Category: Green Products

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: AGRICULTURE: PM Modi to present ‘Billionaire Farmer’ Award to Kundapur’s Thekkatte Ramesh Nayak

Rice mill entrepreneur and progressive farmer Ramesh Nayak is selected for the ‘Billionaire Farmer’ award, from Udupi district, given by the union government as he has earned a turnover of over Rs one crore in a year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present the award to Ramesh Nayak on December 7 in New Delhi.

Ramesh is a nature lover. He has grown 1634 different breeds of fruits of 11 types on 13 acres of land at Kedoor village of the taluk. He has secured rich yield from his farm land.

Ramesh used mud that is removed from the rain water pit and grew 30000 pineapple plants. In between two pineapple plants, one papaya plant is grown. A there are 285 types of jackfruit trees like Dengue Surya, Prakashchandra, Vietnam Super Arli, Singapur and Attavara breeds. As many as 500 dragon fruit trees also are grown on the vast farm land of Ramesh Nayak.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AGRICULTURE : A Veterinary Doctor P Manohar Upadhya’s Passion to Save ‘naada mavu’ of Coastal Belt and Creating ‘Maavu Mantapa’ a Mango Gene Bank

P. Manohar Upadhya of Mangaluru purchases 5.4 acres of land at Kukkila to conserve local mango varieties under threat and create a mango gene bank.

A veterinary doctor and surgeon in Mangaluru has begun conserving varieties of “naada mavu” (local mango) of the coastal belt by planting their grafted saplings on 5.4 acres of land at Kukkila in Dakshina Kannada.

P. Manohar Upadhya purchased the unused land only to conserve the local mango varieties which are under threat owing to various factors in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Kasaragod (Kerala) districts. Kukkila, about 38 km from Mangaluru, is in Vitla Padnur village in Bantwal taluk.

“No commercial interest is involved in the initiative. Once the plants are stable and start yielding, anybody can use their scions for multiplication to save the varieties for future,” Dr. Upadhya told The Hindu.

The planting of the saplings with drip irrigation facility began this September 17. So far, 382 plants, with 300 odd varieties, have been planted. The saplings planted included 90% local varieties and 10% hybrid and exotic varieties.

In all, the doctor wants to conserve 475 varieties by planting their grafted saplings within the next one or two years. The doctor has named the mango gene bank as “Maavu Mantapa”.

Why local mango?

Unlike hybrid and exotic varieties, the “naada mavu” in addition to table purpose can be used to prepare a variety of delicacies like “gojju”, “tambuli”, “beratti”, “payasa”, “rasayana”, “mamubla”, and pickles. The hybrid and exotic varieties are mainly meant for table purpose (for only eating). The taste of each local mango variety differs.

“The types of taste which hybrid and exotic varieties provide are limited. While local mangos offer a number of flavours,” he said, adding that the characteristics of the local variety are not lost when they are grafted for planting purpose. The grafted plants yield early and the canopy of the tree is also not vast when compared to the ones raised through seeds.

Jackfruit conservation too in the offing

In addition to the mango, Dr. Upadhya wants to cultivate 75 varieties of local jackfruit of the coastal belt on the same land in the next two years.

“So far no jackfruit saplings have been planted. We may plant 20 to 30 saplings this year,” he said.

The use of local jackfruit varieties differed. Some are best suited to prepare only “dosa”, while some are meant for making only chips. Some are suited to make “payasa”, while a few are meant to be used as vegetable.

Dr. Upadhya said that like him many others are also conserving local mango/jackfruit varieties in their own way. Some of them are Maaphalathota Subrya Bhat of Markanja, Deva Rao of Mittabagilu, Venkatakrishna Sharma of Muliya, Shivaprasad Varmudi of Perla, Chandrashekara Udupa of Kenchanur, and Kukkemane Shivakumar of Madikeri.

The doctor said that the scion collection for his initiative was done by NaaMaami Group, an informal group of like-minded people involved in the conservation of local fruit and other varieties.

