23-year old tribal woman becomes first female pilot from Malkangiri district
Malkangiri/Bhubaneswar: Her dream to touch the sky has catapulted a tribal woman from Odisha's Maoist-hit Malkangiri district to become the first female pilot from the backward region.
Twenty-three-year-old Anupriya Lakra's dream of becoming a pilot has become a reality seven years after she quit engineering studies midway and joined an aviation academy here in 2012.
The woman from the tribal-dominated district is all set to join a private airline as a co-pilot.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has congratulated Lakra for the rare feat achieved through dedication and grit and said it will set an example for others to emulate.
"I am happy to learn about the success of Anupriya Lakra. The success achieved by her through dedicated efforts and perseverance is an example for many," Patnaik tweeted, wishing Anupriya more achievements as an able pilot.
Daughter of Mariniyas Lakra, a Havildar in Odisha Police and Jamaj Yashmin Lakra, a homemaker, Anupriya completed her matriculation from a convent in Malkangiri and higher secondary from a school in Semiliguda.
With a passion of becoming a pilot, she quit her engineering studies in Bhubaneswar mid-way and prepared for pilot entrance test in Bhubaneswar, her father said.
In 2012, Anupriya joined the Pilot Training Institute in Bhubaneswar, he said. "We are very happy that her dream of becoming a pilot has now become a reality. She will be working as a co-pilot in a private airline," Mariniyas said.
She has been selected as a co-pilot in a private airline and is likely to fly abroad shortly.
"It is a big achievement for somebody from a backward district like Malkangiri. Her success has come after seven years of hard work," he said.
Jubilant over Anupriya's success, her mother said "I am very happy. It is a matter of pride for the people of Malkangiri. Her success will inspire other girls."
Anupriya was always encouraged to make efforts to translate her dreams into reality, her mother said.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
