Kudla Pelakai Parba from June 21
The event is being organised by Honeygensics Bee Farms and RO International, said organiser Ashwin Sequeira.
He told reporters on Wednesday, that the festival aims to highlight youth-led initiatives that promote local farming, entrepreneurship, and sustainable food practices. Farmers from across Karnataka, including Ramnagar, Doddaballapura, Kodagu, and Udupi, will bring farm produce such as jackfruit, mango, avocado, dragon fruit, rambutan, mangosteen, and more, all directly sourced and sold by the farmers themselves.
"Kudla Pelakai Parba is more than a festival. It is a movement that celebrates coastal culture, supports farmers, empowers small businesses, and brings the community together through food and collaboration," Sequeira said.
Special attention will be given to jackfruit-based delicacies and value-added products from the Mangaluru and Udupi regions. Visitors can purchase a wide range of jackfruit dishes, snacks, and products made locally. The event will also serve as a platform for small-scale industries and artisans to exhibit and sell their products. "We want to foster innovation, promote self-reliance, and encourage people to support local entrepreneurs," Sequeira added.
To boost the festive spirit, the event will feature fun games, an open mic, and live entertainment organised by St Aloysius College students and the Mangaluru City Rotaract Club.
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The CBI Wednesday opposed a petition filed by Jai Corporation Ltd against an investigation by the central agency into allegations of serious financial irregularities by the Mumbai-based company led by Anand Jaikumar Jain. Seeking rejoinders from petitioner Jain and Jai Corp, which is involved in the manufacturing sector, the High Court posted the hearing after four weeks. The hearing was held after the Supreme Court on March 17 disp-osed of an appeal by Jai Corp aga-inst a Bombay High Court order directing the CBI to form an SIT to probe the allegations of irregularities to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore. The allegations against Jain stem from complaints first filed in 2021, and later in 2023, with the Economic Offence Wing (EoW) of Mumbai Police by Shoaib Sequeira, the founding member of NGO Protection of Rights Association (P.O.R.A) and a director in at least two real estate firms. Set up in 2009, P.O.R.A was started by a group of seven persons who, according to its website, 'came in contact with each other due to personal and individual litigations wherein their rights and the rights of their family members were violated due to the misuse of power and high handedness of people in governance'. It aims to 'educate and create awareness…about the various mechanisms/ methods by which corruption in governance can be exposed and curbed through citizen movements and social participation', apart from other objectives such as legal aid. Registrar of Companies (RoC) records show Sequeira is one of the two directors at Sigrun Realties, a real-estate firm incorporated in December 2005, and its subsidiary First Virasat Realcon — the other director in both firms is listed as Naveen Dsouza. But Sequeira is not a direct shareholder in either Sigrun Realties or First Virasat Realcon. 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Kudla Pelakai Parba from June 21
Mangaluru: The two-day Kudla Pelakai Parba (Mangaluru Jackfruit Festival), a celebration of local agriculture and food heritage, will be held at the St Sebastian Centenary Auditorium, Bendoorwell, on Saturday and Sunday. The event is being organised by Honeygensics Bee Farms and RO International, said organiser Ashwin Sequeira. He told reporters on Wednesday, that the festival aims to highlight youth-led initiatives that promote local farming, entrepreneurship, and sustainable food practices. Farmers from across Karnataka, including Ramnagar, Doddaballapura, Kodagu, and Udupi, will bring farm produce such as jackfruit, mango, avocado, dragon fruit, rambutan, mangosteen, and more, all directly sourced and sold by the farmers themselves. "Kudla Pelakai Parba is more than a festival. It is a movement that celebrates coastal culture, supports farmers, empowers small businesses, and brings the community together through food and collaboration," Sequeira said. Special attention will be given to jackfruit-based delicacies and value-added products from the Mangaluru and Udupi regions. Visitors can purchase a wide range of jackfruit dishes, snacks, and products made locally. The event will also serve as a platform for small-scale industries and artisans to exhibit and sell their products. "We want to foster innovation, promote self-reliance, and encourage people to support local entrepreneurs," Sequeira added. To boost the festive spirit, the event will feature fun games, an open mic, and live entertainment organised by St Aloysius College students and the Mangaluru City Rotaract Club.