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Food fests and menu revamps
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Good morning, Bengaluru!

🌤️ Today’s weather: It’s going to be partly sunny and windy.

🧐 Did you know? Bengaluru Pete, the heart of the city, was once called Gandu Bhoomi or the “Land of Heroes” by Kempe Gowda.


🏫 Schools get a new lease on life

The Azim Premji Foundation plans to improve the learning environment in state-run schools.

Story so far: Azim Premji Foundation, billionaire Azim Premji’s nonprofit arm, is partnering with the Karnataka government to turn run-down state-run schools into competitive learning institutions.

  • Under their aegis, sixteen Bengaluru Public Schools (BPS) will see the light. The foundation will provide soft infrastructure like teacher training.
  • The schools will be located in localities populated by the Economically Weaker Sections. The project will require the cabinet’s approval.

Why it matters? In 2019, the Azim Premji Foundation collaborated with Wipro and the Karnataka government to improve the infrastructure of two schools in VV Puram and MR Nagar. Their enrollments have reportedly increased.

  • The Department of School Education and Literacy allocated ₹20 crore for the current project. It will go to the cabinet since it demands ₹70 crore more.

🥙 Flavours for every tongue

The city is a potluck of multiregional flavours with new food festivals and menu revamps.

Story so far: As the leaves turn and the seasons change, so do restaurant menus. Thakurbarir Ranna is an all-vegetarian food festival happening at Esplanade, a Bengali restaurant, all through March. The Farzi Cafe and Suzy Q by 1522 have introduced new flavours too.

  • Thakurbarir Ranna will feature treats like chalkumror bora, an ash gourd fritter with delicate poppy seeds and coconut paste, chanar paturi, a cheese and mustard wrap, baked rasgullas and mishti doi.
  • The Farzi Cafe focuses on reimagining Indian flavours through tomato mozzarella samosas, dahi puchka shots with grape chutney, and ambarsari chicken sliders.

Any seafood? For those who crave something from the sea, Neer at the Hilton Bengaluru Embassy Manyata Business Park offers specialities from Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.


🚙 Greenest RTOs

Bengaluru’s RTOs rank among the top five greenest RTOs in India.

Story so far: Two Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) from Bengaluru have ranked among the top five green RTOs in the country. Other RTOs to feature in the list are Burari Taxi unit and IP Estate in Delhi in the top two, followed by the Chennai East RTO.

  • Bengaluru South grabbed the fourth spot with 17,063 Electric Vehicles (EVs) registered between April 2021 and September 2022. The Electronic City RTO came fifth.
  • Karnataka has an EV penetration rate of 4.85%. It has the third greenest automotive sector, after Delhi and Assam.

Problems? Mostly two-wheelers and three-wheelers have expedited Karnataka’s transition to EV. Four-wheeler EVs sold account for only 1% of the greening. High upfront costs and range anxiety usually inhibit people from switching to EVs.


🛣️ Peripheral Ring Road approved with conditions

The Union environment committee has issued 20 environmental directives for the Peripheral Road project.

Story so far: The Union environment committee has greenlit Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) Peripheral Ring Road project. Land acquisition is the next hoop for the eight-lane project to jump through.

  • The clearance is contingent on the BDA complying with 20 directives, like afforestation and rainwater harvesting.
  • Heritage trees are off-limits. The BDA has to bypass trees that host pelicans and storks.

A chequered past: Initially, the BDA had grossly underestimated the project’s environmental impact. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had overridden its first clearance in 2014.

  • Then, officials claimed that the project needed only 200 trees to be felled. Last year’s report reveals that the number is 32,175 trees.

📊 Today’s Poll

(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)

Have you had the CTR Masala Dosa?

  • Yes, I’ve had the masala dosa at CTR.
  • No, I haven’t had the masala dosa at CTR.

❓ Today’s Question

(Only subscribers can submit their answers)

When was the last time you saw a firefly?

Reply to this email with your answers.


🗞️ In other news…


🛋️ Local Lounge

Yesterday’s Poll:

  • I can remember names easily: 40.0%
  • I can’t remember names easily: 60.0% 🏆

Answers to Yesterday’s Question:

What are some things you can’t step out of your house without?

Parthi: “Mobile”

Mansoor: “Phone, Wallet (money+credit card+id card) and Spectacles”

That’s it for today. Have a great day!

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