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* City MMA Fighters Excel

Fourteen Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters of the Academy of Martial Science participated in the 6th Bangalore Open MMA Championships held in Whitefield, Bengaluru, between Dec. 16 and 19.

Nine (4 female and 5 male) out of them have bagged 2 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze medals respectively. Seen in the picture are (standing from left) Sharun Divakar, P. Yashas, Ashwin Mahendran, R. Srinivas Prasad, Kiran (Coach), Sharif Bapu (President, MMA India), Prasad Gaitonde (Secretary, MMA India), Kru. M.N. Vikram (Secretary, AAMAK and Chairman, MMA India Technical Commission), Kru. N. Kumar (Senior VP, AMMAK), G.R. Sridhar and U.K. Skandan Bangar (Bantam Weight – Bronze); Kneeling from left: Gopala Nayaka (Straw Weight – Bronze), Sridhar Sajji (Bronze), R. Manoj Kumar (Youth Straw Weight – Bronze), B. Akshatha Shanbhogue (Atom Weight – Silver), N. Maithri (Team Manager), G.R. Deeksha Shetty (Straw Weight – Silver) and R. Poojitha (Light Heavy Weight – Gold). R.K. Pooja (Fly Weight – Gold) and S. Nikhil (Fly Weight – Bronze) – not in picture.

A total of 213 MMA athletes from 25 States participated in the event that was hosted by Association of Mixed Martial Arts Karnataka (AMMAK) and sanctioned by MMA India.

The medallists will be representing State at the National Championships that will be held in Chhattisgarh in February 2022.

Mysuru, Karnataka

* New Karnataka govt portal to rate citizens’ eligibility for welfare schemes

Karnataka offers about 250 welfare schemes but most of them still follow the manual process.

The platform, Suvidha, functions directly under Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is pushing the welfare plank in the election year, and is part of several e-governance initiatives being rolled out by the government.

“Suvidha is different from the Seva Sindhu, which is meant for services such as certificates or documents. Suvidha is for welfare schemes that involve a direct benefit,” he explained.

* Gold Medal In Bhagavad Gita Recitation Exam

Mansi U.S. Achar, a third standard student of Christ Public School, Mysuru, has completed ‘Srimad Bhagavad Gita Recitation Exam’ held at Avadhoota Datta Peetham, Mysuru, in distinction and has secured gold medal.

Daughter of H.N. Usharani and G. Umashankar, a businessman and a resident of T.K. Layout, the 8-year-old girl has learnt 700 shlokas in 10 months. Mansi is seen receiving the certificate from Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji of Avadhoota Datta Peetham.

* Bengaluru firm Strides Pharma Science to launch oral drug to fight Covid

n a statement, Strides said it will “immediately launch” its generic Molnupiravir, indicated for high-risk adult patients with Covid under the brand Stripiravir.

Bengaluru pharma company Strides Pharma Science Limited said that it has received Emergency Use Authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch Molnupiravir, an oral medication for Covid-19 in India.

In a statement, Strides said it will “immediately launch” its generic Molnupiravir, indicated for high-risk adult patients with Covid under the brand Stripiravir. The company is commercialising the product with a group-integrated supply chain for active pharmaceutical ingredients and solid oral dosage from its large-scale WHO pre-qualified manufacturing capacities, the company stated.

* Canada: Maxim D’Mello, Vijay Dante elected to lead MAC in its 20th year

Maxim D’Mello, one of the highly acclaimed Mangalurean leaders in Canada and outside India, has been unanimously elected as the president of ‘The Mangalorean Association of Canada’ (MAC) for the fourth term during its Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) held on November 21 at Petrescue Hall, Carmen Corbasson Community Centre, Mississauga, Canada.

He was actively involved with Kuwait Canara Welfare Association (KCWA) since its inception and served as a President before immigrating to Canada in 2002. From then on, he is part of the Mangalorean Association of Canada and serves the community. In 2006 he got elected as its president for the first time.

In addition MAC is fortunate to get yet another dynamic leader Everest Vijay Dante popularly known as Vijay Dante to its fold as the vice-president. Vijay, a philanthropist is a well-focussed, dedicated and a family-oriented business professional. He is the proud son of the late ‘Sridanti’ (Francis Dante from Udupi, Karnataka, India), a renowned writer, poet and a religious leader who is also one of the founders of Catholic Sabha, Mangaluru.

He is owner of ‘Udupi Madras Café’ (UMC) one of the prestigious business houses in Toronto. The UMC has won the prestigious ‘2021 Mississauga News Readers’ Choice Award’ for the successive 2nd time in a row. Serving the international community in Mississauga, Canada for 15 years.

* BMTC launches electric bus services in Bengaluru

The first service will be to Kengeri

In a green milestone, the first fleet of electric buses and BS-VI diesel standard buses hit the city’s road on Monday. With this, the long wait for green public transport of seven years has come to an end.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai flagged off the State’s first batch of these buses deployed on a long-term basis on Monday morning and the buses hit the streets making their maiden trips later in the day.

* Hampana’s Charu-Vasantha translated into English

The English version of Ham.Pa. Nagarajaiah’s epic poem Charu-Vasantha, translated by P.P. Giridhar was released recently by Sapna Book House. It has already been translated into 13 Indian languages.

The epic poem is the re-interpreatation of the ancient tale of Charudatta and Vasanthalathike. Mr. Nagarajaiah, scholar, critic and poet, says that this epic-poem is not a chronicle of wars or heroic deeds, but an attempt at uncovering layers of human nature and human values in their complexities.

The octegenarian scholar better known as “Hampana”, specialising particularly in Jain traditions and literature, is the author of several academic and creative works. He has travelled the world giving lectures of Jainism and Jain literature.

* Karnataka ranks sixth in Good Governance Index

On the other hand, Karnataka has a higher disposal rate of consumer court cases, while nine other states have shown decline.

Karnataka has been placed sixth in the composite ranking among ‘Group A’ states with incremental progress in Commerce and Industry in the Good Governance Index 2021. Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the index, prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) on ‘Good Governance Day’ in New Delhi on Saturday.

* Spreading innovation

Joseph Lobo, a 44-yr-old farmer,  is popularising the hydroponic method of cultivation and is growing the famous Shankarapura jasmine.

They say a farmer is a magician who makes his living from the mud. But that is not true in the case of Joseph Lobo, a 44-year-old farmer from the coastal district of Udupi.Lobo hails from Shankarapura, a tiny nondescript village sandwiched between the mighty Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Shankarapura is called the jasmine capital of the Karnataka coastline and is famous for its Shankarapura mallige (mallige in Kannada means jasmine flowers). And like the majority of the residents of the village, Lobo too cultivates Shankarapura mallige. A passionate farmer, Lobo has been growing the Shankarapura mallige — which was accorded GI tag in 2008 — for the last 15 years. 

But what sets him apart from the rest of the growers is that he has attempted to grow his prized possession without soil! Yes, you read it right. Lobo became the first grower in the region to adopt the novel hydroponic method of cultivation, which in layman’s language is soil-less cultivation.Lobo says he was inspired after attending a workshop at University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, and started experimenting on the new method of cultivation. Lobo has 32 jasmine plants already, including the three grown using the hydroponic technique.

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