Records, Karnataka – Page 12

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: RECORDS: Bengaluru Most Favoured Office Space Market in Country

Quality office space supply in Bengaluru has driven rentals upward in the market. The average transacted rentals in Bengaluru grew by 6.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 86.4/sq ft/month in 2023.

Bengaluru registered an office transaction volume of 12.5 million square feet in 2023, the highest transaction volume recorded amongst the leading cities in India, according to a report by Knight Frank India released on Wednesday.

In its latest report titled ‘India Real Estate: Residential and Office (July-December 2023)’, Global Capability Centres (GCC), flex spaces and India-facing occupiers supported the office leasing momentum in Bengaluru while there was a moderation from the tech occupiers. During 2023, flex space occupiers and GCCs dominated the leasing activity in Bengaluru, each accounting for 30% of the total transactions in the city.

The growing occupier interest and the quality office space supply in Bengaluru have driven rentals upward in the market. The average transacted rentals in Bengaluru grew by 6.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 86.4/sq ft/month in 2023, according to the report.

As per the report, in 2023, the Bengaluru market witnessed a new supply infusion of 13.4 mnsqft, leading to a stock accumulation of 215 mnsqft. The market contains an adequate inventory to fulfil occupier demands in the near future.

Shantanu Mazumder, Executive Director, Bengaluru, Knight Frank India, said, “The moderate leasing activity by third-party IT was positively cushioned by the market share consolidation by GCC, flex and India-facing businesses. Bengaluru is an attractive market for GCC occupiers as the city is already an established global hub, has a diverse talent pool and a unique ecosystem comprising technology penetration, research and development, start-ups, academia and more. Bengaluru’s office market fundamentals remain strong.

The acceleration of return-to-office by firms and the growth in India-facing businesses along with stable business inflow from the western developed markets into India should support the growth in the office market demand in the near term.”

According to the report, in 2023, Bengaluru registered a nine-year high sales volume of residential units at 54,046. The North Bengaluru micro-market is an emerging and one of the fastest-growing clusters in the city. In 2023, the micro-market witnessed 22% of sales, with a sharp rise in absolute volumes.

The city witnessed new launches of 51,126 units, a multi-year high, as the market experienced a strong influx of new project launches in 2023, indicating an 18% year-on-year increase. South Bengaluru micro-market continued to dominate sales comprising a share of 39% of the total sales in the city in 2023. The weighted average price of residential units in Bengaluru increased by 7% YoY to Rs 5,900/sq ft/month.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SPORTS: Khelo India Women’s Kickboxing League Held For First Time In Mysuru and in Karnataka

Khelo India Women’s Kickboxing League was held for the first time in Karnataka on Dec. 23 and 24 at the Sports Pavilion of University of Mysore here.

Over 10 districts and 300-plus players, coaches, referees, officials and parents took part in this two-day mega event organised by K. Santhosh, President of Karnataka Kickboxing Sports Association, sanctioned by WAKO India Kickboxing Federation and Sports Authority of India.

The championship was jointly inaugurated by Manjula Manasa, former Chairperson of Karnataka State Women’s Commission; Pushpalatha Chikkanna, former Mayor; K. Santhosh, President of WAKO India Karnataka; Pooja Harsha, General Secretary and Chairman of WAKO India Women Committee and Harsha Shankar, Treasurer and Asian Kickboxing Bronze Medallist.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: Mysuru Sculptor Arun Yogiraj’s Ram Lalla to be Installed in Ayodhya Temple

One of the most sought-after sculptors in the country, Yogiraj sculpted the 30-foot statue of Subhash Chandra Bose installed at Amar Jawan Jyoti behind India Gate in New Delhi.

Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj’s Ram Lalla idol has been chosen for installation at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple during the auspicious ‘Prana Prathistapana Muhurtham’ on January 22.

Of the three idols shortlisted, the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust on Monday selected Yogiraj’s Ram Lalla through voting, according to his family members here.

Yogiraj used a unique Krishna shila (stone) from Bujjegoudanapura village in HD Kote taluk of Mysuru district to sculpt the idol along with his team.

Yogiraj hails from a family of sculptors in Mysuru.

