Karnataka farmers to sell rice to Reliance Retail, unions warn of predatory pricing

Farm laws

This comes within months of Karnataka amending the state APMC Act, which allows farmers to directly sell their produce outside APMC yards.

TNM Staff

Representational image

More than a thousand paddy farmers in Karnataka’s Raichur have agreed to sell their produce directly to Reliance Retail at a rate marginally higher than the minimum support price (MSP) through an intermediary company. This comes within months of Karnataka amending the state Agricultural Marketing Committee (KAPMC) Act, which allows farmers to directly sell their produce even outside APMC yards. "On behalf of 1,100 farmers, who are our company's shareholders, an agreement has been signed on January 6 to sell about 1,000 tonne of their paddy (Sona Masoori rice variety) to Reliance Retail at Rs 1,950 per quintal (100 kg), which is Rs 100 above the MSP of Rs 1,850 per quintal," Swasthya Farmers Producing Company (SFPC) Managing Director V Mallikarjun told IANS. "Since the agreement was signed, the farmers, until Saturday, have delivered about 100 tonne to Reliance Retail, which has taken a warehouse of the state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) on lease in the town," he added. The balance 900 tonne will be delivered to Reliance Retail warehouse over the next 9-10 days at the rate of Rs 100 tonne per day. "Though the farmers are getting Rs 100 more per quintal than the MSP, they have to bear the cost of sacks (gunny bags), transport and loading/unloading charges of the paddy at the warehouse from their fields where they harvested recently," Mallikarjun said. He added, “We will credit the sale proceeds of the paddy to the farmers' bank accounts directly after Reliance Retail makes the transaction with us. A third party will assess the moisture content in the paddy, which should be 16% for good quality." Karnataka, on January 1, notified the KAPMC Act, which restricts powers of the APMCs and allows farmers to sell their produce directly even outside the APMC yards to anyone who pays more than the MSP, fixed by the state government. While fetching a higher price than the MSP will come as a relief to farmers, farmer unions have warned of predatory pricing by corporations and spoken in favour of the government guaranteeing the MSP. Sachin Meega of Kisan-Khet Mazdoor Congress expressed apprehensions over the development. He said, “It is no doubt that the corporates will offer better prices than the MSP for the first 12-18 months but when the APMC system collapses, they will not give farmers even the MSP. This is what has happened with Jio sim cards.” He added that this with the three new laws that have been passed by the Union Government, over which farmers from multiple states are protesting in the national capital, will leave farmers at the mercy of big companies. Citing the special dispute resolution framework in the  Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 (union govt law), he said now farmers can’t even contest the company’s claims in a civil court. This he said will leave smaller farmers at greater misery he said stating that they may not have the financial powers to approach the High Court or the Supreme Court.a

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(With IANS inputs)

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NMIMS students allege harassment by online proctor during exams

Crime

The incident highlighted privacy concerns related to online proctoring and the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has written to the University Grants Commission (UGC) about it.

