Standing wheelchair, dengue detector among innovations awarded by Infosys Foundation

Awards

The awardees are from across the country, with innovations mainly in the healthcare sector.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Infosys Foundation, the philanthropy and charity wing of Infosys, hosted an awards ceremony on Wednesday for “social innovations” in their Bengaluru campus. According to Infosys, these are products which provide “innovative solutions to support the underprivileged”. The gold awardees, who were given a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh, and an 8-week mentorship program with professors at IIM-Hyderabad, were awarded to innovators in disease detection. Partha Pratim Das Mahapatra from Calcutta was awarded for his handheld non-invasive detector of anaemia and predictor of lung and liver problems; Dr Binita Tunga and Rashbehari Tunga from Bengaluru for their infection detector of dengue, malaria and chikungunya and its co-infections on the first day of infection which gives results within ten minutes; and finally to Foundation for Tuberculosis, Malnutrition and AIDS (TUMAAS) from Mumbai for their early detection kit of TB infections through urine, which gives results in 5 minutes. The other gold awardees were Ramalingam PS for his affordable standing-sitting wheelchair invention for those recovering from spinal cord injuries, and Rashid K, Vimal Govind MK and Nikhil NP from Kerala for ‘Bandicoot’, a robot which replaces human intervention in cleaning manholes. Chairperson of Infosys Foundation Sudha Murthy said, “I usually don’t make political statements, but the state should support such important innovations. We can only do so much when supporting these innovations. Cleaning our drains is a very important and basic problem to solve. So many underprivileged people are going into it and not coming back out alive, and it is inhumane to allow it to continue.” The silver awardees, who were given a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, were Nitesh Kumar Jangir from Bengaluru for his innovation of a neo-natal breathing support system without electricity; Anish Karma from New Delhi for his knee-ankle foot brace innovation for people with disability, which allows people to cycle and squat. Rajlakshmi Borthakur from Bengaluru was also awarded for her wearable epilepsy detector made at low cost; Dr Vishal US Rao from Bengaluru for his 'voice prosthesis' speaking devices for throat cancer patients, many of whom haven't spoken in 10-15 years; and to Rohit Patel from Madhya Pradesh for his low-cost solution for onion storage for up to 15 months. The competition saw entries from across the country, and the jury had a tough time to go through all the 1700 applications. The jury consisted of Arvind Gupta, Indian toy inventor and science expert, Anil Gupta, faculty of IIM Ahmedabad, Trilochan Sastry, former Dean of IIM Bengaluru, GVV Sharma, Faculty of IIT Hyderabad, Sumit Virmani, Chief Marketing Officer, and Sudha Murthy, the Chairperson of Infosys Foundation. Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of Infosys said that they chose the products which they thought could be scaled up. “Innovations best happen when there are a lot of constraints. The constraint here is whether it can be done at a low cost, and whether it can be scaled up in production, so that it can have maximum impact. The scale should be built into the thought of the project, and frugal innovation is the essence of that,” he said. When asked to comment on the ongoing protests against Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens, Sudha Murthy declined to comment.

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Court issues non-bailable arrest warrant against rape accused Nithyananda again

Crime

The non-bailable warrant comes days after the Karnataka High Court cancelled his bail in the 2010 rape case.

