K’taka doctor sings about mosquito borne diseases to raise awareness

Health

The song has been composed to the tune of the ‘Yekka Sakka’ from the film ‘Kotti Channaya’ which is very well known among people of Tulunadu.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Umil batthundu umil batthundu, ooruda matha janakulu jagrathe manpodu ye Alpa mulpa neeru unthulaka manporchi ye ooru keri porlu deedhu nama matha upoduye The above lines translate to “The mosquito has come, the mosquito has come, everyone take caution / Don’t allow water to remain stagnant, maintain cleanliness.” While this information is generally issued by health officials to prevent mosquito-borne diseases every year, imagine this being sung to the tune of the popular Tulu song Yekka Sakka. It would be quite the earworm! That was precisely the approach taken by one doctor from Mangaluru, to spread awareness about mosquito-borne diseases. “There have been a lot of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria being seen of late. In order to help spread information about taking precautions against these diseases, I had the idea of writing the song,” says physiologist Dr Nayanatara Arun Kumar from Kasturba Medical College in Mangaluru to TNM. She has written and composed the song, called Umili Batthundu, in Tulu, and has circulated the same on various online platforms like YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. “Many people are suffering from malaria and dengue. Spreading information about these diseases will help tackle the rise of the diseases. This gave me the idea to write the song in a local language, to help people in society come together and take the necessary measures to prevent these diseases,” she adds. The song has presented to the tune of the popular Tulu song Yekka Sakka from the film Kotti Channaya which is very well known among people of Tulunadu. “The language is very simple and straightforward, but the song carries a lot of meaning. Essentially it is saying that people should come together and figure out the means to tackle rising numbers of mosquito population. I’ve approached officials asking if we can have garbage vans play the song, so that awareness and preventive measures spread,” says Dr Nayanatara. As of Wednesday, there have been over 9,300 cases of dengue reported in Karnataka in 2019, with over 5,000 cases being reported from the capital city of Bengaluru alone. Health officials have cautioned people. Precautions such as removing stagnant water, using larvicides in water containers, and also wearing clothing that covers the arms and legs to prevent against mosquito bites. You can watch the song here. Here are the lyrics to the song: Umil batthundu umil batthundu (Mosquito has come, mosquito has come) Ooruda matha janakulu jagrathe manpodu ye (Everyone please take care) Ohhhh kenle (Please listen) Umil matha jinjidhu oorudu seeku baidunduye.nana nama matha baree jagrathe manpodu ye (Mosquito population has been increasing and the diseases spread by mosquitoes are also rising, so we should take care, and be very cautious) Prathi onji oora janathe ottugadu serodu umil.nasha manpere kai kai koododu (Everyone should join hands and try their best to destroy mosquitoes) Ohhhh kenle (Please listen) Alpa mulpa neeru unthulaka manporchi ye ooru keri porlu deedhu nama matha upoduye (Don’t allow water to remain stagnant, maintain cleanliness) Dengue malaria roga baradilaka tookaye ooru matha arogya eppulaka deekaye (We will all work together to prevent dengue, malaria and other diseases to ensure that good health is maintained)

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Can the BJP get away with denying Sriramulu a Deputy CM post in Karnataka?

Opinion

Discontent grows among Sriramulu’s supporters after the Molkalmuru MLA was denied a Deputy CM post, despite being informally promised the position in the run-up to 2018.

