Category: State Current Affairs

State Film Awards

News-

• The Karnataka government has announced the State Film Awards for 2021, celebrating the best of Kannada cinema released in that year.

State Film Awards

1. Best Film: “Doddahatti Boregowda” (Directed by Raghu KM)
2. Second Best Film: “777 Charlie” (Directed by Kiranraj K)
3. Third Best Film: “Bisilu Kudure” (Directed by Hridaya Shiva)
4. Best Actor: Rakshit Shetty for “777 Charlie”
5. Best Actress: Archana Jois for “Mute”
6. Best Supporting Actor: Pramod for “Ratnan Prapancha”
7. Best Supporting Actress: Umashree for “Ratnan Prapancha”
8. Best Popular Entertaining Film: “Yuvarathnaa” (Produced by Vijay Kiragandur, Directed by Santhosh Ananddram)
9. Best Children’s Film: “Cake” (Directed by Kishore Moodbidri)
10. Best Debut Director: Shankar Guru for “Badava Rascal”
11. Best Regional Language Film: “Nada Peda Asha” (Kodava language, Directed by Prakash Kariappa)

HelpAge India launches ‘AdvantAge60’ campaign

News –

• HelpAge India, a NGO working for the cause of senior citizens, launched its new campaign ‘AdvantAge60

‘AdvantAge60: Powering Aspirations’,

• It is a campaign that promotes a positive view of aging for elders in India.
• The campaign aims to showcase how individuals over 60 can lead active, enabled, and empowered lives, countering ageist stereotypes by highlighting the strength and potential of older people.
• Theme: “Powering Aspirations – Active, Enabled & Empowered”.
• Launch: Launched on International Day of Older Persons 2025.

Three new judges of HC assume office

News –

• Chief Justice of the High Court Vibhu Bakhru administered the oath to Justices Geetha Kadaba Bharataraja Setty, Borkatte Muralidhara Pai, and Tyagaraja Narayan Inavally.

Constitutional Provisions Related to High Courts

• Articles 214 to 231 in Part VI of the Indian Constitution deal with the provisions related to the High Courts.

Appointment of Judges of High Court

• The Chief Justice and other judges of the High Court are appointed by the President of India as can be seen in the following sections.

Appointment of Chief Justice of High Court

• The Chief Justice is appointed by the President after consultation with the Governor of the concerned State and the Chief Justice of India.

Appointment of Other Judges of High Court

• Other judges of the High Court are appointed by the President after consultation with the Governor of the State, the Chief Justice of India, and the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court.

Additional information – List of Chief justice of Karnataka Highcourt

Karnataka sees sharp increase in road accidents

News –

• Among 53 cities across India, Bengaluru is ranked in the top five with a 30.3% increase in accidents; it was preceded by Ranchi (50.3%), Varanasi (46.3%), and Pune (35%)

Initiatives of Karnataka government to promote road safety

• Karnataka State Road Safety Authority Act, 2017: The government established the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority to systematically implement road safety programs and manage a dedicated Road Safety Fund.
• Partnership with SaveLIFE Foundation: The government has signed an MoU with the SaveLIFE Foundation to implement data-driven interventions, including the “Zero Fatality District” (ZFD) programme in high-fatality district This collaboration has already contributed to a significant reduction in fatalities on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway through specific engineering and enforcement measures.
• “Namma Raste Namma Surakshite” Safe-A-Thon: The Transport Department organizes community events, such as walkathons, marathons, and cyclothons, to promote life-saving habits and general road safety awareness.
• “Catch the Youth” Program: The Traffic Warden Organisation reaches out to colleges to educate young adults on road safety and discourage wilful violations like overspeeding and riding without helmets.
• COBRA Patrol Vehicles: Bengaluru traffic police deploys motorbikes for 24/7 patrolling and first response to accidents, breakdowns, and other traffic issues, coordinated via the control room.

Shakti scheme

News –

• Shakti scheme, the flagship women-empowerment initiative of the State government, has achieved another global milestone by entering the International Book of Records – World Record of Excellence.
• Over 500 crore free tickets have been issued since the launch of the scheme, which offers free bus travel for women.

Shakti scheme

• Launched in – The scheme was launched on June 11, 2023
• It is a program which provides free bus travel for all women residents of Karnataka.
• Objective: Its primary aim is to empower women by improving access to public transport, encouraging their participation in the workforce, and enhancing their financial independence and mobility.
• Targeted beneficiary – All women domiciled in Karnataka, including female students and transgender women, are eligible.
• Note – Free travel is valid only in non-premium buses operated by KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC, and only within the state.

Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary

News –

• The carcass of a tiger was found in the Hanur range of M.M. Hills Wildlife Sanctuary that is suspected to be another case of poisoning.

Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location – It is located at the intersection of the Western and the Eastern Ghats and falls in the Chamarajanagara District of Karnataka.
• It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2013.
• It is contiguous to Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It’s the home of the famous Male Mahadeshwara Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Mahadeshwara.
• Male Mahadeshwara Hills is bound by the Kaveri River to the northeast and by the Palar River to the south.
• Vegetation: The forests are dry deciduous type, patches of moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen and shola forests can be found here.
• Flora: Anogeissus latifolia, Boswellia serrata, Hardwikia binata and Chloroxylon swietenia etc.
• Fauna – It is home to several animals, including elephants, Indian bison, wild dogs, leopards, foxes, sambars, spotted deer, and many species of birds.
• It is also a tiger habitat noted for its increasing number of tigers.

Cybercrimes in bengaluru

News –

• Bengaluru accounts for 51.92% of cybercrimes in metros according to the NCRB report.

Key findings of the ep

• The State recorded 21,889 cybercrime cases, 20% more than Telangana, which registered 18,236 cases.
• Karnataka has emerged as the cybercrime capital of India, accounting for 25.57% of all registered cases in the country in 2023.
• At the heart of Karnataka’s cybercrime surge is Bengaluru. The IT hub alone accounted for 17,631 of the 21,889 cases reported in the State in 2023, making it the city with the highest cybercrime incidence in the country.

Initiatives of Karnataka government to prevent cybercrime

• New Cyber Command Unit – It consolidates 45 police stations to manage all cybercrime cases.
• Karnataka Cybersecurity Policy 2024 – It focuses on safeguarding infrastructure and promoting awareness, and the establishment of a Cyber Command Center in Bengaluru.
• Centre for Cybercrime Investigation Training & Research (CCITR) – to improve investigation and prosecution to prevent cyber crimes.

Five new city corporations under Greater Bengaluru Authority

News –

• The State government on Tuesday published a draft of the new wards within the five city corporations in Bengaluru, taking the total number of wards in the city to 368, up from 198.

Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA)

• It is a new apex urban governance body for the city of Bengaluru which became operational in May and September 2025.
• It replaced the former single civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)
• It operates under the authority of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024.

Key Functions and Structure

• Apex Coordinating Body: The GBA is responsible for coordinating and supervising the activities of multiple newly formed city corporations (currently five: East, West, Central, North, and South) and various parastatal agencies like the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), BMRCL (Metro), and BWSSB (Water Board).
• Urban Planning: It serves as the primary planning authority for the entire Greater Bengaluru Area
• Leadership: The GBA is chaired by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, with the Minister of Bengaluru Development serving as the Vice-Chairperso The Chief Commissioner acts as the member secretary.
• Membership: The Authority includes a wide range of ex-officio members with voting rights, such as state ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from Bengaluru constituencies, mayors of the five city corporations, and heads of key civic agencies.
• City Corporation – Up to seven city corporations are permitted; five are currently active.