Category: State Current Affairs

E-swathu 2.0

News –

• The state government launched e-swathu 2.0 to provide convenience to property owners in rural areas to get their documents.

E-swathu 2.0:

• • • Aim : to bring all rural properties into a single digital database, regularise unlisted holdings, and strengthen transparent property‑tax collection.
    • Purpose:‑Swathu 2.0 is Karnataka’s upgraded online system for digitising rural property records and issuing e‑Khata in Gram Panchayat areas.
    • Nodal agency – It is implemented by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department through Gram Panchayats and integrated with the Panchatantra software.
    • Property owners in Gram Panchayat limits can apply (via their Panchayat) for e‑Khata and Forms 9/11A/11B by submitting title documents, ID/address proof and supporting records.
    • Benefits : Expected outcomes include
    • Increase in Panchayat and state revenue from rural property tax.

Michael Cunha commission

• The Inquiry Commission, headed by former Karnataka High Court Judge Justice John, submitted its report on the circumstances leading to the death of COVID patients at the Chamarajanagar District Hospital to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Raj Bhavan renamed as ‘Lok Bhavan

News :

• The Governor’s official residence in Karnataka has been renamed as ‘Lok Bhavan’.
• The change is made in accordance with communication from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and has been approved by the Governor of Karnataka.

Additional Information-

• In July 2024, two important halls inside Rashtrapati Bhavan were renamed by President Droupadi Murmu:
• Durbar Hall → Ganatantra Mandap (to reflect the idea of “Republic” instead of the colonial term “Durbar”).​
• Ashok Hall → Ashok Mandap (to emphasise Indian cultural roots and the symbolism of Ashoka/Ashok tree)

BWSSB wins award for water management

• Award Name: Geospatial Excellence Award for Water Management
• Awardee: The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB)
• Issuing Authority: GeoSmart India
• Place of Event: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi

Committee to oversee unified waste management system for Bengaluru

News :

• Govt to form high-level committee to implement end-to-end solid waste management system for city

About

• Purpose : to roll out a technology-driven solid waste management (SWM) framework for the city.
• Composition: The committee will be headed by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, who will serve as President, while the GBA Chief Commissioner will act as Vice-President.

Friends of Police mission

News :

• Bengaluru Police has launched ‘Friends of Police’ mission.

About

• Aim : aimed at strengthening community policing and youth participation in crime prevention.
• Goal : Bengaluru police aiming to attract two lakh students as part of the team in policing to build a safer and more informed city.
• Coverage : Over 10,000 students took the pledge and enrolled to help the police and be their ‘eyes and ears’.
• “This is not only an awareness programme, but an initiative to strengthen police and public relationship,”

Karnataka Menstrual Leave Policy-2025

News –

• State govt. notifies menstrual leave policy with a day’s off a month

Karnataka Menstrual Leave Policy-2025

• Women in the state of Karnataka will be entitled to up to 12 menstrual leaves annually.
• This development marks a significant step in recognising menstrual health at a workplace and rights issue.
• The Dr. Sapna S committee was appointed by the Karnataka government to study and recommend menstrual leave policy
• Significance – It aims to create a more inclusive and stigma-free workplace and is considered a landmark decision in India, as it covers both government and private sectors comprehensively.

State govt. notifies menstrual leave policy with a day’s off a month

Key features –

• Women between 18 and 52 are eligible to seek menstrual leave, and it will be applicable for permanent, contract or outsourced workforce.
• The policy will be applicable to the workforce employed in establishments registered under the Factories Act, 1948; the Karnataka Shops and Establishments Act, 1961; the Plantation Workers Act 1951; the Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966, and the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961.
• The Government Order (GO) does not specify anything on leaves for government employees or anganwadi workers or Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).
• As per the conditions imposed in the GO, there will be no provision to carry over the leave to the next month and women are not mandated to provide any medical certificate

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).

KIA becomes India’s first airport to achieve Level 3 Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation

• The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has become the first airport in India to be awarded Level 3 in the Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation (AEA) programme by the Airports Council International (ACI).

Spider Malenadu

News –

• Researchers discover new species of spider in a Chikkamagaluru village, name it after Malenadu
• A team of researchers exploring biodiversity in the Western Ghats has discovered a new species of spider belonging to pilia, a genus of jumping spiders, at Madhugundi village in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru.
• The researchers named it “Pilia malenadu”, to give credit to the place it was found