Mangaluru: Cashew baron, industry doyen Gurpur Sadanand Prabhu dies at 93

coastaldigest.com news network
March 4, 2018

Mangaluru, Mar 4: Cashew industry pioneer and founder of city based Achal Industries Gurpur Sadanand Prabhu passed away on Sunday morning (March 4, 2018). He was 93.

He died peacefully at about 4:30 a.m. at his residence due to old age, it is learned. He is survived by his wife Rohini Prabhu and three children, son Giridhar Prabhu and daughters Prafulla Kamath and Anuradha Shenoy.

He was a past president of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was also actively associated with Mangalore Cashew Manufacturers Association. He was also a member of Rotary Club Mangalore North.

Last rites will be at his residence ‘Ananya’ at Bejai Kapikad Road at 12:00 noon today, followed by funeral at1:00 p. m. at his home town Gurpur, according to family sources.

Cashew industry leaders and past presidents of Karnataka Cashew Manufacturers Association Kalbhavi Prakash Rao, Bola Ramanath Kamath, Bola Rahul Kamath and others have condoled the demise of Sadanand Prabhu.

Personal Profile

Born in 1925, Sadanand Prabhu was a native of Gurpur town in the outskirts of the city. After completing his matriculation, he started his career as teacher and then moved into business.

Then on he joined as a partner with his relative in Konchady Appayya Shabhogue and Co, at Bunder. Subsequently he started Sadananda Prabhu and Co., a groundnut oil manufacturing unit.

Then in 1981, at the age of 55, he established Achal Industries, which was one of the first industries to start at the newly formed Baikampady Industrial Area. In 1983, he started his second unit Achal Cashews at Turkewadi, a small village in Maharashtra.

Today Achal is a Rs. 125 crore group comprising four family owned companies with manufacturing units at multiple locations and 950 employees. It became an exporter of processed cashew in 1984 and its products are now reaching North America, the EEC countries, Middle East and Japan. His son Giridhar Prabhu is presently the proprietor of the flagship unit Achal Industries.

According to M. N. Pai, General Manager of Achal Industries and director of three other Achal group companies, Gurpur Sadanand Prabhu had retired from business about two years ago due to his advancing age. “He was a self made man and always had a vision to build a customer friendly business. He was an innovator of several processes in cashew industry,” he said.

Sadanand Prabhu was known as an unassuming and simple person always clad in white dhoti and white shirt. He liked to encourage the younger generation and many entrepreneurs credit him with being their mentor.

He took pride in tax compliance and ethical business practices. Cashew industry being a labour intensive sector, he showed keen interest in employee welfare and always put the workers first. He was one of the first to introduce bus transport for workers. Every worker he employed was well taken care of for the contribution he or she did. Productivity linked wages is one of the innovations practiced at his cashew processing units which enable the labourers to earn more.

According to sources close to him, Sadanand Prabhu always believed that tax paid money is more worth than any other wealth. He was well known for insisting on full tax compliance in his own firms and also had a prodigious knowledge of commercial law. “He was always up to date in all the laws applicable to the industry and even the tax authorities respected him for his knowledge,” said M. N. Pai.

Comments

Mohammed
 - 
Sunday, 4 Mar 2018

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un

Hari
 - 
Sunday, 4 Mar 2018

RIP sir.. Condolence to his family

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News Network
July 26,2020

Bellary,  Jul 26: A 100-year-old woman resident of Huvina Hadagali town in Bellary district, Karnataka, recovered from COVID-19 after testing positive for the virus earlier this month.

"Doctors treated me well. Along with regular food, I was eating an apple a day. The doctors are giving me tablets and injection, and I am healthy now. COVID-19 is like a common cold," said Hallamma while speaking to news agency.

The woman's son, daughter-in-law, and grandson had also tested positive for the virus, and the family was treated at their home.

According to health department officials, her son works at a bank and had tested positive on July 3, after which Hallamma tested positive on July 16; the 100-year-old reported negative for the virus on July 22.

