Latest news with #OperationLife
Perth Now
a day ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Pacific solar pioneer, charitable Aussies earn gongs
Completing university in the early 1980s, Geoff Stapleton had no way of predicting how vital his chosen expertise in solar energy would be. "The industry was pretty well non-existent back then," he told AAP. Fast forward four decades, and Mr Stapleton can look back on a career supporting the rollout of renewable energy in Australia and further abroad, including the Pacific. As of Monday, he will also add an AO after his name, an Officer of the Order of Australia appointed for distinguished service to engineering in the renewable and sustainable energy sector, and to training and development. Mr Stapleton, 66, has been hands on with his Pacific work, personally training many workers across the blue continent, as well as developing industry standards. The rewards are clear: bringing power sources to many remote communities for the first time, allowing connectivity, business growth, poverty relief, and access to health. "To them it's a no brainer, solar is cheaper than diesel," he said. "Seeing people out there installing systems, it's very satisfying. "Just look at Vanuatu: there's no more kerosene lights, it's all solar lanterns and that's a major heath saving." He isn't done, and is realising a dream of several decades, this year breaking ground to build a regional training centre for renewable workers in Suva, alongside the University of the South Pacific's TAFE campus. Mr Stapleton is one of a number of Australians given King's Birthday Honours for their efforts to support their nation's closest neighbours in the Pacific. Dennis Perry, the co-founder of Papua New Guinea-based charity Operation Life, is another, awarded a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia for his decades of volunteer work. Mr Perry, 77, said he was moved to begin his education and poverty alleviation-focused charity after seeing a family burrowing in rubbish dump for food in Tonga. "You talk as a kid about being a good Samaritan ... that motivated me when I saw a great need to do something about it," he told AAP. "Sitting in a church wasn't good enough. I thought God expected more than that." Operation Life has expanded from its Port Moresby base, where it offers poverty alleviation, an orphanage and a school, into the Central Province, with a rapidly expanding school in Kivori Poe. Enrolment is up about 300, with many receiving an education including how to grow crops. "When they leave our school they will have not only life skills but hope and dignity," Mr Perry said.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Pre-monsoon food safety checks from May 2
Pre-monsoon food safety inspections will be held for a month beginning Friday (May 2) as part of Operation Life, Minister for Health Veena George said on Tuesday. Strict action will be taken against those adulterating food, the Minister said. Steps will be initiated by the Food Safety department as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and by the Health department as per the Kerala Public Health Act, 2023. Eateries should serve safe food as per food safety guidelines, the Minister said in a statement. Special attention Special attention should be given to food as it could get spoilt fast in summer. Food that smelt or tasted different should not be consumed. Parcels should specify clearly the use by date and time. Health cards were mandatory for staff at eateries. Surprise inspections would be held at eateries, fish and meat stalls, markets, and check-posts. Inspections would also be conducted at old-age homes, child care institutions, and other homes. All food entrepreneurs should have food safety registration or licence. Stringent action would be taken in case of violations. Inspections would also be held across the State to ensure the safety of cool drinks and bottled water. Checks would be held at ice cream manufacturing facilities, bottled water manufacturing and distribution centres, and any sales centres in tourist areas. Shop owners selling cool drinks should ensure the safety of water used to make the drinks and the ice used. Drinking water in hotels and water added to chutneys and buttermilk should be safe. In safe manner Drinking water and cool drinks should not be stored in the sun in shops or transported in open vehicles. Ice creams, cool drinks, bottled water, and ice candy sold at fairs and such events should be sold in a safe manner. Food safety officers would conduct the inspections under the coordination of the Commissioner of Food Safety. The State task force team would take part in the checks. Mobile food safety labs would also be deployed.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Despite checks, food safety violations still rampant in city
T'puram: In the wake of a food poisoning incident in which over ten people were hospitalized after consuming shawarma from a restaurant in Manacaud in the city on Saturday, attention turned to the extensive inspections carried out by the health squad of the city corporation last month. According to the statistics available with city corporation, offences were found in 126 food outlets, including restaurants, hotels and coffee/tea shops in the city from March 1 to 31, following the inspections by the health squad. These hotels, restaurants, bakeries and wayside eateries were found operating without a licence, with employees lacking mandatory health cards. Unhygienic surroundings, improper waste management and illegal use of single-use plastic were among the most frequently reported offences. In several cases, stale food was seized and water testing reports were not submitted, raising serious concerns about the quality of food and water being served to the public. The squad also seized stale beef, mutton and other raw materials stored in the freezers. The condition of the kitchens was also pathetic and the hotel employees were living under deplorable conditions. According to corporation, most of the offences were reported in the wayside eateries and fast-food restaurants. The offences include not having a valid licence to operate, unhygienic conditions and waste mismanagement. "We served notices to these restaurants and hotels to clean up the place and ensure no stale food is served. Many of them cleaned it. However, some of the hotels continue to serve stale food and these shops will be shut down immediately. The corporation is also set to intensify inspections in the coming days and stringent action will be taken against the offenders," said a senior corporation official of the health wing. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Corporation secretary Jahamgeer S said that the inspections by the corporation intensified over the last three months. "We have been conducting inspections for the past few months. It has become a regular exercise now. In Jan, offences were reported in 102 eateries, while 91 offences were found in Feb. In fact, the inspections were conducted last year too. However, they became stringent only in the last three months. The incident that occurred at Manacaud is a serious one and we will take prompt action," he said. The food safety department also plays a role in these inspections, often working jointly with the corporation to enforce regulations. In 2024, as part of 'Operation Life', the food safety department shut down 107 establishments and issued notices to 835 others after inspections in the city. Meanwhile, according to Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association, state vice president and Thiruvananthapuram working president, B Vijayakumar, regular inspection is necessary to ensure good quality food.