Many local mango, jackfruit varieties in the coastal belt have been lost while widening local roads and highways and building infrastructure projects and constructing buildings.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: POWER & ENERGY / GREEN : How Bengaluru start-ups Biome, Boson Whitewater, Tankerwala & Bluecred turn Wastewater into a Resource

Experts and start-ups alike are working on new dynamics of water management and distribution in a mission to save groundwater and leave enough for lakes and water bodies to be recharged .

Welcome to the new sustainable world where one man’s waste is another’s resource. And welcome to Bengaluru where all kinds of experiments in urban water are taking place. Focus first on S Vishwanath of Biome, the man who followed rules, collected rainwater and rooftop runoffs, stored it in tanks and reused it. Then the grey water was recycled and used for horticulture and growing vegetables on rooftops. Then he met with a number of residents’ bodies and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to foster partnerships which would revive not just lakes but wells and any aquifers which would save the water in the city. Today he teaches a water management course at Shiv Nadar University and is also a consultant to the BBMP.

Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are mandatory in the city for multi-storey apartment living. Today many are able to release their treated water into bio-remediation segments of the lakes where water islands and select plants clean the quality of water such that it can be released into the lake. Periodic checks are done to ensure that water quality in the lakes is of the required standards. As a result, about 100 of the 210-odd surviving lakes are in a state of reasonably good health, says Vishwanath.

Income from Wastewater

But managing lakes is a resource-intensive job and it needs more money. Here arrived the entrepreneurs who created start-ups which would address various parts of the water chain. Consider for instance Vikas Brahmavar of Boson Whitewater who works with RWAs of housing societies helping manage the excess water that comes out of the treatment. Brahmavar treats it to the right quality and sells it to bulk users such as developers and other bulk users in Bengaluru who need large quantities of clean water for construction .

Now take the case of Shravanth Donthi, co-founder and CEO of Tankerwala. Former owner of an airline in South Africa, he sold his stock and came to India to work in the water and sustainability space. When his wife and he saw tankers delivering water every other day, they built tankerwala, an app to aggregate all the water tankers on an app, during COVID. Borewells were tested and reports of the water being supplied by the tankers were issued. When real estate companies started buying 2-3 lakh litres of water a day, a quest for other sources of water started, so that groundwater could be protected. STPs in the city were generating water. Tankerwala started picking up this water and delivering it to construction companies and metro sites at Shivaji Nagar and Cantonment to contractor Afcons. They used this water for tunnel boring. For every metre, it uses 70,000-1 lakh litres of water, and for the metro network, they needed to dig tunnels of 40-50 km in the city. The first mission of using treated water was met.

For concrete applications, the water was cleaned up and met IS 456-2000 standards. Tankerwala identified the STP, deployed vehicles and supplied water. Monthly testing became the norm for RCC projects. This accounted for 3-5 lakh litres from 6-7 STPs. The challenge now was that the STP network of the city was not mapped, and water had to be supplied in a 5 km radius to remain carbon neutral on different sites.

This led to a new app called Bluecred which allowed suppliers and users to register and sell or seek water. The system matches the STP, buys water from the generators and provides the residents with enough money to manage the STP. They use 30 per cent of the water for flushing and horticulture. This dynamic grid has been very successful in those pockets where there are occupied projects and a lot of new construction taking place.

Water for the Lakes

But Dhonti and Brahmavar’s solutions became Vishwanath’s problem. Will lakes get enough water if commercial users corner the cleaned water? There was even a power plant that helped water management if a certain quantity went to them. Now an arrangement has been made to ensure the lake gets its supply and the rest is sold to the power plant.

Ultimately, the network will only grow if the sewage is treated as a resource and noat as waste. For the RWAs, it is important to find the right start-ups that would pay them the operating cost to source the excess water. For start-ups, there needs to be a documented network of STPs that they can source water from. City managers simply need to map the STPs. For the suppliers, the water volumes have to be planned area-wise so that demand can be matched to local supply to reduce carbon footprint. The lake warriors need their regular supplies to keep the lakes up and running with vibrant fish and bird populations.

