Though all the 203 GPs of the district won the Nirmal Gram Puraskar, the development model crashed like pack of cards within in no time of winning the award.

Taking note of this, the Zilla Panchayat has taken steps to sustain the works undertaken during the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) by appointing NGOs as nodal agencies to each of the five taluks, with an aim to monitor hygiene and create awareness.

As many as 40 fresh water fish species in Karnataka are under 'threat' and urgent conservation measures are needed to ensure their survival, says a study by Environment Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI).