Category Archives: Business & Economy

Kodagu district administration offers telemedicine facility

Soon after launching an online supermarket for door delivery of essentials to the people confined to their houses during lockdown, the Kodagu district administration has taken its e-initiative forward by offering telemedicine facility.

Making use of technology, the Kodagu district administration has started a website www.kodaguedoc.letstart.in for the benefit of dispensing telemedicine at a time when most health facilities, including clinics, across the State have shut.

People feeling unwell or having flu symptoms need to sign up, fill in details, sign in, and register before making appropriate selections for self or a family member and call the doctor. Patients or their attendants registering on the website through a mobile phone can make use of the option to call the doctor available on the website or call 9480610807.

The doctor, who will receive the call at the control room of the telemedicine facility, will provide consultation to the caller after taking the registration ID and prescribe necessary medication through an SMS. The prescription can also be downloaded from the website.

Though the doctors offering telemedicine facility will mostly address common complaints of flu and cough, necessary guidance will also be provided to patients with symptoms of COVID-19.

The telemedicine facility is also aimed at checking the rampant practice of self-medication among the people since the neighbourhood clinics have been closed.

After a large number of people begun taking medicine over the counter, the district administration has directed drug stores in the district to stop dispensing medicine without a prescription that is less than a week old.

To popularise the telemedicine facility, the district administration has come out with a short video which provides new users with details on how to sign up and register.

The facility offered by the Kodagu district administration follows the launch of an online supermarket to deliver groceries, vegetables, fruits, and milk to doorsteps by involving grocery stores and other establishments dealing with essentials.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – April 17th, 2020

Telemedicine fever clinic launched in Kodagu

The district administration has launched an online telemedicine fever clinic, for consultation with doctors.

The website is www.kodaguedoc.letstart.in

A control room has also been set up with a doctor and the number is 9480610807.

People having fever and other symptoms of Covid-19 can log into the website and register. Later, with the help of the registration ID number, the person should call the control room number.

The doctor in the control room will obtain the registration ID and will prescribe the medicine through the website.

The person should later log into the website again and download the prescription and consult the doctor online.

The website will be operational soon, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / by DHNS / April 15th, 2020

Koodige dairy supplies milk to 3,000 families free of cost

Koodige dairy near Kushalnagar. DH Photo
Koodige dairy near Kushalnagar. DH Photo

Koodige milk dairy in Somwarpet taluk, which is a branch of Hassan Milk Producers Union Ltd, has been supplying milk to 3,000 families in the district free of cost.

Financially deprived people who are affected by the lockdown will benefit from the scheme.

Koodige dairy has been supplying 860 litres of milk to Madikeri, 656 litres to Virajpet, 685 litres to Kushalnagar and 715 litres to Somwarpet.

The free supply of milk started from April 4 and will continue till the end of the lockdown, said Koodige dairy marketing officer Mallesh.

Currently, free milk is supplied to destitutes, migrating labourers and construction workers. Health inspectors, civic workers and volunteers from the Red Cross have been supplying milk to the houses, under the supervision of taluk level officers, he said.

MLA Appachu Ranjan, while distributing free milk to people in Kushalnagar on Wednesday, said that the district is now free of Covid-19 as the person infected by the disease has been cured.

However, it is mandatory for everyone to follow the rules of lockdown, he added.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Kushalnagar / April 09th, 2020

Assistance sought from DCC bank for coffee growers

Representative image
Representative image

Coffee Growers Association President M B Devaiah said that the association will make proper arrangements for the storage of coffee if the District Central Cooperative Bank provides a loan of Rs 1 crore.

Addressing reporters in Madikeri on Wednesday, he said that following the lockdown, coffee growers in the district are not able to sell the coffee they have cultivated.

He further said that the raw coffee has not been supplied to the coffee processing unit in Hunsur, in the required quantity.

“Therefore, coffee warehouses have been given to coffee growers on rental basis, to store coffee. Still, there is a shortage of warehouses. A request has been made to provide APMC godowns in Madikeri and Gonikoppa for the growers to store coffee, free of cost.

Also, there is a requirement of an interest free loan of Rs 1 crore, through the DCC bank. The chief minister should come to the rescue of coffee growers,” he said and added that transport facility should be provided from Hunsur.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / by DHNS, Madikeri / April 08th, 2020

Activists urge to retain 3 GPs in Somwarpet

Office-bearers of Somwarpet Taluk Abhivruddhi Horata Samiti submit a memorandumto Deputy Commissioner Annies Kamani Joy.
Office-bearers of Somwarpet Taluk Abhivruddhi Horata Samiti submit a memorandumto Deputy Commissioner Annies Kamani Joy.

Office-bearers of Somwarpet Taluk Abhivruddhi Horata Samiti submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy urging to retain Madapura, Garvale and Haraduru Gram Panchayats in Somwarpet taluk.

The members expressed their discomfort on the omitting of three Gram Panchayats from Somwarpet in the map prepared by the revenue department.

