Siblings show their pedigree

Children hog the imelight

Staff Correspondent - The Hindu

AMAZING FEAT:Roshni Pawar's Bharatanatyam on rollerskates had the audience in a trance on the final day of Dharwad Utsava in Hubli on Tuesday.

HUBLI: It was children's day of sorts on the final day of the Dharwad Utsav at Sawai Gandharva Hall here on Tuesday.

It may be recalled that the final day programmes of the Dharwad Zilla Utsava that were to be held at the hall on Monday were put off to Tuesday following the demise of vocalist Pt. Bhimsen Joshi.

While students of Kaizen Roller Academy mesmerised the audience with their performances which was a mix of roller-skating and dance, students of NLE Society's Slow Learners' School presented a dance programme.

Roshani Pawar, a class 7 student, presented her skills in roller skating. Draped in the Bharatanatyam attire she presented yoga and Bharatanatyam on skates which won thunderous applause from the audience. Later, she paired with Rohan Kokani to present the “Bannada Tagadina Tuttoori”, a composition by poet G.P. Rajaratnam.

Four-day Dharwad Utsav ends on a vibrant note

Jan 26, 2011, 10.20am IST

DHARWAD: Even as the winter is slowly on its way out in North Karnataka and the weather is getting warmer by the day, the connoisseurs in the twin cities of Dharwad and Hubli were in for a thrill for four days in a row with a variety of cultural extravaganzas at Dharwad Utsav 2010-2011 to keep them amused. Tuesday saw the curtains coming down on the festivities that succeeded in strengthening the impression that Dharwad is still the cultural hub and holds out a promise of being so for several more years.

But for the sad demise of son of the soil Pandit Bhimsen Joshi which made the art lovers dedicate the programmes scheduled for Monday to the departed doyen of Hindustani music, the Utsav became a people's festival with a large number of eminent singers, writers, poets, painters, actors, students and social activists enthusiastically participating in the programmes and organizing them.

Presence of nonagenarian Patil Puttappa, poet Channaveera Kanavi, Gidaddi Govindraj, M M Kalburgi and others made the event more memorable. The Karnataka bandh call given by BJP on Saturday did not deter the people of Dharwad from turning up at the main venue, Karnatak College, in large numbers.

Poetry sessions, drawing and painting exhibition, dance, music, folk arts, symposium, drama and film festival among others provided the art lovers a rich cultural feast.

The sprawling Karnatak College ground with the monumental main building in the backdrop stood testimony to another historic event.

Illuminated beautifully, the entire campus was bustling with cultural activities. The Utsav provided a platform for several young artistes and college students to exhibit their talents.

That the events were spread over 14 venues in Dharwad and Hubli besides Kundgol and Annigeri proved to be a boon for the people, allowing them to attend the programmes of their choice.

Dharwad to have new IIIT

Dharwad to have new IIIT

Shamsheer Yousaf, Bangalore, Jan 24, DHNS:

The IT dream in north Karnataka has just gotten more distant. In a surprising volte-face, the state government has proposed shifting the new Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) from Gulbarga to Dharwad.

Earlier this month, the state government had announced that a new IIIT would be housed at Gulbarga as part of the 20 such institutes being set up by the Centre across the country. But the state government has now written to the Centre to locate the new IIIT in Dharwad instead of at Gulbarga. Confirming the move, state Higher Education Minister V S Acharya said the IIIT was being shifted as Gulbarga already had two universities—a central university and a state university. “Moreover, the Employment State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is establishing a medical college and hospital in Gulbarga. Since there is a constraint on land, we decided to shift the IIIT to Dharwad,” he said. Acharya said Dharwad was chosen as Hubli-Dharwad was the second largest city in Karnataka. “Dharwad has a very supportive academic environment, and we felt that it would be better suited to have the IIIT in Dharwad,” he said. Since Karnatak University in Dharwad was nearly 50 years old, it would provide a supporting environment for the IIIT. The state government will now have to identify around 50 acres to hand over to the Central government. Interestingly, Hubli-Dharwad already has a functional IIIT. With the present proposal, the twin city will have two IIITs. The Bangalore unit of IIIT has opened a centre in Hubli that offers a finishing school programme in collaboration with the IT industry. Currently, it offers certification programme in Information Technology Management, and Embedded and Real Time systems. The institute has also been holding special recruitment drives for students from the region. The IIIT will be established on a private-public partnership model, with Centre bearing 50 per cent of the cost of establishing the institute. The state government will bear 35 per cent, and industry will bear 15 per cent of the total cost. The capital expenditure will be around Rs 128 crore, while the Centre will provide partial support towards recurring expenditure of upto Rs 10 crore to the IIIT depending on requirements.

Red tape blocks Hubli tech park

Red tape blocks Hubli tech park

Vincent D’Souza | TNN

Hubli: Aryabhata Tech Park launched with much fanfare four years ago has failed to realize IT dreams of Hubli as expected. It is said red tape has come in the way. Of the seven companies to which land was allotted in 28 acres in Rayapur, only N S Infotech has started its operations, while Sankalp Semiconductors will start functioning soon.
The other five companies which include Diksha Technologies, one of the top 50 fastest growing IT companies in the country, C2Silicon Software Solutions, Auriole Technologies, Mahaveer Infoway, Pen Arbor InfoTech and Abel Design Engineering Services have not been able to start operations allegedly because of red tape.
North Karnataka IT Developers Association president Sridhar Pujar said unnecessary delay in paperwork in government offices has been a major stumbling block. The civic authorities are not working in coordination which discourages investors, he said.
He said in the case of Diksha Technologies which was sandwiched between two portions of land belonging to Karnataka State Law University, the authorities asked the company to part with land allotted to it for the university but did not show any alternative land. When the authorities did not respond positively for alternative land, the company set up their unit in the land allotted to it earlier. Likewise, in the case of Intent Info which wanted to set up a company with 200 jobs, its papers got stuck in the municipal corporation for more than three months which finally led to the company to move out of state. Bangalore based engineering software services company Quest backed out due to delay in land allotment and settled in Belgaum.
Santosh Hurlikoppi of N S Infotech said the Hescom has been delaying permanent power connection to his unit and he is shelling out over Rs 60,000 every month which is double for the power he uses. Even the BSNL has so far not been allotted land in the Park for broadband facility.
However, HDMC commissioner K V Trilokchandra said the corporation has given needed permission to the firms.
NO SMOOTH RIDE
North Karnataka IT Developers Association says delay in paperwork in government offices hampering work, discouraging investors
Infrastructure problems also plague Aryabhata park.