Soumya Chatterjee

A trial court in Karnataka's Ramangara on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against self-styled godman Nithyananda in the 2010 rape case against him, based on an application by the Crime Investigation Department (CID). The court also ordered that the personal bond furnished by him be forfeited, and adjourned the hearing to March 4. The non-bailable warrant comes days after the Karnataka High Court cancelled his bail in the rape case.  Nithyananda is facing a trial under Sections 376 (rape), 420 (cheating), 114 (criminal abetment), 201 (disappearance of evidence, giving false information), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly raping a woman disciple at his ashram. On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court had rejected a plea by Lenin Karuppan, a former disciple of Nithyananda who later became a whistleblower, to transfer the case to Bengaluru, but ordered the Ramanagara court to expedite the trial. Lenin had sought the high court’s intervention stating that the case was getting delayed in Ramanagara.  While the FIR against Nithyananda was registered in 2010, the framing of charges was completed only in August 2018 as Nithyananda was successful in delaying the course of the trial. Even the framing of charges was done only after the Supreme Court in December 2017 ordered the trial court to expedite the trial. Nithyananda is also wanted by Gujarat Police in a child abduction case. He, however, has been absconding since June 2018 and is believed to have fled the country and is supposedly in Belize. However, there is no official word on the same. A blue corner notice has been issued against the rape accused man. His organisation on its official website has claimed that he has founded a Hindu nation ‘Kailasa’ with its own flag and a functional government. The Union Home Ministry had also advised the Karnataka government to seek a red corner notice against Nithyananda so that he can be arrested and extradited to India. Compared to red corner notices, blue corner notices can only be used for “enquiry” purposes.

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K'taka police book pro-Hindu groups for assaulting 3 students charged with sedition

Sedition

The Kashmiri engineering students, who were charged with sedition, were assaulted outside the court on Tuesday.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka Police on Wednesday registered a suo motu case against members of pro-Hindu outfits for assaulting three Kashmiri engineering students, who were charged with sedition. Members of several pro-Hindu outfits had gathered outside the sessions court in Hubballi on Tuesday and assaulted the students who were produced before the magistrate. The Vidyanagar Police have registered a case against 10 to 15 unidentified persons under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 355 (assault to dishonor a person) and 149 (unlawful assembly with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. On Tuesday morning, the Hubballi Rural Police brought in the three Kashmiri students from KLE Institute of Technology to the court but members of various pro-Hindu groups including Bajrang Dal attacked the three students. The students had been arrested after they made a selfie video in which they were alleged to have made pro-Pakistan comments. “When the three accused persons were being brought out of the court hall, around 10 to 15 people gathered around the police. They began shouting at the three students saying they were traitors. The mob began punching the accused and some of them began hitting them with slippers,” the FIR states. The three students were rushed outside by the police and taken out in a police vehicle. Vidyanagar police officials say that the mob stopped the police van and refused to let it move from the court premises. “Police officers had to ward them off. They stopped police from performing their duty,” the Vidyanagar Police said. So far, no arrests have been made and the investigators say that they are in the process of gathering videos to identify the suspects. “We have to find out which organisations they are affiliated to. We don’t know that yet. Preliminary investigation shows that members of Bajrang Dal were there. We have to see if its members were involved in assault,” the Vidyanagar Police said.

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Rare man-sized tuna fish caught by fishermen in Karnataka’s Karwar

Marine Life

The fish, called the yellowfin tuna, are deep sea fish which are being increasingly spotted in the area.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

A man in a blue shirt is seen posing, holding a fish that is almost as tall as him. This is one of the several images taken after fishermen from Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district caught five yellowfin tuna fish. “This is a fish that was earlier not seen very commonly in these regions, but we do see them more often now,” says Shivakumar Haragi, an assistant professor from the Department of Marine Biology at the Karnatak University PG Centre in Karwar. The yellowfin tuna is a metallic blue fish which has a yellow side. They are found throughout the Pacific Ocean and parts of the Indian Ocean. They are known to swim in groups (called schools) with several other types of tuna. This fish has been given a “near threatened” status by the World Wildlife Fund. These are an important commercial fish used to make traditional Japanese foods such as sashimi and sushi. This may have contributed significantly to overfishing in the Eastern Pacific as per a report issued by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). According to the professor, the yellowfin tuna is a deep-sea fish which tends to prefer deeper waters as the fish mature, while younger fish might prefer staying closer to the surface level. “The scientific name of this fish is Thunnus albacares and it can grow up to 2 metres long and has a lifespan of up to nine years. The heaviest of these fish has been recorded to weigh around 200 kilograms,” he added. In addition to the yellowfin tuna, fishermen also caught a Shark Sucker’s fish, which has a suction at the top of its head which it uses to attach itself to bigger fish and sharks. Another type of fish called spotted mackerel were also caught by the fishermen.