Somwarpet Taluk Abhivruddhi Horata Samiti president M B Abhimanyukumar said that the process is on carve out Kushalnagar taluk from Somwarpet taluk.

Earlier, it was decided to declare the region comprising Garvale, Madapura and Haraduru as Madapur hobli. But, as it was concluded that a new hobli will not be formed, it has now been decided that the three Gram Panchayats will be retained with Suntikoppa hobli. However, the GPs will be part of Kushalnagar taluk according to the recent decision, which is not correct, the activists said.

This will create a huge inconvenience to the people from these three villages, in terms of trade and government works.

Somwarpet Taluk Abhivruddhi Horata Samiti general convener S Mahesh said that Garvale, Madapura and Haraduru panchayats should be clubbed into a separate hobli and should be called as Madapur hobli.

ZP vice president Lokeshwari Gopal, association general secretary K N Deepak, vice president B B Satish, treasurer Muralidhar, office bearers Bharat Kumar and Kavitha Viroopaksha were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / March 03rd, 2020

Tata Coffee launches e-commerce platform to promote India’s finest reserve single origin specialty coffees

Tata Coffee Limited, a subsidiary company of Tata Consumer Products Limited announced the launch of its e- commerce platform www.coffeesonnets.com.

TataCoffeeKF28mar2020

The website debuts with three unique variants of luxury single origin specialty coffee named ‘The Sonnets – Voice of Our Estates.’ Through this online platform, Tata Coffee aims to make its finest estate coffees available to consumers across India. These single estate coffees are processed uniquely with great care, undergoing intense sensorial evaluations by expert tasters. Only the finest and the rarest coffees are carefully selected to be used in The Sonnets range of coffees, showcased this season.

The coffees are directly sourced from two of Tata Coffee’s 19 estates located in Coorg region of Karnataka. These estates- Goorghuly and Woshully are recognized for growing some of the best Arabica Coffees in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Chacko Thomas, MD & CEO, Tata Coffee Limited, said, “The Sonnets-The voice of our estates’ aims to give coffee lovers across the country access to some of our finest estates’ coffees through our e-commerce platform. Each variant in these reserve single origin handpicked coffees belong to a single estate and are not a blend. Since they are grown in specific regions using unique processing techniques, this makes them special and truly limited-edition coffees. The Sonnets promise a once in a lifetime sensory experience in a cup.”

The Sonnets come in three different flavors and roast profiles (light roasted, medium roasted and medium-dark roasted) Gold Honey, Red Honey and Yellow Honey.

The e-commerce site www.coffeesonnets.com is designed to give customers a smooth buying experience of these luxury coffees in a few simple steps. The homepage introduces the customers to Tata Coffee and its 100 years of heritage, has comprehensive information on the products, links to latest blog posts and stories from the estates and other relevant information pertaining to online purchases.

source: http://www.indiaretailing.com / Progressive Grocer India/ Home> Food> Food & Grocery> Retail Hub / by India Retailing Bureau / March 05th, 2020

Lake Bridge Capital, and Fengate Asset Management announce the sale of NRStor C&I, a leading distributed energy platform

Toronto, Canada :

Lake Bridge Capital, Inc. (“Lake Bridge”) and Fengate Asset Management (“Fengate”) announced the sale today of NRStor C&I L.P. (“NRStor C&I”) to funds managed by Blackstone Energy Partners.

NRStor C&I is a leading Toronto-based developer of battery storage solutions, targeting scale storage deployment opportunities within the commercial and industrial sector in North America. A pioneer in the rapidly growing energy storage market, NRStor C&I provides solutions to customers across North America. A former subsidiary of NRStor Inc., it has over 200MWh of operational, in construction and contracted projects. Lake Bridge Capital was the seed investor in NRStor Inc. and the majority investor in NRStor C&I.

“It is gratifying to see the momentum that NRStor C&I has achieved,” said Sarita Mandanna, Managing Partner, Lake Bridge Capital. “The company’s growth underlines the need for innovative energy solutions. The scale and resources of its new partner will only escalate its progress, and I wish the team every success.” Joe Cashion, Managing Partner at Lake Bridge Capital, added “We’re thrilled that the NRStor C&I team has partnered with Blackstone for the next stage of delivering sustainable energy solutions across North America.”

Marathon Capital, LLC served as advisor to NRStor C&I, Fengate and Lake Bridge. McCarthy Tetrault LLP and Torys LLP served as legal counsel to NRStor C&I, Fengate and Lake Bridge.

