Good morning, Bengaluru!
đŚď¸ Todayâs weather: Clouds will give way to the sun and some light breeze.
đ§ Did you know? The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), which grades Indiaâs higher education institutions, is headquartered in Bengaluru. It was founded in 1994.
đť The Shortwave Radio Museumâs journey
Uday Kalburgi, an electronics engineer, has built a collection of rare radios to bring the Shortwave Museum to life.
Story so far: The museum, located in Basaveshwara Nagar, opposite Shri Banashankari Devi temple, has over 200 radios on display. In the course of 40 years, it has acquired a range of rare devices from the past, from desk-sized radiograms to World War II military devices.
- The museum has the Type 3 MK II (B2) radio, a 1946 Emor radio shaped like a globe, a Philips B6CA 97A, and a Swiss wind-up from 1907.
- Interestingly, the Type 3 MK II (B2) was used by both the Congress party during the Quit India movement and by Britainâs special operations teams for undercover missions in World War II.
Restoration: More than half of the radios work. Kalburgi doesnât just exhibit radios but also restores them. For example, to restore the 1936 Pilot G774B radio donated by Padmanabha Varma, the Maharaja of Travancore, Kalburgi found glass from London, fabric from the Netherlands, and dials from Australia.
đ Free bus travel for women
The state government has launched free travel for women and come through on its poll promise.
The launch: Yesterday, the Karnataka government launched the Shakti scheme, as promised by the Congress party in the run-up to the legislative assembly elections. It means women and transgender people can access free bus travel in Karnataka while riding on state-run buses. It was launched at 1 pm across district headquarters.
- Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar distributed âzero-valueâ tickets to five women passengers at the Kempegowda Bus Terminal. These were placeholder cards representing the smart cards yet to be issued.
- They inaugurated a bus journey to Dharmasthala, a temple town. The scheme will cost the coffers around âš4,000 crore.
Why it matters? For the scheme to work, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has to add 4,028 more buses to its fleet. The scheme could go a long way in improving female labour participation.
Limitations: The scheme has a few qualifications. It doesnât apply to air-conditioned, luxury, and inter-state buses. Three transport corporations, excluding BMTC, will save 50% of seats for men.
đ BMTC staff without new uniforms
BMTC employees say that the corporation has failed to give them new uniforms.
The complaint: The staff alleged that for three years, their appeals for new uniforms and shoes have gone unheard by the top brass. The managing director at BMTC reportedly refused to meet them over the matter. Now that the government is focusing on womenâs bus travel, the employees hope that their issues see the light of day too.
- The costs of stitching and upkeep of clothes have risen. Even then, employees will have to buy new ones at some point. If the authorities donât okay a new uniform soon, theyâll have to pay it out of their pockets.
- Union members estimated that the BMTC needs to incur âš20-25 crore annually for the benefit of its employees.
BMTCâs response: The BMTC said that as part of a policy decision, the transport authority is revoking the renewal of employeesâ uniforms. Instead, itâs giving them allowances at par with their Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) counterparts.
đ Rise in Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer cases have grown rapidly in Bengaluru.
About the study: Ovarian cancer is the third most common cancer among women in Bengaluru. In the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) affiliated analysis of five cities between 1984 and 2014, Bengaluru came out as the city with the highest rate of increase in ovarian cancer.
- It grew at 2.73% annually, compared to Bhopalâs 2.31% and Chennaiâs 1.62%. Between 1984 and 2014, its age-adjusted rate (AAR) doubled from 4 to 8 per lakh.
- Data from between 2012 and 2016 showed that Bengaluru has the second highest chance of people developing ovarian cancer.
Tell me more? Cases of ovarian cancer are increasing across urban centres in India. In Bengaluru, the 55 – 59 age cohort and above are the most likely to get it. Cancer registries show that only 29% of the cases are an early diagnosis. It means that awareness and research efforts both need to be amplified.
đ Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you read reviews before watching a movie?
- Yes, I read reviews before watching a movie.
- No, I donât read reviews before watching a movie.
â Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
If you could declare something in Bengaluru a heritage site, what would it be?
Reply to this email with your answers.
đď¸ In other newsâŚ
- A report reveals that Bengaluru breathes air five times worse than WHO guidelines.
- Once a cesspool, Veerasandra Lake is now a pristine waterbody.
- Citizens complain of damaged, non-operational traffic signals causing chaos.
- Residents in Singapura complain about unrepaired and dug-up roads.
- Indecision on National Education Policy leaves Karnataka colleges and students in the lurch.
Thatâs it for today. Have a great day!