Bhimsen Joshi, music maestro passes away - The Economic Times

24 JAN, 2011, 11.27AM IST,PTI

Bhimsen Joshi, music maestro passes away

PUNE: Legendary vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi , who enthralled generations of connoisseurs with his renditions of Hindustani classical music, passed away at a city hospital today after a prolonged illness.

He was 87. A recipient of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, Joshi had been put on life support system following old age- related ailments leading to kidney and respiratory failure after his admission to hospital on December 31, his family said.

Joshi, the most-celebrated exponent of 'Kirana gharana' of Khansahib Abdul Karim Khan , leaves behind three sons and a daughter.

A pall of gloom descended on the city as the news of his demise spread with people making a beeline to his residence to pay their last respects to the singer who was the most powerful figure on the Hindustani music concert platform of 'khayal gayki'.

Born on February 4, 1922 at Gadag in Dharwad district of Karnataka, Joshi got a boost to his career during a concert in Pune in January 1946 on the occasion of the 60th birthday of his guru Sawai Gandharva.

What distinguished him from the ordinary was his powerful voice, amazing breath control, fine musical sensibility and unwavering grasp of the fundamentals that made him the supreme Hindustani vocalist, representing a subtle fusion of intelligence and passion that imparted life and excitement to his music.

In the forays he made outside the classical fold, Joshi lent is voice as a "dhrupad" singer for a Bengali film based on the life of Tansen and later sang as a playback singer for Marathi film "Gulacha Ganapati", produced and directed by celebrated Marathi humorist "Pu La" Deshpande in addition to Hindi movies "Basant Bahar" and "Bhairavi".

But it was his 'Sant Vani' recitals, which bore the flair of Marathi 'Bhakti Sangeet' that added immensely to his popularity in both Maharashtra and Karnataka which have had a long succession of saint-poets.

He was honoured with the Padma Shri (1972), Sangeet Natak Akademi award for Hindustani vocal music (1975), Padma Bhushan (1985) and Madhya Pradesh government's "Tansen Samman" in 1992. Bharat Ratna was bestowed on him in 2008.

Joshi had undergone a surgery for removal of a brain tumor in 1999 followed by a cervical spine operation in 2005.

The maestro's last surprise public performance that regaled the audience was during 2007 'Sawai Gandharva' annual music festival which he himself had started to commemorate the memory of his guru.

Dharwad Utsav makes a colourful comeback - The Times of India

Dharwad Utsav makes a colourful comeback

GURURAJ JAMKHANDI, TNN, Jan 23, 2011, 10.04pm IST

DHARWAD: The district administration relaunched Dharwad Utsav after a gap of two years to showcase cultural flavour of this cultural hub of northern part of the state.

Rural development and panchayat raj and district minister Jagdeesh Shettar inaugurated the four-day event with the beating of a drum in the historic backdrop of Karnataka College building on Saturday evening.

The who's who of the cultural circles of the district, including renowned poet Channaveera Kanavi, Giraddi Govindraj, Veena Sjanteshwar, danceuse Kumudini Rao and Karnataka Vidyavardhak Sangh president Patil Puttappa were among those present on the occasion.

Earlier in the day, the administration was forced to postpone a colourful procession a la the Mysore Dasara Jumbo Sawari, depicting cultural traditions of the district through tableaux owing to Karnataka Bundh call given by the ruling BJP.

The lilting strains of music wafted in the background to set the mood for the evening at the main venue of the festival followed by the singing of the state anthem. The inaugural function concluded with some select cultural events by Anandshankar Jayant of Hyderabad and Harish Kulkarni of Dharwad. Sanket team of Bangalore presented Kannada drama Naa Tukaram Alla (I am not Tukaram) at the Srujana auditorium here.

In Hubli, Hindustani vocalist Muddumohan enthralled the audience with a scintillating recital at Sawai Gandharva Hall while Vijaya Nagara Mahila Mandal and Kala Balaga of Ingalagi staged dramas.

Deputy commissioner Darpan Jain welcomed the huge gathering while president of the organizing committee Giraddi Govindraj gave a glimpse of the events to unfold during the next three days.

Twin cities break into celebrations

Twin cities break into celebrations

Staff Correspondent - The Hindu

Folk dance, music concerts, stage plays and painting add glitz to Dharwad Utsava

RIOT OF COLOUR:Children taking part in the drawing competition and folk troupe performs in Dharwad as part of Dharwad Utsav on Sunday.

DHARWAD: It was a wonderful Sunday for the residents here as the city wore a colourful look, thanks to the cultural, entertainment and sports events of the Dharwad Utsava 2010-11.

The ‘Janapada Kalavahini' procession that depicted the rich folk culture of the land was a major attraction along with scores of other programmes. The procession began from the R. N. Shetty stadium and passed through the major streets of the city adding flavour to the celebrations.

As it was a holiday, all programmes witnessed good turnout with people from neighbouring villages thronging the venues.

While the vibrant dance forms like Kamsali, Gurji Kunita and skating dance along with some folk performance thrilled the audience, magician Kudroli Ganesh cast his spell by riding through major streets of the city blindfolded. Nearly 600 children took part in the painting competition at the serene Kittur Chennama Park.

Big applause

Kananda play Harishchandra by Shivakumar Kalasangha, Sane Halli, won a big applause.

The cultural and entertainment programmes were held on the sprawling Karnatak College grounds here, with the imposing college building of the British era in the backdrop, giving a perfect environ for the festival.

The salubrious climate coupled with flowery surroundings added flavour to the events. Similarly, the district administration held a 10-km half marathon which marathon began from Karnatak College circle to culminate at ISCKON temple in Rayapur. Deputy Commissioner Darpan Jain stole the show by joining the runners and completing the 10-km run.

