The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) gave away Nadaprabhu Kempegowda awards to 32 persons on Thursday in a simple function at the Dr. Rajkumar Glass House.
The function was scheduled on the day the five-year term of the BBMP council ended, making it M. Goutham Kumar’s last public event as the Mayor.
The last event, however, was not bereft of controversy. Mr. Kumar had earlier stated that 20 ‘COVID-19 warriors’ would be identified for the awards. However, opposition Congress alleged that several RSS functionaries had been chosen for the awards while only four ‘COVID-19 warriors’ had been identified.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / September 10th, 2020
A social worker-cum-entrepreneur in Belagavi has come to the rescue of critical Covid patients with respiratory issues who cannot afford or procure them.
Oxygen level being measured on a pulse oximeter. (Photo| PTI)
Belagavi :
A social worker-cum-entrepreneur in Belagavi has come to the rescue of critical Covid patients with respiratory issues who cannot afford or procure them. Venkatesh Patil of Belgaum Oxygen Private Limited realised the need of the hour and started refilling empty cylinders with oxygen, free of cost, to help the poor and needy in the district.
The dearth of oxygen cyliners had allegedly claimed the lives of several Covid patients. Several NGOs and social workers started collecting oxygen cylinders for the needy. However, after the they were utilised, refilling them became a challenge for them.
When Patil came to know about this, he started refilling empty cylinders bought by NGOs, through his company, BOPL. The cost of refilling each Rs 260. Till date, Patil has refilled 1,882 oxygen cylinders free of cost. Many other NGOs have been approaching him with empty cylinders, and he has refilled them without charging a single rupee.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / September 08th, 2020
File photo of a solar mapping LIDAR flight | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain
After a series of delays, the ambitious project – touted to be the first of its kind in India – to assess Bengaluru’s rooftop potential to harness solar energy finally took off on Wednesday.
CREST – STEP’s Rooftop Evaluation of Solar Tool (CREST), was launched virtually, enabling consumers to assess their rooftop’s potential to generate solar energy for their own consumption, as well as to supply additional power generated to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) grid.
Mahendra Jain, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, Karnataka said the State is already a leader in renewable energy with 63% energy coming from renewable sources, including solar and hydel. “The world’s largest solar park is located in Pavagada, which is fully functional. Although we have achieved such stupendous success, in the matter of solar rooftop we have been below the mark. Once generation and consumption are localised, there is greater scope for storage and it becomes viable at a solar rooftop level,” he said.
He admitted that Bengaluru was still “woefully behind the target” in solar rooftop generation. “Why we have not achieved our potential despite solar radiation scope is because of inhibitions about the high cost, lack of information whether the particular rooftop is technically and commercially viable, and also because people are at a loss as to who to approach,” he said.
The LIDAR-based project, he said, maps the minutest detail of the rooftop, including how much it would cost. “It will help us in accelerating the rooftop plan. We will be able to resolve a lot of problems in power supply. Renewable has problems of unpredictability, and evacuation of solar power in a large plant becomes problematic. It took a long time in Pavagada too and was capital intensive. In a rooftop, generation and consumption are localised, and so it is advantageous. If you pair renewable and storage, the day is not far when we can do away with thermal energy completely. If any State can dream of becoming a thermal-free State, it has to be Karnataka,” he said, adding that the KERC too has allowed third party investment in solar rooftops.
G. Sheela, General Manager, Demand Side Management, Bescom, said though the target set by the Karnataka Solar policy is to achieve 2400 MW by 2022, with Bescom’s target being 1200 MW, only 140 MW has been commissioned so far.
Saptak Ghosh, Research Scientist, CSTEP, said the CREST project has covered 1076 sq km and estimated that 2.8 GW is the actual realisable potential in Bengaluru.
Bescom Managing Director M.B. Rajesh Gowda said with rooftop generation picking up, it will be a win-win situation for Bescom and consumers, as transmission costs will also come down.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – September 02nd, 2020
Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar has said that the Kadechur-Badiyal Industrial Area in Yadgir district will shortly get a Bulk Drug Farm Park on 1,000 acres of land.
He was addressing reporters after visiting the industrial area on Tuesday.
He said that the proposed Bulk Drug Farm Park will come up on 1,000 acres of land as Raichur MP Raja Amareshwar Naik has shown special interest in bringing such a park to the region. He has also submitted a proposal to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
“We have reserved the required 1,000 acres of land out of the 3,300 acres that has been acquired in the industrial area. A delegation will be taken to Delhi to discuss the proposal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Sadananda Gowda,” Mr. Shettar said and added that this industry will help develop the district.
Recalling Invest Karnataka-Hubballi that was held in Hubballi, the Minister said that nearly a 1,000 industrialist-delegates participated and 43 memorandums of understanding had been signed.
“As many as 15 companies have shown interest in establishing factories in the Kadechur-Badiyal Industrial Area. After the Invest meet, ₹ 31,000 crore was proposed to be invested to develop industries in the State,” he added.
Mr. Shettar said that remarkable changes had been brought in by the industrial policy, and an authority has been constituted to give a boost to tier 2 and tier 3 cities. A Special Investment Region Area has been adopted in the policy covering Dharwad, Kalaburagi and Shivamogga and these areas will see considerable growth, he added.
The Karnataka Industries (Facilitation) Act 2002 has been amended giving certain relaxations to industrialists and the required land will be allotted to them. According to the amendment, industries with less than ₹ 15 crore capital will get the necessary approvals from the district administrations and those with more than ₹ 15 crore capital will get approvals from a committee headed by the Chief Minister and himself. “Industrialists can start their industries immediately after applying for permission without any waiting period. This was the first such reforms in the country,” Mr. Shettar said.
‘Meaningless remarks’
Reacting sharply to Monday’s remarks by the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Shetter said that “his remarks are meaningless. Initially, he was saying that the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress had toppled the coalition government. Now, he is saying that it was the drug mafia. He will change his versions according to the circumstances he is in. He could have instead revealed the right reason why the coalition government collapsed.”
Mr. Raja Amareshwar Naik, Chairman of Nijasharana Ambigara Chowdayya Development Board Baburao Chinchansur, MLA Shivaraj Patil, MLC B.G. Patil, BJP district president Sharanabhupal Reddy and Chandrashekhargouda Maganur and others were present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Yadgir – September 01st, 2020
