Category: State Current Affairs

State water commission

News –

• State govt. planning to set up permanent water commission

State water commission

• Karnataka is planning to establish a permanent water commission comprising technical experts on the lines of the Central Water Commission,
• Purpose- to recommend to the State government measures on water security and on matters of water dispute It will also assess demand and availability of water in the State, and fix responsibility on farmers for its usage.

Composition –

• The commission will have 10 to 15 technical experts.
• It will have representatives from the Irrigation and the Finance Departments, experts from the field of environmental science and water resources, and progressive farmers, among others.

Karnataka bags award for highest under-construction wind capacity

News –

• Karnataka has won the national award for having the highest under-construction wind capacity in 2024–25.
• The recognition was presented during the seventh edition of Windergy India 2025, the country’s flagship wind energy event held in Chennai.

Additional information – Wind Energy Sector in India: Status

• Wind Power Capacity: India has the 4th largest installed wind power capacity in the world.
• Installed Capacity: As of 51.67 GW as of August 12, 2025.
• Highest wind energy producing states – Gujarat followed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka & Rajasthan.

Government Initiatives for the Wind Sector

• National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy (2018): Encourages combining wind and solar in one project to ensure continuous power supply and efficient land use.
• Offshore Wind Policy (2015): Provides framework for developing offshore wind farms in Indian waters, including permissions and grid planning.

Rajyotsava award

News –

• On the occasion of the Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations on November 1, the State government on Thursday announced its annual Rajyotsava awards for 70 personalities for their contributions in different fields.

Kannada Rajyotsava Award

• It is also known as the Rajyotsava Prashasti.
• It is the second-highest civilian honor presented by the Government of Karnataka.
• It is awarded annually on November 1st, which marks Kannada Rajyotsava—the anniversary of the formation of Karnataka state in 1956 through the unification of Kannada-speaking regions
• The award carries an amount of ₹5 lakh, a 25-gram gold medal, and a citation.

List of 2025 recipients

State Film Lifetime Achievement Awards and literary awards  (2019)

News – The Karnataka State Film Lifetime Achievement Awards recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to Kannada cinema over their lifetime

• Award: Dr. Rajkumar Award

Awardee: Umashree

Category: Lifetime Achievement in Cinema

Issuing Authority: Government of Karnataka (Department of Information and Public Relations)

• Award: Puttanna Kanagal Award

Awardee: N. R. Nanjunde Gowda

Category: Lifetime Achievement in Direction

• Issuing Authority: Government of Karnataka (Department of Information and Public Relations)
• Award: Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award

Awardee: Richard Castelino

Category: Lifetime Achievement in Film Production/Direction

Issuing Authority: Government of Karnataka (Department of Information and Public Relations)

• In the literary category, the State Film Literature Award for 2019 has been conferred on senior journalist Raghunath Ch.Ha. for his book “Belli Tore – Cinema Essays,” published by Ankita Prakashana.
• Both the author and the publisher will receive ₹20,000 in cash and a silver medal each.

ASTraM app

News –

• Traffic police introduce e-accident report feature on its ASTraM app

ASTraM app

• Abbreviation – Actionable Intelligence for Sustainable Traffic Management
• Launched by – Bengaluru Traffic Police in January 2024

Objectives

• To equip Bengaluru Traffic Police with real-time, data-driven situational awareness for better traffic management.
• To provide congestion alerts every 15 minutes to traffic officials and stakeholders for proactive traffic planning.
• To enable citizens to actively participate by reporting accidents, violations, and making online traffic fine payments.

Devadasi survey extended

News –

• The ongoing resurvey of Devadasis in Karnataka has been extended till December 31. The Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC), the nodal agency for conducting the survey,.
• The Karnataka Cabinet has approved the Karnataka Devadasi (Prevention, Prohibition, Relief and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2025, aiming to strengthen efforts against the Devadasi system

Devadasi rehabilitation Bill

• It will replace the 1982 Act
• Mandate – to protect the dignity of Devadasis and their children.

Devadasi system

• It is an ancient practice dating back to the Chola, Chera, and Pandya dynasties, involving dedicating young lower-caste girls to temple deities.
• Though termed “servants of God,” these girls often end up providing sexual services to temple patrons and powerful men.
• The system persists under different regional names across India, such as Natis (Assam), Maharis (Kerala), Basavi/Jogati (Karnataka), Jogin (Andhra Pradesh), and Aradhini (Maharashtra).

Akkai on panel to draft transgender equal opportunity policy

News –

• Trans rights activist Akkai Padmashali from Karnataka has been named as a member of a Supreme Court-appointed committee that was formed to formulate an equal opportunity policy for the protection of the rights of transgender persons.
• The Supreme Court set up a committee under former Justice Asha Menon to formulate an equal opportunity policy for transgender individuals.

Challenges Transgender are Facing

1. Institutional gaps in implementing the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and Rules.
2. Lack of data and representation in policymaking.
3. Healthcare discrimination.
4. Workplace barriers.
5. Social stigma.

Steps Taken To Improve the Lives of Transgender Persons

• Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 – It is aimed at protecting the rights of transgender individuals and their welfare. The act prohibits discrimination against transgender people in areas like education, employment, healthcare, and public services.
• NALSA (2014): Recognized transgender persons as a third gender.
• National Portal for Transgender Persons: Enables online applications for identity certificates.
• SMILE scheme: It is aimed at rehabilitation and support for transgender persons, including livelihood and social security components.

