Category Archives: Green Initiatives / Environment

Mandya ZP CEO selected to train DCs in Delhi

Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders
Rohini Sindhuri has been chosen as a resource person following the impressive performance of Mandya district in implementing the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Rohini Sindhuri has been chosen as a resource person following the impressive performance of Mandya district in implementing the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Impressed by the performance of Mandya district in implementing the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), the Union government has selected Mandya Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Rohini Sindhuri to train district collectors/deputy commissioners of various States in New Delhi.

The Mandya Zilla Panchayat launched a drive to provide individual toilets to 1.02 lakh households during 2014–15. And, since July last, it had constructed 75,000 individual toilets across the district.

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has selected three officials as resource persons for the two-day orientation programme on the SBA, which will start in New Delhi on Friday. Two other resource persons are Deputy Commissioner of Bikaner district Aarti Dogra and Additional Collector of Harda district Ganesh Mishra.

These officials have performed extremely well in implementing the SBA and their inputs in the training will be valuable for the participants, Joint Director of the Ministry Sandhya Singh said in a communique dispatched to the Department of Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation on Tuesday.

The Ministry has been organising such training programmes on the SBA for the district collectors/deputy commissioners regularly to achieve the goal of making country ‘Open defecation free’ by October 2, 2019, Ms. Singh said.

B.N. Krishnaiah, Commissioner for the Department for Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, has lauded the services of Ms. Sindhuri in motivating people to get toilets constructed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by M.T. Shiva Kumar / Mandya – March 12th, 2015

Your old newspapers can fund a poor patient’s dialysis

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
C.V. Sundaresh of Arpana Seva Samsthe collecting old newspapers in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The NGO sponsors 1,000 dialysis a year.— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.
C.V. Sundaresh of Arpana Seva Samsthe collecting old newspapers in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The NGO sponsors 1,000 dialysis a year.— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

We were moved by the plight of patients: NGO

A bundle of old newspapers may mean a new lease of life for someone in dire need far away. A group of energetic volunteers are going to apartments, hotels and offices asking not for money, but for old newspapers to mobilise funds for dialysis for poor patients.

Businessman C.V. Sundresh, secretary of Arpana Seva Samsthe, an NGO started in 2008 by a group of philanthropists, said: “Over the years, we were moved by the plight of patients who had asked us for help for dialysis and realised that this was a recurring expenditure. People could not afford dialysis but still had to undergo it twice or thrice a week. So we decided to mobilise funds only to fund dialysis. End-stage renal failure patients have to spend at least Rs. 6,000 a month for dialysis apart from other medication.”

He said, “The money we get from newspaper drives may not be much, but we are spreading awareness on kidney health and the drive also helps us get commitment for individual cases.”

The organisation, which has 40 members and 60 volunteers and sponsors 1,000 dialysis a year, has tied up with Bangalore Kidney Foundation, which shortlists deserving patients.

T.N. Lakshmiprasad (39), who used to work in a private firm, travels five hours, twice a week, from Yagati village in Kadur taluk of Chikkamagaluru district to Bengaluru for his dialysis.

“Private hospitals are expensive and government hospitals are not always equipped with technicians and doctors, which is why I prefer coming to Bengaluru. The organisation, over the past seven years, has funded nearly 100 dialysis,” he said.

Those who want to donate newspapers can call 9845201563.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Tanu Kulkarni / Bengaluru – March 12th, 2015

Farmers’ start-up launched

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Suttur seer Shivaratri Deshikendra Swami inaugurating the Raitha Mitra FarmersProducer Company Ltd. in Mysuru on Monday.— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM
Suttur seer Shivaratri Deshikendra Swami inaugurating the Raitha Mitra FarmersProducer Company Ltd. in Mysuru on Monday.— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

Farmers in the State have turned entrepreneurial.

They have launched a start-up company to market their produce and provide agricultural inputs, including seeds and fertilizer, at less than market price. The Raitha Mitra Farmers Producer Company Ltd. took 8 months in the making and has 1,000 members from across the State.

Inspired by a similar endeavour of turmeric producers in Erode in Tamil Nadu and coconut cultivators in Kerala, the company was inaugurated by Suttur seer Shivaratri Deshikendra Swami on Tuesday.

The membership is open only to genuine land-holding farmers. Membership is restricted to one representative from each farmer family.

Besides proving agricultural implements at lower price, the company intends extend to loan at nominal interest, create warehouse facilities so that farmers can hold on to their produce instead of engaging in distress sale when the market slumps, said Kurubur Shanthakumar, chairman of the company.

