Latest news with #ITDP
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Committee approves STs community rights applications
Madikeri: Under the chairmanship of deputy commissioner Venkat Raja , the district-level forest rights committee approved eight individual and eight community rights applications of Scheduled Tribes under the Forest Rights Act . The approval was granted during a meeting at the deputy commissioner's office. ITDP officer S Honnegowda presented the applications, which previously received sub-division level approval. Community rights were granted to various tribal groups, including Doddareshme JB Ramu and 96 Scheduled Tribes members, Subba PS and 66 tribal members, Bombukadu Ramu PK and 41 tribal members, JB Kumara and 22 tribal members, Airasuli Ramu PS and 46 tribal members, Jangalhadi PC Mada and 32 tribal members, PM Subbanna and 63 tribal members, and Papanna PS and 51 tribal members. In Kodagu district , 2,847 applications came from Scheduled Tribes, 1,373 from others, and 57 under the Forest Rights Act, totalling 4,277 applications. The meeting was attended by district SP K Ramarajan, assistant commissioner Vinayak Narvade, Nagarhole Tiger reserve director PA Seema, deputy conservator of forests Nehru, assistant conservator of forests Ananya Kumar, Lakshmi Kant, and deputy director of land records Narayana Swamy.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Koragas warn stir over low-quality food
Udupi : Members of the Koraga community , designated as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) and residing in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, have expressed grave concerns regarding the poor quality of nutritional food supplies distributed through govt welfare programmes. The community members stated that they were facing health issues such as anaemia, tuberculosis, malnutrition, and a declining population. In response, the govt supplied nutritional food to Koraga families for many years. However, in the past two months, the quality of the nutritional supplies, including ghee, oil, chickpeas, pigeon peas, sugar, jaggery, green gram, rice, palm oil, and eggs, was poor, making them unfit for consumption and causing several health problems for the Koragas, stated Federation of Koraga Associations president Susheela Nada and coordinator Puthran Hebri. A petition was submitted to the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) office, but there was no response to the main demands of the Koragas. Subsequently, a request was also submitted to the deputy commissioner of Udupi, urging the govt to immediately cancel the old tender, call for a re-tender, and ensure the supply of quality nutritional food. If the serious issues of the Koragas are not addressed promptly, a severe protest will be organised in front of the Udupi deputy commissioner's office by the Koraga organisations, they added. When contacted, ITDP officer Narayana Swamy said that the issue was brought to the notice of the department and a meeting in this regard will be convened by deputy commissioner K Vidya Kumari on Monday. The tender to supply nutritional food was invited at the state level. The contractor was directed to replace the poor-quality nutritional food that they supplied. Further, notice was also served to the contractor, who will also be attending the DC's meeting, he added.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
A year on, a man continues to maintain road in Mala
Udupi: For over a year now, Govinda Malekudiya , 56, a resident of the ST colony in Peradka, under the Mala gram panchayat in Karkala taluk, has been single-handedly repairing a half-kilometre stretch of mud road after repeated pleas to local authorities failed to yield any activist Arathi Ashok told TOI that after the issue was highlighted in the media last year, it was brought to the attention of the Lokayukta. The Lokayukta directed the panchayat and social welfare department to take action, but no road has been constructed for the ST colony so far. "We even filed an RTI seeking a response, but received none. We have been regularly following up with the authorities, but there has been no progress," she Govinda has taken matters into his own hands. Armed with just a pickaxe and spade, he not only built a motorable mud road but also provided basic drainage facilities to prevent waterlogging during the monsoons, benefiting around 25 families in the area. A former daily wage labourer for nearly 30 years, he quit his job during the Covid-19 to focus on this cause. Govinda, an agriculturist, also planted over 50 saplings and plans to plant more along the Sringeri-Mala-Bajagoli Road as part of his environmental conservation efforts."Last year, after I approached the Lokayukta, they directed the department to repair about 200m of the road from ward No. 1 to Bugatugundi. Though the road was widened using an earthmover, asphalting work is still pending. The elected representatives do not seem to be showing interest in the project," Arathi development officer Srinivas S said that asphalting is still pending. "We will write to the concerned and try to seek funds through the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP)," he said.
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Dependent parents of deceased govt employee entitled to family pension: HC
MUMBAI: The dependent parents of a deceased, unmarried government employee are entitled to family pension, the Bombay high court has ruled. 'We sincerely believe that if dependent parents have to keep their mind, body and soul together, law must ensure that they receive pension for sustenance,' said a division bench of justices Ravindra Ghuge and Ashwin Bhobe, while directing the Maharashtra government to clear the family pension proposal of a septuagenarian couple from Akola, who lost their son in 2008. In their petition, Vasantrao Deshmukh, 75, and his wife Snehalata, 75, claimed they were denied family pension after their unmarried son died due to a snake bite while working at a tribal school in October 2008. Two years later, in September 2010, the petitioners approached the project officer of the local Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) for family pension. ITDPs are designated areas where tribal people make up 50% or more of the total population. However, in November 2010, the authorities informed the petitioners that the biological parents of a deceased state government employee are not eligible for family pension. This prompted the couple to approach the high court. The advocates for the petitioners pointed out a government resolution (GR) dated January 22, 2015, issued by the state finance department, which said that family pension should be granted to 'wholly dependent parents of a deceased single government servant'. The state government, however, opposed the petition, contending that the biological parents of a deceased single government employee are not covered under the definition of family under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1982. It added that the January 2015 GR could not be applied retrospectively to the case. After hearing both sides, the bench ruled that the couple was eligible to receive family pension, saying the GR was issued with a laudable objective to achieve social security for helpless aged parents. It added that the GR should be made applicable at least to the dependent parent/s surviving on the date of the GR, even if their single child died prior to its issuance. The court directed the state government to approve the petitioner's proposal, pay the arrears due and start paying them a regular pension from July 2025.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Nashik Municipal Corporation to tie up with ITDP for improved traffic plan for city ahead of Kumbh Mela
Nashik: The civic body plans to tie up with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) to chalk out a traffic plan for the city, especially in view of the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela in 2027. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) is engaging in the arrangement with ITDP to look for ways to ease traffic congestion and make the roads people-friendly, with the addition of safety features for pedestrians. "ITDP will study the city roads and traffic movement and provide us with 'soft' solutions for enhancing traffic conditions. The entire activity will be free of cost. In fact, the institute will also work as a third party to monitor the changes being made," said NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri. According to her, ITDP will use its expertise and propose technical support and solutions to NMC for traffic junction improvements to minimise accidents citywide. "The ITDP will basically monitor the plans being made by consultants, advise changes, and NMC will go through and finalise them. The organisation will also, as a third party, monitor the execution for the NMC," said Khatri. Instead of major infrastructural changes, the traffic plan will focus on tasks like shifting or removing traffic islands, installing refuge areas for pedestrians, and attempting to bring in behavioural changes among motorists. Traffic issues are rising in Nashik city, prompting the corporation to tie up with an expert organisation to address issues like parking problems, congestion and accidents. Another senior civic official noted that during the five years of the agreement between NMC and ITDP, the latter will aim to ensure a 'zero-accident city'. Activities to be undertaken by ITDP include monitoring all nine entry points to the city, studying vehicles using various junctions and the time spent crossing them, and suggesting alternatives based on scientific methods. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The organisation will also survey all major chowks and marketplaces to understand the psyche of commuters and pedestrians and suggest ways to improve the same. They plan to speak to more than 1.2% of city residents and ask them for suggestions to resolve the existing problems.