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Racing to the finish: Meet Yash, 17-yr-old motor sports champion from Bengaluru

Sports

The 17-year-old, who recently got the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2020, is aiming to be India’s next Formula-1 racer.

Pooja Prabbhan

Bengaluru boy Yash Aradhya is on a high. The 17-year-old, who recently got the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2020, is aiming to be India’s next Formula-1 racer. In a chat with TNM, he speaks about how he got interested in motor sports and his dreams for the future. “I liked playing tennis, cycling and racing right from childhood. But being a part of Formula-1 has always been the dream,” says Yash. Speaking about getting the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar this year, he says, “The nomination came as a surprise, because I believe I still have a long way to go. I was nominated by our Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya. The entire experience of visiting the Rashtrapathi Bhavan was memorable in itself, but the fact that the event was held on Republic Day made it nothing short of a dream come true.” Yash’s innate passion for racing was first observed by his father Sujith Aradhya post a go-karting stint. The latter decided to tap into his then nine-year-old son’s talent and enrolled him in professional racing training. Currently mentored under Akbar Ebrahim, the racing trainer, Yash has his sights set on a bigger innings, and is grateful for all the support he has received from his school. He passed the ICSE Boards from Bishop Cotton Boys School, Bengaluru, and hopes to go the extra mile while pursuing his ambitions, without letting other areas of life take a backseat. Taking us through a regular day, Yash says, “While it’s honestly all about striking that balance, I’m really grateful to all my teachers and principal who’ve been extremely supportive of my extra-curricular pursuits. I’ve been exempted from classes during international gigs, and was given ample chances to attend special classes to make up for it. I don’t think it would’ve been possible without the support of my teachers and the management at school. Everyone around me was just focused on helping me achieve my dream—they somehow just knew that I could make them proud. I’m usually up by 5.30 am and go to bed by 9.30-10 pm post practice.” Like most sportspersons, Yash follows a prescribed diet. “I follow a balanced diet under the guidance of nutritionist Ryan Fernando. He monitors my health regularly and suggests superfoods to help me perform at my peak during races, this diet helps me build strength and stamina during training.” Yash was also nominated by the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and represented India in the CIK FIA Academy Trophy, a Global Karting event held in Spain, Belgium and France. What’s more, Yash went on to compete at the Rotax Max Asia Series, where he finished fourth in the championship. Unlike most people his age, Yash has made a conscious choice to not be hooked to social media. “I’m on social media, but I’m not very regular. I’m not someone who fears missing out on what’s trending online. So that, in a way, keeps me aloof from trolls or the stuff people just say for the sake of it,” he says. His tryst with Formula 4 cars began in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship with the Formula 4 BMW car in the year 2018, and MRF MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship with the Formula 4 1600 car. He ended in the top five finish in the championship and got six podiums for that year. Armed with eight years of training and counting, Yash has bagged quite a few biggies —13 championship wins and 65 podium finishes in his journey so far. He won the title of ‘The Karter of The Year’ at age 11, and followed it up by making his debut as a Formula-4 racer in the South East Asia Championship. Not too long ago, Yash was selected by Narain Karthikeyan, to compete in SuperSpeed Chennai team. The ardent tennis buff, who’s also a huge fan of Roger Federer, believes that training in Europe has strengthened his skills set. The focus continues to be on making India dominate the Formula 4 series. At 17, Yash who seems to be grounded and wise beyond his years, has a tip for millennials: “I think, the most important thing is to know what you really like and do everything in your capacity to be the best at it. Follow your heart—it’s really that simple.” The promising sportsperson has his sights set on bigger goals in the near future. “The plans are yet to be announced with regard to where I’ll be racing this year. I will probably have to sit down with my mentors and decide on my next move. But, yes, I have my sights set on bigger things,” he signs off.

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Six women allegedly forced into sex work rescued from Bengaluru spa, manager arrested

Crime

“The women were made to start off giving massages and were then forced to approach customers for sex work,” a police source said.