Sowmya Aji

The high-flying B Sriramulu, whose soft voice used to send shivers of terror down the spine of rival gang-leaders, in Ballari’s Cowl Bazaar, has not said a word against the national leadership of the BJP over being denied a Deputy Chief Minister berth in the Karnataka cabinet.  The former Ballari-don-turned-BJP mass leader has had no need to. His followers – and this former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj protege has plenty – have not been, in any sense of the word, quiet. Social media in Karnataka, in particular WhatsApp, has seen Sriramulu’s fans taking to conspiracy theories, venting fury against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party President Amit Shah and Organizational Secretary BL Santhosh, and demanding that their leader be given his due. A promise not kept? The BJP cannot be said to have ignored him. Sriramulu is one among the 17, out of the party’s 105 MLAs, who did make it to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet. But he has not been given the post of the Deputy CM, a position that was informally promised to him during the 2018 Assembly Elections. The unofficial campaign that he would be Deputy CM to Yediyurappa considerably boosted the BJP’s support base among the Scheduled Tribes community, of whom Sriramulu is currently the tallest leader.  The BJP has created three Deputy CM posts for the first time in Karnataka's history. Incidentally, the previous highest of two Deputy CMs was also under BJP rule in 2011. But Ramulu, as he is referred to by most people, has ‘just’ been given his old portfolio of Health and Family Welfare, which is, strangely enough, not considered ‘important’ or money-spinning.  Ramulu’s community, the Valmikis, who are known by multiple names in different parts of Karnataka, are said to be the largest population group in the state, if all the sub-sects and factions are taken as the same and put together. Ramulu has been working extensively, both in public light and behind the scenes, on getting cohesion and awareness among these sub-sects to make them into a single formidable force and political weapon. Aware of the potential of this rather colourful leader, who has behind him the wealth and committed support of illegal mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, Amit Shah is said to have suggested to the state BJP leaders to put the word out that Ramulu would be given a ‘suitable’ -- read Deputy CM – post if he worked hard enough for the party victory in 2018. Ramulu’s efforts were certainly tireless, he travelled across Karnataka, campaigning and working out background deals. He hardly spent any time in the constituency he stood from and won, Molkalmuru.  If that was not enough, Ramulu was also tasked with defeating then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Badami, a feat that he almost pulled off. Siddaramaiah, for all his oratory and popularity, won Badami with an extremely slender margin of 1,696 votes over Ramulu. What shocked everyone is that Badami is a general constituency, not a reserved one. It is almost unheard of for an ST leader to almost win a general seat and is a clear indicator of Ramulu’s popularity even outside his community.  Ramulu has worked hard to emerge from his old “henchman” image to almost appear as a messiah for tribal communities as well as for the poor. His flamboyant style and soft speech, besides his open-handed generosity in helping people without seeking publicity has helped him craft an image of a Robin Hood-type do-gooder, simply by word-of-mouth.  The BJP now denying this man the post that was ‘promised’ to him, appears on the surface to be a miscalculation. Ramulu has outgrown the old tag of being Janardhana Reddy’s hatchetman. It is being said that Rumulu was as much responsible for BJP’s sweep of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region and of all the SC/ST seats in Karnataka in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections as Modi and Shah. The question being asked, even within the BJP is: Why was a fourth Deputy CM seat not created for Ramulu? Why was that informal promise given the go-by? The Jarkiholi factor A visible problem for the BJP is Ramesh Jarkiholi, the former Congress leader who engineered the fall of the JD(S)-Congress government that has led to the formation of the Yediyurappa government now. Jarkiholi belongs to the same community as Ramulu and is even distantly related to him. Jarkiholi’s influence in the Bombay-Karnataka region is considerable and he is an ambitious man, who would not like to be overshadowed by Ramulu.  Jarkiholi’s candidature for a ministerial berth or higher is dependent on the result of the Supreme Court case against his disqualification from contesting any bye-election, along with 16 other ‘rebels’ from the Congress and JD(S). The BJP has kept 16 seats vacant in the Yediyurappa cabinet awaiting the apex court’s decision, as all these ‘rebels’ who brought down the previous government were promised ministries for going against their parent parties.  If Ramulu has been denied a Deputy CM’s post in an effort to placate and accommodate Jarkiholi -- as is being said in political circles -- the irony is extreme. For, it is Ramulu, along with his mentor and close friend Janardhana Reddy, who did the groundwork for Operation Kamala: the process of luring opposition MLAs to rebel, resign and contest byelections to shore up the BJP’s numbers.  Jarkiholi and gang form the latest edition of this Operation and if Ramulu is sidelined as a result of it, he has no one but himself to blame. That is what even BJP leaders, obedient to Amit Shah’s diktats, shrug and say, in private. And currently, given the iron hand that Amit Shah has wielded in Karnataka and the cases against Reddy pending with central investigating agencies, Ramulu’s followers, fans and the man himself have no option but to acquiesce.  Sowmya Aji is a political journalist who has covered Karnataka for 26 years. Views are author’s own.