One of the most sought-after sculptors in the country, Yogiraj sculpted the 30-foot statue of Subhash Chandra Bose installed at Amar Jawan Jyoti behind India Gate in New Delhi. He is also known for his works such as the 12-foot statue of Adi Shankaracharya in Kedarnath, the 21-foot statue of Lord Hanuman at Chunchanakatte in Mysuru district, the 15-foot statue of Dr BR Ambedkar and the statue of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in Mysuru.

Yogiraj’s wife Vijetha, who expressed her happiness for the selection of her husband’s Ram Lalla, told The New Indian Express that he has been working tirelessly for the past six months. “He did not even meet me or other members of our family during this period. We feel very happy that his work has been selected,” she said.

Many prominent leaders from Mysuru and politicians have congratulated Yogiraj on his achievement. Sharing his happiness on ‘X’, Yediyurappa said, “The idol of Lord Rama sculpted by Arun Yogiraj of Mysuru has been selected for installation in the magnificent Sri Rama Mandir of Ayodhya, which has doubled the pride and happiness of the entire Rama devotees of the state. Heartfelt congratulations to ‘Shilpi @yogiraj_arun’.”

Yediyurappa’s son and BJP state president BY Vijayendra too hailed Yogiraj for making the state and Mysuru proud. “It is the pride of Mysuru, the pride of Karnataka that the idol of Ram Lalla carved by Arun Yogiraj will be enshrined in Ayodhya on January 22,” Vijayendra said. MP PC Mohan and former minister B Sreeramulu also congratulated Yogiraj on social media.

More than selection, people should appreciate it: Yogiraj

Sculptor Arun Yogiraj said he has not yet received any official communication about the selection of his idol to be installed in Ayodhya.

However, senior BJP leaders’ posts on ‘X’ made him believe that his work has been selected.“I am happy that I was among the three sculptors from the country selected to carve the idol of Ram Lalla,” Yogiraj said.

The challenge was not easy for him. “The idol should be of a child, who is divine too because it is the statue of the incarnation of God. People who look at the statue should feel the divinity,” Yogiraj said.

“Keeping the divinity aspect along with the child-like face in mind, I started my work about seven months ago. Now, I am extremely happy. More than selection, people should appreciate it. Only then, I will be happy,” he said. (With agency inputs)

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: Bengaluru Press Club Confers ‘Person Of The Year’ Award To DK Shivakumar (DKS)

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar (DKS) was conferred with ‘Person of the Year’ award by the Press Club of Bengaluru at a programme organised here recently. Also, former Minister Shyamanur Shivashankarappa, Labour Minister Santosh Lad and the CM’s Political Secretary K. Govindaraju were felicitated.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the Constitution is our dharma and following ‘Rajakiya Dharma’ is the best honour that we can give to our Constitution.

Pointing out that the Constitution was implemented after a prolonged and purposeful debate, he said as such, it is the responsibility of every political party to honour and follow the Constitution.

Observing that reporting facts should be the ‘Patrika Dharma’ of newspapers, the CM said expressed disappointment that of late the Press is giving undue coverage to non-issues and issues of little importance or significance. He called upon the journalists to caution the Government whenever it goes on the wrong path.

Siddaramaiah also released the Press Club’s 2024 Diary at the event. Former Supreme Court Judge Shivaraj Patil and others were present.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: KARNATAKA: WORLD KANNADA CONFERENCE: 17th World Kannada Cultural Conference to be held in Dammam on Jan 18-19, 2024

Non-resident Kannadigas committee, Saudi Arabia and Hridayavahini Karnataka Mangaluru will be holding 17th two-day long Vishwa Kannada Samskrithi Sammelana at the Safwa auditorium, Dammam on January 18-19, 2024.

There will be poetics session, comedy session, media session and nonresident Kannadigas session during the programme. Bharatanatya, Janapada dances, dance skits, Yakshagana, Dollu dances and Daf arts will be displayed during the event.

An exhibition of goods will be held outside the auditorium on those days. There are more than 40,000 Kannadigas in Saudi Arabia. There will be publicity of the programme so that a large number of Kannadigas may attend the event. Kannadigas in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Qatar, Sharjah and Dubai will be invited for the event.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah will be invited to inaugurate the event. Vidhan Sabha speaker U T Khader, minister of the department of Kannada and culture Shivaraj Tangadagi, minister of agriculture Cheluvarayaswamy, minister of health and Dakshina Kannada district in charge minister Dinesh Gundurao, minister of higher education, Madhu Bangarappa, minister of civic administration and Haj, Rahim Khan, deputy chairman of the NRI Forum of Karnataka Dr Arati Krishna, Kannada Development Authority former president Prof S G Siddaramaiah have been invited.

