Records, India – Page 17 – Karnataka First

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS / IRONMAN: Sadanand Amarapur from Karnataka’s Hubballi wins Ironman title in Khazakstan

Cycling and running that began as a hobby for this government officer have now taken him to international success.

Cycling and running that began as a hobby for this young government officer have now taken him to international success with a title win at the International Ironman event in Khazakstan recently.

Meet Sadanand Amarapur who is serving as Assistant Director of the Hubballi Taluk Panchayat; he has successfully completed the triathlon, which demands physical and mental endurance, at Astana in Khazakstan.

In the event organised on July 2, Sadanand Amarapur swam 3.9 km, cycled 180 km and ran 42 km completing the triathlon in 13 hours and 27 minutes bagging the International Ironman title.

Sadanand Amarapur was among the 1,200 athletes from 62 nations who took part in the international event. By successfully completing the physically and mentally demanding event, Sadanand Amarapur has become the first government officer from Karnataka to achieve the feat.

Son of a former police officer Hanumanthappa Amarapur, Sadanand Amarapur initially took to wrestling like his father and participated in national-level wrestling competitions. A native of Ichchangi in Haveri district, Sadanand Amarapur joined government service as Panchayat Development Officer in 2010 and got promoted as Assistant Director (Rural Employment) in 2018.

Sadanand Amarapur, who has received various service awards for his work, took to cycling and running as a hobby and later, they became his passion.

His association with Hubballi-Dharwad cyclists took him to various events and he completed the Tough Man event held in Goa in 2017. By successfully completing a series of Brevets of 200 km, 300 km, 400 km and 600 km in a year, he won the title Super Randonnuer in 2019. And, he completed the Tigerman Duathlon at Nagpur in 2020 and the Herculean Triathlon in Odisha in 2021.

As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, he covered 3,800 km from Kashmir to Kanyakumari on a bicycle carrying the message of Addiction Free India and disseminating information on programmes of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

Felicitation

On Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde felicitated and congratulated Sadanand Amarapur for his achievement.

Responding to the felicitation, Sadanand Amarapur attributed his success to the support and cooperation extended by his family, friends and the encouragement he received from senior government officials of the State government.

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)

INDIA: KARNATAKA: BUSINESS & ECONOMY: Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals (MRPL) Wins Government e-Market (GeM) Star Buyer Award

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) has been selected by GeM as winner in ‘GeM Star Buyers’ category in the Kreta- Vikreta Gaurav Samman Samaroh.

T M Pai, GGM (Materials) received the award at Vanijya Bhavan, New Delhi on June 26, from Piyush Goyal, hon’ble minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food and Public Distribution, who felicitated the awardees.

This event was organized to celebrate GeM’s vision of a transparent, inclusive and efficient public procurement landscape in India.

During FY 2022-23, MRPL has displayed exemplary commitment towards enhancing credibility of public procurement procedures by consistently relying on GeM to conduct business in the national public procurement market.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL & INDIA / KARNATAKA: SPACE TECHNOLOGY: 4th edition ‘G20 Space Economy Leaders’ Meeting (SELM) in Bengaluru: ‘Space technology has entered every household in one way or the other’

G20 Space Economy Leaders’ Meeting begins in Bengaluru.

The 4th edition of G20 Space Economy Leaders’ Meeting (SELM) commenced in Bengaluru on Thursday July 6.

This is the first face-to-face meeting under the G20 umbrella, with the previous meetings organised in virtual and hybrid formats. Heads of national space agencies from 18 of the G20 countries and nine of the 11 invited members are participating in the two-day meet whose theme is ‘Towards a New Space ERA (Economy, Responsibility, Alliance)’.

Senior representatives from 32 global industries, and 53 local industries, are also participating in the meet.

During the inauguration, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, PMO; MoES; S&T; Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance & Pensions; Dep. Of Space; Dept. of Atomic Energy, said that this gathering (G20 countries along with partner countries) represents nearly two-thirds of the world’s population, the best brains across the world in the space sector, 85% of the global GDP, and 75% of the world trade.