Prajwal Bhat

Representational image

An incident has come to light raising concerns about safety and privacy of students as well as their personal data due to the proctoring practice being employed by many colleges for exams. Students of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) have alleged harassment by a proctor, an official hired by the institute to invigilate exams online. The proctor, named Amit, allegedly started cyber stalking some of the students and contacted them on WhatsApp. Amit allegedly reached out to two students who sat for an examination at the institute. Proctors have access to the student's webcam and can even ask students to change the view of their webcam. "Two of my batchmates were harassed by a proctor named Amit. He repeatedly contacted the students during the exam and even on WhatsApp after the exam ended. When officials were informed about this, they insisted that students continue with their examinations and not let this situation affect her studies," a student at the institute told TNM. Mumbai-based NMIMS has students from all over India. It is among the many institutes including Delhi Technological University, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, SRM University, Chennai, Mumbai University and IIT-Bombay, which have used proctoring technology for its exams in the last few months. According to the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), proctoring technology uses Artificial Intelligence powered algorithms to keep a check on candidates during online exams. It uses facial recognition, surveys and records surrounding audio of the student's room and monitors changes in their line of sight by capturing photographs at 15-20 second intervals to catch unfair practices during exams. It also monitors a student's screen. Harassment In the NMIMS case, screenshots shared by students show that the proctor repeatedly asked the student to lower their webcam during the exam. Screenshots also showed the proctor reaching out to students on social media platforms. "Today I was proctoring you when you are giving your exam. I don't know suddenly while scrolling I saw you and ... I thought to contact you and after applying my source I got your number. Don't take me wrong," read one of the messages shared by students. In both cases, students said it was the same proctor named Amit who contacted them. "He had called from two different numbers but they had the same WhatsApp photo and Truecaller identified both numbers as belonging to Amit," a student said. On Saturday, two new cases emerged with relation to proctoring, though it is not yet clear if they are related to Amit. A student has alleged that their Aadhaar number was used to apply for loan while another student found that a screenshot of her screen with her face was taken without her permission and stored on the proctor’s system. NMIMS responds The institute issued a statement about the allegations on Friday evening. "NMIMS condemns the proctors' behaviour and this is absolutely unacceptable from our end. NMIMS has zero-tolerance for any activities by anyone, that is in violation of NMIMS's code of conduct and values," a statement shared on the institute's social media account said. "NMIMS has raised these concerns with our technology partner, METTL Management. They have assured that they are taking the strictest action, including approaching the police against the proctors indulging in such behaviour and violating the code of conduct. They have also assured us that they will be taking all the necessary steps and following thorough due diligence processes while engaging proctors. We assure students that the METTL is not permitted to capture students' personal information," it added.   pic.twitter.com/AFUyDga5gK — NMIMS (@nmims_india) January 8, 2021 Privacy concerns The case has highlighted privacy concerns pertaining to online proctoring. On Saturday, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) wrote to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Ministry of Education raising concerns about the technology used in exam proctoring. IFF stated that it is a highly invasive technology. "Use of this highly invasive technology has led to higher levels of stress and anxiety in students who have already been one of the worst affected groups in the pandemic. The constant threat of being flagged by the technology for a perceived wrongful action in addition to the stress of the exam being given leads to a student having heightened anxiety level," the note by IFF read. It stated that the technology collects data such as full name, date of birth, address, phone number, scans of government-issued identity documents, educational institution affiliation, and student ID numbers. In addition to this, photographs are taken and sound is monitored. "While such gathering and retaining of data is objectively harmful, the harms are increased in India where we do not currently have a data protection law in place to ensure the data privacy of students," added IFF.

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Karnataka CM Yediyurappa to meet Home Minister Amit Shah over upcoming bye-polls

Politics

Yediyurappa, however, did not divulge if the two would also deliberate on the much-awaited cabinet rejig in Karnataka.

PTI

File image

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa Sunday said he will meet Home Minister Amit Shah during the day to discuss state politics and finalise candidates for the upcoming by-polls as he arrived in the national capital on a day-long visit. The much-awaited cabinet rejig in the state may also come up for discussion during his meeting with the central BJP leadership, he said. "I am going to discuss the political situation in Karnataka," the CM told reporters after landing in Delhi. "Recently, we won the gram panchayat elections in a very big way. Within a month, we are going to face two parliamentary and an assembly by-polls. We have to finalise the candidates. We will discuss all these issues with Amit Shah and other important leaders," he added. The BJP leader said while his appointment with the home minister is confirmed, he will also try to meet JP Nadda, the party's national president. Asked about the steps taken to check the spread of COVID-19 in the state, the chief minister said, "In Karnataka, the COVID-19 situation is under control. We are taking all precautions." Earlier before leaving the Bangalore Airport, he hinted that the cabinet expansion may also come up for discussion during his meeting with the party high command.. "I don't know. I will discuss all the issues," he told reporters at the airport when asked if a cabinet rejig is likely this week. The cabinet expansion in the state has been on the cards for over a year now, but it could not take place, giving some anxious moments to ministerial aspirants and also leading to dissatisfaction. Among those in the ministerial race are MLAs Umesh Katti, Munirathna, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, M P Renukacharya, Aravind Limbavali and S R Vishwanath. Three MLCs -- C P Yogeshwar, MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar -- are too aspiring for a ministerial berth. Another MLC, A H Vishwanath, too was in the race but his hopes dashed when the Karnataka High Court on November 30 barred him from becoming a minister until at least May this year. The state can have a total of 34 ministers and it has 27 now. By-polls are scheduled for Maski and Basavakalyan assembly segments, and Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency. While Maski fell vacant due to the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Pratap Gouda Patil in 2019, the by-polls to Basavakalyan and Belagavi seats have been necessitated by the deaths of their representatives B Narayan Rao and Suresh Angadi, respectively, due to coronavirus. "I will discuss all other issues with the party high command and wish to return in the night," the chief minister said before he departed.

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K’taka Min stops KSRTC bus, pulls up driver for refusing to pick up students

Controversy

The incident took place on Saturday in Koratagere taluk of Tumakuru district.