Laser show casts a spell at Dharwad Utsava

Laser show casts a spell

Staff Correspondent

Rajkumar number makes the audience delirious

DAZZLING: Laser beam formations sent the audience into a tizzy in Hubli on Sunday.

HUBLI: The laser show organised as part of the Dharwad Zilla Utsava mesmerised hundreds of people who had gathered at the Siddharoodh Math in Hubli on Sunday.

As the “dancing” laser beams created changing patterns drenched in myriad colours one after the other, the crowd responded with loud cheers.

In a way, the audience got themselves drenched in the intangible colours for a few minutes as the colourful patterns shot out by the projector fell on them.

The laser show conceived and designed by the State Information Department kick-started the second day programmes of the Dharwad Zilla Utsava at the math premises.

Designed with the objective of conveying to the public what the State Government had done for them through welfare programmes, the laser show provided infotainment to the audience.

Once the formal information on welfare schemes and development programmes were over, the laser beams “danced” to the foot-tapping hit numbers of Kannada films.

The crowd went into a frenzy as the laser beams created different patterns to the hit number Huttidare Kannada Naadalli Huttabeku rendered by the late thespian Rajkumar. The song was shot in Hubli at the Siddharoodh Math premises and also at the landmark Kittur Channamma Circle.

As Vande Mataram played on, many in the crowd responded with “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”. The laser show concluded with the laser beams creating the ‘tricolour' in the air.

After the show, folk troupes presented exuberant performances. Researcher and folk artist Anandappa Jogi and his troupe comprising Nagaraj Jogi and others presented the “jogi pada”.

Then it was the turn of a children's troupe led by Sudha Kumari to enthral the audience through their dance mixed with “yoga”. They presented folk dance subsequently.

Then it was time for laugh riot at the Siddharoodh Math with “Hasyotsava” being presented by speakers such as Sudha Baragur and others.

Curtains go up on Dharwad Utsav

Curtains go up on Dharwad Utsav

Staff Correspondent

Heralding a start:Minister Jagadish Shettar and journalist Patil Puttappa inaugurating the festivities in Dharwad on Saturday.

DHARWAD: The annual Dharwad Utsav got off to a colourful start at an impressive inaugural function held at the Karnatak College grounds here on Saturday.

People from various parts of the region thronged the venue. A small but colourful procession was taken out prior to the inaugural function which, to some extent, filled the vacuum created by the postponement of the mammoth Janapada Kalavahini procession, following the bandh call given by the BJP on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, poet Chennaveera Kanavi dedicated the utsav to musical maestro Mallikarjun Mansur as the event falls on his birth centenary.

The formal inauguration of the festivities was done by Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar and veteran journalist Patil Puttappa by beating traditional drums.

The lake that inspired Da. Ra. Bendre now has a park

Staff Correspondent - The Hindu

The memorial is to be inaugurated today

A FITTING TRIBUTE:Da. Ra. Bendre is said to have drawn inspiration from Sadhanakeri situated near his house in Dharwad. It has been converted into a memorial at a cost of Rs. 3.5 crore.

DHARWAD: Next time if you happen to be here, do not miss visiting Sadhanakeri.

This natural lake that shot into fame through the ever cherishing poem Ba Baaro Sadhana Kerige by the celebrated poet late Da. Ra. Bendre has taken the shape of a lake park after it has been developed into a memorial for him. It is being inaugurated on Thursday.

The lake facing Bendre's house “Sri Mata” and has been a source of inspiration for Bendre, who has special love and affection for this natural loch hiding amazing natural beauty in it. Either it is dawn or dusk, the view of birds flocking towards the lake or whatever Bendre observed on the banks of this lake, has taken the form of ever cherishing poems.

As senior poet Chennaveera Kanavi puts it beautifully: “Bendre is the ‘nature's poet' and no one among the modern day poets loved, worshiped or were inspired by Mother Nature like Bendre. He is next only to ancient poets Pampa and Harihara to reflect the beauty and bounty of the nature in his works. Naturally, the lake adjacent to his house influenced his emotions and poeticism”. He says it is a befitting tribute to Bendre to develop this lake.

The lake was in appalling conditions due to lack of maintenance. Today, after overcoming several hurdles, it is gleaming with a new look and as Bendre wished, greets the people to its folders so that they come and refreshed in its serene atmosphere.

Those who have seen the lake a few years ago will be astonished by its look after its charm and serenity had been restored at a cost of Rs. 3.5 crore.

The park area gained an enchanting look as it has been exquisitely landscaped with green pastures and plants with colourful flowers.

Boating facility, walking path, amusement park for children, musical fountain and food court help the visitors enjoy the setting.

Work on permanent expo centre begins today

Staff Correspondent THE Hindu

KRIDL entrusted with work on construction of roads, drains

Hubli-Dharwad Permanent Multipurpose Exhibition Centre to be located at APMC yard

Administration releases Rs. 50 lakh for preliminary work

HUBLI: The dream of having a permanent multipurpose exhibition centre for Hubli Dharwad is finally getting fulfilled with Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Ltd. (KRIDL) being entrusted with the work of developing the layout for the centre.

Deputy Commissioner Dharwad Darpan Jain told The Hindu that the district administration had decided to have KRIDL (formerly Karnataka Land Army Corporation) construct roads and drains. Mr. Jain said KRIDL would complete this preliminary work within two months and prepare the land for further construction. “KRIDL will begin work immediately after the formal ‘bhoomi puja' for the exhibition centre on Saturday,” he said.

The Hubli-Dharwad Permanent Multipurpose Exhibition Centre will be located at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard (Amaragol) located between Hubli and Dharwad.

Mr. Jain said the State Government had released Rs. 50 lakh for the preliminary work. Subsequently, construction of the centre would begin as per a detailed project report approved by the Government, the Deputy Commissioner said.

Mr. Jain said the administration planned to execute the project in three phases.

“In the first phase, we plan to take up work worth around Rs. 4.5 crore, and construct the exhibition hall and other basic facilities. Other facilities would be built in the second and third phases,” he said.