The concluding programme will be held during the evening on January 19. A delegation of more than 100 members from Karnataka and India and office bearers of various Kannada organizations across the country will take part in the conference.

The president of the conference president will be selected during the first week of January 2024. Those who intend to suggest the names can send them to hrudayavahini@rediffmail.com.

Kudroli Ganesh will perform magic show, Gopi will perform Mimicry, Mahadeva Sattigeri will give away a comedy speech, Go Na Swamy, Pushpa Aradhya, Anil Basagi and Shivu will sing songs, Ranga Samskriti Bengaluru will perform comedy skit, Patla Foundation Bahrain and Saudi Arabia unit will perform Yakshagana. There will be Daf display by Byari artistes from Mangaluru, Bharata Natya by Pushkara Performing Arts Bengaluru, Dollu dance by Sagar and Mandya Janapada artistes and variety programmes by artistes from Saudi Arabia. Patla foundation Bahrain and Saudi Arabia unit artists will perform Yakshagana play.

Non-resident Kannadigas welcome committee Saudi Arabia honorary president Zakariya Bajpe, Vishwa Kannada Samskrithi Sammelana committee founder president K P Manjunath Sagar, nonresident Kannadigas welcome committee president Sathish Bajal and Praveen Peter Aranha were present.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: AVIATION & AEROSPACE: ENGINEERING: HAL’s New Design & Test Facility for Aero Engine Research & Development Centre (AERDC) inaugurated

Union Government’s Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurated a new design and test facility at HAL’s Aero Engine Research and Development Centre (AERDC) in Bengaluru on Friday.

Hailing the important work being done by HAL, Aramane said, “HAL has received applause at the highest levels and the government trusts your capability to deliver and make the country self-reliant. Manufacturing sector is the future of our country and in the coming decades, HAL should focus on mastering technologies for all types of aircraft. Think ahead as the entire paradigm of warfare is changing.”

Thrusting on the role of unmanned aircraft in the future warfare, he encouraged HAL to collaborate with other private companies to develop new platforms.

“HAL is the largest DPSU in India and I want it to become the top ten companies in the world,” he said, adding that he had a look at the manufacturing range of various engines and test beds and also paid a visit to HAL’s Aerospace Division.

C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD (Addl. Charge), HAL said, “The development of this facility marks a key milestone in HAL’s growth trajectory. It is a testimony of HAL’s commitment towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in aero-engine design and development.”

The new facility spanning over 10,000 sq. meters has been established under the modernisation plan.

Dr D K Sunil, Director (Engineering, R&D) outlined the design perspectives of HAL’s R&D initiatives.

The AERDC is currently involved in the design and development of several new engines including two strategic engines — Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine (HTFE) of 25 kN thrust for powering trainers, UAV’s, twin engine small fighter aircraft or regional jets and Hindustan Turbo Shaft Engine (HTSE) of 1200 kN thrust for powering light and medium weight helicopters (3.5 to 6.5 tonnes in single/twin engine configuration).

The new state-of-the-art facility houses special machines, advanced setups leveraging on computational tools, in-house fabrication facility and two test beds for testing HTFE-25 and one test-bed each for testing HTSE-1200 and upcoming JV engine for IMRH to be co-developed by Safran, France and HAL.

In addition, the newly developed facility has setups for testing Air producer of Jaguar, Gas Turbine Starter Unit (GTSU) -110 M2 and 127E of LCA, Auxiliary Power Units of IMRH and AMCA, Gas Turbine Electrical Generator (GTEG)-60 for An-32 aircraft. Setups to carry out various critical tests for engine components and LRUs have also been established within the new facility.

The Centre, established in the 1960s, holds the unique distinction of being the only design house that has developed test beds for engines of both Western and Russian origin. It has successfully developed and certified PTAE-7 engine, the first indigenous turbojet engine of India powering Lakshya (Unmanned Aircraft), Gas Turbine Electrical Generator GTEG-60 for starting An-32 aircraft, Air starter ATS 37 and Air producer for starting Adour-Mk 804E/811 on Jaguar Aircraft and Shakti engine for powering ALH to support Ad804/811 engine of Jaguar aircraft.

