The expensive solar light-powered insect traps being sold to unsuspecting farmers under the centre-sponsored PMKSY by Agriculture department in Kodagu district.
A suspicion among farmers about subsidised farm equipment and accessories being overpriced due to unholy nexus between officials and private entities appears to be true.
The department of Agriculture in Kodagu district under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), scheme to improve farm productivity, has procured 150 solar light-powered insect traps after placing an indent for 350 such insect traps from Kalaburagi-based Fortune Sales Corporation to be distributed among the farmers.
According to information obtained by RTI activist Sanjeeva Kabaka from Puttur, each unit, including GST, purchased from Fortune corporation had cost over Rs 11,800. The department of Agriculture in its reply to the queries under RTI had revealed paying Rs 17,38,373 for over 150 units.
Sanjeeva says the haste to purchase such expensive solar-powered insect traps despite the availability of low-cost solar-powered insect traps had raised eyebrows.
“A farmer-cum-inventor Karibasappa’s indigenous solar-powered insect trap is priced at Rs 4,800, including GST and door-delivery charges,” he points out.
Karibasappa, when contacted, said that he had sold his units, each priced at Rs 4,800, to the Department of Agriculture in nine districts, including Shivamogga under ATMA scheme.
“By selling units that are three times more expensive than my unit proves that officials are making money,’’ said Karibasappa, who is in New Delhi participating in an exhibition.
He said the insect traps purchased by the Agriculture department in Kodagu district cannot withstand high wind speed and is made of plastic. Its battery life lasts only about six months.
“My prototype is able to withstand high wind speed, is made up of metal and the lithium battery has a shelf life of four years and covers two acres,” he said.
Incidentally, Karibasappa’s prototype has the backing of officials in Agricultural universities and also had won Infosys Foundation’s Aarohan Innovation award.
Joint Director of Agricultural Department, Kodagu, Raju did not respond to calls.
Watershed development department Director Padmanabh Naik when contacted said the standards for procurement of insect traps were laid by the Agriculture Department under the directions of Minister for Agriculture.
Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, when contacted, promised to look into the issue of Agriculture department selling expensive solar-powered insect traps to farmers.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Harsha, DH News Service, Mangaluru / July 20th, 2019
Rafting, an activity that is a big favourite of tourists at Dubare, is back. As a result, the tourist camp is buzzing with activities again.
As river rafting had been banned in River Cauvery at Dubare a year ago, the number of tourists had dipped drastically.
The rafting association had urged the district administration and District In-charge Minister Sa Ra Mahesh to lift the ban on rafting and support the local entrepreneurs.
As the ban has been lifted, tourists are now making a beeline during weekends to take part in the adrenaline-pumping and adventurous activity.
This, in turn, has left the organisers of the rafting activities as well as the local vendors smiling.
River water level
Water rafting at Dubare is being conducted along a distance of eight kilometres. The water level in River Cauvery too has risen, following good rain in the district. More number of youth were seen enjoying rafting.
The sport was relaunched at Barapole as well. Barapole is located 35 kilometres away from Madikeri. A fee of Rs 600 is charged per head for those keen on rafting activity.
River rafting was introduced in Dubare in 2002. In case of good rain, rafting activities can been conducted till December.
Dhanush, a software engineer who took part in rafting at Dubare, said, “The plans to take part in the rafting activity could not be realised a year ago as it had been banned. Now, we got a new experience.”
Elephant camp
Businessmen said that as the rain was less this year, more number of tourists were landing in Kodagu. Many of the tourists have also been visit the elephant camp at Dubare.
Randeep from Bengaluru said that he would like to explore all tourist sites in Kodagu.
Tourists have been thronging Raja Seat, Abbey Falls, Mallalli and Irpu Falls. The homestay and resort business has also been revived, the businessmen added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Kushalnagar / July 19th, 2019
It is monsoon season in Kodagu and though rains are less this year, people in remote villages of Kodagu, who have grown Garcinia gummi-gutta tree in their estates or have access to the tree grown in the wild, are busy in preparing Kachampuli, the dark, tart vinegar. Kachampuli preparation has been passed on from generations and is indispensable in Coorg cuisine. Every Coorg kitchen has a couple of bottles, or more, of Kachampuli tucked away at the corners or stored in the attic. This Weekend Star Supplement introduces readers to this enigmatic liquid and explains the process of obtaining it from yellow fruits hanging on top of tall trees.