Dharwad set for Utsava 2011

Staff Correspondent - The Hindu
Shettar to inaugurate the event at Karnataka College grounds

IT'S SHOW TIME: Karnatak College, which was illuminated on the eve of Saturday's inauguration of Dharwad Utsava.

DHARWAD: The countdown has begun for the grand inaugural ceremony of Dharwad Utsav 2010-11, the four-day cultural event organised by the district administration in association with the Department of Kannada and Culture and Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation.

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and district in-charge Minister Jagadish Shettar will inaugurate the function at Karnatak College grounds here on Saturday around 6 p.m.

Minister for Kannada and Culture Govind Karajol will inaugurate the exhibition. The inaugural function will be followed by a colourful laser show by the Department of Information. Prior to the inaugural session, a colourful procession “Janapada Kalavahini” depicting the rich folk cultural heritage of the land would be taken out from R.N. Shetty Stadium. The procession would pass through major streets of the city to culminate at the Karnatak College grounds, according to a release by P.S. Hiremath, Senior Assistant Director, Department of Information.

The cultural programmes at the utsav would be a combination of performances by renowned and budding artistes. Schoolchildren and special children would gvet opportunities to perform.

There will be classical dance ballet by Vivekananda Kala Kendra, Bangalore, at the historic Chandramouleshwara temple in Unkal.

Children's programme

Drama by children of the Government Higher Primary School, Mundargi (6 p.m.), folk dance by Kittur Chennamma Residential School, Kalghatagi (7 p.m.) and dance by NLE Society Slow Learner's School, Hubli (7.30 p.m.) will be held at Karnatak Vidyavardhak Sangha auditorium.

Sankalp Semiconductor Pvt. Ltd. Gets a New State-of-the-art HQ

January 21, 2011 --

Sankalp Semiconductor Pvt. Ltd. is extremely happy to announce the inauguration of its Head Quarters located at ARYABHATA TECHNOLOGY PARK, Navanagar, HUBBALLI on the 22nd of January 2011 from 10.30 AM to 1.00 PM. The formal inauguration shall be graced by Mr. Jagadish Shettar ( Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Rajya, Rural Water Supply & Sanitation in the Govt. of Karnataka) and Mr. Prahlad Joshi (Member of Parliament), along with other dignitaries. The formal inauguration of the premises shall be followed by distribution of prizes to the winners of the High School Level Science Exhibition "Aavishkar". It was organized by the Sankalp Trust in association with the Agastya Foundation last month in Hubli. We will also felicitate the student from Ushas School who created our logo - Sankalp @ 5.

Gururaj Deshpande's Indian sandbox of social innovation

Leslie D'Monte -Business Standard / January 20, 2011, 0:55 IST

Anantha Badu’s father died when he was young. He now stays with his mother and nine siblings near Puri, Orissa. Getting even one square meal a day can be a herculean task. Yet, Anantha wants to continue going to school and become an engineer, for which he needs a good diet to keep his brain ticking. Fortunately, his school provides him a proper meal.

Anantha’s is not a lone case. Around 1.3 million such children in about 7,700 government and government-aided schools as well as anganwadis (day-care centres) across eight states in India with similar dreams are being given a nutritious diet daily by the Akshaya Patra Foundation — a Bangalore-based trust. Around 60 per cent of the funds are given by the Indian government as part of the Centre’s mid-day meal scheme, while the rest is generated through donations from India and abroad.

Gururaj Deshpande — who was appointed co-chairman of US President Barack Obama’s National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship in June 2010 (the only India-born member in the council) — can cite many such cases. He should know, since he has been helping to raise money for the Akshaya Patra scheme from the US and is currently chairman of its US office.

Popularly known as ‘Desh’, he terms his work with Akshay Patra a ‘social innovation sandbox’ — one of the 60-odd projects in India governed by the Deshpande Foundation, created by Desh and wife Jaishree (sister of Sudha Murthy, wife of Infosys Technologies founder Narayana Murthy).

“Over the last 10 years, I have been spending around half my time with my profit ventures. The remaining time is spent on philanthropy.” He has five businesses — Sandstone Capital, Sycamore Networks, A123 Systems, HiveFire and Tejas Networks — of which he is chairman. He has also invested in Airvana Inc and is a life member of MIT Corporation, the board of trustees at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The India sandbox comprises five districts — Belgaum: Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, and Uttar Kannada, all in Karnataka — which are home to about 10 million people. “In India, my social entrepreneurship sandbox venture is making good progress. Being an organisation that helps (around 60) NGOs incubate ideas near Hubli, the idea is to create a sort of mini Silicon Valley. Ten young men from the US, as well as students from MIT and Brooklyn University, visit these places to incubate the ideas. We then plan to scale up these ventures by using a profit model.

Some of the projects his foundation supports include Agastya “whose mission is to spark curiosity and creativity among vulnerable and disadvantaged children, through hands-on science education. Around 700,000 kids have participated in this programme to date. We are targeting seven million kids in three years”.

Another project includes training marginal and small farmers — who often lack modern agricultural knowledge that could quickly and easily improve their productivity levels and enhance their livelihoods — by utilising low-cost technologies such as handycams, projectors, TVs and DVD players. It’s called the Digital Green project. Farmers are motivated by the fact that a peer from their village has already adopted agricultural practices depicted in the videos; this becomes a reason some other farmers choose to adopt them.

Deshpande left India in 1973 with just $8 in his pocket. “That was all the Indian government allowed you to carry to the US those days,” he recalls.

He has come a long way since and both he and his wife have tried to find ways to “give back to society”. Desh also discusses ideas with brother-in-law Narayana Murthy. “We meet at least six times a year. In fact, we’re working on a programme wherein 30 faculty members from the US are training engineers in India to improve the quality of engineering education in the country.”

“All innovation is contextual and solutions need to be provided for demands from the real world. Innovation and relevance results in impact,” he reiterates.

Stadium promised for twin-cities

TNN, Jan 20, 2011, 10.36pm IST

DHARWAD: Tourism minister G Janaradhana Reddy has promised to sanction funds for the construction of a stadium of international standards in Hubli-Dharwad, provided the local administration spared 25 acres of land.