TNM Staff

File image

Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar was on his way to Madhugiri in Tumakuru on Saturday when he noticed that a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus drove past some schoolgoing children at a bus stop without stopping, although they flagged down the vehicle. Appalled, the Minister overtook the KSRTC bus in his car, blocked it and questioned the driver and the conductor for not stopping for the school-going children. A resident in Tumakuru told TNM that some buses refuse to pick up students since they carry a student bus pass and do not pay for every ride on the bus. Pulling up the driver and conductor for their high-handedness and refusal to pick up school students, Suresh Kumar not only sought explanation but also directed them to compulsorily stop and pick up school children on their route. Reacting over the incident, KSRTC tweeted, "The matter has been forwarded to the respective division to examine and take necessary action." This incident comes after schools in Karnataka have recently reopened for the first time since March. The schools were shut since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular classes for Class 10 and 12 resumed from January 1. Since then, at least 236 teachers and non-teaching staff across schools in Karnataka have tested positive for the coronavirus. The coastal district of Uttara Kannada is the most affected, with 20 school staff members contracting the novel coronavirus. Incidentally, Madhugiri is one of the places in the state other than Chikkaballapur and Ballari where teachers have not tested positive for coronavirus. Following the advice of the Karnataka Technical Advisory Committee (K-TAC), schools for classes 9 and 11 are also set to resume from January 15. However, a final decision on this is yet to be made.

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(IANS)

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Beef stalls in Mangaluru set on fire

Crime

A few days ago, right-wing groups such as Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had called the stalls “illegal”.

TNM Staff

Representational image

In less than a week since the Karnataka government passed the stringent anti-cow slaughter law, incidents of arson against beef stalls have been reported in Mangaluru’s Ullal. According to reports, three makeshift beef stalls were set on fire by unknown miscreants in Olapete, near a market, in the wee hours of Saturday. The Ullal Police have registered a case against unknown persons. Following the incident, top police officers, including City Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar, visited the spot, reported The Times of India. According to the report, all these stalls were operating with valid licenses. The report quoted Ayyub Manchila, Vice-President, Ullal City Municipal Council, as saying that arrangements will be made for all persons who have been affected due to this act of arson. Daijiworld reported that the stalls were termed “illegal” by right-wing groups, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The report said that the two organisations had also petitioned the civic body and the police on January 7, demanding to halt their business. According to reports, the stalls were set up as the main market area is undergoing renovation. The report identified the owners of the stall as MC Bava, MC Khader and Hanif. It also quoted the owners saying that they have been doing business in the area for many years. This incident has prompted strong reactions from the Congress party in the state. Former Minister and Mangaluru MLA UT Khader demanded that those who lost their stalls be allowed to conduct business at the same place. He said that he has also spoken with the City Police Commissioner about the incident and demanded the arrest of the miscreants. He said this attack was done to create communal disharmony in society.  The local block-level leaders have said that if the miscreants are not arrested promptly, then they will hold protests.

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India’s first toy manufacturing cluster in Karnataka wants to create over 1 lakh jobs

Industry

CM BS Yediyurappa inaugurated the facility on Saturday and the construction of the units is expected to be completed by December this year.

Theja Ram

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the country’s first ‘toy manufacturing cluster' in Koppal district’s Bhanapur village where 400 acres of land has been allocated to establish plug-and-play manufacturing units at a cost of $545 million. The manufacturing campus is being promoted by Aequs SEZ Pvt Ltd in partnership with the Karnataka government. The toy manufacturing cluster will contain over 100 units with a potential to generate 25,000 to 30,000 direct jobs and over 1 lakh jobs indirectly, Chief Minister Yediyurappa said. “Today’s groundbreaking ceremony for the toy cluster is a moment of pride as we look forward to this new journey to build India’s indigenous toy manufacturing capacity and capability to cater to not just the local, but also the $80 billion global market for toys. The market for toys in India is estimated at $1 billion annually but nearly 60% of it is met through imports,” said Aravind Melligeri, Chairman of Aequs Group. The state government signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with six companies on Saturday which will drive an initial investment of over $200 million. The six companies that signed the MoUs include Playgro Industries Pvt Ltd, which is investing $15 million to manufacture remote control cars in Koppal, with its manufacturing unit spread across 4 lakh sq ft; Sterling New Horizons Pvt Ltd, whose manufacturing unit will be spread across 50,000 sq ft and will invest $10 million; Hotshot Tooling and Engineering Ltd, which will invest $6 million in a manufacturing unit spread across 1 lakh sq ft; Aequs Force Consumer Products Pvt Ltd, which will invest $60 million in a unit spread across 6 lakh sq ft; and Aequs Engineering Plastics Pvt Ltd, which will invest $80 million in a manufacturing unit spread across 8 lakh sq ft within the toy cluster. Large Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said that the cluster is expected to drive investment of over $450 million in the next five years. The campus of the manufacturing units has been designed to include a Special Economic Zone, Domestic Tariff Area and Free Trade Warehousing Zone. The capabilities will include modal making and tooling, moulding, assembly, painting, packaging, testing and warehouse management. The cluster will have plug-and-play industrial buildings along with the option to customise the industrial facilities. “This is a momentous occasion as the Koppal toy cluster is the first in the country. By December this year, the construction of the campus is expected to be completed. If this happens, we will invite Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate the completed toy cluster,” Yediyurappa said. Yediyurappa said that preference would be given to women for employment in the manufacturing cluster in Koppal. “Women who are earning Rs 200 per day now will be able to earn Rs 600 per day. We will prioritise employment of women and Aequs has promised to train the locals in skill development,” he added. Regarding apprehension among locals that the promised jobs would be given to those outside the district, Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said that 80% of the jobs would be given to locals from Koppal and other parts of the state. “We are implementing the Sarojini Maharshi report which calls for employment of locals. We will give companies a margin of 10-20% of their workforce to be hired from outside the state. These will be the high level skilled jobs. First preference will be given to residents of Koppal,” Jagadish Shettar said. Prior to the BJP coming to power, the toy manufacturing cluster was to come up in Ramanagara district. However, Koppal was chosen in 2018 by former Industries Minister and Congress MLA RV Deshpande as it is 380km away from Bengaluru, 400 km away from Hyderabad, 95 km from Hubballi and 215 km from Belagavi, all of which have airports. Koppal has a well-connected railway network and is strategically closer to Mumbai, Goa, Mangaluru, Visakhapatnam, Chennai and Thoothukudi, which have major ports. Jagadish Shettar further stated that a pharma park would come up in Yadgir district’s Kadachur, where manufacturing units will be set up across 4,000 acres of land. A total allocation of Rs 2,812 crore has been sanctioned for the same, Jagadish Shettar said. The pharma cluster is expected to generate 11,770 jobs. The Minister also said that the State High Level Clearance Committee has given the go-ahead for the construction of a consumer electronics manufacturing cluster too, in Hubballi.   