Kachampuli: The Quintessential Coorg Condiment
A full-fledged processing unit at Ponnampet Forestry College
by B.C. Thimmaiah
Souring agents are an integral and inseparable part of our culinary traditions. Depending on the State and community, souring agents vary. Apart from lip-puckering tamarind and lime juice that is quite ubiquitous in most Indian dishes, there are a host of other souring agents that enhance the flavour of dishes like Kodava Pandi Curry (pork curry) where Kachampuli makes it the ‘Dish with a Zing’.
The concentrated juice is obtained from Garcinia gummi-gutta, the same fruit that is used in dried form in parts of Kerala, where it is known as punampuli or kodampuli/kudampuli. It is a relative of kokum, which is used in Mangalorean, Konkan and Maharashtrian cuisines. In Kodava language, the fruit is known as ‘Panpuli’ and its boiled extract is ‘Kachampuli’.
The fruit is like a large Amla but with prominent sections. In its fresh form, it is known to possess medicinal properties and is the basis for many weight-loss products. The English name is Brindle Berry. Before it is stored, the Panpuli is taken apart in slivers, dried and then smoked. It’s here that the green fruit turns into matt black. Later, dry pieces are soaked in warm water and torn apart before being added to the curry.
Students of Forestry College, Ponnampet, extract the seeds from the fruit. Once the succulent aril is separated from the seeds, the extracted juice is boiled and stirred constantly to procure the thick Kachampuli.
Juice preparation process
In Kodagu, the fruit is left out in baskets until the pulp breaks down. A large vat is kept below to collect the juice and the pulp is removed. The juice at first is pale and golden. It is then boiled in large clay pots until it turns dark burgundy in colour. This slow heating turns it into a syrupy vinegar. The final result is a dark and thick liquid and this liquid extract is known as Kachampuli.
Interestingly, Kachampuli improves with age. The older brews are preferred over the newer ones for cooking. The new bottles are usually stored in attics in Kodagu and are left there to mature and attain that perfect texture, taste and colour. Kachampuli is usually used in the final stages of cooking, mainly in meat and fish dishes, most famously in Pandi Curry and fish curry.
An expensive commodity
While Kachampuli was abundantly available in the open market earlier, now it is a scarce and an expensive commodity even in Kodagu, its hometown, thanks to the present generation that is unwilling to take the trouble of preparing it as it is a long-drawn and pain-staking process. Adulteration of Kachampuli to make a quick buck too has become rampant.
A fully grown Panpuli or Garcinia gummigutta tree in Kodagu with its yellow fruits
Realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative
Considering the rarity of the fruit and its many uses, College of Forestry at Ponnampet in South Kodagu has started a full-fledged unit that procures the Garcinia gummi-gutta fruit from farmers, processes it, prepares Kachampuli and then markets it. This initiative has not only ensured that the tradition continues but also eased the scarcity of the unique product in the market.
The initiative at the College was started by former Dean of the College Dr. B.C. Uthaiah and continued on a major scale by the present Dean Dr. C. G. Kushalappa, who has conducted extensive research in Devarakadus, the Sacred Forests of Kodagu and the wild and edible fruits of Kodagu, and Dr. B.N. Satish, Assistant Professor, Department of Forest Products and Utilisation.
Hands-on Training
The College is following the traditional methods of using forest produce available in Kodagu. “Our College offers Hands-on Training (HoT) programme to add value to non-timber forest produce where wild and edible fruits of Kodagu like Garcinia gummi-gutta, gooseberry, kokum and Karada (karmunji in Kodava language) fruit are made into products including pickles, jams and jellies, candies, squash, toffees and, of course, Kachampuli. This apart, we do produce hair care products from soap nuts and agarbathi. These exotic products are marketed under Sayhadri Brand,” says Dr. Kushalappa.
“This initiative is completely agriculture-and-farmer-oriented and we want to tell our farmers that their products have value and market. We provide plantation material or saplings, standardise production, maintain quality and focus on effective waste disposal. We have procured Government of India-manufactured machines from Coimbatore and we have a larger plan to set up Small Scale Industry production units at Ponnampet,” he explains.