Inaugurating the indoor stadium here on Thursday, Reddy said he would make budgetary provisions for the construction of a stadium at Navanagar as demanded by the locals. His promise came after MP Pralhad Joshi raised the issue.

Reddy called upon the youth to make proper utilization of facilities available to excel in sports. He said a state-of-the-art stadium of international standards is coming up at Bellary at a cost of Rs 120 crore under PPP model. Similar efforts can also be thought of in Hubli-Dharwad, he said. District minister Jagadish Shettar and Joshi were present.

Earlier, DC Darpan Jain explained the facilities available at the indoor stadium and appealed to the minister to provide an annual grant of Rs 25 lakh for the maintenance of the stadium.

Reddy also inaugurated the beautified Sadanakeri Lake built under Baaro Saadanakerige Project.

Sadhanakeri Lake will be dedicated to people today

GURURAJ JAMKHANDI, TNN, Jan 19, 2011, 09.59pm IST

DHARWAD: Tourism minister G Janardhana Reddy will inaugurate the beautified Sadhanakeri Lake here at 5.30 pm on Thursday. District minister Jagadish Shettar and other elected representatives will be present on the occasion.

Sadhanakeri Lake had been a source of inspiration to Jnanpith awardee poet Da Raa Bendre. It is now ready to inspire new-generation Bendres with a new serene look. The lake and its surroundings have been given a facelift under Baaro Sadhankerige Project sanctioned by the department of tourism, Government of India, thanks to efforts by MP Pralhad Joshi. DC Darpan Jain has ensured that there is no compromise on the quality of work.

The area, spread over eight acres, has been transformed into a park housing an amphitheatre, a musical fountain, boating facility, canteen, walk way, good landscape, playing equipment for children, etc. Nirmiti Kendra has given the lake a facelift at a cost of Rs 2.58 crore.

Measures have been taken for illuminating the park and also creating parking facility. There are toilet blocks in and outside the park.

Two paddle boats and a mechanical boat will be operational for the public. The park, which is now a plastic-free zone, will also host cultural programmes at its amphitheatre during weekends.

Second biggest indoor stadium to be inaugurated tomorrow

19 JAN, 2011, 07.41PM IST,PTI

DHARWAD: The second biggest indoor stadium in the country will be declared open here tomorrow, Dharwad District Deputy Commissioner Darpan Jain said today.

The stadium, built at a cost of Rs 2.06 crore, will be inaugurated by Minister for Tourism, Youth & Sports G Janardhana Reddy , Jain told reporters here.

Jain said the stadium, which is the second biggest next to the one in Kolkata, would witness indoor games including gymnastics, kho-kho, wrestling, badminton, basketball.

The indoor stadium will also be used for kabbadi to be held during the "Dharwad Zilla Utsav-2011."

Tier II, III cities to be hardware hubs

Bangalore, Jan 18 (PTI)

The State Cabinet on Tuesday approved the innovative Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy 2011, which seeks to position IT capital Bangalore as an IT R&D hub and tier II and III cities as attractive investment destinations for software and hardware development.

The State has for the first time brought Information Technology enabled Services (ITeS), BPOs and the telecom sector under the ambit of the IT policy, enabling them to avail special incentives and concessions like entry tax exemptions and interest free loan on VAT, being offered to IT firms. Besides, the Cabinet gave its nod for a separate Electronic Hardware Policy 2011, which seeks to set up four electronic manufacturing hubs across the State, IT and BT Minister V S Acharya told reporters.

The new ICT policy plans to encourage IT research and development in Bangalore and set an ambition to transform the IT capital into a hub for products and technology. For this, the policy encourages partnerships between the industry and educational institutions. The Government will establish institutes of higher learning with focus on software product development.

Besides, the Government proposes to set up an Innovative Park on public private partnership PPP basis for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Bangalore. The park will focus on providing latest technology and equipment to MSMEs to upgrade their technology.

The Government will support the park with 20 per cent Viability Gap Funding. Separate SEZs dedicated to MSMEs will be set up in Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga and Belgaum.

The policy has re-introduced stamp duty exemptions up to 50 per cent to set up IT firms. The Government had, in 2003, withdrawn this facility.

However, the Government has not considered the request of the industry to extend power tariff concession being given to IT export units. Official sources said the matter had to be discussed with the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission.

With the inclusion of the telecommunications sector in the policy, low-cost mobile phone units, cellular mobile companies and others will get treatment on par with IT firms to set up shop in the State. The IT hardware sector is also included in the policy. The aim of the new policy is to give the much-needed succour to the IT sector, which is contributing to the State’s GSDP growth in a big way, official sources explained.

In a bid to encourage IT firms to move to tier IN and III cities of the State, the Government will extend up to 20 per cent capital contribution to all those who come forward to set up IT parks in cities other than Bangalore. Setting up research hubs will also be encouraged in these cities, officials said.

• Policy includes BPOs and telecommunication sector
• Plan to develop Bangalore into a R&D hub
• Move to make tier II, III cities as new IT destinations
• BPOs & telecommunication sectors to enjoy benefits being offered to IT firms
• Stamp duty exemption up to 50 percent re-introduced
• Govt to extend up to 20 per cent capital contribution to IT parks in small cities
• IT, ITeS, BPO, telecom units to be exempted from statutory power cuts.
• Establish ITIR region in Devanahalli-Doddaballapur area near BIA
• New electronic hardware policy approved

Karnataka approves new IT & Electronic hardware policy

Karnataka approves new IT & Electronic hardware policy

PTI via The HINDU

The Karnataka Government today approved the new IT and Electronic Hardware policies to further boost the growth of these sectors, which account for 20 per cent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product.

The new IT Policy 2011 envisages promotion of the information technology industries and innovative parks in Tier II and III cities, Minister for Higher Education V S Acharya told reporters after a cabinet meeting that approved the development.

Karnataka, considered as the IT hub of the country, has achieved Rs 75,000 crore worth exports in software this year, Acharya said.

The government also approved the Karnataka Electronics Hardware Policy and earmarked Rs 25 crore as budgetary allocation for its implementation.