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday opposed the pleas filed by Jai Corporation Ltd and its promoter Anand Jaikumar Jain before the Bombay High Court challenging the FIR registered by the central agency alleging serious financial irregularities by the company and its promoters. The central agency had alleged defrauding of funds to the tune of Rs 2,434 crore from the public investors in real estate projects among other irregularities. A division bench of Justices Ajey S Gadkari and Rajesh S Patil was hearing pleas by Jai Corp and Jain seeking quashing of the FIR. The CBI, through advocate Kuldeep Patil, sought dismissal of the plea stating that the investigation in the matter was still in progress. The central agency justified its FIR stating that it was initiated based on the HC order of January 31. The CBI on February 12 had constituted a five-member SIT led by its DIG Sarah Sharma to probe the allegations. The HC granted two-week time to file reply to the plea to respondent Shoaib Richie Sequeira, the original complainant who had approached the HC through earlier petition seeking preliminary probe in the matter. The court also granted further two-week time to petitioners to file rejoinder to CBI and Sequeira's reply and posted further hearing after four weeks. The central agency had claimed that Jai Corp Ltd with Jain, its sister concerns, their directors and promoters, one Parag Shantilal Parekh and other unknown private persons have 'committed offences of criminal conspiracy, dishonestly inducing delivery of property, making forged documents for the purpose of cheating, using as genuine the forged documents and thereby caused wrongful gain to themselves.' The Jai Corp and Jain in April filed writ pleas in the HC seeking quashing of the CBI FIR and other interim reliefs, claiming that the action against them was arbitrary. On March 17, the Supreme Court had disposed of the appeal by Jai Corp against Bombay High Court order directing CBI Zonal director to form an SIT to conduct thorough probe into the allegation of fraudulent activities to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore by Jain. On January 31, the Bombay HC bench led by Justice Revati Mohite-Dere had passed a judgment on a plea by 61-year-old Sequeira. The HC had noted that there were 'national and international ramifications in the case.' The HC had also expressed disappointment over conduct of EOW and CBI showing inability to conduct a probe and stressed on the need for fair and efficient probe. The SC appreciated 'courage' shown by HC judges to pass the said verdict. The CBI FIR in question has listed allegations including that 'during May 2006 and June 2008, Jain and his group in their individual capacity and as directors/promoters of Jai Corp. Ltd, in conspiracy with sister companies of Jai Corp. 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The central agency said that in contravention of the declaration, the accused persons 'cheated the public at large and diverted funds by way of making investments/giving unsecured loans within the sister concerns.' The CBI further alleged that sister concerns of Jai Corp, over the years, showed the unsecured loans as losses on the basis of false and fabricated documents, so as to justify the constructions/real estate projects. Moreover, these corporate entities too 'executed forged agreements against advance paid for the purchase of benami land to justify the losses.' The CBI, in its FIR dated February 18, 2025, alleged that through criminal conspiracy, Jain, one Parag Shantilal Parekh, and their group diverted part or whole of Rs 2, 434 crore collected from investors by the two entities in 2006-07 to Mauritius and/or Jersey Channel Islands for incorporation of corporate entities at these places so as to divert the money collected from investors and banks. The FIR further stated that part or whole of Rs 3,252 crore availed as loan from Banks in 2006-07 by Navi Mumbai SEZ Pvt Ltd or part or whole of Rs 686 crore availed as loan from banks by the said company in 2003-04 too was diverted to the Mauritius and/or Jersey Channel Islands. The central agency further alleged that Jain, Parekh and their group diverted/laundered Rs 98.83 crore of foreign currency loan availed by Navi Mumbai SEZ Pvt Ltd from banks in 2008-09 to Mauritius and thereafter floated corporate entities to facilitate diversion of loan amount availed in India to abroad. In the end, it was alleged that the parent company of Jain, 'during 2010-17 fraudulently exported goods to Sarbags PTY Ltd, New South Wales, Australia and Assurance Products Corporation, California, USA on the basis of fictitious invoices/documents and thereby diverted the funds for their end utilisation.'