Ultimately, as Vishwanath says, the plethora of organisations need to synchronise to achieve the final goal — to unlock the value of wastewater and purify it to the requirements of different user groups. As lakes recharge the water aquifers, the depletion of underground water can also be contained. This can only be a win-win situation.

source/content: moneycontrol.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: HORTICULTURE / GARDEN: CM Opens Mysuru City’s First Botanical Garden – The 15-acre Lingambudhi Lake Botanical Garden

Chief Minister Siddharamaiah inaugurated the Mysuru city’s first Lingambudhi Lake Botanical Garden at Srirampura II Stage, Ramakrishnanagar, this morning.

The garden, spread over 15-acre area, is developed at an estimated cost of Rs. 4 crore and has over 300 plant varieties, including medicinal plants.

The Chief Minister and dignitaries, who went around the garden on a battery-operated vehicle, also released the pamphlets on Geographical Indicator (GI) products of Mysuru like Nanjangud Rasabale, Mysore Veelyedele (Betel leaves), Mysore Mallige (Jasmine) and several other farm produces.

Horticulture Minister S.S. Mallikarjun, Mysuru District Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, Minister for Animal Husbandry K. Venkatesh, MLAs K. Harishgowda and D. Ravishankar and others were present.  A topiary at the Botanical Garden.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA : GREEN ENERGY: Bengaluru start-up offers a ‘ZEN’ Solution to Fire Risks and Low Life of EV Batteries

EMO Energy has developed a platform which combines software, hardware, cloud, and intelligence to improve safety and life of batteries which can be used across high energy and high-power applications.

The adoption of electric vehicles has been on the rise in India. As per data from the Ministry of Heavy Industries, more than 27 lakh electric vehicles have been registered in the country as of July 2023 with Karnataka seeing the third highest number of registrations.

However, incidents of electric vehicles and battery swapping stations catching fire have been a cause of concern to consumers and potential users.

“Over the last year, more than 200 vehicles caught fire in India, primarily due to overcharging and overheating or short circuits. Batteries are not designed to withstand the abuse, and in the scenario where a cell bursts, the whole vehicle catches fire due to improper mitigation,” says Mohammed Shoeb Ali, co-founder and managing partner at Transition VC, an energy transition-focused venture capital fund.

Bengaluru-based startup EMO Energy may have a solution for it. Founded by Sheetanshu Tyagi and Rahul Patel, EMO Energy has developed a platform that combines software, hardware, cloud, and intelligence to improve the safety and life of batteries. Called ZEN, the platform targets battery usage in high-energy and high-power applications from electric two wheelers to agriculture to mining and construction.

Safety and life

“We realised that all these applications have the same kind of issues. One is safety,” says Mr. Tyagi.

“You are operating in high temperature, and you want batteries that charge fast, pull more power and are smaller in size. And then there’s the concern of life. While vehicles have a life of seven to eight years, every two to three years you are losing a battery,” he adds.

The team put together their heads to understand how they could enhance the performance of batteries and solve the existing problems around it.

“Initially we thought we would build a software system and take it to different original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and battery companies who could use it to improve the life and safety of their batteries,” remembers Mr. Tyagi.

But then they realized the existing hardware in the country wasn’t strong enough for it. Most systems where Chinese derivatives that were basic and poor in technology.

“China spends time in developing batteries for small scooters. India just scaled that to big scooters,” Tyagi says.

According to Mr Ali from Transition VC who is also an investor at EMO Energy there is a massive demand-supply gap between the battery pack manufacturers and OEMs. He notes that the industry lacks companies that give warranties for the pack as many of them import them from China.

“Customers face range anxiety, battery degradation and warranty issues due to lack of quality battery packs, and this becomes even worse in temperatures greater than 40 degrees Celsius,” he says.

