Beena Shetty takes charge as the new President of Winners Club Toastmasters
Mangaluru: The new team of Office Bearers of Winners Club Toastmasters for the year 2019-2020 led by President Beena Shetty took charge at a glittering ceremony on Sunday 07 July 2019 at The Gateway Hotel, Mangaluru.
“Communication needs to be nuanced so as to foster human relations between people to establish a productive and peaceful society,” Dr. GG Laxman Prabhu, Professor and HOD, Urology, KMC Mangaluru who was the chief guest of the event emphasized, while providing instances from his experiences as a surgeon.
In his address to the gathering, the chief guest stressed on the need to be accepting of different ways of communication. “We are quick to take offence these days, whereas the need is to see how we can get along with people.” he pointed out. Quoting the Upanishads he reminded the listeners how our scriptures tutored us to convey even bad news with consideration to the listener.
Toastmasters Area 2 Director Dr. Oliver D’Souza administered the oath of office to the new team of office bearers for 2019-2020, led by the President Beena Shetty. The team includes Geeta Pereira (Vice-President – Education), Sony Rodrigues (Vice-President – Membership), Bharathi Shevgoor (Vice President – Public Relations), Sweetha Shetty (Secretary), Joan Mascrenhas (Treasurer) and Matharani Mathias (Sergeant-at-Arms)
Phyllis Maria D’costa, Lyra Pinto and Florida Almeida rendered the invocation. Matharani Mathias welcomed the gathering and Geeta Pereira and Sony Rodrigues presented the annual report through a Power Point presentation highlighting the achievements done by the club during the past year. Bharathi Shevgoor introduced the chief guest. Flexon Fernandes presented an innovative concept of passing on the baton from the old team to the new, keeping in mind the theme of indigenous languages, on which the programme was based. Malini Hebbar introduced Beena Shetty to the audience.
Outgoing President Manisha Daithota thanked her team and club members for their cooperation during her tenure. In her acceptance speech Beena Shetty expressed her vision and goals to be achieved by the club during her term. Since indigenous languages was the theme of the installation ceremony, the office bearers and some of the presenters had dressed up in costumes of the states which speak different indigenous languages.
District Administration Manager Savitha Salian, Division F Director Shivani Baliga, Area F4 Director Vidya Shenoy, Kavitha Kamath (Mangalore Toastmasters), Rajat R (Infosys Toastmasters Mangalore SEZ), Dr. Reshma Karkera (Inspiron Toastmasters) and Dr. Ashrita Shetty (ProAct Toastmasters) and M. N. Pai felicitated the new officer bearers.
Sweetha Shetty proposed the vote of thanks. Roshan Madtha, Reena Monteiro, Praveen Pinto and Deborah Lobo were the Masters of Ceremonies.
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Need 27 months to fix pollution backlog of 27 years, where was your protest before: Delhi CM
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday criticised those who protested at India Gate over deteriorating air quality, questioning the absence of their demonstrations during previous administrations when air pollution was a persistent issue.
"I want to ask those protesting at India Gate: the problem of air pollution is not new and has been around for years. Where were your protests before? What did the previous government do? There is a backlog of 27 years. The government at least needs 27 months to work. After 27 months, you can ask me about the steps we have taken to address the air pollution issue," Gupta said at an event.
Highlighting her government's initiatives to combat air pollution, Gupta mentioned that electric heaters were distributed among night guards of various Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs) to reduce smoke and pollution from open fires used during winter.
She pointed out that electric heaters are a safe, clean, and environmentally friendly alternative that can effectively contribute to the battle against pollution.
According to her, the government is working in "mission mode" to reduce pollution levels.
The distribution of electric heaters took place at Dilli Haat, Pitampura, funded by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions from the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). Gupta expressed her gratitude to Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and DSIIDC for their support.
Gupta also mentioned that the Delhi government is taking aggressive action to combat pollution. The initiatives include expanding mechanical street sweeping and water-sprinkling systems on roads, installing mist-spray technology on electricity poles, and implementing a comprehensive dust-mitigation plan throughout the city.
Additionally, strict measures have been enforced to control emissions from industrial units. Gupta informed that wall-to-wall carpeting of approximately 1,400 kilometres of Delhi's roads is underway to minimise dust dispersion.
The open burning of waste or firewood is strictly prohibited, and gas connections are being provided to families in need to reduce reliance on firewood as fuel.
The chief minister said that due to these efforts, pollution levels have shown improvement, but sustained reduction is possible only with active public participation.
She urged RWAs, residents, and local communities to take immediate action if they observe wood, coal, or waste being burned anywhere.
She emphasised that every citizen plays a crucial role in this fight against pollution, as it is a shared responsibility between the government and society.
