Catholic Chamber of Commerce & Industry announces names of Rachana Awardees 2023
Mangaluru: The Rachana Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday issued a press statement to announce the names of Rachana awardees for the year 2023.
Leo Fernandes will receive the award in the Agriculturist category, while Jerry Vincent Dias will receive the award in the Entrepreneur category. Similarly, in the Professional category Sr., Dr. Gladys Menezes will receive the award and Michael D’Souza will be awarded under the NRI Entrepreneur category.
Dr. Laveena M Noronha will get the Outstanding Woman Award for the year 2023, the press statement added.
The award ceremony will be held on January 15, 2023, at the Milagres Auditorium in Mangaluru and will be chaired by Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter Pail Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore. Sanjay D’Souza, Sr. Executive Vice President of the HDFC bank will also be present during the event as Chief Guest, the press release added.
Rachana was established in 1998 by Catholic businessmen, agriculturists, and professionals with the objective of encouraging youth to take up entrepreneurship, training them in investment, and supporting them with technical backup.
About the awardees:
Agriculturist of the year: Leo Fernandes, Allipade
Leo Fernandes is a farmer with a difference having focused on multiple yields like areca, pepper, coconuts, and dairy farming. The cultivation is spread across 20 acres of land comprising 15000 arecas, and 1000 coconut trees, and yields about 350 quintal areca, and about 25000 coconuts. He supports local farmers with his outlet Antony Traders, which purchases their areca yields for the best rate in the market. He has about 100 cows ranging in gyr, jersey, and Holstein Friesian cattle breeds. He supplies about 600 litres of milk daily to society and he is the top supplier of milk to Sarapady and Allipade societies during 2021 -22.
With his catering wing Fernandes Caterers, he undertakes catering for a crowd of 1,000 people, and with all his farming, dairy, and catering enterprise he has been proving a livelihood for hundreds of families in the area.
Entrepreneur of the year: Dr. Jerry Vincent Dias, Udupi
Dr. Jerry Vincent Días, chairman and managing director of Mandavi Real Estate Developers is the estate tycoon of Udupi - Manipal for the last three decades. Presently, he is the President of CREDAI, Udupi chapter. So far he has developed 4000 residential and 250 commercial units in 50 projects. He built Mandavi Times Square, the first biggest Mall in the Udupi district housing a star-category Mandavi Royal Prince, which was a luxurious hotel. His architectural marvel in Manipal was awarded Best Residential Building by Credai Care Awards. Apart from Real estate, he is the promoter and owner of J J Industries which produces solid blocks. He has produced two Kannada feature films, 'Mahanadhi' and 'DK' under his production house JJ Cine Productions. He is the promoter and owner of Hotel Sarah International, Manipal. He is actively involved in social work through the Lions Club and other social service organizations and recipient of many awards for his humane work. While Adamar Mutt awarded him with Kala Poshak Award, the Lions club bestowed on him the Vishwa Bandhu title. Billawara Sangha, Bahrain awarded him Best Business Award and the National institute for social and Economic Reforms, Bengaluru honored him with National Samaj Ratna Award. He is awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters from the Academy of Universal Global Peace
Professional of the year: Sr Dr. Gladys Menezes, Belman
A gynecologist by profession Sr Dr. Gladys Menezes originally hails from Belman, presently serving in Snehalaya Hospital, Solur, Ramnagar. She completed her MBBS and DGO from reputed St John's Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, and since then serving the underprivileged and marginal sections of society in remote rural villages of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. She has a record of 30 years of unflinching service in rural areas. She served backward tribals of Lambanis, golla, Gowrie, Tibetans, and Siddhis. On an average basis, she treats 150 patients a day and conducts 80 deliveries a week. Apart from serving in rural areas she spread awareness among rural women about their health and trained around 300 women as dadi who can work as village birth attendants. She has trained more than 200 community health workers who are earning a decent livelihood now in the profession. Considering her yeoman service, especially in the rural areas as a specialist, Ahind Association honored her with Karnataka Ratna and District Farmers Association honored her with Samaja Seva Rathna. She has been bestowed with the C V Raman award on Doctors Day.
NRI of the year: Michael D'Souza, Puttur – Abu Dhabi
Born to an entrepreneurial family in Puttur Michael D’Souza started his journey through Souza Metal Mart in Puttur. He expanded his base to Mangalore with Souza Electronics finally shifting to Dubai. Presently he is in the hotel apartments business under the brand name Dunes and Ivory Grand in Dubai. His Flagship Company HAS Hospitality is providing employment and livelihood to many families. Through the EDUCARE program under the auspices of CODP, Dioceses of Mangalore he is helping the higher education of the students. He has established a fund of Rs. 25 crores exclusively for this purpose. So far 3500 students benefited from this program. He has also established a separate fund of Rs 10 crore which is helping marginalized sections of society with self-help groups and so far 10,000 families benefited from this program. To encourage youth to take up civil service as a career he has initiated setting up Civil Service Academy at St Aloysius College Mangaluru where students are trained for competitive and civil service exams. He is referred to as a cheerful donor among the Mangalureans. Apart from donating to the housing and medical needs of individuals, he has helped to upgrade healthcare facilities in existing hospitals, and special schools and donated generously to the churches of Mangalore and Udupi dioceses. He is also extending financial support to self-employment projects and supporting Konkani literature and cultural activities in India and Dubai. Presently he is living in Abu Dhabi with his family.
Women Achiever of the year: Dr. Lavina M Noronha
With MSW and Ph.D. degrees from the reputed NIMHANS, Bengaluru, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, Dr. Lavina M Noronha is the director of 15-bed hospice facility Ave Maria Palliative Care at Mangaluru with utmost professionalism and dedication. Dr. Noronha has vast experience teaching at foreign universities and several years of clinical practice in the fields of mental health, crisis respite, employee assistance, and hospice in the USA. She also has several professional publications and presentations on a variety of topics to her credit and is the founder and president of CREST International Inc USA and a member of the Indian Association of Palliative Care. Dr. Lavina's dream project, Ave Maria palliative care has patients suffering from cancer, liver diseases, renal failures, and dementia, who need holistic comfort and care. The home is free and anyone is welcome, regardless of religion, class, and cast.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