Intelligent battery system

The team understood that to ensure the performance safety and battery life at a cost people expected, they have to build everything around the battery system from scratch. The startup, therefore, bought specific cells and built a mechanical system around it.

EMO Energy developed a fluid in which the cells would be immersed. The fluid transmits heat more efficiently, absorbs energy in case of a cell blast and prevents electricity transmission.

Mr. Tyagi notes just leaving the cells in the fluid does not serve the purpose. The fluid has to keep circulating in a very specific manner. It also needs to be ensured that the fluid rejects heat to the system and in case of a cell blasting open, it has to absorb the energy quickly and prevent it from reaching other cells. So, taking it one step further the company built a layer of intelligence around the fluid.

“We have sensors that monitor every single temperature and voltage across the system. That allows us to put more power, remove more heat and maintain temperature even if you are operating at higher temperature, all at an affordable cost. You can use the software to understand what is happening at a cell level, improve performance, predict safety issues and diagnose and fix them. All of these except the cells have been developed in-house,” Mr. Tyagi explains.

According to him, there are three layers to the software. One is the several sensors inside the battery. They communicate to a Battery Management System and through the cloud some of it gets transmitted to an app which the user can see.

“There is also another layer we offer to the fleet operators where they can see all drivers in a very detailed a map. The driver’s driving patterns and habits and the way they charge can drastically change a vehicle’s range. Our technology would allow to rank performances based on battery health,” he explains.

The system can be connected to a standardized three pin socket which would give 80 odd kilometres after 30 minutes of charging.

According to the company, about 300 systems have been sold so far. It claims to have orders to the tune of 40,000. “We are scaling up to 10,000 now, we are still in the process of becoming bigger,” Mr. Tyagi says.

Net zero goals

Depending on the quality of batteries, Lithium-ion batteries cost between ₹12,000 to above ₹20,000 per kWh in India today. EMO systems comes to around ₹17,000 per kWh.

“The objective for us is to maintain the performance-to-cost ratio. If somebody is looking at scale in the ₹15,000+ segment, we offer the highest lifecycle there. We provide more than 2,000 cycles for any kind of cell chemistry,” Mr. Tyagi notes.

With its direct thermal management system and in-house battery management system coupled with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, Mr. Ali believes EMO Energy can not only offer customers the best product features at optimal prices but also help significantly reduce battery pack imports from China.

“EMO’s modular design approach enables them to scale them across multiple mobility applications such as two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and four-wheeler passenger and commercial vehicles and also across sectors such as energy storage for residential and commercial applications,” he notes.

The start-up claims to have done business of more than ₹5 crores now with a turnover of more than ₹40 lakhs every month. The company currently works with 10 clients and holds 16 patents.

Mr. Tyagi notes that the company aligns its plans with a net zero goal.

“We think in terms of building a battery system, using our software to improve its health, maximise its usage in vehicles, at the end of it put it in secondary storage in home applications, maximise the use there, then recycle it, take the cell material, work with cell companies to put that in their cells, then put that back in the battery,” he explains.

“That’s a very long chain and we are at step-1 today.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: BUSINESS & ECONOMY / TEXTILES: G.I tagged Udupi Sari dyed with Arecanut ‘chogaru’ Natural Dyes to be launched tomorrow

In addition, the GI tag enjoying Udupi sari has been made using natural dyes from leaf of wild almond, root of ‘manjistha’.

The Udupi handloom sari, which enjoys Geographical Indication (GI) tag, dyed using natural arecanut ‘chogaru’ is set to be launched on Monday.

The ‘chogaru’ is a reddish-brown liquid obtained during the processing of arecanut. After harvesting the unripened arecanut, farmers boil the kernel or tender nuts and later dry the nuts for selling. The water thus boiled is called ‘chogaru’ in Kannada. Farmers discard or throw away this liquid.