Efforts to retain youths from migration
Basically it is to retain the youths in Kodagu who are migrating to cities in search of job opportunities. “We want to tell them that they can lead a comfortable life by adopting innovative farming and cultivate such unique fruits in a large scale as Kodagu is a natural zone under Western Ghats for such fruits. Our intention is to make them self-reliant. It is our way of nation-building aligning with the theme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative,” he rues.
“It is an entire world out there when it comes to wild berries and there is a huge market. For example, Garcinia gummi-gutta extract by multi-national companies is sold in the US and Europe as bio-slim products. We are trying to tie up with institutes like Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) for product development,” Dr. Kushalappa explains.
Grafted trees for high yield
Apart from producing the actual and authentic Kachampuli, the College supplies Garcinia gummi-gutta saplings for large-scale cultivation. “It is a huge tree and no coffee plant can grow under it. Our grafted tree does not grow that tall and growers can take up integrated coffee and Garcinia gummi-gutta cultivation. Our saplings are short and gives a high yield,” he reveals.
On the Kachampuli product marketed by the Forestry College, Dr. Satish says that the product is made in a traditional way with the use of modern techniques. “It is free from any sort of adulteration and we have not used any preservatives. There is a great demand for the product from both residents of Kodagu and the natives who live outside the district,” he says.
One tree, many fruits, multiple uses
The Garcinia gummi-gutta is a small or medium-sized tree and the bark of the tree is grey, smooth and contains abundance of bright-yellow gamboges (a gum resin produced by various trees, used as a yellow pigment and in medicine as a purgative). The tree starts bearing fruits when it is eight-years-old and it continues to bear fruits till it reaches 40 to 45 years. The fruits are two to three inches in diameter and are yellow when ripe with six to eight grooves. One tree can yield 100 to 125 kgs of fruit.
Around 25 kgs of Garcinia gummi-gutta fruit is required to prepare one litre of Kachampuli with an investment of Rs. 300 to Rs. 350 per litre. Once the product is ready, it can be sold up to Rs. 1,500 per litre.
There will be six to eight seeds surrounded by a succulent aril (an extra seed covering, typically coloured and hairy or fleshy). Usually, the Garcinia gummi-gutta flowering takes place from February to May every year and from June to August it is fruiting season and that’s the time when people of Kodagu get on to prepare the famed Kachampuli.
Uses of Garcinia gummi-gutta fruits
The Garcinia gummi-gutta fruits are edible, but too acid to be eaten raw. They are valued for their dried rind which is used in Travancore-Cochin and Malabar as a condiment for flavouring curries in place of tamarind or lime. In Sri Lanka, the fruits are picked under-ripe, the thick pericarp cut into sections, dried in sunlight and preserved for future use. The dried material is used along with salt in the curing fish. The edible oil extracted from the seed resembling kokum butter is used extensively in preparation of the local dishes.
Apart from using the fruit and its extracts for food purposes, the raw and processed rind of the fruit is extensively used as a condiment, coagulant and for polishing gold and silver articles. The Garcinia gummi-gutta seed is an edible source of fat and interestingly the tree does not have any pest or disease and is a characteristic trait of the tree family. The fruit is also used in Indian traditional medicine for edema, delayed menstruation, constipation and other intestinal disorders.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / July 14th, 2019
Kodagu Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K Lakshmi Priya has directed the concerned officials to dispose of the wet waste from Gonikoppa Gram Panchayat limits, at a landfill site in Halligattu village, under police protection.
Conducting a special meeting at Gonikoppa Gram Panchayat on Wednesday, the ZP CEO sought details on the current condition of the landfill site.
The government grants should be utilised towards the unit, which is meant for the collection of waste generated from Gonikoppa, Ponnampet and Aruvattoklu villages, she added.
As the local residents have been opposing the waste disposal unit, police protection should be taken during waste disposal at the site, said the ZP CEO.
Lakshmi Priya meanwhile told Panchayat Development Officer Chandramauli to segregate dry and wet waste.
The wet waste should be collected at the Halligattu waste disposal unit and the dry waste should be collected at the dry waste collection unit near Gonikoppa market.
Three workers should be deployed at each ward for the door to door waste collection. The attendance of workers should be recorded through the biometric system, she said.