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Indira Canteens in Bengaluru on the verge of shutting down says cash strapped BBMP

Civic Issues

Indira Canteens, a project undertaken by the Siddaramaiah government to provide food for the underprivileged at affordable rates was started in 2017.

TNM Staff

With no funds to pay contractors, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials say that Indira Canteens are on the verge of shutting down in the city. The cash-strapped BBMP is struggling to pay subsidies to the contractors of 174 Indira Canteens in the city. This is because the state government had made no budgetary allocation for Indira Canteens in Bengaluru for the 2019-2020 fiscal. Former BBMP Commissioner, Manjunath Prasad, had earlier in August requested the Finance Department to grant funds so the contractors could be paid. However, the money has not been sanctioned by the government. “If these funds are not released, the canteens will have to shut down,” Manjunath Prasad said. Indira Canteen, an ambitious project undertaken by the Siddaramaiah government to provide food for the underprivileged at affordable rates was started in 2017. However, after the Congress-JD(S) coalition government came to power, the government did not provide adequate funds for the project, leaving the BBMP with deficit fund. The newly formed BJP government seems to have no intention of providing any funds for the scheme, and may force it's closure. Opposition outrages Congress Legislature Party Chief Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday lashed out against Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and claimed that the government was turning a blind eye to the plight of the poor by not sanctioning funds for Indira Canteens. “Is your tummy so full that you are ignorant about poor man's hunger? Or does your party cater to only elites' appetite? We shall never tolerate any attempt to axe down Indira Canteen,” Siddaramaiah said. Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of trying to downsize the scheme introduced by the Congress government and said that Indira Canteens were catering to the needs of over 3 lakh people living in poverty. "A program that has alleviated hunger of many marginalized sections who are the victims of social & economic injustices. Any attempt to target the Canteens will worsen Urban Poverty & poor families' livelihood. Karnataka govt budget is more than Rs 2.3 lakh crore and is BS Yediyurappa finding it so difficult to accommodate Indira Canteen program by providing just Rs 300-400 crore? If the needy is not entitled for subsidized food, even the privileged representatives should be denied of subsidies,” he added. No adequate funds to pay contractors According to data obtained from BBMP, the government was supposed to allocate Rs 210 crore every year for Indira Canteens. The canteens currently cater to 14.47 crore people in Bengaluru alone. BBMP Commissiner Anil Kumar said that the funds for Indira Canteens were to be allocated separately and that it was not a part of the BBMP budget as the project was implemented across the state. In the 2018-19 fiscal, the state government had allocated Rs 145 crore for Indira Canteens in Bengaluru. However, BBMP obtained only Rs 110 crore. “We needed Rs 137 crore totally. The BBMP had to put together the deficit,” Manjunath Prasad said. In the 2019-2020 budget, framed by the leaders of the Congress-JD(S) coalition, not a single rupee was allocated for Indira Canteens specifically. The budget was passed on July 30 without debate in the Assembly by the newly formed BJP government. According to BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar, the state government had informed BBMP that the money for Indira Canteen would have to come from the funds allocated for the BBMP. “For the 2019-2020 budget, the state government had promised to set aside Rs 210 crore for Indira Canteens as the BBMP cannot afford to spend that much and hold up other infrastructure projects in the city. The former BBMP Commissioner (Manjunath Prasad) had written to the government several,” the BBMP official added.    

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Army man pushed off moving train in robbery attempt at Bengaluru station

Robbery

The incident occurred at Nayandanahalli railway station on Sunday when Made Gowda, an army serviceman was travelling to his native place in Mandya with his family.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

