Series: Namma Ooru News

Business India's first urban bank celebrates102nd anniversary The first ever urban bank of India is the Bangalore City Cooperative Bank. It is now celebrating its 102nd anniversary. In these days when cooperative banks are going bankrupt, this bank's achievement sounds incredible. It works more for the welfare of its members and customers rather than for profit. The bank has its head office in Chamarajpet and has 12 branches in different parts of Bangalore. It intends to open branches in rural areas as well. (Prajavani, Saturday, Mar 21) Court Retired judge in Bangarappa soup Retired district judge and present member of…

Business IIM-B grads no longer hot property IIM Bangalore graduates were sure to get plum jobs in foreign countries until recently. But this year only 25 students have got jobs in foreign companies thanks to global recession, as against 75 last year. Many students were not keen on joining MNC banks. Compared to the 2008 batch, the salary levels are low this year. (Kannada Prabha, Wednesday, Mar 11) Civic Forcible inspection by gas agency agents Residents of many parts of Bangalore are now hounded by agents of different gas companies. Agents of cooking gas companies like BP and HP have…

Arts and Culture 'Throw stones at bad Kannada films' says actor Rajesh Senior Kannada actor Rajesh expressed anger about distasteful Kannada films and said "People should discard and throw stones at the films that spoil our culture and taste". He was unhappy with the kind of films made today, and said, "what message do songs like 'hale patre, hale kabbina, hale paper thara hoyi...' give to the society? It is really shameful. it is very unfortunate that such films are coming out during the occasion of the platinum jubilee of the Kannada film industry. If Rajkumar and Kalyan Kumar were…

Business Adopt a farmer, promote organic farming We have heard of adoption of children, schools and even animals in the zoo. Now it seems farmers too are up for adoption! Savayava Krishi Parivara, an NGO working in the organic farming sector has mooted such a plan. Consumers interested in organic farm products can adopt a farmer. They need not pay him, but only need to buy goods from him. The NGO says that this will provide a direct link between farmers and consumers which is not the case now. Interested can e-mail skp200809@gmail.com. ( Kannada Prabha , Friday, 16 Jan…

Government Minister and bureaucrat unaware of each others' names. Minister for Animal Husbandry Revu Nayaka Belamagi is known for his innocence. He is uneducated but respected by people. Speaking at the inauguration of a national seminar on animal husbandry, the minister said that he could speak neither English or Hindi. He was unaware of the correct name of his own department's Principal Secretary Shamim Banu. The latter too just addressed him as 'Honourable Minister' in her speech. This strange ignorance was a matter of discussion in the seminar. (Vijaya Karnataka, Monday, Dec 15) ATS chief on long leave In this…

Government to strengthen ATC The ATC (Anti Terrorism Cell) squad is slated to get a new face with government deciding to strengthen this cell in the wake of increasing terrorist activities. Government approved a proposal to appoint 750 specialised personnel to the squad. A number of initiatives are taken to make working with ATC more attractive for the police, which they have so far been looked upon as as a punishment rather than prestigious. (Prajavani, Friday, Dec 5)Vidhana Soudha in danger? The state government does not seem to be bothered by terrorist activities in the various parts of country. Its…

Business Iron ore transportation trucks hit by slump The steep fall in demand for iron ore has affected the resale value of trucks used for their transportation. Earlier these trucks had a resale value of Rs.13-15 lakhs. Now they are available for Rs.8-10 lakhs. Trucks owners are now feeling the heat as income from ore transportation has fallen drastically. More than 12,000 trucks were involved in this business during 2004-2008 when iron ore was in huge demand. (Prajavani, Monday, Nov 3) Onion prices to increase further Onion growers have reason to smile and buyers have to reason to cry. The…

Arts and Culture Ganesha idols dearer this year? Even God is not immune to price rise, it seems. This time around idols of Lord Ganesha may cost more, as sculptors of idols face severe problems in the wake of rise in the fuel and paint costs. Labour costs too have almost doubled. Ganesha idol worship is common in every household during Ganesha Chaturthi which falls during the first week of September. It remains to be seen if there will be a shortage of idols in the market this year. ( Vijaya Karnataka , Wednesday, August 20 ) Crime From live…

Arts and Culture Govt apathy may cost city the NSD regional centre The government's failure to provide suitable a space to the prestigious National Drama School (NSD) may result in the city losing its much hyped regional centre. The centre was sanctioned after activists staged a series of protests. The government has asked them to hold plays in Gurunanak Bhavan in Vasanthnagar (behind the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Comitttee office, near the Karnataka Badminton Association), reluctant to provide land for the centre. Regional director of NSD Suresh Anagalli cautions that all plans of the regional centre may be put on hold…

Business With rise in prices of raw materials, hotels have jacked up their prices as well. All dishes at the Darshini hotels are to become dearer by Re 1 and by Rs 2 in other hotels. Idly-vada-dosa aficionados are unhappy with this increase, feeling that a raise of 50 paise would have been sufficient. There are an estimated 6000 Darshini hotels in Bangalore (source for numbers not cited). ( Prajavani , Wednesday, July 30 ) City Life Fuel price hike no deterrent for bikers Despite inflation and rise in the cost of fuel, bike craze among the youth remains. More…