PDO Chandramauli said that there is no provision to invite tenders for waste management under the Panchayat Raj Act. Therefore, no tenders have been invited in this regard.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DH News Service, Ponnampet / July 17th, 2019
A day after a Bandipur ranger was attacked by a tiger, wildlife experts have asked foresters working in tiger reserves and national parks to exercise caution.
Hubballi :
A day after a Bandipur ranger was attacked by a tiger, wildlife experts have asked foresters working in tiger reserves and national parks to exercise caution. They suggest that field-level officers develop the instinct to sense danger when in the wild, so that animal-human conflicts can be checked.
Four cases of animals attacking forest officials have been reported from various reserves of Karnataka in the last one year, and two people have died in different incidents. While IFS officer Manikantan heading Nagarhole Tiger Reserve was trampled to death by an elephant, a temporary forest watcher from Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary met with the same fate.
After a tiger attacked Range Forest Officer Raghavendra in Bandipur, experts are asking why the officer ventured into the tiger area, that too unarmed. “The officer should have been aware of surprises the wild can throw up. Before being deputed at Bandipur, Raghavendra had worked in BRT Tiger Reserve. It was wrong of him to venture out to check the presence of a tiger without precautions. Field officers must be made aware of negative aspects of forest protection and use this knowledge to avoid dangerous situations,” a wildlife expert told TNIE.
K M Chinnappa, a senior wildlife conservationist, revealed that from his observation, most wild attacks occur when animals are chased. “The unfortunate death of a forester near river Cauvery happened when a team was driving away elephants. When foresters are transferred to different forests, they must be trained to cope with the different conditions they are likely to encounter, for some could be very dangerous,” he said.
“We have been asking the government to appoint local guards, who would know the terrain and dangers involved,” he added.
A retired forester admitted that there is no specific training given to field officers to deal with surprise wild attacks. “Sloth bears and elephants (tuskers) are most unpredictable in the wild. It is important that a forest team is made aware of possible dangers to expect, and be in a position to take precautionary measures,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Amit S. Upadhaye / Express News Service / July 03rd, 2019
A narration of experiences of retired Forest Officer K.M Chinnappa
Mysuru:
Wildlife First and Bharathi Prakashana, Mysuru, had organised a programme at Hotel Roost on Hunsur Road here this morning for the release of the book Kaadinolagondu Jeeva, based on the first-hand experiences of retired Forest Ranger K.M. Chinnappa, written by T.S. Gopal, retired Principal of Srimangala Junior College.
Releasing the book, Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, President of Adamya Chetana Trust and wife of late former Union Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar, observed that humans to prove their greatness were going against nature and inviting problems. She regretted that people were unaware of safe disposal of waste materials leading to environmental pollution. She commended Chinnappa for his experiences as a Forest Officer.
Speaking on the book, Dr. S.V. Narasimhan heaped praises on the ‘Hero’ of the book Chinnappa and the author of the book Gopal in evolving a great study volume. He appreciated the enthusiasm of the 80-year-old Chinnappa in narrating the experiences in the forest vividly.
Addressing the gathering, Chinnappa asked people to be aware of animal behaviour in forests. He warned that rampant deforestation would invite more drought. He commended Gopal in putting his (Chinnappa) experiences beautifully through words.
Author Gopal was present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 03rd, 2019
A scene from last year’s huge landslides in Kodagu. | Photo Credit: File photo
Kodagu is safe and tourists can visit their favourite destination without any fear – is the message that the hospitality sector in the land of coffee is circulating in various platforms, including social media, after some tourists gave up the idea of holidaying in Kodagu following reports on travel advisory issued ahead of the monsoon.
The directive from a village panchayat for halting homestay bookings was restricted to one particular area and not to entire Kodagu. Yet, misinformation led to cancellation of bookings in other places, according to the stakeholders.
The directive from the PDO of Makkandur Gram Panchayat perturbed the stakeholders of tourism, which, after a gap of many months, is returning to normalcy. Tourism had taken a beating after the devastating floods and landslides last year.
Out of 13 “highly vulnerable” locations identified on the possibility of landslides during the monsoon, seven come under the limits of Makkandur GP. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, the owners of the homestays coming in the GP limits were asked not to take reservations for the next three months. The order applied only to homestays in Makkandur.