Acharya said the state plans to develop four Electronic Hardware parks in the clusters of Bangalore—Tumkur, Shimoga— Hassan, Hubli—Dharwad and Mysore—Nanjangud.

About 500 to 1,000 acres of land has been identified for the establishment of each of the parks, the minister said.

In a major policy decision, the cabinet decided to withdraw tax exemption granted to tertiary sector activities in the Export Oriented SEZ located in the city.

The tax concession will now be available only to units that are engaged in production of export oriented products, Acharya said.

Four day Dharwad Utsav starts this weekend

Four day Dharwad Utsav starts this weekend

TNN, Jan 18, 2011, 10.07pm IST

DHARWAD: The people of Dharwad district will have an opportunity to enjoy some enchanting and vibrant cultural performances as part of Dharwad Utsav- 2010-11 for four days from Saturday. However, this year's events will not feature artistes of national and international repute as preference is being given to local talents who have made a name in the field of music and art and are now residing elsewhere.

The programmes this time have been spread out to different venues in the district in a bid to reach out to the larger sections of the people including those in rural areas.

As many 201 cultural troupes including 2,457 artistes will enthral audiences on stages set up at different places of Hubli-Dharwad, Annigeri, Navalgund, Kalghatagi and Kundagol.

Deputy Commissioner Darpan Jain said cultural performances will be held in 10 places in Dharwad, six places in Hubli and one each in other towns. This time, the newly-developed venues like Sadhanakeri, Nrupatunga Betta, Kittur Chennamma Park, Karnataka Kulapurohita Alur Venkatarao Bhavan, heritage sites like Chandramoulishwara temple in Unkal, Amrutheshwara temple in Annigeri, Dr D Veerendra Heggade Kalakshetra and Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) auditorium will play host to the performances.

Conducting cultural programmes at these places may also help promote tourism, Jain said.

Special Attractions:

Scores of cultural, literary and theatre shows include performances by reputed artistes including vocal concerts by Pandit Somanath Mardur, Balachandra Nakod, sitar by Rais Khan and Hafiz Khan, dance by Yogini Gandhi from Pune, light music by Gayatri Deshpande, Rasa Manjari by Ajay Warrier and troupe, Shahnai by Basavaraj Hediggond, tabla by Ravindra Yavagal and Kiran Yavagal and others.

Besides, there will be performances by visually challenged and specially abled children, magic show and bike rides by Kudroli Ganesh and folk performances. Movie shows in selected villages and laser show by the department of information will also be held as part of the event, he said.

Folk Games:

Along with sports events like wrestling and kabadi, the Utsav committee has also contemplated on including folk games at the event. Cart race, a popular folk game of the region, will be organized, he said.


Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa will inaugurate the Utsav on the sprawling Karnataka College grounds at 6 pm on January 22.

Rural sporting events like wrestling, bullock-cart race, etc, will be the additional attractions at the 2011 edition of Utsav.

The festival could not be held during 2009 and 2010 due to flash floods in north Karnataka. The total expenditure of the event stands at Rs 60 lakh, the 50% of which will be borne by the government. Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation has contributed Rs 25 lakh while the rest will be generated through other sources.

Rs 50 cr sought to upgrade Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences(Dimhans)

Rs 50 cr sought to upgrade Dimhans

TNN, Jan 17, 2011, 09.24pm IST

DHARWAD: Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Dimhans) will be developed on lines of Bangalore-based Nimhans. A Rs 50-crore proposal to this effect has been sent to the government.

Dimhans director Dr Shivanand Doddamani and MP Pralhad Joshi told reporters here on Sunday that the development works include setting up of neurology and neurosurgery units and introducing new post-graduate courses, which would be taken up in three phases between 2011 and 2015.

New courses to be started here are MD and DPM in Psychiatry, MPhil in Clinical Psychology, and Psychiatric Social Work and diploma in Psychiatric Nursing. The government has issued a notification converting the 10 non-teaching posts into teaching posts for the purpose and the courses would start once the vacancies are filled. An independent de-addiction ward would start functioning once the process of appointments is completed.

Nimhans management has agreed to allow Dimhans staff to take part in training programmes and academic activities to enhance their skills. Likewise, they have also agreed to send their experts for rendering academic services at Dimhans. Steps have been taken to train medical, para-medical staff and others under National Mental Health Programme, they said.

About the ongoing works related to the construction of forensic ward, rehabilitation centre, mechanized laundry and modern kitchen are nearing completion and these units would be inaugurated in March. Tenders have been called for Rs 2.66 crore administrative block works.

Replying a query, Dr Doddamani said steps are being taken to curb illegal paying guest business, "allegedly" run by Dimhans staff for the students. Besides, enhancing the capacity of the existing hostels, steps have been initiated to construct a new one for the benefit of students.

Karnataka to promote smaller cities as tech hubs

Karnataka to promote smaller cities as tech hubs

IANS via ibnlive.com

Posted on Jan 18, 2011 at 06:05pm IST

Bangalore: Four electronic hardware parks and promotion of smaller cities as tech-hubs are proposed in Karnataka's new information technology and electronics hardware policy, state minister V.S. Acharya said on Tuesday.

The new policy will promote IT and related industries in smaller cities, the medical education minister said.The electronic hardware parks will come up in the regions of Bangalore-Tumkur and Mysore-Nanjangud in the south, Shimoga-Hassan in central part, and Hubli-Dharwad in the north, Acharya, who is also the cabinet spokesman, told reporters.

He added that the government will provide Rs 25 crore for the project in the 2011-12 state budget to be presented in February.

About 1,000 acres of land has been identified for setting up each of the parks, Acharya said.

Karnataka has exported software worth Rs 75,000 crore so far in current financial year that ends March 31.Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said in October that he hoped the export to touch Rs 90,000 crore by March.

Representatives put forth wish-list to MP(Union & Railway Budget)

Representatives put forth wish-list to MP

TNN, Jan 13, 2011, 10.19pm IST

HUBLI: People have urged the Centre to improve the railway service in north Karnataka and introduce more trains from Hubli to different part of the country.