Senior officials from HAL, IAF, GTRE. ADA, NAL, CEMILAC and ADE were present on the occasion.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: ROBOTICS: India’s 01st Edition of ROSCon 2023 energises Robotics Community in country

The event featured seven innovative robotic startup showcases, 14 talks on ROS, and four-panel discussions.

India’s first edition of ROSCon 2023 — a platform that brought together industry experts, researchers and enthusiasts from the Robotics and ROS (Robot Operating System) community — was held in Bengaluru last week. The event witnessed a turnout of 700 participants from within and outside the country.

ARTPARK-IISc, in collaboration with Acceleration Robotics and Rigbetel Labs hosted the first edition of ROSCon India at the JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The two-day event held on December 14 and 15 offered a historic platform for ROS developers, encompassing enthusiasts at every level, from beginners to seasoned experts.

The event featured seven innovative robotic startup showcases, 14 talks on ROS, and four-panel discussions. The sessions delved into the evolving landscape of robotics in India, exploring challenges faced by startups in robotics, the significance of edge computing, and the intricacies of securing venture capital funding.

“It was a real eye-opener for us to see the tremendous interest in robotics in general and ROS in particular. This event is part of ARTPARK’s larger goal of catalyzing the innovation ecosystem around robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications to solve problems at scale via creating and supporting startups. The event played a pivotal role in uniting and strengthening the robotics community across the country,” said Prof Bharadwaj Amrutur, Executive Director and Chief Technologist, ARTPARK-IISc.

He added that ROSCon not only marked a momentous occasion in India’s robotics journey but also set the stage for continued collaboration, innovation and advancements in the field. The event received significant support from industry leaders, with Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Analogue Devices India joining as platinum sponsors.

ARTPARK is an AI and Robotics Technology Park promoted by the IISc to foster innovations in AI and robotics by bringing together the best of the startup, industry, research and government ecosystem. It is seed-funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) and the Government of Karnataka.

Acceleration Robotics is focused on designing customized hardware, or “brains”, that speed up a robot’s operation. The company creates custom compute architectures for high-performance robots through hardware acceleration solutions. RigBetel Labs aims to bring the nitty-gritty of cutting-edge technologies like robotics, automation, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud tech and mobile application to every viable sector.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ENGINEERING & SCIENCE: DRONES: India closer to New Drone Power as NRT’s Indigenous Solar-Powered Pseudo-Satellite Flies for over 21 hrs

Start-up announced that its prototype had completed flight during Winter Solstice trial. Big fillip to India’s plan of having long-endurance drone capable of flying in stratosphere.

Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd (NRT) announced Saturday that its long-endurance drone, the solar-powered High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS), had carried out its first flight lasting over 21 hours. The development comes as a big fillip to India’s plan to have its own long-endurance drones capable of flying in the stratosphere.

The project is being spearheaded under the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative of the defence ministry. Under this, NRT has signed a contract for an initial proof-of-concept demonstrator, which targets a solar-powered flight lasting longer than 48 hours.

Sameer Joshi, CEO of the start-up and a former Air Force pilot, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that the company’s prototype completed its flight during a Winter Solstice trial on 22 December.

The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, tests the solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s (UAV) endurance at its worst. The next flight will take place on 21 June or the Summer Solstice, when the Sun will be at its brightest.

The IAF has included HAPS under a Rs 1,000 crore ‘Make I project’ of the Government of India. This means that 70 percent of the funding will come from the government.

Upbeat about the NRT feat, defence sources told ThePrint that this was the next big thing in air warfare and that the flight included both day and night flying, with the UAV using solar energy for travel during the day and using its solar-charged battery for flying at night. The sources refused to get into details of what altitude the UAV flew at, but said the plan is to have it fly in the stratosphere at about 65,000 feet, above air traffic.

For context, commercial aircraft typically fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet, or at about 5.9 to 7.2 miles.

Since the HAPS operates on solar power, it can continue to fly for months.

India’s first stratospheric vehicle?

The HAPS UAV is part of a new genre of solar-powered platforms being designed across the world for persistent surveillance, communications, and specialist science missions.