“You are not only spearheaders, torchbearers but also opinion-makers, and I am glad that India is in a position to share its inputs with other member countries as well. The new chapter of public-private participation is going to make it a value for all of us to learn the virtues of an integrated approach. An era of partnership is in the offing. Our concerns are common and our efforts have to be common. Therefore, the time has come to carry forward the collaboration to discover wider horizons in the times to come,” Dr Singh said.

“I hardly need to reiterate the importance that space technology has gained of late across the world. Rather, I would put it in a single sentence saying that space technology has virtually entered every household in one way or the other.”

He added that every aspect of human life, be it disaster management, agriculture, education, health, navigation, defence, is connected to space technology.

G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, said the space economy is experiencing rapid growth with increasing revenues and more commercial actors entering the industry. “Studies project that space could become a trillion dollar sector in the coming decades. This exponential growth necessitates support from governments worldwide. That is why, we are discussing space as a formal element in the G20,” Mr Kanth said.

Round-table meetings for the heads of space agencies, panel discussions, bilateral meetings and a plenary session are a part of the first day of the event.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: HEALTH & PHARMACEUTICALS: Biocon Biologics’ HULIO, a Humira biosimilar now available in US for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

The company also offers a robust patient support programme — HULIO360, providing benefits like verification and prior authorisation support, copay assistance, a bridge programme for eligible patients.

Biocon Biologics Ltd has announced that HULIO (adalimumab-fkjp) injection, a biosimilar for Humira (adalimumab) — used to treat rheumatoid arthritis — is now available for patients in the US, after five years of experience in Europe and two years in Canada.

HULIO meets the rigorous biosimilar approval standards of the FDA. Like Humira, HULIO is citrate-free and is made without natural rubber latex (to help reduce hypersensitivity reactions). The company also offers a robust patient support programme — HULIO360, providing benefits like verification and prior authorisation support, copay assistance, a bridge programme for eligible patients, and at-home nurse injection training.

“The launch of HULIO, our biosimilar adalimumab, is an important milestone as it expands our well-known biosimilar product offering to patients in the United States. This launch builds on our strong presence in oncology and diabetes and reaffirms our commitment to enabling affordable access to biologics,” said Shreehas Tambe, CEO and MD, Biocon Biologics Ltd.

“We are pleased to make HULIO, a patient-friendly, two-click, pre-filled pen available in the US for patients with certain inflammatory diseases,” said Mathew Erick, Chief Commercial Officer of Advanced Markets, Biocon Biologics Ltd.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA : INVENTIONS / RESEARCH / INNOVATIONS: 04 More New CSIR-CFTRI’s Technologies released in Mysuru

An anti-obese Barley-Seaweed based supplement ‘SeaSlim’, which is supposed to regulate body weight and manages obesity, has also been launched.

In the last seven decades, the Mysuru-based CSIR-CFTRI has developed nearly 400 technologies and over 4,500 licencees’ commercialised several technologies that were transferred to them by the premier institute.

On an average, 15 to 20 technologies were developed at the CFTRI annually and nearly 120-125 technologies were transferred every year, according to scientists.

At ‘One Week One Lab’ initiative that got off to a start at CFTRI here on Monday, July 3, four new technologies were launched by the dignitaries at the inaugural of OWOL. The CFTRI has proposed to release a total of 22 technologies during the weeklong OWOL.

The four technologies include barley-seaweed based anti-obese supplement ‘SeaSlim’; freshness keeper paper under the CSIR’s Floriculture Mission; process for the production of soluble and insoluble arabinoxylan from wheat bran, and production of baker’s yeast.

Freshness keeper paper is made with natural bioactive compounds. It can extend the shelf life of cut roses by 1-2 times longer, the CFTRI said.

A simple paper-based freshness keeper paper – a patented technology which is a chemical-free design to keep cut flowers fresh during transport and storage without disturbing the protocol of cut rose flowers. Freshness keeper technology is a paper wrapped with direct contact with rose flower petals that help enhance fresh-cut flowers’ quality and shelf life by two folds, a note said here.

During the export and transportation time, cut rose flowers have a shelf life of 10-12 days at 4 degrees C. With freshness paper, the shelf life is increased by 6-7 days – taking the total shelf life to 18-20 days.

“The scope of this technology is useful to Indian florists as well as other countries, more significantly who are in import and export of cut flowers as India is ranked 15^th in the export of cut roses.”