The demand was put forth during an interaction programme organized by MP Pralhad Joshi to know the problems being faced by various sections of the society like traders, industrialists, etc. The programme was held at KCCI office premises here on Thursday, in view of the forthcoming budget session.

The demands included one more daily train from Hubli to Bangalore (during night time), and trains to Mumbai and Rajasthan.

Representatives from University of Agricultural Science (UAS, Dharwad) said the Centre should allocate more funds to the university to carry out research work besides providing funds, and facilities for irrigation and cold storage for farmers.

Some of the representatives said there should not be foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail. "This will protect the interests of small traders involved in retail business," they said. The central government was also urged not to encourage bifurcation of universities.

There were also complaints against the government for not introducing railway services to Gulbarga, Mangalore and other interior parts of Karnataka from SWR zone.

The representatives urged the Centre to immediately clear the decks for the long-pending Hubli-Ankola railway project. It was also urged to take steps to revive small industries in north Karnataka region.

After listening to the grievances, the MP said he will bring the suggestions to the notice of the central government so they can be mentioned in Union budget.

Joshi said he will put pressure on the Centre to provide Rs 100-crore special grants for the development of UAS and to set up IIT at Dharwad.

Crores washed away in flash floods:Bad roads are back

Crores washed away in flash floods

GURURAJ JAMKHANDI, TNN, Jan 11, 2011, 10.16pm IST

DHARWAD: Seven roads connect Dharwad to the outer world, and their condition is much to be desired. The road from Belgaum that passes through Dharwad was a national highway ( NH4) till recently. But now, it has lost its NH status after being declared "state highway" following the construction of bypass.

The authorities are busy filling the potholes on all the roads that were asphalted just a few months ago. The 38-km stretch between Dharwad and Savadatti had been relaid just a few months ago at a cost of Rs 14 crore. But the road is back to pathetic condition. It is shocking that even after spending crores, the condition of the road is worse. The PWD had taken up the work and the officials cite flash floods as the reason for roads going bad.

The road between Dharwad and Hebsur is riddled with potholes. It had been relaid at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. However, Kalghatagi-Dharwad and Halyal-Dharwad roads are in relatively better condition.

The work on converting Dharwad-Belgaum Road into six lanes is in progress. However, the same is not true with the Dharwad-Ramnagar Road that connects Karnataka and Goa. Public works minister C M Udasi had performed the bhoomi pooja with much fanfare on November 7 in the presence of RDPR minister Jagadish Shettar and others. But the work did not start as the forest department has not cleared the project that envisages doubling of the road at a cost of Rs 237.60 crore.

Hyderabad-based GVR-RMN-Pratyusha Companies consortium named GVRMP Dharwad-Ramnagar Tollway Private Ltd has been assigned the work on the 61.50-km stretch on build-operate-transfer (BoT)/ viability gap funding (VGF) basis.

The proposal to convert Hubli-Dharwad Road into a four-lane stretch may also hit a hurdle. There is water pipeline on one side of the road and the widening has to be taken up by acquiring land on the other side. Those owning the land along that side may resist land acquisition.

City roads in Hubli, a nightmare for vehicle users

City roads, a nightmare for vehicle users

Basavaraj F Kattimani, TNN, Jan 10, 2011, 10.02pm IST

HUBLI: Hubli is the second largest city in the state, after Bangalore, but most of its roads have been in bad condition for long, indicating the poor quality of works executed by the authorities.

It is a nightmarish experience for anyone travelling on the city roads, as they are riddled with innumerable potholes. The long stretch of road from KC Circle to Unkal Cross, Hosur to Unkal Cross, Neelingan Road, Vikasnagar to Bharat Mill and all the connecting roads from P C Jabin college in Vidyanagar, Cotton Market roads, roads in Gokul industrial areas, Hosur to Gokul road, Shirur park to Akshay colony road, Dakkappa circle to Aralkatti Oni road are in a pathetic condition.

Besides this, roads in the new bus-terminus, Keshvapur to Vinay colony, roads in Madhura estate, Gokul to Manjunathnagar, roads in Lingarajnagar, roads in Navangar Tadapatri Oni to CBT roads, Kusugal road and other interior roads in city, speak volumes about the apathy of the administration.

These roads always see heavy traffic, with most of roads in the Gokul industrial areas and Navanagar not been tarred so far. The condition of these roads are worse during the rainy season, as the rainwater clogs the roads, making it impossible for vehicles to ply on these roads safely.

Speaking to `The Times of India,' Lochanesh Hugar of Navangar said: "Most of the roads here need to be tarred and we have to be very careful while using these roads, as there are chances of vehicles skidding off due to huge craters on the roads.

Vinayak Miskin, an industrialist said for many years, none of the roads in Gokul industrial area have been tarred, while condition is very bad during the monsoon.

Locals also said low quality of works executed by the corporation authority, unscrupulous cutting of roads by residents and cable agencies, laying of low capacity road and unscientific construction of roads are main reasons for the terrible condition of the roads in the city.

IT Companies forming regional bodies in smaller cities

IT companies forming regional bodies in smaller cities

Business Standard

PRADEESH CHANDRAN & BIBHU RANJAN MISHRA / Bangalore January 10, 2011, 0:43 IST

Not waiting for Nasscom presence, have begun work on spurring investment, common issues and govt lobbying.

Information technology (IT) companies in smaller cities are forming regional associations to attract investments and get their demands fulfilled at the local level, as industry body Nasscom is unable to spread its wings in many such cities.

Smaller companies in places such as Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Madurai, Kozhikode, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram have created regional fora to sell their locations and also lobby state governments.

Rooted in small cities, these associations believe the presence of major companies in these regions will boost growth of small and medium enterprises. When it comes to larger and national issues like the STPI scheme extension, they prefer to work with Nasscom.

Said Binu Sankar, CEO of Group of Technology Companies, an industry association in Kerala based out of Technopark in Thiruvanathapuram: “Since Nasscom is not very active here, we work at the local level in promoting the state as an ideal destination and secure funding for 200-odd member companies. For all national issues, we work very closely with Nasscom and support its initiatives.”