Described as the first-of-its-kind initiative in the State, there are members from Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Karwar, Dharwad, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Haveri to name a few, he said.

“Each member farmer has to buy 50 company shares at the rate of Rs. 100 each and the capital will be used in part for financing some of its activities and profits shared in accordance with the share held by the members,” he added.

One of the main objectives is to help reduce cultivation cost by procuring agricultural inputs at cost price and selling it to the members at less than market price, which will add to the company’s profit while resulting in helping farmers save.

“The scourge of middlemen in agriculture will be eliminated to a large extent and the sale of spurious seeds and fertilizers will be scorched,” Mr. Shanthakumar said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by R. Krishna Kumar / Musuru – March 03rd, 2015

From honcho to farmer, this dreamer has come full circle

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Mangaluru :

After a long career rat race that took him across the country and the globe, life has come full circle for Chandrakantha Rao, 53, of Inna Village near Padubidri, about 50km from here.

After being the director & president, Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises of Aditya Birla Group and managing operations in nine countries, he retired when he turned 50 and settled down at his Praakruti Fruit Farm – a modern model farm with a 1,250 sqft wood house.

He and his wife, Supriya, moved 14 times all over India in the first 24 years of his career and even all over the world in the last five years. And all the while, one question remained on top of his mind: Where to?

Rao said: “What you see around the fruit farm today is a result of my search for that question. It is a model farm getting developed just to show case possibilities in the fertile land of the coast. It started with a dream of putting our quiet village Inna on the map and to create a world class farm to show case possibilities.”

Rao, who completed his graduation from NIT-K with distinction in 1983, wanted to hang his boots when he turned 50. And he worked towards this end. “That was the plan. As soon as I felt independent I decided it to call a day. Once you decide, then you will work towards reasonable financial independence. I was quite clear that I wanted to retire at 50,” he said and added, “The company thinks I’m on sabbatical.”

He quit in 2012 and returned to his village where did his school.

The farm house – built of Green Teak and designed by his Thai friend Nattapoom Raksakul — was completed in 2011. The house is named “Su Kantha I” – derived from Su-priya and Chandra-Kantha) and `I’ from Inna.

Rao visited several progressive farms in Kochi, Karkala, Naravi, Hiriyadka, Belthangady, Puttur and Kundapur and designed the farm with the help of Amit Soans of West Coast Nursery at Uchila. His farm has an acre each for cultivation of mango, chikoo, rambutan, guava, mangosteen and coconut.

He said that an excellent farm cannot be complete without a farm house. A small team from Thailand (Kanchanpuri) guided a local team of 12 carpenters to complete this project in less than three months.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / by Stanley Pinto, TNN / March 02nd, 2015

Puttur Man Shows how to Build Cool Homes with Mud Bricks

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology

Puttur1BF25feb2015

Puttur :

Call it green revolution or a new building technique—Chidananda Rai of Puttur shows how to build a dream house which is cooler and at 40 per cent the cost of construction. He has introduced a brick that is not burnt or mined from the laterite plates of the coastal areas. In fact, the brick is produced from your neighbourhood mud. He calls it the mud brick.

Perching on a hillock in Bolwar on the outskirts of Puttur town, Rai’s brick plant has machinery that no conventional brick producer has.

There is no furnace or a big pile of firewood, but just a mechanical sieve, and a pounder which compresses the loose soil into a hard brick.

But will it take the pressure of weight as well as brave the rain and shine?

When asked, Rai explained: “Mud has an extraordinary quality when it is compressed with moisture. This is a simple technique: freshly dug mud is sieved and mixed with a compound of 10 per cent of cement and two chemical additives, directed into a mould and compressed under a 30 tonne pressure. And we have a brick that is as solid as a laterite stone and perhaps stronger than the burnt brick. The bricks will have to be cured under moist conditions for three days and they are ready for taking the load.”

Puttur2BF25feb2015

This product can be termed a green housing technique unlike the conventional ones.

In the case of burnt brick, the makers use tonnes of firewood which denude forests and the burning of wood creates environmental pollution. The laterite stones that are generally used in construction in the coastal region are mined from the laterite blocks which leave large voids in the ground. Moreover, laterite stocks don’t last forever, Rai said.

Rai displayed a strength report issued by the National Institute of Technology Karnataka.

He said the certificate has mentioned that the mud brick had 16.8 psi (pressure point) load-bearing capacity which was as good as the laterite stones. People who have used mud bricks have told me that their houses were relatively cooler inside. The bricks have ridges that alleviate the need for using cement between the blocks.