“But what was being projected is that the entire Kodagu is unsafe and therefore tourists must stay away from visiting the hill station. This misinformation affected the tourism industry as the occupancy rate in hotels and resorts decreased suddenly with unease among visitors,” said B.R. Nagendra Prasad, President, Kodagu Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants’ Association. The PDO’s order was misinterpreted. The directive is limited to the GP limits but it was being generalised and created a feeling that it is risky to visit Kodagu now, he told The Hindu.
Tourists cancel bookings
Mr. Prasad, who met Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy along with other members of the association on Monday over problems plaguing the tourism sector, said many tourists cancelled their bookings and returned to their destinations apparently over the fear being spread over their safety in Kodagu.
“The occupancy in hotels and resorts which was around 80 per cent during weekdays and 100 per cent during the weekends since the second week of April went down suddenly. If negative propaganda about Kodagu continues, tourism will be badly affected,” he observed.
Mr. Prasad said “it took us many months to restore confidence in tourists and bring them back.If such negative campaigns continue, it will hit Kodagu’s economy.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Shankar Bennur / Mysuru – June 04th, 2019
On Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. is the next program in the Sanctuary Lecture Series, “Sinkholes to Stars: Diving into Lake Huron’s Sinkholes while Reaching for the Heavens.”
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for this free program at Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, 500 West Fletcher St., Alpena.
Grand Valley State University Professor Bopi Biddanda will share the excitement of over a decade of exploration of life in Lake Huron’s sinkholes carried out in collaboration with Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and ponder the relevance of these findings to major issues of both scientific and societal interest such as Earth’s current biologic and physiologic diversity, oxygenation of early Earth in the distant past, and humanity’s ongoing search for extra-terrestrial life.
Biddanda is an aquatic microbial ecologist studying the movement of carbon driven by microbes at the Annis Water Resources Institute at GVSU. He grew up in the lush subtropical mountains of Southwest India, and came to the U.S. in the 1980s to obtain a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Georgia. Subsequently, he went on research and teaching adventures at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Germany), National Institute of Oceanography (India), University of Texas Marine Science Institute, University of Rio Grande (Brazil) and University of Minnesota.
For the last decade and a half at GVSU, he has been studying the microbial cycling of elements in the Laurentian Great Lakes — exploring life in extreme environments such as Lake Huron’s sinkholes and operating a world-class time-series buoy observatory in Muskegon Lake.
Courtesy Photo A diver navigates a sink hole in Lake Huron.
He teaches classes in marine biology and aquatic ecology, and directs NASA’s Michigan Space Grant Consortium programs at GVSU. He hopes to continue to study Earth’s lakes — one of our most vital freshwater commons — as sentinels of change.
For more information, contact Stephanie Gandulla at steph.gandulla@noaa.gov or 989-884-6200.
source: http://www.thealpenanews.com / The Alpena News / Home> Life / June 06th, 2019
App-solutely smart: In the case of white stem borer, growers and the Board have validated 90% accuracy. | Photo Credit: Reuters
Apps fed with data help forecast weather, predict leaf rust
For the 3.5 lakh coffee growers in India, 98% of whom are small-scale, challenges affecting production include labour shortage, climate change and pest attacks.
One way to manage these is by adopting technology, which the Coffee Board is trying to bring about for the growers.
Last year, Eka Software Solutions took up a pilot project for the Coffee Board of India on machine-learning based applications. According to Shuchi Nijhawan, vice president – agri business for Eka Software, the Board and the company took up three areas to try machine learning based apps. One was addressing the white stem borer problem, another was weather forecasting, and the third, predicting leaf rust.
Machine-learning
“Based on the data, photos provided, we created a machine learning algorithm to forecast each of these issues (for a grower). We worked with 20 liaison officers of the Board and they coordinated with the growers.
“The success of the app depends on the data fed in. In the case of white stem borer, the growers and the Board have validated 90% accuracy,” she says. Eka’s digital platform for agriculture aggregates data from different sources and applies the algorithm to provide insight to the coffee growers.
Srivatsa Krishna, chairman of the Coffee Board, adds that though there is no exact data, it is learnt that in the last 10 to 15 years white stem borer would have brought down Arabica production by 25-30%. “The growers do need solutions for such issues.”