Now Talipady Primary Weavers Service Cooperative Society Ltd., Kinnigoli, Dakshina Kannada, under the guidance of Kadike Trust, a non-government organisation based at Karkala in Udupi district, promoter of Udupi sari, has used the ‘chogaru’ for colouring the Udupi saris woven by it. The society is among the five weavers’ cooperative societies which has obtained the authorisation certificate to use the GI tag for Udupi sari.

Mamatha Rai, president, Kadike Trust, told The Hindu that arecanut ‘chogaru’ dyed saris with brown and pink shades will be launched at a function on the premises of the society at Kinnigoli on July 31. “It is for the first time arecanut ‘chogaru’ has been used for colouring Udupi sari,” she said.

In multiple shades

In addition, she said, Udupi sari naturally dyed after processing leaf of wild almond tree has been woven in yellow and black shades. The weavers of the same society have produced sari dyed using the root of ‘manjistha’ (Indian Madder), which is a climbing or scrambling herb. These saris are in orange, pink and red shades. “All the three (arecanut ‘chogaru’, leaf of wild almond tree and ‘manjistha’ root) are new natural dyes used in making of Udupi sari,” Ms. Rai said adding that the latter two will also be launched on Monday.

She said that these initiatives are expected to boost the recognition for Udupi sari further. The Udupi sari received GI tag first in 2016. The Talipady Society was the first authorised user of the GI tag for the sari. The trust arranged training programmes for weavers with the help of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

At Charaka earlier

Earlier, Charaka Women’s Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Heggodu, in Sagar taluk of Shivamogga district and some other garment makers have used arecanut ‘chogaru’ as the natural dye in their garment products.

According to the trust, the Udupi sari is woven using the best quality single ply combed cotton yarns for both warp and weft. Artificial zari or cotton yarns are used to create design in body, border and pallu portion using extra weft technique. The sari has plain or checked design in the body and dobby or plain design in the border. Light shades are used for the body, bright and contrast colours for the border and pallu.

Ms. Rai said that SELCO India has arranged solar equipment to the Talipady Society. They include dryer, pulveriser, winding device, water heater and lighting system.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: CITY NEWS: Bengaluru hailed Best ‘RRR’ City in State

My Life, My Clean City was a national campaign launched by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Bengaluru has been chosen as the best RRR (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) city in the State in a campaign run by the Directorate Municipal Administration of Urban Development Department. My Life, My Clean City was a national campaign launched by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Under the programme that was held from May 25 to June 5, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) set up 49 RRR plants for the public to give used plastic and other materials. According to the officials, the campaign received massive response with people giving used materials in large numbers.

On Thursday, Municipal Administration Minister Rahim Khan issued a certificate to BBMP for excelling in the work carried out under the programme.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath lauded the efforts of Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA:  Veterinarian Dr. Vaseem Mirza to be Honoured with ‘Gaj Gaurav’ Award of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change on World Elephant Day

The ministry announced its decision to award Dr Vaseem Mirza, working in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR), on July 10, 2023 .

A veterinarian from Karnataka, working with the state forest department will be honoured with the Gaj Gaurav award by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on World Day observed on August 12. 

The ministry announced its decision to award Dr Vaseem Mirza, working in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR), on July 10, 2023 and the state forest department was intimated about the same on July 11, 2023. “This is the first time an official from Karnataka is getting such an award. It is very encouraging,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), wildlife, Subhash Malkhade told The New Indian Express. 

Dr Mirza is being recognised for his efforts towards saving the life of an electrocuted cow elephant in February 2023, near BTR. Today, the elephant is fit and healthy in the wild. It was appreciated by the ministry as well as the Prime Minister. 

Additional PCCF, wildlife, Kumar Pushkar suggested Dr Mirza’s name for the award. The awards were launched by the ministry in 2022 to recognise and appreciate the frontline staffers and officials for their works in the field of wildlife. Last year, staffers from Tamil Nadu were honoured with the award in Kerala’s Periyar tiger reserve. This year the elephant day event will be held in Odisha. 

