Author: instakas

Saalumarada Thimmakka

Why in news

• Padma Shri awardee and environmental icon Saalumarada Thimmakka, renowned for planting 385 banyan trees, passed away at the age of 114 in Bengaluru.

Biographical Details

• Full Name: Saalumarada Thimmakka (born as Thimmakka).
• Titles: She is widely known as “Vriksha Mathe” (Mother of Trees) and “Saalumarada Thimmakka”
• Birthplace: She was born in Gubbi Taluk, Tumakuru District, Karnataka.
• Environmental work: Her environmental work is centered around Hulikal Village, Magadi Taluk, Ramanagara District.
• Spouse: She was married to Bikkala Chikkayya, who was her partner in planting trees until his death in 1991.
• Lifespan: She passed away on November 14, 2025, at the approximate age of 114 years.

The Environmental Achievements

• Tree Species: She primarily planted Banyan trees (Scientific Name: Ficus benghalensis).
• Location: The trees were planted along a 4 to 4.5 km kilometer stretch of State Highway 94 (SH-94) between Hulikal and Kudur
• Number of Trees: She planted 385 banyan trees in this specific row.
• Total Contribution: It is estimated she planted over 8,000 trees in total during her lifetime.
• Methodology: She used thorny shrubs to fence the saplings and carried water pots for 4 kilometers

Major Awards & Recognitions

• Cabinet Rank (2022): The Karnataka Government appointed her as the “Environment Ambassador” with the status of a Cabinet Minister.
• Padma Shri (2019): She received India’s fourth-highest civilian award from President Ram Nath Kovind.
• BBC 100 Women (2016): She was listed as one of the most influential and inspiring women in the world by the BBC.
• Nadoja Award (2010): She received this prestigious honor from Kannada University, Hampi.
• National Citizen’s Award (1995): She was honored by the Government of India for her grassroots work.
• Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award (1997): She received this national award specifically for contributions to afforestation.
• International Honor: An environmental organization in Los Angeles, USA, is named “Thimmakka’s Resources for Environmental Education”.

Government Initiatives & Legacy

• Saalumarada Thimmakka Tree Parks: The Karnataka State Government has established tree parks in every Assembly Constituency to increase green cover.
• Tree Preservation: In 2019, the Bagepalli-Halaguru road widening project was modified to save her heritage banyan trees.
• Memorial Fund (2025): Following her death, the Karnataka Government announced a ₹1 Crore Corpus Fund to institute an annual environment award in her name.
• 114 Saplings: To mark her age at passing, the government announced the planting of 114 saplings at distinct locations.

Megalithic excavations in Chamarajanagar district reveal rare burial practices, rock art

News –

• Recent excavations at Doddalathur in Chamarajanagar district have revealed new insights into early megalithic burial culture and traditions in southern Karnataka, including unusual layouts and rare engravings on boulders.
• Doddalathur, located in Hanur taluk and five kilometres southwest of Kowdalli, is one of the few surviving megalithic landscapes in the region where a large number of burials remain intact.
• the excavation – found 13 burials, comprising stone circles and cairn circles, constructed with natural boulders of varying diameters.
• Four contained cists, or stone-slab chambers, while the rest were urn burials.
• “In the megalithic burials, the usual burial repertoire includes pottery known as black-and-red ware, black ware and red ware, and iron objects. “These were also found in some of the burials that were excavated at Doddalathur,
• in addition to skeletal and animal remains and a few beads have also been found
• The most interesting discovery, according to researchers, is that of an iron object, which is circular in shape with two loops on either sides and resembles an iron shield.
• This was found in association with iron weapons like axe, arrow, and a two-pronged sword while the same burial has human figures engraved on the boulders. Underlining its importance,
• This is significant because rock art is rare in this part of Karnataka.
• Charcoal samples from both urn and cist contexts were dated through AMS Carbon-14 analysis, placing the burials between the 6th century BCE and the 4th century CE, a timeframe consistent with megalithic occupation phases elsewhere in peninsular India

Karnataka Rights of Persons with Disabilities bill 2025

News

• The State government has released a draft of the Karnataka Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Employment and Education Bill, 2025, proposing 5% reservation for persons with disabilities in all private establishments with 20 or more employees.
• The draft also mandates that educational institutions earmark 10% of seats in every course for students with disabilities, one of the most expansive attempts to overhaul inclusion in employment and in higher education.
• The draft sets out a phased introduction of the 5% job quota across the private sector.
• Companies must distribute these posts across disability categories based on a formula prescribed by the proposed State regulatory authority, file annual compliance reports, and can carry forward unfilled posts for up to three recruitment cycles.
• Exemptions will be granted only when essential job functions cannot be performed even with reasonable accommodation.
• For education, the Bill makes 10% reservation course-specific, not institution-level, preventing colleges from averaging seats across programmes.

Two menhirs believed to be from late megalithic period found

News –

• In recent archaeological explorations conducted by the Adima Kala Trust (R.) of Udupi in Kundapur region, two menhirs were found at Hilkod situated on the Neralekatte-Ajri Road and at Mavinakere in Kenchanur village in Udupi district.
• The two menhirs, also called nilskals or free standing stones, were from the late megalithic period.
• The nilskal of Mavinakere is about 112 cm in height and is slightly leaning towards the north-west direction.
• The Hilkod nilskal is about 135 cm in height..

Fishermen’s Distress Relief Fund

News –

• In a bid to strengthen the State’s fisheries sector, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the compensation under the Fishermen’s Distress Relief Fund had been increased from ₹6 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
• Karnataka produced 9.63 lakh tonnes of fish in 2024–25, ranking third in total fish production nationwide.

Fishermen’s Distress Relief Fund

• Purpose: To provide immediate financial relief and support to fishermen and their families in distress due to accidents, natural calamities, or death while at sea or on land.
• Administering Authority: The Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Government of Karnataka.
• Compensation Amount: The compensation amount for the family of a missing or deceased fisherman while at sea has recently been increased from ₹6 lakh to ₹10 lakh in Karnatak
• Eligibility: The applicant must be a registered fisherman/fisherwoman with the department and meet specific criteria depending on the nature of the claim (e.g., loss of life, damage to vessel/gear).