About Lake Bridge Capital
Lake Bridge Capital is an investment management company focused on growth capital investments. Headquartered in Toronto, the company has a global portfolio, investing in entrepreneurs and technologies across a range of industries, and in both primary and secondary transactions

About NRstor C&I
Established in late 2016, NRStor C&I L.P.is a turn-key energy-as-a-service provider to commercial, industrial and institutional customers as well as utilities across North America. With energy storage being a focal point of its offering, NRStor C&I provides its services under a turn-key build, own, and operate business model where no-capital outlay or operational expertise is required from the customer. NRStor C&I offers stand-alone, renewable coupled energy storage systems, as well as microgrids which are centrally managed through its state-of-the-art operational platform.

source: http://www.finance.yahoo.com / Yahoo Finance / Home / Toronto / by PR Newswire / March 06th, 2020

Ponnampet Taluk To Be Launched In April

PonnampetKF17mar2020

Gonikoppa:

A year after the previous JD(S)-Congress Coalition Government, headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy, announced the formation of 12 new taluks in the State, including Ponnampet and Kushalnagar in Kodagu district, the Ponnampet Taluk Action Committee and the Citizens Committee have jointly decided to bring Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for the official launch of Ponnampet taluk in April.

At a meeting held at Ponnampet’s Kodava Samaja yesterday, Ponnampet Taluk Action Committee Working President Arun Machaiah said that there has been a delay in the launch of the taluk due to administrative procedures as there is a proposal to cover 21 Gram Panchayats in Ponnampet taluk.

However, it has been decided to consult the District Administration and fix a date in April for the inauguration of the new taluk by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

Pointing out that the inauguration programme would cost about Rs.4 lakh, he said that the construction of the new building and purchase of furniture should be taken up using Rs.25 lakh that the Government is going to release shortly. It is also decided that the new taluk should function from the Food and Civil Supplies Department building, he added.

The Action Committee Convenor Machimada M. Ravindra said that talks have been already held with the Deputy Commissioner regarding the inauguration programme.

Action Committee Member Padmini Ponnappa highlighted the role of former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in the announcement of Ponnampet taluk and appealed for felicitating the two leaders during the inauguration programme.

The meeting also condoled the death of Citizens Committee Secretary M.A. Appaya, who passed away recently.

Citizens Committee President Poonachha, Vice-President Cheppudira Somaiah, Action Committee Advisor Matranda Appachhu, Ponnampet Kodava Samaja Cultural Committee President C.K. Ponnappa and others attended the meeting.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / March 16th, 2020

Demand for bridge still a dream here

Villagers have been demanding a bridge at Donikadu in Padiyani across River Cauvery.
Villagers have been demanding a bridge at Donikadu in Padiyani across River Cauvery.

The long-pending demand for a bridge at Donikadu to provide connectivity between Ballamavati Gram Panchayat and Bengooru Gram Panchayat has not been realised so far.

Without the bridge, the villagers have to use boats to cross the River Cauvery. After the water level recedes, vehicles pass through the river to reach Bengooru village from Padiyani. Crossing the river in this way helps to save time in reaching the other villages, the villagers said.

If a bridge is built, then Madikeri can be reached from Ballamavati to Cherambane in a shorter distance.

Napoklu Kodava Samaja president Appachettolanda Manu Muthappa said that a bridge near the house of Ajjimutta Baleyada family on Napoklu-Karugunda Road at Chowtukodu will benefit the residents.

Without the bridge, the residents of Chowtukodu have to travel a long distance to reach Napoklu. If the bridge is constructed, then the distance for those who travel to Cherambane, Bhagamandala, Talacauvery, Karike from Napoklu will be reduced by 10 Km.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / March 07th, 2020

Arabica parchment coffee hits record price of Rs 10k per bag

Coffee beans spread for drying. DH Photo
Coffee beans spread for drying. DH Photo

Coffee growers are happy as the market rate of Arabica parchment has reached a record rate of Rs 10,000 for a bag of 50kg. The rate has been the highest in the last eight years.

As on Wednesday, a 50kg bag of Arabica Parchment coffee was sold between Rs 10,400 to Rs 10,500, which according to the vendors, is the highest rate for Arabica parchment.

The cost of Robusta Parchment has increased to Rs 7,000 per bag. The last time when Arabica coffee reached the highest rate was in 2014. It was Rs 9,600 to Rs 9,800 per bag then. Later, the price moved downward and had touched Rs 6,000.

Arabica cherry costs Rs 4,000 per bag while the rate of Robusta cherry is Rs 3,200 to Rs 3,400 per bag.

Growers in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan have expressed their happiness on the improved market rate of coffee, despite problems of shortage of labourers and feasibility issue in the maintenance of the plantation.

The vendors said that the rates of Arabica parchment might increase further. Expecting the same, the growers who have stored coffee in ABC and other curing centres have decided to sell coffee after it hits an all-time high.

The increase in the rate of coffee was due to a significant decrease in production in Brazil and Columbia. There was a plunge in the production of coffee in Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Hassan districts as well, owing to floods. This has created an increase in demand.

Even though the market rates have increased, the quantity of coffee production is significantly less compared to previous years. The growers who grew 50 bags of coffee in the past have ended up producing only 10 bags of coffee.

“The coffee plants have been damaged due to the water-logging of the plantation. It might take another four years to restore the coffee plantations to its original condition,” said coffee grower Nanaiah.

Coffee vendor Abdul said that around 60% of coffee growers have sold their coffee. Those who had stored coffee have reaped benefits.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / Madikeri – March 04th, 2020