A 28-year-old army serviceman travelling with his family to Maddur in Mandya was allegedly pushed off a moving train by a group of men who attempted to rob him of his mobile phone. The incident occurred at Nayandanahalli railway station in Bengaluru on Sunday. Made Gowda was on leave from his posting in Bathinda, Punjab and was travelling to his native place with his wife and their four-year-old son. He boarded the Tuticorin Express train at Bengaluru city station around 7.20 a.m with his family. During the journey, Made left for the washroom but did not return. His wife Deepa began worrying around 20 minutes later but she could not get through to her husband over the phone. To her horror, she realised that he was pushed out of the train by a gang of men when he went to the washroom. “In her statement, she said she raised the alarm for help, but no one came to her aid. Finally a passenger, identified as Chethan, pulled the chain to stop the train. He helped Deepa and the child with their luggage as they got off the train and accompanied them in their search for Made Gowda on the tracks,” said a police official speaking to The Hindu. After a while, Deepa was asked to sit while her son Chethan continued the search for Made. He walked for 4 km towards the city railway station after which he found Made Gowda lying unconscious close to the tracks. He informed his mother and alerted the city police control room. Made Gowda, who sustained multiple injuries, is in the ICU of the Command Hospital. Deepika filed a complaint with the city railway police seeking action against the thieves who shoved Madegowda off the train while trying to rob him. No arrests have been made so far in the case, reported Deccan Herald.

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Four persons including three of family killed in car crash in Bengaluru

Accident

The accident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning on the Attibele-Sarjapur road.

TNM Staff

Four persons were killed and two others were injured after a speeding car jumped the median and collided with a truck in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning on the Attibele-Sarjapur road. A two-year-old boy, his parents and their friend were killed on the spot while two others, the deceased friend's husband and their two-year-old daughter sustained injuries.  The deceased were identified as Anjani Yadav (31) a software engineer, his wife, Neha Yadav (28), their son Dhruv Yadav, and their family friend Shubhra Santosh (27). Her husband, Santosh, and their daughter survived and are currently receiving treatment in a hospital. The family hails from Uttar Pradesh and lived in DS Max Layout at Billiapur on Sarjapur Road. Anjani had decided to take Shubhra's family out for dinner at a restaurant and was driving the car, according to a report in Deccan Herald.. It was on the way back home at around 12:45 am that Anjani was allegedly speeding and lost control of the vehicle. The car jumped the divider and landed on the other side of the road where it collided with a truck. “The impact of the accident was such that the four the six occupants of the car died on the spot and the vehicle was completely damaged,” said a police official speaking to The Hindu. Passersby rushed to help but doctors declared Anjani's family and Shubhra dead on arriving at the hospital. The Sarjapur police have taken up a case of death due to negligence. Sarjapur police have registered a case of death due to negligence and are probing the mishap further.

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Nalin Kumar Kateel takes charge as BJP Karnataka chief, tough challenges ahead

Politics

Nalin replaced current Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa as the BJP's chief in Karnataka till 2022.

