News and Pics fromVinay Pais 
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (CN)

Kundapur, Nov 24: A seminar held recently focused on the health and sanitation problems encountered by residents of the taluk. N S Prasanna Kumar of the Udupi District Panchayath Health Standing Committee, was one of the speakers who voiced concern over the issue.

He said that more than 10,000 houses in the taluk lacked toilets and shortage of pure drinking water was the main reason for the spread of several diseases. Infantile mortality is another problem which has not been solved at all, he said. 

Making the introductory speech, Dr Rama Rao, taluk health officer, said that the seminar was being conducted with the aim of paying special care to the backward regions of the country. Kavitha of Bangalore, representing the Karnataka sanitation institute, informed the gathering that the best villages selected will be given prizes for complete sanitation, so that people are made aware of the urgent need for keeping their villages neat and clean. 

Incidentally, some 47 villages were selected this time for their good performance. Dr Pavan Kumar, professor, Kasturba Hospital Manipal, M R Nayak, district health officer, Dr Roshani, and Dr Antony, also spoke on the occasion. The joint director of PIB, Bangalore, was present on the podium. Nanjunda Swami, field officer, welcomed the audience.