They are placed on each other with the help of the ridges and to make them more stable a thin coat of cement grout is used.

Since there is no need of plastering it, the wall is ready for painting which saves nothing less than 40 per cent of the cost of construction. There is no need for sand too, he added.

He has found a market in Kodagu district where mud bricks are being used for constructing homestays and other buildings. This is because a load of sand costs nothing less than `25,000 against `7,000 per load in the coastal areas and in Mysuru, he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by M Raghuram / February 17th, 2015

Organic agriculture tablet concept attracts farmers in summit

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology

Belagavi :

The stall of organic agriculture tablets developed for the crops as a tonic by the Bengaluru based High Tech Agri Services is something innovative concept that pulling the farmers at the ‘Agrovision South’, South India’s largest agriculture and industry summit in Belagavi.

“Generally we use tablets on the doctors’ prescription when we fell sick or feel unhealthy. The same is the concept behind organic tablets,” said Nagaraj Hegde, founder of the High Tech Agri Services, speaking to the TOI.

Agriculture tablet is the formulation of growth tonic and booster, which helps plants to become more healthier and to get higher yield. These tablets can be applied directly in soil, through drip irrigation or even by foliar spray by diluting the tablet in water.

According to Hegde, organic tablets are very advantageous to plants to fight against biotic and abiotic stress. It increases the assimilation of nutrients and boost up growth besides build immunity against diseases. More advantages of tablets are these are safe to handle and no hassle of measurement.

Hegde told that company sells these tablets at various countries including Dubai, Thailand, Chilli, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia apart from India. Company also has products for the plants for disease management, insect management, soil conditioning and nutrition management.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / TNN / February 21st, 2015

Forgotten Cereals are Back

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

JP Nagar :

An NGO is striving to bring millets, once a staple in these parts, back into our daily diet.

Sahaja Organics, run by Sahaja Samrudha Organic Producer, an NGO based in VV Puram, has been organising millet melas across Karnataka.

“If we just tell people about the importance of the cereal, nobody is going to eat it. So, we had a competition where 25 women participated and made 70 to 80 dishes of millets,” Anita Reddy, trustee of Sahaja Samrudha, told City Express.

With more fibre, millets are healthier than oats, says an NGO
With more fibre, millets are healthier than oats, says an NGO

One of the highlights was bajra roti with navane (fox tail millet) chutney powder. “It has an exquisite taste,” she said.

 

Millets can be consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and are one of the oldest foods known to humans, she explained.

“Vedic scriptures like Sathapatha Brahmana have ample references to millets.” she said. “And several varieties are found on Harappan and Mohenjodaro archeological sites.”

Millet Mela in JP Nagar, which concluded on Sunday, introduced brown top millet, which can easily be grown anywhere
Millet Mela in JP Nagar, which concluded on Sunday, introduced brown top millet, which can easily be grown anywhere

The Millet Mela that concluded in JP Nagar on Sunday introduced brown top millet, which Anita explained can be grown anywhere with little care.

“Brown top millet has 17.5 per cent fibre, whereas oats has just 11 per cent. We promote oats so much, but never promote millets. Melas are thus helping us to create awareness,” she explained.

Sahaja Samrudha was founded in 2010 with the objective of improving the livelihood of farmers through the marketing of organic produce to urban consumers.

“Our NGO works towards conservation of traditional pulses, millets and cereals. We are working with some groups in southern India,” she said.

The NGO hopes the cereals will become a part of everyday meals. “Unless it is viable, farmers will not cultivate the cereals. Marketing is one aspect of our conservation work,” she said.

She said the promotion of oats, which is not produced in our country, was common. “Why should we eat a foreign product, when we have our traditional millets in our own backyard?” she said.

The price of millet ranges from Rs 70 to Rs 80 a kilo. “The processing is expensive, and that explains the price. The farmers of north Karnataka and Tumakuru produce these millets. We get our produce processed in Tamil Nadu. The logistics is working out expensive,” Anita said.

Karnataka doesn’t have a good processing unit to clean and remove the husk. Millets sold by Sahaja Samrudha are not polished.

Apart from millets, Sahaja Samrudha is the only company that sells red rice wholesale in Karnataka.

“We have dark, red rice, which is not available in the normal market. Our other exclusive product is corn, which comes in varieties of black and red,” she said.

