DK, Udupi seen negative growth in population: Acharya

[email protected] (News Network)
July 24, 2011
Mangalore, July 23: Minister for Higher Education Dr V S Acharya said that with the single child norm, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have seen negative growth in population and imbalance in sex ratio. The rate of growth of population is -25 in Udupi and -20 in Dakshina Kannada.

Speaking at the presentation of a study by Manipal University on the impact of mid-day meals on the school students organised by the Akshaya Patra Foundation here on Saturday, he stressed the need for two child norm. The sex ratio has come down to 968:1000 in Udupi district. The infant mortality rate in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi is much below the developed countries.

“Fresh, clean, tasty, nutritious and balanced food is essential for the growth of the children. If proper food is given to the children, then they will be attentive in classrooms,” he opined and added that the auditing of any programme is essential to know how much success we have achieved and to improve the programme for the good.

Study report

A team of doctors led by Manipal University department of Public Health Head Dr Ramachandra Kamath conducted a study to assess the nutritional status and health check up of 1,630 school children in Mangalore who consume food from Akshaya Patra Foundation in the form of mid-day meals.

Dr Kamath said each child was examined clinically for the presence of signs and symptoms of malnutriotion. A machine has been procured from Germany for the purpose. About 10 per cent of the schools covered in the first phase with 25 per cent school children for the study.

Similar study will also be carried out in Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad, and Bellary.

A total of 144 schools will be covered with 78,700 students. In Mangalore, 830 boys and 800 girls were taken for study. The study showed that 91.7 per cent of the children are normal. An average of 5 per cent malnutrition was noticed in the children.

The problems of anaemia, ear infection and skin infection were also noticed.

Dr Kamath said mid-day meals served under Akshaya Patra has well organised distribution and good in quality and quantity.

KSHEMA Head of the department of Ophthalmology Dr Jayaram Shetty said that all the children of 143 schools covered under AKshaya Patra will undergo free eye check up camp. Zilla Panchayat President K T Shailaja Bhat presided.

'Chapathis for mid-day meals'

The Akshaya Patra Foundation Director (Programme Coordinator) Ramaswamy Tarikere said that the Akshaya Patra is planning to supply chapathi to the kids for mid-day meals in Hubli-Dharwad, Bangalore and Bellary.

He said about 9 lakh chapathis would be required daily. “We will not make any restriction for the number of chapathis to be consumed. Once we get approval from the government, chapathis will be supplied to the students,” he added.

He said a sum of Rs 5.60 is spent on one child for mid-day meals. Of which, Rs 4.30 for high schools and Rs 2.69 for primary school kids is given by the government.

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News Network
March 17,2024

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Bengaluru: The Vokkaliga heartland of the old Mysuru region consisting of several southern districts will be the testing ground for the recently forged BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling Congress will now look to consolidate its gains that it made in the assembly elections in May last year when it made inroads into the strongholds of the regional party headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in these districts.

In the 2019 Pariamentary elections, the Congress and JD(S) fought together but secured only one seat each in the state. The BJP bagged 25 out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress and JD(S) win, in fact, came in the old Mysuru region -- Bangalore Rural and Hassan, respectively, while Mandya seat went to an independent backed by the BJP.

This time, the JD(S) has an alliance with BJP. According to sources, the JD(S) is likely to be alloted Hassan, Mandya and Kolar seats in the region, from where Deve Gowda's party draws its strength from in Karnataka.

The JD(S) is now looking to bounce back after the drubbing it received in the May assembly polls.

The Congress and JD(S) are considered to be traditional rivals in the region, where the BJP has also been improving its vote-share.

The BJP-JD(S) alliance hopes to counter the Congress' surge in the region, determined to consolidate Vokkaliga votes in their favour and banking on the Modi charisma. Both parties also hope to gain from each other with this alliance.

The Congress is hoping to further its prospects and continue its dominance in the region, with the help of its strong local leadership and riding on its five guarantee schemes.

Both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state President D K Shivakumar, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister come from this region, and so does JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy, a former CM and that party's state President.

According to a political analyst, 'coordination among local leaders and transfer of votes between the parties are going to be key for the BJP-JD(S) alliance to click.' Lack of trust between sizeable workers and leaders of both parties on the ground had proved to be counterproductive for Congress and JD(S) combine in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, resulting in their rout and helping the BJP.

Both Congress and BJP have announced candidates for some seats in the region for the 2024 polls.

The Congress has re-nominated D K Suresh, brother of Shivakumar, from Bangalore Rural.

Interestingly, the BJP has fielded the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysore and noted cardiac surgeon and Deve Gowda's son-in-law, Dr C N Manjunath, from Bangalore Rural.

In Karnataka, the Lok Sabha elections will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7.

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News Network
March 21,2024

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Mangaluru: A man from Dakshina Kannada was duped of Rs 2.5 lakh after he was promised a Poland visa.

In a complaint, a resident of Belthangady, stated that the accused, Manoj, had promised a job for his son in Poland. 

Between May 22 of last year and March 19, he handed over Rs 2.2 lakh in various phases, citing different reasons.

However, since the accused failed to provide a visa or return the money, a case was registered at the Dharmasthala police station under IPC sections 417 and 420.

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News Network
March 27,2024

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday launched simultaneous raids in multiple places, including Bengaluru and Shivamogga.

Reports suggested that the ongoing raids are in connection with the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe on March 1. The blast had injured at least ten people as per the police report.

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) had launched an investigation alongside the NIA, and the trail of the suspect led them to Tumakuru first and subsequently to Ballari. Investigators believe that the bomb was planted by Mussavir Hussain Shazib, a handler of the Islamic State’s Shivamogga module who was aided by another IS handler called Ahmed Taahaa.

Sources in the know said that Shazib and Taahaa had stayed in Chennai for about a month between January and February using fake credentials. The names of the suspects were identified after they traced the cap worn by Shazib to a shop in a mall in Chennai. The cap, which was abandoned by the bomber in Bengaluru after the blast, was reportedly bought by Taahaa, around January-end.

As per the NIA, Shazib hails from Masjid Road in Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district, and Taahaa from Fish Market Road, Soppu Gude, Thirthahalli Rural. Both "wanted" suspects have been termed "absconders" by the NIA.

The NIA has questioned seven jailed terror suspects so far in connection with the blast. The investigation agency had also obtained seven-day custody of a jailed terror suspect named Maaz Muneer Ahmed.

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