 2017-18 fiscal on strong demand for instant coffee, according to state-run Coffee Board.
Coffee exports from India, Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter, reached an all-time high at 3.95 lakh tonnes in the 2017-18 fiscal on strong demand for instant coffee, according to state-run Coffee Board.
The country had exported 3.55 lakh tonnes of coffee in the previous year.
“The coffee exports were at all-time high in FY 2017-18 because of increased shipments of value-added products, especially instant coffee,” a senior board official told PTI.
There was an increase in instant coffee output because of improved production capacity with setting of up new units.
The country largely exports Robusta variety of coffee, the volumes of which also showed a jump in the 2017-18 fiscal in view of strong demand and record domestic production.
The top three export destinations are Italy, Germany and the Russian Federation.
The board has pegged coffee output at a record 3.50 lakh tonnes for the 2017-18 crop year ending September 2018 as against 3.12 lakh tonnes in the previous year.
source: http://www.thestatesman.com / The Statesman / Home> Business / by PTI, New Delhi / April 19th, 2018
The issue was discussed at a meeting of Federation of Kodava Samajas at Balugodu
Madikeri:
The Federation of Kodava Samajas has unanimously decided to take over the administration of the English Medium High School at Nariyandada Village near Cheyyandane in Kodagu District. The decision was taken at the Federation’s meeting held on Apr. 12 at its headquarters at Balugodu near Virajpet.
The school was established decades ago in a 15-acre land that was donated by patrons to further the cause of education. The school has celebrated its golden jubilee and the English Medium was started five years ago. The decision of the Federation of Kodava Samajas comes at a time when there is a move to hand over the school to a religious mutt by citing lack of strength.
At the Federation meeting, President Kallichanda Vishnu Cariappa said that some vested interests were supporting the move to hand over the school to the Mutt against the wishes of the land donors.
Vishnu Cariappa said that if the school management committee passes a resolution that the school should be handed over to the Kodava Samajas instead of the religious Mutt, the Federation of Kodava Samajas is ready to take over the responsibility of taking over the school administration.
Addressing the meeting, Cheyyandane Kodava Samaja President and the President of Nariyandada High School Development Committee Chenanda Suresh Nanaiah informed the meeting about the decision of a preliminary meeting that was earlier held where a decision was taken to hand over the school to a Mutt.
Responding to this, members unanimously announced that if the school management committee hands over the school property, all the Kodava Samajas led by the Federation were ready to take over the school administration and they would not allow the move to hand over the educational institution to the Mutt.
The Bangalore Kodava Samaja offered to take over the school administration. Later the meeting decided to take a final call regarding the issue after the election.
It was also decided to hold the Annual General Body Meeting of the Federation in the month of June. This apart, the new members for Kodava Pommakkada Koota were selected.
Honorary President of Federation of Kodava Samajas Mathanda Monnappa, Vice President Malachira Bose Chittiappa, President of Bengaluru Kodava Samaja Mandeyada Ravi Uthappa, Former President Mallengada Dada Belliappa, Secretary Shankari Poovaiah, Joint Secretary Kodanda Sannu Uthappa, Editor-in-Chief of Star of Mysore and Mysooru Mithra Kalyatanda B. Ganapathy and others were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 2018
If there is a word that can describe Ashwini Ponnappa’s present state of mind, it would be tranquil. At the moment, the doubles shuttler is sorted in her head and clear in her heart. The recent success at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) has only contributed positively to the cause.
The Bangalore player, who impressed by playing four matches in a day and winning medals at Gold Coast, said this edition of the CWG was extra special, simply because of the way the team played and won together.
“This one was special, extremely special. We won our first team gold and the atmosphere in the team was all very positive. Everybody was giving their best, trying to do well for the country. It felt good to be a part of the team. My first CWG in 2010 was special for obvious reasons and on top of it, we had won doubles gold,” Ashwini told TOI.
However, the World Championships bronze medallist felt there was a lot more she could do.
“Although it was India’s best ever show in the CWG, personally, I could have done better. I am one of the senior-most players in the team now and I feel I could have contributed more than what I did by pushing more in my matches and sharing a lot more insights with the juniors. Personally, I feel that me and my partners could have done better,” Ashwini, who won the women’s doubles bronze with N Sikki Reddy, said.
Her efforts in Gold Coast were so remarkable that even coach Gopichand praised Ashwini in one of the felicitation functions after the Games. Gopi called Ashwini the real champion of the team.
“I am grateful to Gopi sir for saying all the good things. He was generous with his comments, but I would say the whole team did well and right feedback from Gopi sir helped all of us,” she said.
Ashwini, who had a long partnership with Jwala Gutta, now looks settled with Sikki and Satwik Rankireddy in women’s and mixed doubles respectively.
“I would say it is going good for me. I am happy with the way we played and hope to do better with them. It’s good to have left the partnership decision to the coach (Tan Kim Her). As long as he sees us having the potential to do well as partners, we’ll definitely be playing together (with N Sikki Reddy and Satwik Rankireddy).”
She admits that things were not easy after her split with Jwala, two years ago, but with time, things are falling in place for her.
“Initially it was tough as I was recovering from dengue so I was pretty low. I wasn’t feeling strong. A lot has happened during the two years. I have changed partners, got married, and become physically and mentally much stronger,” said Ashwini, who got married to businessman and model Karan Medappa last year.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Sports News > Badminton News / by Tushar Dutt / TNN / April 20th, 2018
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