Facial recognition attendance (FRA)

News-

• Facial recognition attendance (FRA) has already been implemented as a pilot project for three months in schools and PU colleges in Mandya, Haveri, and Bengaluru South districts
• Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced the implementation of the FRA in the State Budget for 2025-26.

Facial recognition attendance (FRA)

• It is a contactless biometric system that detects a face, creates a numerical template (embedding), matches it to an enrolled profile, and auto-logs time, date, and location.
• Workflow: Capture → Detect → Normalize → Feature extraction (embedding) → Match (threshold) → Liveness check → Attendance log → Sync to server/HRMS.
• Core components: Camera/mobile app; face detection/recognition model (CNN-based); liveness/anti-spoofing; secure template database; admin dashboard; integrations (HR/payroll, access control).

District planning committees

News-

• The Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission chaired by B R Patil has expressed dissatisfaction over district in-charge, not holding regular meetings of district planning committees

District Planning Committee (DPC)

• It is a constitutional body under Article 243Z. It is mandatory in every district.
• Core mandate: consolidate Panchayat and Municipality plans; prepare a draft development plan for the district.
• Composition: at least four-fifths elected from among elected members of district Panchayats and Municipalities, in proportion to rural–urban population.
• Remaining members: as provided by state law; may include MLAs/MPs of the district and nominated experts.

Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-2 (KARC-2)

News –

• Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission recommends closure of seven boards and corporations, merger of nine others.

Recommendations

• The boards and corporations whose closure has been recommended are:

1. Karnataka State Social Welfare Board
2. Karnataka State Temperance Board
3. Karnataka Cooperative Poultry Federation
4. Karnataka Pulpwood Limited
5. Karnataka State Agro-Corn Products Limited
6. Mysore Lamp Works Limited
7. Karnataka Agro Industries Corporation Limited.

The boards and corporations whose merger has been recommended are

1. Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society
2. Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation Ltd
3. Bengaluru Suburban Railway Company Ltd. (B-RIDE)
4. Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation Ltd.
5. Ahara Karnataka Ltd.
6. Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation Ltd.

Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-2 (KARC-2)

• Constituted in – January 2021
• Mandate – to recommend comprehensive measures for enhancing transparency, efficiency, and accountability in public administration.
• The commission’s mandate includes restructuring administrative systems, simplifying citizen-centric service delivery, and strengthening institutional governance across departments.
• The current Chairman of the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission is Shri R.V. Deshpande, who was appointed in January 2024 with the status of a Cabinet Minister. He took over from the previous chairman, Shri T.M. Vijay Bhaskar

Additional Information-

Cabinet approves Bengaluru Business Corridor

News –

• 117-km Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC), formerly known as the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), to connect Electronics City with Tumakuru Road and Mysuru Road.

Bengaluru Business Corridor

• Implementation – Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) would develop the BBC.
• It connects Electronics City with Tumakuru Road and Mysuru Road.
• Significance – It decongest traffic by up to 40% by diverting through-traffic and linking major radial highways; alternative/complement to NICE Road.

Namo Bharat trains

News –

• Bengaluru City likely to get Namo Bharat trains to boost regional connectivity

Namo Bharat

• It is India’s first semi-high-speed regional rail service (previously known as RapidX) designed for fast, comfortable, and efficient inter-city travel within the National Capital Region (NCR) and other urban areas.
• It is currently India’s fastest operational train, running at a top speed of 160 km/h on dedicated corridors
• It marked the launch of India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System service, initially branded RapidX and introduced to the public as Namo Bharat at launch.

State inks pact with GAIL to generate gas from wet waste

News –

• The Karnataka ​government has signed an agreement with Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) to generate gas from wet waste in Bengaluru.
• This will help reduce the problem of waste in Bengaluru,and that the gas will be distributed to industries and hotels.

The types of waste generated and managed in Bangalore include:

• Organic Waste – Kitchen waste such as food leftovers, vegetable peels, fruit waste, tea/coffee grounds, eggshells, garden pruning and green waste.
• Non-Organic (Dry) Waste – Recyclable solid waste like plastics (bags, bottles, containers), metals (utensils, wires, batteries), glass (bottles/cups), paper (newspapers, cardboard), and wood.
• Hazardous Waste – Items such as insect sprays, chemicals, medical waste (syringes, bio-medical waste), e-waste, batteries, and sanitary products.
• Inert Waste – Construction and demolition debris like sand, concrete, clay, subsoil, stones, and rubble.

Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016:

• Mandatory Source Segregation: Waste generators must segregate waste into three streams: wet (biodegradable), dry (plastic, paper, metal, etc.), and domestic hazardous waste.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Manufacturers/brand owners of certain products (e.g., plastic packaging, e-waste, batteries) are financially responsible for collecting and processing their post-consumer waste.
• Role of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs): Responsible for door-to-door collection, transportation, processing, and disposal.
• User Fees and Spot Fines: Local bodies can levy user fees for waste services and spot fines for littering or non-segregation.
• Promotion of Waste Processing: Emphasis on composting, biomethanation, recycling, and waste-to-energy plants over landfills.

Government Initiatives

• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) (Urban and Gramin): Flagship cleanliness campaign with a focus on achieving “Garbage-Free Cities” (SBM-U 2.0) through scientific waste management.
• Waste to Wealth Mission: Promotes converting waste into energy, compost, and other valuable products.
• GOBAR-Dhan Scheme: Focuses on converting organic waste and cattle dung into biogas, bio-CNG, and organic manure in rural areas.
• NAMASTE Scheme: Aims to formalize and integrate informal waste pickers into the formal waste management system, providing them with safety and social security.