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BBMP’s move to tackle public urination gets tech savvy

Sanitation

The new public toilet scheme comes under the Shubhra Bengaluru Scheme, a multi-crore project to focus on beautification and sanitation.

Sanjana Deshpande

BBMP

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is installing new public toilets across the city to tackle the issue of public urination under the Shubhra Bengaluru Scheme, which was digitally launched on December 8. This will be a part of the annual budget of the BBMP, keeping their focus on improving amenities of sanitation across the city. The Shubhra Bengaluru Scheme is a multi-crore project initiated by the civic body that will focus on sanitation and beautification of the city, said the BBMP Commissioner of Solid Waste Management, Randeep D. The BBMP authorities are also formulating an operational manual for the toilet system and maintenance. NGO Janaagraha, which runs a campaign against public urination called Yellow Spots Beda, is assisting the BBMP in identifying and locating areas where toilets are needed and public urination is rampant. The authorities will collect suggestions, complaints and other information from the citizens until January 10 to come up with where the toilets should be installed and how many. They will also focus on maintenance of the toilets that will be built or already have been. “The BBMP can identify the spots [where public urination is rampant] with the help of citizens and install toilets there. We have set up a portal where citizens can notify and we have gotten a good response so far,” said Srinivas Alavalli of Janaagraha, speaking about the ‘My City, My Budget’ initiative, their collaborative effort with BBMP.  The citizens can leave their addresses at the online portal. Another NGO ReapBenefit has further extended a helping hand by creating a chatbot on WhatsApp, through which people can report their problems as well. “We wanted to reach out to more people and there is no better platform than WhatsApp to do so,” said Sapna, a member of Janaagraha. “This is not the first time ReapBenefit has helped in public campaigns,” she added. The firm has been experimenting with the creation of chatbots to reach out to a large number of people, especially young adults. Elaborating on how the chatbot can be used, Sapna said, “One has to send a WhatsApp message 'report' to 8095500118. It will further present you with multiple options. The complainant will just have to follow the instructions or they could use the link and do the same.” Srinivas Alavalli said, “30 other citizens’ organizations like Whitefield Rising, Bellandur Jothege, ChangeMakers of Kanakpura have been actively helping us in this initiative.” The authorities will continue to collect suggestions, complaints and other information from the citizens until January 10. The toilets will be first constructed in areas worst affected by public urination; additional toilets will be built according to the needs of the people. They can be geolocated with the help of Google maps; people could type in ‘SBM toilets’ and be directed to the nearest one. Signboards showing directions and distance to the nearest toilet will also be installed. Praising the efforts being made by the BBMP, Alavalli further said that Bengaluru has a shortage of sanitation facilities like toilets. “We (at present) have 500 toilets across the city, we need at least 2,000-3,000 more. Nearly 60 wards in the city have zero toilets,” he added, saying that the city needs to provide infrastructure to the villages that were recently included in city limits as well. “There needs to be a behavioural change and we are hoping to spread awareness among people. We are trying to make it a mass movement,” said Alavalli.

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