Category: State Current Affairs

KEO (Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source) Computer

News –

• The Department of Electronics, IT & BT, Government of Karnataka, in collaboration with KEONICS, on Monday launched KEO, a compact, affordable, AI-ready personal computer.

KEO (Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source) Computer

• It is a new, ultra-affordable, compact personal computer developed by the Department of Electronics, IT & BT in collaboration with KEONICS.
• It was launched in November 2025 at the Bengaluru Tech Summit
• Objective – to bridging the digital divide and providing affordable, AI-ready computing access to students, households, and small businesses.

Digital Nagarik programme

News –

• Digital Nagarik programme launched by the government schools.

Digital Nagarik programme

• Objective – To create awareness about cybersecurity and digital safety among students in all government primary and high schools of the State.
• Around 1 lakh teachers and 10 lakh students from classes 6 to 10 will benefit from the programme.
• They will be made aware of safe Internet use, cyber safety rules, online etiquette, digital rights, responsibilities and data privacy.
• Implementation – The programme is taken up in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Education and the social media giant Meta.
• A successful pilot was conducted in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi and Dakshina Kannada districts in 2024-25.
• As part of the initiative, the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) will initially train 1,00,000 teachers using the DISHA portal, who will subsequently raise awareness among students. The training for teachers commenced on November 15.
• Digital Nagrik Toolkit– It will be shared to help schools plan initiatives that promote safe and responsible online behaviour.

Bengaluru Safe City Project

News –

• Bengaluru Safe City Project helps in detection of inter-State crimes

Bengaluru Safe City Project

• It is a technology-driven initiative aimed at enhancing urban safety, especially for women and vulnerable groups, by deploying advanced surveillance and emergency response systems.
• It is implemented under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) initiative using the Nirbhaya Fund, shared funding between the central and state governments.
• The project features more than 7,000 video cameras installed citywide, complemented by drone cameras and body-worn cameras for police personnel.

National Joint Counter-IED Competition

News –

• The Internal Security Division (ISD) Counter-IED Team of the Karnataka State Police won the 9th National Joint Counter-IED Competition, Visfot Kavach IX, conducted by the National Security Guard (NSG) in New Delhi.

National Joint Counter-IED Competition

• It is also known by names such as ‘Visfot Kavach’ and ‘Agnishaman’.
• It is an annual national-level exercise held in India
• Objective – to enhance and evaluate the counter-Improvised Explosive Device (IED) capabilities of various security forces.
• Conducted by – It is conducted by the National Security Guard (NSG) at their training center in Manesar, Haryana

CM inaugurates Kalaloka store at KIA

News –

• The Kalaloka store, which will showcase and sell Karnataka’s traditional and GI-certified products to both domestic and international travellers at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
• The Kalaloka store, which has been aesthetically designed to reflect the State’s culture and heritage, has been set up by the Department of Industries at Terminal 2.
• It features Karnataka’s traditional products such as Mysore Sandal Soap, sandalwood oil, incense sticks, Mysuru Silk, Channapatna toys, LIDKAR leather goods, aromatic coffee powders and beverages, handloom products, Ilkal sarees, Lambani garments, sandalwood artefacts, Bidriware, and Mysore-style paintings.
• “In total, 45 GI-certified products from Karnataka will be showcased and sold here,”

State ranks fourth in country in terms of adoption numbers

News –

• Maharashtra tops the list; despite growing interest, Karnataka faces a shortage of adoptable children
• Karnataka ranks fourth in the country in terms of adoption numbers, following Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, according to data shared by officials from the Directorate of Child Protection.

Additional Information – Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)

• Legal status – It has been set up as a statutory body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• It functions as a nodal body for the adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoption.
• Following convention – It is designated as the Central Authority to deal with Hague Conventions on Inter-Country Adoptions, 1993, ratified by the Government of India in 2003.

CARINGS (Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System) Portal

• Launched in – 2011.
• It serves as the sole platform for adoption, complying with the Hague Convention, international protocols, and national laws.