Prajwal Bhat

The make-shift stage set up on the road outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Bengaluru was decked in saffron. A few hundred people seated in chairs and peeping out of the balconies of nearby buildings watched with interest as the slender frame of Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, the new BJP President for Karnataka took to the stage.  "I am not a scholar or a pandit. I am an ordinary party worker. The workers of the Sangh (RSS) have raised me and today I have a responsible position to fill today," he said in a short speech. Nalin replaced current Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa as the BJP's chief in Karnataka in an event marked by the conspicuous absence of senior party leaders including R Ashoka and Sriramulu.  Nalin refused to be drawn into questions about the missing leaders but instead chose to focus on the responsibility entrusted to him. "I have the blessings of BS Yediyurappa and the party has grown in the state due to him, Eshwarappa, Ananth Kumar and others," added Nalin. The appointment caps the rise of Nalin, who started as an RSS worker in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, to the highest position within the party's organisation in the state. The elevation comes three months after he defeated Congress leader Mithun Rai by a margin of 2,74,621 votes in the Lok Sabha elections. Nalin, who represents the Bunt community, has been with the RSS since the age of 18. Initially, he was the protégé of RSS ideologue Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat but after differences cropped up between Prabhakar and another senior RSS leader BL Santhosh, he chose to follow the latter. Santhosh is currently the BJP's National General Secretary (Organisation). Nalin was appointed the BJP's District Organising Secretary for Dakshina Kannada in 2004 and soon contested his first Lok Sabha elections in 2009. Since then, he has won from the constituency decisively in three consecutive elections.  But his year has been marred by multiple controversies involving Nalin. Controversies  In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, he was criticised by the Congress for the slow pace of developmental works in Dakshina Kannada and for his perceived failure to stop the merger of Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda. Just before the results of the Lok Sabha election, he was reprimanded by the BJP's central leadership for comments supporting Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse.  "Godse killed one, Kasab killed 72, Rajiv Gandhi killed 17,000. You judge who is more cruel in this?", Nalin had tweeted in May. The tweet has since been deleted and he later tendered an apology on the social media platform. That did not stop BJP National President Amit Shah from writing to him and two other leaders - Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Anantkumar Hegde - asking them to explain their comments. But three months after the election, this seems to be a foregone issue for the BJP evidenced by Nalin's appointment as the party's state president. Earlier this month, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Nalin in relation to a case registered for an alleged provocative speech made in January 2017. Speaking in Konaje in Mangaluru, Nalin reportedly said, "We are telling you today. If you can't protect the people and nab the culprits in the next ten days, it is possible for us to set fire to Dakshina Kannada district." The speech came two months after the death of Karthik Raj, a BJP worker's son who was found dead. Senior BJP leaders in the state including Nalin, Yediyurappa and CT Ravi accused the Popular Front of India (PFI) and 'Jihadist elements' for murdering Karthik however, the investigation into the incident revealed that sibling rivalry led to the murder. A tough challenge ahead Many in the BJP believe that Nalin's appointment has been influenced by BL Santhosh. "He wanted a leader loyal to the RSS is in charge in Karnataka," a source in the BJP told TNM. However, there are concerns that Nalin, unlike his predecessor Yediyurappa, does not have a pan-Karnataka appeal and that his appointment will have little effect in the BJP's organisation in northern and central Karnataka. "He is someone who is comfortable in coastal Karnataka where the BJP has a strong presence. But there are concerns about how he will be able to get his ideas across to party workers in Mysuru, Mandya or Bidar, where the BJP has a lesser presence. He is not known to be assertive in his leadership and will stick to the task assigned to him", added the source. Nalin is set to form an unlikely partnership with the Chief Minister to lead the BJP in Karnataka. While the first administrative task will be to quell any disgruntlement among BJP leaders over the allocation of cabinet portfolios, the duo will also need to consolidate the grassroots network of the party in the state. 

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Big Basket to stop use of cling-film in packaging all over India, after BBMP warning

Plastic

BBMP Commissioner for Solid Waste Management Randeep D warned that the online grocery delivery platform would be penalised if it failed to stop using cling film starting September 1.

Prajwal Bhat

Online grocery delivery platform Big Basket has stopped wrapping products in cling film after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) warned the company against using single-use plastic. A representative for Big Basket confirmed to TNM that this will be implemented across India. BBMP Commissioner for Solid Waste Management Randeep D on Sunday warned that the firm would be penalised if it failed to stop the use of cling film, a thin transparent plastic film that is used as a wrapping or covering for food. "Commencing on September 1, Big Basket would be penalised substantially if they continue using cling film. Please note that the new Solid Waste Management Bye laws allow BBMP to close down stores and suspend or cancel trade licenses if such single use plastics including cling film are being used," he said in a social media post on Sunday. Commencing Sept 1st, 2019 @bigbasket_com would be penalised substantially if they continue using cling film. Please note that the new SWM Bye laws allow #BBMP to close down store and suspend / cancel trade license if such single use plastics incl cling film are being used. https://t.co/rebEb6PFhS — Randeep D (@Randeep_Dev) August 25, 2019 Big Basket responded to Randeep's warning by stating that it would stop the use of cling film in packaging. "We are stopping the use of cling film. We used it only for coconut since we felt that it was not hygienic but looking at the reaction, we agree that it should not be used and we will be stopping it," TN Hari, head of Human Resources, Big Basket told TNM. He added that the company is reconsidering packing vegetables using starch due to its similarity in appearance with plastic. "We do not use plastic packing. We pack fruits and vegetables using paper and we pack leafy vegetables using a biodegradable material called starch. We received feedback that consumers are treating this as plastic waste and this creates a problem during recycling. We are evaluating our options on this," Hari added. Randeep had previously stated that a lot of packaging waste ends up in landfills but the BBMP is yet to compile figures to understand the gravity of the problem. From September 1, the civic body will impose its existing ban on using plastics under stringent rules of Solid Waste Management, 2019. Under these rules, officials can also suspend the trade license or shut down shops for repeat violations.   

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