Melkar Women’s P U College bags MEIF Excellence Award

Mangaluru, Nov 13: In a significant boost for junior cricket in the region, two promising talents from Dakshina Kannada district, Rehan Mohammed and Eesa Hakeem Puthige, have been named in the Karnataka State Cricket Association's (KSCA) Under-19 squad for the prestigious BCCI Cooch Behar Trophy 2025-26 season.

The selection of the two young cricketers underscores their impressive performances in the domestic age-group circuit, marking them as players to watch in the highly competitive national long-format tournament.

Karnataka's campaign in the Cooch Behar Trophy is set to kick off at the Alur Cricket Stadium in Bengaluru, where they will face Uttarakhand in their first four-day encounter, scheduled from November 16 to 19.

Rehan Mohammed, a skilled wicketkeeper-batsman, and Eesa Hakeem Puthige will join the state's best junior players as they aim to emulate Karnataka's recent success in the tournament. The Cooch Behar Trophy is a vital stepping stone, traditionally serving as the proving ground for cricketers aspiring to play at higher levels, including the Ranji Trophy and the India U-19 team.

Karnataka U-19 Squad for Cooch Behar Trophy 2025-26 

Nitish Arya
Dhruv Krishnan
Adesh D Urs
Manikanth Shivanand (Captain)
Rehan Mohammad (WK)
Akshath Prabhakar (Vice Captain)
Dhyan Mahesh Hiremath
Rathan BR
Kuldeep Singh Purohit
Virat R Ganya
Vaibhav Sharma
Eesa Hakeem Puthige
Pratheek Akhil
Sidharth Akhil
Rohith AA

The Cooch Behar Trophy: A Long-Format Crucible

The BCCI Cooch Behar Trophy is India's national Under-19 inter-state cricket tournament, famed for its multi-day, long-format matches. Established during the 1945-46 season, it is named after the family of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar.

This four-day format provides young athletes with crucial exposure to the demands of longer cricket—challenging their batting endurance, bowling stamina, and match-reading tactics, preparing them for the rigours of First-Class cricket.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department is set to take complete control of the 108 ambulance services by February 2026. The move aims to enhance efficiency and ensure uninterrupted emergency medical support across the state.

As part of the transition, the department plans to conduct recruitment tests for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who provide first aid and medical assistance during patient transit.

The government will also procure 175 new ambulances from the Road Safety Authority to replace older vehicles that have frequent breakdowns. The new fleet will be equipped with Mobile Data Terminals—tablet devices designed to help technicians and drivers locate patients and nearby hospitals more effectively.

These devices will also integrate ambulance operations with e-Sanjeevini, the national telemedicine platform, allowing hospital doctors to guide EMTs in real time and prepare facilities before a patient’s arrival.

A new command control centre, staffed with over 250 personnel, will operate using 112 NGERSS software developed by C-DAC. This system enables call dispatchers to track ambulances, patients, and hospitals, ensuring that the nearest available vehicle is promptly assigned. All government hospitals have already been geo-tagged, and private hospital data is being added for full integration.

A pilot project in Chamarajanagar district has already demonstrated successful, delay-free ambulance dispatch using the new system.

To streamline fleet management, the department also plans to engage district-level agencies to manage ambulance drivers, ensuring transparency and accountability in service operations.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has instructed all government departments to strictly adopt eco-friendly practices by replacing plastic water bottles with sustainable alternatives in offices and official events across the state.

In a note issued on October 28, which was released to media on Friday, the CM emphasised the state's commitment to environmental responsibility and promotion of indigenous products.

The directive aims to make government functions more sustainable while supporting local enterprises.

Siddaramaiah said, "Instructions had been issued earlier to use eco-friendly materials instead of plastic water bottles for drinking water in all government offices and official meetings across the state. Necessary steps should be taken to strictly implement this measure."

Further, the chief minister directed all departments to "mandatorily use Nandini products of the government-owned Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF)" during meetings and official programmes, including those held in the Secretariat.