Both the IAF and the Navy are on board with the project and are looking at acquiring this capability in the short term as well as in the long term.

In India, the National Aerospace Laboratories under the government’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is also working on a similar project, but details of its progress are yet unknown.

Defence sources told ThePrint that India does not have a stratospheric vehicle.

Running exclusively on solar power and flying above the weather at 16-20 km autonomously for months at a stretch, a HAPS platform will fill a capability gap between satellites and HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs, sources said.

The sources explained that HAPS is ultra-lightweight but has a strong body with the ability to take onboard batteries and other systems. They said that as the battery technology improves, the endurance would also grow.

The intended surveillance payloads for HAPS include electro-optical/ infra-red (EO/IR) solutions, synthetic aperture radars (SAR) besides communication payloads — including range extenders, electronic intelligence (ELINT) and electronic warfare (EW).

The existing technology limits of the ISR payloads for HAPS allow observations of up to 80-100 km from stratospheric altitudes, which is 2-3 times more as offered by MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs. ISR, or Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), is vital for military operations.

Sources said the HAPS technology will offset the lack of critical ISR gap felt during the Doklam crisis, the Balakot incident, and the ongoing crisis in Ladakh.

The Navy will be an immediate beneficiary since this allows continuous low-cost manning of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), sources said.

They also explained that the civilian use of HAPS is equally important since it can provide telecommunication connectivity all over India — especially in regions with patchy terrestrial network issues because of the challenges of terrain and costs.

source/content: theprint.in (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: ARTIC RESEARCH: Raman Research Institute Scientists head to Arctic to study ‘Cosmic Dawn’

The 4-member team will be working in the vicinity of the Himadri research station in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.

A team of scientists from Bengaluru’s Raman Research Institute has been sent to the Arctic Circle for a research expedition. The four-member team, which is led by Girish B S of RRI’S Electronics Engineering Group, will be working in the vicinity of the Himadri research station, located in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.

The mission, which was flagged off from Delhi on Monday, is set to last until January 15, under the aegis of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The mission will seek to deploy instruments near Himadri to study radio signals in the 5 to 500 megahertz range. It will assess whether Svalbard is “radio-quiet” enough to deploy Shaped Antenna measurement of the background Radio Spectrum (SARAS) radio telescopes.

The radio telescopes are used in the study of the ‘cosmic dawn’, an era in the development of the universe which saw the formation of the first stars and galaxies.

According to a statement from the RRI, these ancient signals are easily drowned out by modern cell phone towers and other interference.

Girish B S stated that due to rampant urbanisation in recent years, the space for the deployment of scientific experiments for cosmological studies is fast shrinking. “Several places, where low frequency astronomical observations were conducted in the past, are no longer suitable for carrying out precision measurements. And the biggest limitation in achieving the required sensitivity is RFI (radio frequency interference),” he said.

SARAS has previously been deployed in remote parts of Karnataka and Ladakh.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: BUSINESS & ECONOMY / TRANSPORT: KSRTC Launches Goods Cargo Services, 500 Trucks to be added by 2024-end

Reddy said the Basaveshwara bus station at Peenya will be utilised as a depot for operation and maintenance for cargo trucks.

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has become the first public bus transportation entity in the country to launch a goods parcel service, using trucks. It has entered into a memorandum of understanding with KMS Coach Builders for lending cargo truck services on rent for two months. It has signed a similar agreement with SM Kannappa Automobiles for one month.

Ramalinga Reddy, who flagged off the services, said, “Namma (Our) Cargo truck services with the tagline, ‘Your Confidence, Our Concern’, will start operations with 20 trucks and then scale up to 100 in the upcoming days. The aim is to have 500 trucks by the end of next year. The project is an ambitious initiative that intends to augment KSRTC’s non-ticket revenues.

Reddy said the Basaveshwara bus station at Peenya will be utilised as a depot for operation and maintenance for cargo trucks. He added that the remaining vacant space in the non-functional bus station will be handed over to government companies to generate revenue.

“KSRTC had earlier ventured into the logistics business under the brand name ‘Namma Cargo’ to carry parcels on KSRTC route buses. Taking this forward, we introduced ‘Namma Cargo truck service’ fitted with GPS for goods transportation,” said KSRTC MD Anbu Kumar.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)