Karnataka records 24% drop in maternal deaths

News –

• Karnataka has recorded a 24% reduction in maternal deaths this year — from January to October —compared to the corresponding period in 2024.
• The Health Department had launched the “Mission Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths”

Mission Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths

• It is an initiative launched by the state of Karnataka, India
• Objective – to reduce its maternal mortality rate (MMR).
• Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) for Karnataka is 68 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, as per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Special Bulletin for 2021-2023.
• The mission aims to eliminate all preventable maternal deaths by enhancing healthcare infrastructure, services, and monitoring.

Key Components of the Initiative

• The initiative, also integrated into India’s national Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) program, focuses on a multi-pronged strategy to ensure quality and accessible care.
• Infrastructure and Resource Rationalization: The plan involves strengthening all 147 taluk hospitals and 42 well-performing community health centers (CHCs) to provide 24/7 comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) services.
• Targeting High-Risk Pregnancies: A significant portion of maternal deaths (an estimated 70% in Karnataka) are considered preventable. The mission emphasizes the identification and rigorous tracking of high-risk pregnancies, ensuring timely intervention for complications like hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, and anemia.
• Financial and Nutritional Support: The initiative includes provisions for nutritional kits and cash incentives for pregnant and lactating women from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

“Koti Vruksha Abhiyan”

• “Koti Vruksha Abhiyan” has pushed up the forest cover of Vijayapura district.
• “Koti Vruksha Abhiyan” (One Crore Tree Campaign)
• It is a large-scale tree plantation initiative primarily associated with Vijayapura, Karnataka, aimed at transforming the district’s arid landscape.
• Launched in 2015 by Minister M. B. Patil.
• The program has successfully planted over 15 million trees by encouraging community participation through subsidized saplings
• This effort has significantly increased the district’s forest cover, revived ecosystems, brought back wildlife, and inspired other regions.

Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025

News –

• The Karnataka Domestic Workers’ Rights Union has urged the State government to strengthen the proposed Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025,

The Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025

• Aim – It is aimed at formalizing the domestic work sector and providing social security and welfare benefits to an estimated 15 lakh (1.5 million) domestic workers.

Key Provisions of the Draft Bill

• Mandatory Registration: Both domestic workers and their employers (including households, agencies, and digital platforms) are required to register on a government portal.
• Written Employment Agreements: Employers must provide a written contract specifying wages, working hours, benefits, and conditions of work. Unregistered employment is considered illegal.
• Minimum Wages and Working Hours: Workers are entitled to a minimum wage, with a cap of 48 working hours per week, overtime pay, rest periods, and weekly holidays.
• Social Security and Welfare Board: The bill provides for the creation of a Karnataka State Domestic Workers Social Security and Welfare Board to manage a dedicated fund. This fund would provide benefits such as health insurance, maternity/paternity benefits, pension, accident compensation, and education support for children.
• Penalties: Non-compliance can result in fines and imprisonment for employers or agencies. Severe offenses like child labor or human trafficking carry stricter penalties (up to 7 years imprisonment and a ₹50,000 fine).
• Grievance Redressal: District-level committees are proposed to resolve disputes between workers and employers.

High-powered committee formed to review functioning of prisons in State

News-

• A high-powered committee has been constituted to review the functioning, administration, and security of prisons across Karnataka, following reports of illegal activities and preferential treatment at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
• A high-powered committee would be led by Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Hitendra, with Inspector-General of Police Sandeep Patil, Superintendents of Police Amarnath Reddy and Rishyanth, as members.

Resource Mobilisation Committee (RMC) report

News –

• The Resource Mobilisation Committee (RMC) of Karnataka submitted its report in November 2025 recommending comprehensive reforms to boost the state’s revenue.

The Resource Mobilisation Committee (RMC) of Karnataka,

• Formed in – August- 2024
• Headed by – The committee headed by retired IAS officer K.P. Krishnan
• Mandate – It is a government-appointed body recommending comprehensive reforms to boost the state’s revenue.