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AIR TRANSPORT / FLYING TAXIS: Mysuru, Bengaluru Tech firms join Hands with Flying Taxi start-up ePlane to make Flying Electric Vehicles

ePlane is an IIT-Madras incubated start-up that aspires to build a compact flying taxi. The MoU aims at developing UAVs and flying electric vehicles.

Mysuru-based Vinyas Innovative Technologies and Bengaluru-based Printalytix have signed an MoU with an IIT-Madras incubated ePlane company, which specialises in building compact flying electric taxis and drone systems, for developing UAVs and flying electric vehicles.

Vinyas and Printalytix signed the MoU with ePlane in Mysuru on May 18.

Vinyas will be manufacturing various kinds of drones and UAVs as well as collaborating on marketing and servicing the same.

Printalytix will be providing mechanical design and manufacturing support for the production of UAVs and electric flying taxis.

The three companies aim to indigenise, manufacture, assemble, and integrate advanced drone systems at Vinyas’ production facility in Mysuru by leveraging ePlane’s technology and manufacturing know-how. Vinyas, reinforced by e-Plane, will provide after-market services, and product life-cycle support to its customers worldwide.

The MoU involves manufacturing of small and large UAVs as well as electric flying taxis that use eVTOL technology designed to fulfil requirements starting from land security and surveillance, delivery, rail inspections and monitoring, mapping, to emergency response in urban environments.

The MoU covers the work scope of electronics design and development, PCB assembly, system integration and testing of these UAVs and drone components. The UAVs of ePlane have successfully demonstrated their product capabilities in terms of range, battery life and unique design.

Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, founder and CEO of ePlane, said, “We aim to unlock the full potential of indigenisation, design, engineering and manufacturing that would contribute to the evolving advanced air mobility market and the Make-in-India scheme as well.”

Narendra Narayanan, founder and Managing Director of Vinyas Innovative Technologies, said, “The MoU aims to bring the best of drone technology solutions to many strategic entities. The partnership is a no-brain drainer, as our joint vision has matched up perfectly.”

According to Kiran and Abhishek, who represent Printalytix: “We witness the growing demand and need for drones in various sectors while the supply chain and manufacturing ecosystem in India are catching up to be able to support this growth.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Tech blog winner’s programme to identify plants may prove a game changer in Ayurvedic pharma sector

Dr K V N Rajesh, a certified trainer on the Azure platform and holds a doctorate in deep learning, says that his model has achieved 95 per cent accuracy in identifying images of leaves available on the internet, based on the plant “flavia”.

With Ayurveda making rapid strides in the Indian pharmaceutical industry, the winning entry by Dr K V N Rajesh in the first phase of the ongoing Microsoft Azure Blogathon contest may prove to bring dynamic change rooted in this direction. The programme, written in the Python programming language and using Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, is intended to help distinguish between different types of plants.

Rajesh, who is a certified trainer on the Azure platform and holds a doctorate in deep learning, said that there are many species of plants and identifying them based on the leaves is a task that needs to be solved. “Many companies making Ayurvedic products use leaves in their products, and identifying the exact species is a crucial problem,” he says. He also explains that the same concept can be applied in the agricultural field, specifically with regard to dealing with plant diseases and pests.

“Plant leaves have attributes such as colour, shape, texture etc. based on which you can identify them. I developed an architecture based on a deep learning model, a subset of artificial intelligence which will automatically grasp these attributes. The model which is generated is trained with images of leaves. When the model training is complete, it is validated based on the data set of the leaves,” he points out.

The second phase of testing involves testing the accuracy of the model. According to Rajesh, his model has achieved 95 per cent accuracy in identifying images of leaves available on the internet, based on the plant “flavia”.

“Thirty per cent of the images were used to train the model, and the rest were used to test it,” he says. He intends to take the programme further by incorporating it into a mobile application.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)