This tech is chemical-free and inexpensive, reduces waste, and increases revenue. The tech helps farmers, importers, exporters and big and small vendors, the note added.

According to CFTRI, India is ranked third in the world in the prevalence of obesity. Owing to rising obesity cases, anti-obese foods are flooding the markets. The CFTRI has developed a barley-seaweed based anti-obese supplement called ‘SeaSlim’ having qualities of brown algae and barley for managing obesity. “SeaSlim can be used as a potent antioxidant food. It lowers fat absorption in the small intestine. It lowers the risk of obesity and diabetes. It helps in regulation of body weight by reducing the food intake and can be used as a low-glycemic index food. It can be recommended as a thermogenic food to manage obesity,” the release issued by CFTRI said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: DEFENCE SERVICES / TECHNOLOGY :DRDO, Navy Fly TAPAS Drone, Land it on Warship

The TAPAS UAV took off from Chitradurga’s Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) and flew 285 km and landed successfully on INS Subhadra.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy successfully demonstrated the transfer of command and control capabilities of TAPAS unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The TAPAS UAV took off from Chitradurga’s Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) and flew 285 km and landed successfully on INS Subhadra. According to the Navy, the vessel was 148km off the Karwar Naval base. A ground control station and two ship data terminals were installed on INS Subhadra to control the UAV.

The UAV took off at 7.35 am from the ATR and soared to a height of 20,000 feet and flew for three-and-a-half hours non-stop to land on INS Subhadra. “After this test, the UAV flew back to the ATR safely,” said the Navy.

“This test is called C2 — command and control capabilities — to check the ability of the operator to control the drone’s flight, sensors and payloads. C2 capabilities are essential for the safe and effective operations of a drone. This is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone, which has a flight endurance of 24 to 48 hours,” informed Girish Linganna, a Bengaluru-based defence expert.

TAPAS was designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency and can be used for patrolling and intelligence gathering for all the three forces. These UAVs are considered the Indian version of Predator drones of the United States.

They are equipped with electro optics sensors to capture images and videos both during the day and night, long-range electro optics sensors to take images and videos from long distances that can be used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions and provide information about enemy movements and activities, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that uses a technique called synthetic aperture to create high-resolution images that can be used in all-weather conditions to obtain ground surface details like terrain features and objects, electronic intelligence, communication intelligence and other features.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: CANINES/DOGS FOR INDIAN ARMY: Belgian Malinois Dogs to Guard Indian Borders, Reared in Bavikeri, Ankola Taluk, Uttara Kannada

A post on Facebook changed the history of 17 Belgian Malinois puppies which were born at a house in a village near Ankola.

A post on Facebook changed the history of 17 Belgian Malinois puppies which were born at a house in a village near Ankola. For dog lover Raghavendra Bhat, a resident of Bavikere in Ankola taluk in Uttara Kannada district, rearing dogs has been a hobby.

But an unexpected big event occurred when he, as usual, posted the pictures of his Belgian Malinois puppies. An officer from the Army in Assam contacted him immediately, requesting him to give the puppies to guard the borders.

Bhat, an officer in the Department of Women and Child Development in Uttara Kannada, told this newspaper, “I had a big surprise when the Army officer contacted me. Another officer was sent to my house and he tested all the pups for 45 days, before ensuring that they are fit to serve the nation.”

Bhat learnt about Belgian Malinois after a friend who works in CRPF informed him about the breed. “I searched for the best dogs and did not want any with a history of inbreeding. I brought the male from Bengaluru and a pair of females from Haryana. I retained one female Lisa. I got a duron colour male from Hyderabad, which we named Devil. Malinois with this colour is rare and most sought after. The rest is history,” he said.

He has four Malinois now, KF, Devil, Lisa and Tiny.
Lisa littered 10 puppies and Tiny eight. Bhat’s family never thought that the pups would be picked up by the Army. Earlier, a few pups had been taken for service by the state police.

The family has been rearing dogs for the last 25 years and have several rare and popular breeds in their collection, including dobermann, German shepherd, pit bulls and American bully. Their Indian breeds include Bully kutta and Mudhol hounds. He is now planning to bring in the best of Rajapalayam hounds to his collection.