Key recommendations

• Increase and rationalize user charges: Rationalize and increase user charges for government services and utilities, transitioning to volumetric billing with automatic inflation indexation.
• Tax reforms: Restructure the tax regime to broaden the tax base and reduce the state’s dependence on a few sources like commercial taxes and excise duties.
• Modernize the excise system: Introduce auction-based digital licensing to enhance transparency and efficiency in the excise sector.
• Asset monetization: Unlock the value of government assets through scientific valuation and leasing under public-private partnerships.
• Strengthen asset management: Improve asset data management and conduct systematic surveys of government properties.
• Create an economic policy wing: Establish a new wing within the finance department to monitor non-tax revenues and oversee asset monetization initiatives.
• Urban land monetisation among steps to shore up revenues

Krishi Mela 2025

News –

• Krishi Mela 2025 was conducted by the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore from November 13 to 16 on the GKVK campus in Bengaluru.
• 2025 theme ‘Prosperous Agriculture – Viksit Bharat: Soil, Water, and Crop’,

Tenth-century inscription dating to Ganga dynasty reign found on outskirts of Mysuru

News –

• A 10th-century inscription from the Ganga dynasty reign has been found inside the ​Mahalingeshwara Temple at Nadanahalli on the outskirts of Mysuru.
• It is a Kannada inscription dating back to the time of Butuga II, a ruler from the ganga dynasty in 948 A.D.
• It is believed that during the reign of Butuga II, his bodyguard, Maremma, may have donated the garden to the temple tax-free and entrusted its management to the village chief Vijaketa Gavunda.

Karnataka Startup Policy 2025-30

News –

• Cabinet approves policy to help set up 25,000 start-ups in five years

Karnataka Startup Policy 2025-30

• Policy aims to ensure that at least 10,000 of the targeted 25,000 start-ups are set up outside Bengaluru.

Vision

• To position the state as a global innovation hub, fostering a vibrant and supportive ecosystem for nurturing startups throughout their lifecycle.
• To provide resources, mentorship, and infrastructure desired to drive sustainable growth and technological advancements.

 Mission

• Through this policy Karnataka seeks to establish up to 25,000 additional startups, out of which up to 10,000 startups emerging from clusters Beyond Bengaluru. By expanding the entrepreneurial footprints, the initiative helps the state to enhance its role as a leading innovation hub.
• Expand innovation hubs, incubation centers, and co-working spaces to support entrepreneurs across different regions.
• Strengthen international collaborations, trade partnerships, and global networking opportunities for startups to expand their reach.

Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025

News-

• The Bengaluru Skill Summit 2025 was held from November 4 to 6, 2025.
• Theme : “Workforce 2030: Scale, Systems, and Synergy.”

Organizers and Partners

• The summit was organized by the Government of Karnataka through the Skill Development Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department, along with the Karnataka Skill Development Corporation, Department of Agriculture, and Karnataka Digital Economy Mission.

Objectives and Vision

• to strengthen institutions, build a robust ecosystem for traditional and emerging skills, improve the quality and inclusivity of skilling, and foster innovation and global workforce mobility.
• Karnataka aims to be the “Skill Gateway to the World” by aligning with international certification standards and vocational education frameworks.

Fair and Remunerative Price

News –

• CM writes to PM seeking meet to address FRP concerns

Sugar Production in India

• India became the world’s top sugar producer in 2021-2022, surpassing Brazil.
• Location of Sugar Industry in India: Sugar industry is broadly distributed over two major areas of production:

1. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab in the north and
2. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the south.

Sugarcane – Uses

• It belongs to the bamboo family of plants and is indigenous to India.
• About two-third of the total sugarcane produced in India is consumed for making gur and khandsari and only one-third of it goes to sugar factories.
• It also provides raw material for manufacturing alcohol.
• Bagasse, the crushed cane residue, can be more beneficially used for manufacturing paper.
• Ethanol production – It is also an efficient substitute for petroleum products and a host of other chemical products.
• India has become the 3rd largest country in the world in ethanol production after the USA and Brazil.