Adds R Sivarajah, president, Software Industries Development Association of South Tamil Nadu (Sida), “Our aim is to develop an IT ecosystem in the region. We hope that when the big companies start operations, smaller companies will get businesses from the giants and will help in creating an ecosystem.”

Sida was formed in October 2010, with about 50 small and medium-sized IT companies as members. The association is also trying to make Madurai a regional IT hub, by supporting the smaller companies in the region. It has asked the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd to provide projects related to south Tamil Nadu to firms located in the region.

Small and mid-sized IT firms located in Bhubaneswar, a growing city for IT and business process outsourcing, have formed an industry body called Confederation of Information Technology Enterprises. According to B K Sahoo, its president, “We are mainly focusing on creating an investment ecosystem in the state and our major focus is small and medium businesses.”

Nasscom acknowledges the trend. “We are seeing more regional fora and associations coming up in these areas and the main reason for it is that we don’t have our reach in many smaller towns. We understand the need for a presence in these developing cities and have started partnering with these small associations by conducting various events,” said Avinash Raghava, regional director, northern region, Nasscom.

IT Attraction

With major IT companies scouting for low-cost destinations in tier-II and tier-III cities to expand their operations, to minimise their cost structure, smaller towns are becoming increasingly attractive. A study by Nasscom and A T Kearney, ‘Location roadmap for IT- BPO growth’ have identified 50 major locations, including Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar, Coimbatore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bhopal and Goa, among others, as growth drivers for the industry.

The smaller companies in these cities feel the lack of infrastructure and guidance for start-ups are the major challenges for growth. The organisations are partnering various government administrations to overcome these challenges.

Calicut Forum for IT (Cafit), set up by IT professionals in Kozhikode to promote IT and IT-enabled services, is working with the government of Kerala. It has over 20 members. Serfraz Abdul Gafoor, secretary of Cafit, said, “People from Kozhikode make up a major chunk of the expatriate population in the UAE. We are seeking investments from NRIs to support companies in the city.”

Though Nasscom is taking steps to take IT to rural areas through partnerships and by adding new members, the companies in these places feel it’s very difficult to get Nasscom membership. For that, a company has to share its balance sheet and pay an annual membership fee of around Rs 15,000. Only companies with revenues of over Rs 50 lakh can apply for membership.

“We are planning initiatives through which smaller companies can gain value, or we may even restructure our membership criteria in the future,” said Raghava of Nasscom.

Tier-II cities in Karnataka to make it to air map

Tier-II cities in Karnataka to make it to air map

Published: Monday, Jan 3, 2011, 10:47 IST 

By Hemanth CS | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

A new aviation policy which will shape to the state government’s dream of having enhanced air connectivity between the Tier II cities in Karnataka is all set to take off.

The policy which is likely to be cleared in the next cabinet meet is based on the guidelines of the state government’s Vision 2020, which bats for having airports and airstrips for every 100 km distance across the state.

Government sources said that the aviation policy which has been drafted by the infrastructure department in consultation with the civil aviation ministry is likely to be cleared at the next cabinet meeting.

The policy, which bats for implementing the projects through a public-private-partnership (PPP), aims at fasttracking the government plans to develop 11 airports, 13 airstrips and helipads in all the 30 districts of the state by the year 2014.

Among the 11 airports, five would be greenfield aerodromes and would come up at Hassan, Shimoga, Gulbarga, Bijapur and Bellary, while the Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli and Belgaum airports would be expanded.

The Karwar and Bidar airports, which are defence airports and are operated by the Navy and Air Force, respectively, will also be expanded.

Apart from the development and expansion of new and existing airports in the state, the aviation policy’s primary focus would also be to look at the operating and maintenance costs at the airport in Tier-II cities.

The policy might also suggest reducing tax on the air turbine fuel and also consider bearing or waiving of airport charges.

It’s time again to campaign for an IIT within Karnataka

It’s time again to campaign for an IIT within Karnataka

Published: Sunday, Jan 2, 2011, 9:36 IST

By Team DNA | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

A delegation headed by MR Doreswamy, member of the legislative council, is all set to meet Union law minister M Veerappa Moily to submit a memorandum seeking that an Indian Institute of Technology be set up in the state.

“We are meeting Veerappa Moily on January 2 to submit the memorandum,” Doreswamy said.

As the eleventh five-year plan period ends in 2012, there is a buzz that the Union government would set up an IIT in the state in the 12th five year plan.

Sources from the ministry of human resource development said that under the 12th plan, the Centre would announce 10 more IITs. Academics from the state are keen that one of these be located in Karnataka.

Talking to DNA, Doreswamy said that the location of the institute should not become a matter of contention. “We don’t mind where the institute comes up, so long as there is one in Karnataka. We are putting pressure on the Centre for many years now. Karnataka is eligible to get an IIT, but the demand has not been heeded, on the pretext that the state already has the Indian Institute of Science, an Indian Institute of Management, and a central university. This time, we will not let them pay no heed to our demand,” said Doreswamy.

Former chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Dr Ramegowda, said, “Last time, we met Moily and we hoped that an IIT would come up in Karnataka in the 11th plan period. This time, we have to make a very serious and sincere effort. Bangalore is the capital of information technology, and it fully deserves an IIT.”

Since 1996, the state has attempted to get the Centre to sanction an IIT here. In 2009, the human resources development ministry had agreed in principle to the IIT in Karnataka under the 11th plan. Later, however, officials from the department claimed that there was no proposal for an IIT in Karnataka.

In the past two years, many delegations have met the Union minister for human resources development, seeking that an IIT be set up in the state. 137 MLAs from North Karnataka submitted a memorandum in this connection earlier. Doreswamy too has earlier met Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal, and submitted a memorandum, but to no avail.

Karnataka had once before missed the IIT bus because of a controversy over its location. While the then Congress government recommended that the IIT be set up in North Karnataka, JD(S) MLA HD Revanna had opposed that plan, seeking that the IIT be located in Hassan district.

Seven years ago, a committee set up by the then prime minister to seek recommendations for setting up IITs, headed by scientist UR Rao, had recommended that an IIT come up in Karnataka, at Hubli-Dharwad.