Meanwhile, the covid-19 death toll in the country rose to 32,063 with 705 fatalities being recorded in a day on Sunday. The number of tests for detection of covid-19 has crossed the 16-million mark in the country.

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News Network
April 20,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 20: The Kerala government announced the relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in two zones, allowing among other private vehicles movement in an odd-even basis and dine-in services at hotels from Monday.

State police chief Loknath Behera said the relaxations of restrictions imposed would come into effect in the Green and Orange-B zones in the state from Monday,an official release said.

Earlier, the Left government had colour-coded 14 districts of the state into four zones-- Red, Green, Orange-A and Orange-B, for containing the Covid-19 pandemic. Red zone comprises Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. In this zone, a complete lockdown will be in place until May 3 while two entry and exit points are allowed for carrying essential commodities to coronavirus hotspots. Orange-A zone comprises Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kollam while orange-B zone comprises Alappuzha, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, Thrissur and Wayanad.

The lockdown will be in effect until April 24 in this zone and then partial relaxation will be allowed. Kottayam and Idukki come under the Green zone, in which lockdown will be in effect until April 20 and then regulations will be eased. However, large gatherings, the functioning of educational institutions, religious functions, celebrations and travel outside the district will not be allowed in this zone.

Not more than 20 people are allowed to take part in weddings and funerals, according to government instructions. On the functioning of courts, the release said, "Courts in the Green and Orange-B zones will re-open on April 21 while that in Orange-A zone will start functioning from April 25. The courts will function with 33 per cent of staff. The cases will be heard via video conferencing."

Meanwhile, the Bankers' Council has announced that banks will function as per the usual timings from Monday in the state except four districts falling under the Red zone. The Transport Ministry has clarifiedthat public transport won't be allowed to ply in the state during the lockdown period. "Inter-district travel will not be allowed despite relaxations in the state, but essential services such as medical services, food supplies will not be stopped. However, in case of emergency, inter-district travel will be allowed with an affidavit prepared by the traveller," Behra said in a release.

On the implementation of the odd-even scheme for private vehicles, the police said, "Vehicles with odd numbers will be permitted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Those with even numbers will be allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays." Woman drivers travelling solo or with dependants are also exempted from it, police said. On Sundays, only those working for essential services are allowed to use their vehicles.

All education institutions, cinema halls, shopping malls, public parks, bars, places of worship will remain closed in all zones of the state. The health department and local administration, which carry out sanitation work before the monsoon, are allowed to operate. Four-wheelers are permitted to carry two passengers besides the driver and in case of a two-wheeler, only the driver will be allowed while the pillion rider is allowed in case the person is a family member.

On Dine-in services, a government order said it is allowed at hotels and restaurants until 7 PM in Green and Orange-B zone from Monday and in Orange-A zone from April 24. However, take-away counters can function until 8 PM, it said. Kerala on Sunday reported two positive cases of Covid-19 in the state taking the total number of affected to 401 while the health department announced that 13 people were cured.

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News Network
June 16,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 16: Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday said he would request Prime Minister Narendra Modi for more relaxations, as he made it clear that Covid-19 lockdown measures were not required in the state anymore.

"The lockdown is not required for Karnataka, we will request for more relaxations," Yediyurappa said in response to a question about video conferencing with the Prime Minister.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I will request him (PM) to make way for- people to lead a normal life and for the improvement in the economic situation."

Several services such as metro, theatres, gyms, swimming pools, bars among others continue to remain restricted under unlock 1.0 that is currently in place.

Modi is scheduled to hold a video conference with chief ministers of various states on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yediyurappa is scheduled to take part in the video conferencing on Wednesday.

The chief minister, who took part in the special pooja organised at Shankar Math here to pray for the control of Covid-19, said, the government was making all efforts to control the spread.

"We are taking strong measures and all of us should fight this together," he said, as he highlighted that the government has released the financial assistance amount that was announced for farmers, and was ensuring that it reaches them.

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