Conditions for growth

• Crop duration: 10-15 months, and even 18 months to mature, depending upon geographical conditions.
• Soil: Sugarcane can tolerate any kind of soil that can retain moisture. Examples – loams, clayey, black cotton soil, brown or reddish loam and laterites.
• It should be rich in nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus.
• Climate: Hot and Humid (21-27 °C of temperature and 75-150 cm of rainfall).

Government steps

Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane

• Recommended by – Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)
• Objective – to assure margins on account of profit and risk to farmers, irrespective of the fact whether sugar mills generate profit or not.

Cobra Beat

News –

• In a bid to tackle micro-level issues contributing to traffic congestion, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has launched a Cobra Beat system.

Cobra Beat system

• It is a traffic management initiative by the Bengaluru Traffic Police
• Overview – to address congestion by having designated officers, known as “Cobras,” patrol specific routes during peak hours to tackle issues like illegal parking, bottlenecks, and wrong-way driving.
• These officers act as first responders to proactively resolve minor traffic problems that cause major jams, improving real-time traffic flow.

Chief Minister’s Kaushalya Karnataka Yojane (CMKKY)

News –

• Chief Minister’s Kaushalya Karnataka Yojane (CMKKY) shall be targeted under schemes implemented directly by SDEL
• 50 lakh youth shall be targeted under schemes implemented by other Government departments and government bodies.

Chief Minister’s Kaushalya Karnataka Yojane (CMKKY)

• Aim- It is the flagship skill development scheme by the Government of Karnataka, providing free, short-term vocational training to the state’s youth to enhance their employability and promote entrepreneurship.

Key Features and Objectives

• Goal: The scheme aims to skill 5 lakh youth annually across various government departments to meet industry demands.
• Target Audience: It is designed for youth, especially school drop-outs and existing workers in the informal sector, within an general age group of 15 to 35 years (with some exceptions for specific categories).
• Training Areas: Training is offered in nearly 3,000 job roles across over 35 sectors, including IT & ITeS, healthcare, automotive, electronics, and agriculture. Recent updates for 2025-26 prioritize emerging areas like Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain.
• Placement Assistance: The Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC), which oversees the program, also facilitates placement opportunities for at least 70% of the trainees after successful completion of the course.
• Integration with other schemes: CMKKY works in convergence with central government schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and the state’s recent “Yuvanidhi Plus” initiative for beneficiaries receiving unemployment allowances.

SWR launches ‘MUTS Sahayak’ ticketing scheme

News

• In a bid to streamline the ticketing process, South Western Railway (SWR) has launched the Mobile Unreserved Ticketing System (MUTS) Sahayak Scheme at the KSR Bengaluru Station.
• This makes SWR the first railway zone in the country to introduce the initiative.

Mobile Unreserved Ticketing System (MUTS) Sahayak Scheme

• Under the scheme, trained MUTS Sahayaks will use MUTS handheld devices to issue unreserved tickets to passengers.

 The move is aimed at easing congestion at ticket counters and providing commuters with a quicker, hassle-free option for purchasing tickets.

Honnavar Port Project

News –

• Fact-finding report asks State to revoke environmental clearance

Honnavar Port Project

• Location: Honnavara (Honnavar), Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, at the mouth of the Sharavathi River.
• Project type: Major deep-water port development under public-private partnership; managed by Honnavar Port Private Limited (HPPL) in collaboration with Karnataka Maritime Board.
• Project cost: Approximately ₹607 crore.
• Cargo handling: Initial capacity of 4.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), expected to boost regional maritime trade and economic growth.
• Opposition: Strong resistance from local fishing communities across five villages due to threats to livelihoods and ecological concerns related to the Sharavathi estuary.