Bull run for Shankarapura jasmine ends

October 10, 2011

mallige

Mangalore, October 10: The Bull run this season for the famed fragrant Shankarapura Mallige or popularly known as 'Sooji Mallige' has ended. The rate of one 'atte' of flowers, which had crossed Rs 820 a week back, has now fallen sharply to Rs 150 on Sunday. It was quoting at Rs 210 on Saturday.

The more fragrant but less fancied Jaaji mallige, also grown in Udupi region, was quoted at Rs 45 on Sunday and on Saturday it was Rs 65. It was at a high of Rs 350 last week. About 800 jasmine flowers, depending on their size, are strung together using plantain stalk to make one chendu and four chendus make one atte.

Udupi Mallige Belegaarara Sangha president Ramakrishna Sharma Bantakallu says that the rates fluctuate wildly on a day to day depending on the supply and demand of jasmine, which is a fancy item. There are merchants in Mumbai who buy Rs 5 lakh worth of flowers on a day as when there is high demand during festivities and marriage seasons,'' he said. Apart from Mumbai, the coastal regions of Mangalore, Udupi and Kerala are the major markets for this flower.

There are about 10,000 families engaged in jasmine cultivation in the coastal districts extending from Kasargod to Uttara Kannada, with a maximum number of 7,500 families being in Udupi district. Sharma says the rates are likely to go up again during Deepavali and marriage season. The lowest rates an 'atte' quotes is Rs 80 during off season and it sometimes goes down to as low as Rs 40 during transport strikes. A rate of Rs 200 per 'atte' is remunerative,'' observes Sharma.

The fancy rate for the fancied flowers depends upon the whims and fancies of the wholesale merchants based on the demand from customers and the supply. Fortunately in the case of jasmine growers, whatever the hike, barring a commission of Rs 10 or Rs 20 the entire sum is passed on to the growers unlike in other agro sectors where middle men make windfall profits. We get a daily rate from wholesalers and we give the maximum to the merchant who quotes the highest,'' says Sharma.

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News Network
March 29,2020

New Delhi, Mar 29: "What corona? My children are hungry, they have walked from Gurugram with me do you think corona is what I fear?," Yogesh Gangwar who is salesman in a cloth showroom said as he wiped his tears.

Many others regret for not leaving the city early on.

"God knows when we will reach our hometown. My family was telling me to leave work early in March and get back, but I avoided suggestions and now I am stranded here," Babu Ram who hails from Rampur and works at a plastic recycling factory here in Mundka told media.

Migrant labourers were forced to walk as the public transport were closed and borders were sealed due to the lockdown.

"There is no food to eat, I cannot pay rent of room without my daily wages so I decided to walk with my family from Narela to here. I just hope I get a bus soon," Revati, who works as construction labour said as she fed her three-year-old with pieces of bread that one of the policemen at Anand Vihar gave her.

However, when Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh decided to deploy around 1,000 buses to help these workers reach their respective hometowns, thousands of them reached Anand Vihar ISBT with a hope to catch one of these buses.

The Delhi government also announced that 100 buses have been deployed to help those trying to reach to their homes in other states on foot.

In order to avoid the spread of the virus, the police asked the people to stand in three queues and also asked the people to de-board the overcrowded buses.

Earlier, budget passenger carrier SpiceJet had offered its aircraft to operate few flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Patna to take migrant labourers, particularly from Bihar, who have got stuck in various parts of the country due to COVID-19 related lockdown.

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News Network
April 16,2020

Madikeri, Apr 16: A man from Ketumotte in Virajpet, who was cured of COVID-19 and returned to his home, has again been admitted to the hospital, following a complaint of fever, on Wednesday noon.

The man, who voluntarily got admitted to the hospital, is being treated in the isolation ward of the Covid-19 hospital. His throat swab and blood samples have been sent for testing. The report is likely to be out by Thursday morning.

After getting discharged from the hospital on April 7, he was home quarantined. After a week, he developed fever again. The person has not moved out of his house and the people need not fear, said Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy.

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News Network
March 9,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 9: Karnataka government has ordered holidays for children in lower and upper kindergarten classes in Bengaluru, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak and with positive cases being reported from states in its neighbourhood.

"Further to the advice received from the Health Commissioner, holidays have been declared for Lower and Upper Kindergarten classes in Bengaluru North, South and Rural districts due to coronavirus, " Karnataka Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar said on Sunday.

According to official estimates, no positive cases of coronavirus have been reported from Karnataka till now.

The state has strengthened all surveillance and containment measures against the possible spread of disease.

Till Sunday, 890 persons have been identified for observation including persons who have travelled to COVID-19 affected countries and contacts of COVID-19 positive cases.

Six persons have been admitted to selected isolation hospitals.

According to official estimates, till date 87,066 passengers have been screened at airports in Karnataka.

The number of COVID-19 cases in India climbed to 39 on Sunday with five people in Kerala testing positive for coronavirus. The deadly virus has caused the deaths of over 3300 people globally.

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