AYUSH doctors in Karnataka launch indefinite strike for regularisation

Bengaluru, Jul 20: Karnataka's nearly 600 Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) doctors on Monday went on an indefinite strike here, demanding that their service should be regularised.

"We have launched an indefinite strike until the government gives us in writing that our service will be regularised and salary revised...," said B.S. Madhukar, the secretary of Karnataka AYUSH Medical Officers Association.

Their other demands include health insurance, travel and daily allowance. These doctors were working in around 600 health centres consisting of Public Health Centres, Community Health Centres and general hospitals across Karnataka.

"Over the last 10 years, AYUSH doctors have been working for the betterment of the society. Yet, the state government failed to provide basic amenities to them or recognise their services," added Madhukar.

"AYUSH doctors were hired on contractual basis in 2006 because of shortage of regular MBBS doctors to run the hospitals with the promise of regularising their jobs," said Madhukar, adding that AYUSH doctors even accepted jobs in rural, backward and remote areas without any hesitation.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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