One-post fame
After a Facebook post, an Army officer from Assam contacted Raghavendra Bhat, requesting that the puppies be given to guard the borders. The pups were tested for 45 days to be declared fit to serve the nation

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: MARINE & FISHERIES: Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) Scientists Facilitate Successful Cultivation of Indian Pompano through Cage Fish Culture in Padhthonse Village, Udupi district

A team of scientists from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mangaluru, has facilitated successful cultivation of Indian Pompano (Trachinotus mookalee) for the first time in Karnataka in the Swarna estuary at Padhthonse village, Udupi district, and its harvest was done from June 2 to June 26.

The pilot project began last November under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan Programme, wherein the beneficiaries got hands-on training in various aspects of cage culture.

Indian Pompano fingerlings, measuring 2-3 cm, were procured from the marine finfish hatchery of the Vishakhapatnam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI.

About 4,000 fingerlings, each weighing 3-4 gm, were released into cages at a density of 40-50 fishes per cubic metre after acclimatising them to the local condition.

The fingerlings were fed pelleted floating feed twice a day, amounting to 5% of their body weight, said a release from CMFRI-Mangaluru.

After a five-month grow-out period, the Indian Pompano was harvested in batches between June 2 and 26. The average growth observed during this period was 400-450 gm, resulting in a total harvest of 1,300 kg with survival rate of 90%.

The beneficiaries sold the harvested fish locally, fetching prices ranging from ₹450 to ₹490 per kg generating ₹6.1 lakh revenue. With expenses at ₹3.75 lakh, the net profit earned was ₹2.35 lakh in six months.

Success of the pilot would not only provide alternative livelihood for SC families, but also help other local communities. The success has demonstrated the rapid growth rate of Indian Pompano to reach the preferred table-size in six months and the favourable market demand for the same.

Cage cultivation of fish in coastal Karnataka began in 2009-10 in coastal rivers with over 900 cages being installed in estuaries till now.

The Fisheries Department, the National Fisheries Development Corporation etc., extended financial support to over 500 families. Seabass, Red Snapper and Snubnose Pompano were among the species grown in cages.

The research programme was led by A.P. Dineshbabu and his team of scientists comprising Sujitha Thomas, Geetha Sasikumar, Rajesh K. M., and Divya Viswambharan.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL RECORD: INDIA & KARNATAKA: Karnataka’s Lion-Tailed Macaque Population Highest in World

The latest study was conducted in December 2022, covering Sirsi-Honnavara and Shivamogga forest divisions.

Karnataka has the world’s largest population of lion-tailed macaques (LTMs) with 41 groups of 730 individuals, according to a study by the Karnataka Forest Department and Coimbatore-based Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON).

The study gave a big boost to conservation efforts as it found that the population of LTMs in the Sharavathi Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary (SVLTMS), spread across Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts, has been stable with more groups being added, as compared to the previous study. The earlier study in 2015 had put the population of LTMs at 30 groups with a little over 600 individuals.

The latest study was conducted in December 2022, covering Sirsi-Honnavara and Shivamogga forest divisions. Volunteers and forest department staff walked through 72 grid cells in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, which span north of the Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and south of the Aghanashini River Valley.

“The study areas were Kyadagi and Siddapur forest ranges in the Sirsi Forest Division, Honnavar, Gersoppa, Bhatkala and Kumta Forest ranges in the Honnavar Forest Division, and Kogar and Kargal forest ranges of the Shivamogga Wildlife Division,” said Vasanth Reddy, Conservator of Forests, Canara Circle, who initiated the study.

“It revealed that Uttara Kannada has been a significant and potential site for the conservation of LTMs, considering the sizable canopy and undisturbed habitat as compared to the north of Sharavathi,” HN Kumara, Senior Principal Scientist, SACON, said. He said the department’s initiatives, like restoration of canopy and forests and insulating high-tension transmission lines that pass through forest areas of Gerusoppa and other places, have helped in the conservation of LTMs.

This is the first integrated LTM assessment exercise for the Sharavathi Valley Sanctuary, covering both Canara and Shivamogga circles. Earlier, the study focussed only on Canara circle. LTMs are the indicators of evergreen forests as they prefer canopy and are rarely seen on ground.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)