Sahaja Samrudha, #19, Sajjan Rao Road, VV Puram. For details, call 2661 2315, email sahajaindia@gmail.com or

log on to sahajasamrudha.org

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by A Sharadhaa / February 24th, 2015

Karanji Lake to Host Its Second Butterfly Park Soon

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel
Mysuru :
Karanji Lake Nature Park, one of the most scenic places in Mysuru city, will soon open its second butterfly park.

One such park is already situated in a small island within the lake but hasn’t been able to attract many butterflies.

Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens executive director B P Ravi told Express, “Butterflies require specific eco-climatic conditions. The island concept is wrong. The habitat is not suitable and attracts very few butterflies as it is surrounded by water. The temperature and humidity needs to be mild. This is why a new butterfly garden is being set up near the entrance gate.”

Mysuru Zoo authorities own and maintain Karanji Lake.

Nearly 150 varieties of nectar and host plants will be planted in the garden to attract various kinds of butterflies.

Display boards with information on the kinds of butterflies along with their specialities and importance will be put up.

The lake authorities also plan to encourage college students to plant saplings and will teach them about the importance of conservation. Nearly 60 per cent of the work has been completed and the garden will be ready by March. Apart from this, visitors to the lake will get to visit an orchidarium (an area where orchids are cultivated), a cactus terrarium, and a paludarium (an area that incorporates both terrestrial and aquatic elements).

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / February 16th, 2015

An illiterate Farmer designs a Water Mill to generate Electricity

Amazing Feats, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technology

SidappaBF09feb2014

Siddappa, an illiterate farmer from Somapur village in Gadag district of Karnataka, has designed a water mill to generate electricity. Right from conceptualizing to materialisation, the farmer has done everything on his own. He operates the water mill in the canal near his house.

Using timbers, Siddappa prepared a giant wheel that joined at a central hub. There are eight arms, five feet each, extending from the central hub. A plastic bucket is dangled at the tip of each arm. When the water from two pipes gushes into one of the buckets, it generates the pressure that turns the 10-feet wheel in an anti-clockwise motion. The bucket could also be spun in the horizontal plane using a central steering wheel, similar to a teacup ride. As one after another bucket is driven by the flowing water, the first arm declines back to the ground while the other rises in the air. This process spins the black wheel attached to this giant wheel. The spinning black wheel rotates another wheel connected to a dynamo.

A converter converts the Direct Current from the dynamo into Alternating Current. Siddappa claims to have spent a mere Rs 5000 on building the entire apparatus. This is his second attempt to show the villagers that anybody can produce electricity for self-consumption using the resources at hand. “Many people who have canals flowing near their villages don’t know how to use that natural gift. I want to show them all practically that electricity problems can be solved by being creative. There is no need to beg to the government for everything,” he says.

He gets 150 watts of power from this water mill when water flows in the canal. Siddappa claims he can create electricity for the entire village through his machine. But the problem is that the canal in his village flows only for three months a year!

source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> Innovation / by N K Suprabha / April 08th, 2011

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This article originally appeared in The Sunday Indian (TSI) magazine and has been reproduced here as part of an arrangement between The Better India and TSI. The author, Suprabha Naik is a correspondent with the Kannada Bureau of TSI. Read previous article of this author here.

M’luru professor wins award for scientific work on ferns

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All
Dr Smitha Hegde
Dr Smitha Hegde

Dr Smitha Hegde, associate professor, department of post-graduate studies and research in biotechnology, St Aloysius College, Mangaluru, has been awarded the Professor SS Bir gold medal in Pteridology for her scientific work towards advancement of science in the area of ferns.

The award was recently handed over by Dr PS Ahuja, director general, Council of Industrial Research (CSIR) and Dr SP Khullar, secretary treasurer of Indian Fern Society at the National Conference on ‘Modern Approaches to Pteridophytes: Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresource’ at the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur.

Dr Hegde is currently screening ferns of the Western Ghats region, particularly the Kudremukh National Park region, for their capacity of hyper accumulation of heavy metals. She said, “As a first step, a field guide has been written reporting 38 ferns of the region.
Simultaneously, I am undertaking a project on DNA fingerprinting of ferns of the region to confirm the identity of selected ferns of the region.” She has developed a technique of encapsulating sporophytes produced in vitro as ‘Protocorm-like bodies’ in Alginate beads to enable transportation of the in vitro produced planting material to the field with minimum shock and damage, thus producing the first ‘Synthetic seeds’ for ferns in 1995.

She worked on (Cyathea spp) tree ferns of the Western Ghats for post-doctoral studies .

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / January 12th, 2015