TNM Staff

The Bengaluru police on Wednesday arrested a 35-year-old manager of a spa for allegedly soliciting for "obscene acts" and rescued six women from the premises. Around 11 am on Wednesday, Central Crime Branch sleuths conducted a raid on Jack Salon and Wellness Spa located in Koramangala 5th block. CCB cleuths, who raided the premises said that the manager of the outlet, who is a woman, was arrested, while the spa owner Arvind has absconded. The police said that six women aged between 18 and 20 were rescued from the spa. “We received a tip that the spa was running illegal operations and was soliciting for sex work. We believe that the women were forced into it and they have been sent to a state home for women, where they will be rehabilitated,” a CCB source said. The women came from various northern states in search of a job and were hired as masseuses a few years ago, the police said. “The spa offered ‘happy ending’ packages. They were not meant for massage. The women were made to start off giving massages and were forced to approach customers and do things like body to body massages and also sex work,” the CCB source said. The police found four customers within the premises when the raids were conducted. However, they were not arrested. “We cannot arrest the clients here because the law permits us to arrest those soliciting sex work. We are yet to ascertain whether the women did the sex work willingly or not but we suspect that they were forced into it. We will include other sections to the FIR after taking the women’s statements,” the source added. The manager and owner Arvind have been booked under section 293 (sale of obscene objects to a young person) and relevant sections of the Karnataka Police Act. 

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Advocate moves HC against appointment of Anand Singh as Karnataka Forest Minister

Controversy

The plea comes after reports stated that the BJP high command has asked Chief Minister Yediyurappa to reconsider the appointment.

Soumya Chatterjee

File image

A Bengaluru advocate has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court against the appointment of BJP’s Anand Singh as the Forest Minister of the state. In his plea, RTI (Right to Information) activist and advocate KB Vijayakumar has sought that Anand Singh’s appointment be nullified stating that it was a case of conflict of interest. In his plea, Vijayakumar has said that there is a conflict of interest since Anand Singh runs businesses in mining and the Ministry is the licensing authority for such businesses. His plea also adds that Singh is facing several cases in the trial court as well as the high court in Karnataka under various charges like criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty. As per his affidavit, Anand Singh has multiple cases of illegal mining and offences related to forest encroachment against him. At present, 11 out of the 15 such cases have been stayed by higher courts and another three are being probed by the investigation agencies. One of them is being heard at the  Special Court for MLAs and MPs, as earlier reported by TNM. Singh was also at the centre of the controversy in 2011, when Yediyurappa, who was the Chief Minister then too, was forced to resign after the Lokayukta convicted Anand Singh in the mining scam. He was also arrested twice as part of the proceedings of these cases. Vijayakumar’s petition also states that the allocation of the ministry to Anand Singh “was done without application of mind in an arbitrary manner and with full knowledge that it would amount to a serious conflict of interest.” Anand Singh was one of the 12 rebel MLAs whose ministerial berths were confirmed after they won the bye-elections and cemented the position of Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the remainder of the term. Singh was allocated the Forest Ministry on February 11, along with nine other rebel MLAs, even though he was given the Food and Civil Supplies ministry initially. He was sworn-in on February 6 along with the other new ministers. Citing Anand Singh’s affidavit, which mentions these cases, the petitioner has claimed that the charges are very "tangible, irrefutable, undeniable evidence of the absolute presence of a conflict of interest" in his continuing as a Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology.  The plea comes after reports stated that the BJP high command has asked Chief Minister Yediyurappa to reconsider the appointment. Soon after his appointment, there was outrage among environmental activists in Karnataka over the Chief Minister's decision. A Change.org petition was also started by activists of United Conservation Movement asking Yediyurappa to revisit his decision. The petition read, “Why don't we invite Dawood Ibrahim back to India and appoint him the Police Commissioner of Mumbai? The Chief Minister of Karnataka has done the unthinkable!  He has appointed Anand Singh, a person who has 15 police cases related to Forest related offences, as .... take a wild guess: THE FOREST MINISTER!”   They argued that this appointment will be detrimental to the morale of the department officials and impact their integrity under their own “rouge minister”.

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