“Despite the Coffee Act having been around for more than seven decades, farmers have zero technology. The only way to increase productivity is by bringing in technology,” he says. Even before smartphones became popular, coffee growers had checked prices on the London and New York exchanges almost on a daily basis.
Hence, adopting technology should not be difficult for them. The Board has plans to scale up the analytics technology for adoption by more farmers.
Currently, 90% of the estates depend on labourers for most of the work and there is not much technology adoption among coffee growers in cultivation or to increase production.
“If someone is ready to do it [technology] for us, we will adopt it. It will help increase yield,” says Sundar Subramanium, executive director of Mother Mirra Coffee Plantations. Ms. Nijhawan says the company is exploring partnerships for other crops too. “Indian farmers want such technology services. There are several agriculture institutes and cooperatives in the country that have a lot of data. I see a huge potential for these technologies.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business> Industry> Green Shoots / by M Soundariya Preetha / June 02nd, 2019
New beginnings: The houses built for the displaced tribal people of Diddahalli forest in Kodagu district.
Each house has been built on a 30×40 sq. ft plot at a cost of ₹4.70 lakh; total cost of the project is ₹39.27 crore
Residential colonies coming up in Kodagu for displaced tribals of Diddahalli forests are being developed as ‘model settlements’, putting across facilities usually found in layouts developed in cities, such as well-laid roads, piped water supply, and CCTV surveillance.
The tribals relocated from Diddahalli forests in Virajpet taluk in the district have been provided shelter in the newly-constructed settlements at Basavanahalli and Byadagotta villages in Somawarpet taluk, with the State government coming forward to build individual houses for the families. Each house has been built on 30×40 sq.ft. plot and the project is nearing completion with only a few houses remaining to be built besides establishing essential facilities.
Out of 528 houses proposed for construction, 338 houses had been completed and some families have already shifted to their new dwelling. The construction began two years ago, according to C. Shivakumar, Project Coordinator, Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP).
Kodagu Nirmithi Kendra has built each house at a cost of ₹4.70 lakh. The total cost of the project is ₹39.27 crore. So far, ₹21.76 crore had been released to the Nirmithi Kendra for having completed the construction of 338 houses, he told The Hindu.
The Nirmithi Kendra has taken up works like the installation of water tanks for each house, laying of pipelines, covering drainages with stone slabs, construction of parks and fencing, and installation of surveillance cameras at a cost of ₹2.72 crore.
At both Basavanahalli and Byadagotta, a sum of ₹8 crore was being spent on construction of roads, drainages, septic tanks, UGD lines, culverts, overhead tank, and anganwadi kendras besides establishing electricity connection and water distribution lines to every house.
Out of 174 houses in Basavanahalli, 138 houses had been completed. Byadagotta will have about 354 houses. There are about 84 temporary dwellings which will be making way for the construction of permanent houses consisting of a living room, a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and other facilities.
Survey identifies 3,000 tribal families
A joint survey by the authorities of various departments in Kodagu has identified around 3,000 tribal families, mostly Yeravas and Jenukurubas, living in various plantations in the district.
The survey was done to collate information on the number of tribal families living outside the forests and working in plantations, which are in need of dwelling.
The survey was done by a committee comprising representatives from the Departments of Revenue, Police, Labour, Tribal Welfare and Public Instruction.
Children admitted to residential schools
Away from the accustomed schooling in government-run ashram schools, tribal children in Kodagu have an opportunity to pursue an education in government-run residential schools – Morarji Desai Residential School and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya.
The authorities of Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) persuaded the tribal families in the district and their children appeared for the entrance examination to these schools.
As many as 53 tribal children have been selected for Morarji Desai Schools in Madikeri, Somwarpet and Virajpet areas. Two children from tribal settlements have made it to the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Madikeri.
“This is perhaps the first time that tribal children from the areas wrote the entrance examination and a few of them got selected. Now the challenge is to persuade their parents to complete the admission process since many are reluctant to send their wards to schools outside their settlement,” said C. Shivakumar, Project Coordinator, ITDP.
Most of the children selected for the residential schools belong to the primitive tribes. There are 11 ashram schools in the district.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – June 02nd, 2019
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