Mangaluru: Five achievers presented with Rachana awards

November 17, 2014

Mangaluru, Nov 16: The Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Industry conferred Rachana awards on five personalities here at Milagres Jubilee Hall in Mangaluru on Sunday.

Jeanette Pinto, a retired educationist and professor of history, received the Outstanding Woman of the Year' award.

The Agriculturist of the Year' award went to retired forest official Gabrial Stany Veigas, for his experiments with sustainable farming on his 37-acre farm where he cultivates coconut, mango, rambutan, cashew, jackfruit and breadfruit.

Raphael Sequeira, a Mumbai-based entrepreneur who runs a host of diversified companies that deal with garment export, real estate and information technology, got the Entrepreneur of the Year' award.

The Professional of the Year' award went to Anil Kieth D'Cruz, an oncologist, for his distinguished medical career as well as research into cancer. Oman-based Ligoury D'Mello was adjudged the NRI entrepreneur of the Year' for successfully running an engineering solutions company in the oil and gas sector in Oman.

About winners

Dr Jeanette Pinto is a retired educationist from Mumbai. She was the principal of famous Sophia College and Vice Principal of St Xavier College in Mumbai. She is the Director of Human Life committee of the Bombay Diocese, which is involved in promoting the dignity of human life from birth to death. She also authored a book- Indian Widow- from Victim to Victor that was well reviewed.

Gabrial Stany Veigas, a retired forest official has turned 37 acres into model farm, with innovative farming practices. Planting around 3,400 plants of cocoanut, Mango, Rambutan, Cashew, grafted variety of jackfruit and breadfruit, he has in the last ten years converted his land into high yielding agricultural plot.

Raphael Sequeira, entrepreneur from Mumbai is the managing Director of Mumbai based Reliable group. Making his foray into apparel export, he started his business career and never looked back since then. Starting with 50 employees in 1984, he today employs 900 employees producing about 5500 garments every day.

Dr Anil Kieth D'Cruz, is Director at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, as well as Professor and Surgeon, Department of Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Dcruz is a distinguished leader in the field of oncology. He is an elected member on the Board of Directors of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Geneva. He is currently also on the board of Governors of the Foundation of Head Neck Oncology India.

A mechanical engineer by profession Ligoury D Mello chose Oman as his land of opportunity, working there in oil and gas sector. He formed Technofit LLC a specialized company to provide Engineering Solutions in the Oil and Gas sector with local Omani Partners.

From a humble beginning of a small business set-up, he steered the company to become an international group spreading its wings into the horizons of other Gulf Countries.

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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