Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday asserted that whatever the Congress high command decides on the CM change issue is final, and that he will be committed to what the leadership says. He also clarified that he is not going to Delhi to discuss the issue, and will go only if he is called by the high command. The CM was responding to comments made by his deputy and another claimant for the Chief Minister post D K Shivakumar earlier in the day that he has "no confusion" over the leadership issue, as he and Siddaramaiah have discussed the matter in presence of the Congress high command. "I will not speak about it now. Whatever the high command says is final. There is no use of you asking unnecessary questions," the CM told reporters here. When reporters said that they were merely asking what Shivakumar had stated, a visibly upset Siddaramaiah said, "if he has said something, you ask him. I don't know. I'm committed to what the high command says." Stating that he is not go

Karnataka's new FAR rules allow developers to build taller projects in industrial zones, helping maximise land use as cities like Bengaluru face rising land scarcity

Bengaluru Metro's proposed fare hike has been put on hold after commuter backlash; BJP MP Tejasvi Surya protested against the move and was detained by police near a metro station

Two people, including the pilot, had a narrow escape when a private mini aircraft crashed into an open field in the district on Sunday afternoon, police sources said. The two-seater aircraft belonging to Redbird Aviation in Kalaburagi crashed at Mangaluru village in Babaleshwar Taluk of Vijayapura district, they said. Both the occupants ejected before it crashed, sources said, adding the aircraft broke into three pieces. Those who survived the accident were identified as Captain Kunal Malhotra, who is an Assistant Flight Instructor (AFI) at Redbird Aviation, and trainee pilot Goutham Sankar P R. The duo sustained injuries and was rushed to a hospital, they added. It is said that the training aircraft was flying from Kalaburagi to Belagavi, though more details are awaited. A civil aviation ministry spokesperson said, "Redbird Flying Training Academy Limited's Cessna 172 Aircraft, VT-EUC (MSN-17265717), made a forced landing in a field near Bagalkot, 100 km east of Belgavi Airport.

Karnataka's move to include PSU and SPV debt in state liabilities offers a template to curb off-budget borrowings and improve fiscal transparency, a World Bank report says

The deceased have been identified as Sujatha, Annapurna and Mariyambu, all residents of the Shivajipet area of Gajendragad. All three were farmer women, police officials said

The Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution urging the Centre to immediately repeal VB-G RAM G and reinstate MGNREGA amid walkout by the opposition BJP and its ally JD(S). The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, which was accepted by the House today. Opposition Leader R Ashoka said the party opposes the resolution moved by the ruling Congress and supports the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G). He also reiterated his party's demand that Excise Minister R B Timmapur should resign as there was a large scale corruption to the tune of Rs 6,000 crore in the Excise Department. The BJP leader on Tuesday alleged that the scam money was used for funding Congress in the poll-bound states. The BJP had on Tuesday staged an overnight agitation inside the Karnataka Assembly, which continued throughout Wednesday. The party raised slogans in the Assembly disrupting the proceedings demanding Timmapur's ...

The 16th Finance Commission has retained states' 41 per cent share in central taxes, but changes in the devolution formula mean gains for southern and western states and relative losses for several no

Nokia Corporation has expressed interest in establishing a Global Capability Centre (GCC) and additional research centres in Karnataka, Industries Minister M B Patil said. The telecommunications major, which has been associated with Karnataka for over 25 years and operates its largest global research centre in Bengaluru, discussed plans to expand operations across the state, including in Tier-2 cities. The discussions took place during meetings between senior Nokia officials and the state government on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos. Patil said the government has assured full support for Nokia's future expansion plans. The minister also reiterated the state government's commitment to supporting the World Economic Forum's 'Yes-BLR UpLink' initiative, which aims to develop the 'Yes Bengaluru' programme on sustainable urban development into a globally recognised platform for government-industry collaboration. Patil said the initiative was discussed in

Bike taxi services can resume in Karnataka after the High Court set aside the state ban; the court said riders and aggregators must apply for licences and the government must issue permits as per law

RPSG Group to invest ₹10,500 crore in Karnataka's Vijayapura and Ballari districts over three years, boosting the state's renewable energy ecosystem

The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday approved a five-year relaxation in the age limit for all candidates applying for government jobs through direct recruitment, applicable until December 31, 2027, official sources said. The relaxation applies to candidates across all categories. In September last year, the government had announced a three-year age relaxation. Under the new provision, for example, if the maximum age for a post is 35 years, candidates up to 40 years will now be eligible to apply. Officials said the move comes in view of recruitment delays caused by a freeze imposed in October 2024 while finalising internal reservation among Scheduled Castes (SCs). The freeze was lifted after the government fixed internal reservation quotas in August 2025: Group A (SC Left) 6 per cent, Group B (SC Right) 6 per cent, and Group C (Banjara, Bhovi, Korma, Korcha, and other 'most backward' communities) 5 per cent. Several elected representatives and organisations had petitioned for a five-

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday concluded his customary address to the joint session of the state legislature here after reading just two opening lines. After greeting the members, the governor remarked that he was pleased to address the joint session. "My government is committed to doubling the economic, social and physical development of the state. Jai Hind, Jai Karnataka," he read in Hindi. Congress members expressed strong displeasure over the Governor curtailing his speech, and raised "Shame Shame" slogans on the floor of the House. The brief appearance follows a tense standoff between the Lok Bhavan and the Congress-led government-- the latest in a series of Governor vs Government confrontations in non-BJP ruled states. Earlier, Gehlot was received at the steps of the state secretariat by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader, Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K ...

Karnataka has attracted new industrial investment proposals worth Rs 1.53 lakh crore in the 11 months following the Global Investors' Meet (GIM) held in February last year, Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil said on Saturday. The investments are over and above the commitments secured during the GIM. Ahead of his visit to the Davos economic summit as part of a high-level state delegation, Patil said the government's investment outreach was a continuous process and not limited to the investors' meet. He said leading companies had shown interest in sectors, including manufacturing, renewable energy, data centres and global capability centres (GCCs). The proposals are expected to be submitted to Karnataka Udyog Mitra shortly, after which approvals will be processed expeditiously. Of the total proposed investments, Rs 66,293 crore is in manufacturing and industry, Rs 20,913 crore in wind and solar power generation, Rs 12,500 crore in GCCs, and Rs 6,350 crore in data ...

The Special Court for Public Representatives on Tuesday reserved its order on a 'B-report' (closure report) in the MUDA land allotment case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M and others to January 22. The Lokayukta police had filed a B-Report against Siddaramaiah and others citing lack of evidences', which the complainant Snehamayi Krishna had challenged. On Tuesday, the case came up before the Special Court where the former MUDA Commissioner Dinesh Kumar was present as an accused. The Special Public Prosecutor of the Lokayukta submitted the synopsis of relevant portions of the case. Krishna, who was present as the party-in-person, filed a written submission before the court. The Court reserved its order on B-Report on January 22. It also ordered for the physical appearance of the accused on January 17. In the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday dismissed media speculation about a possible change in the state's leadership, reiterating that he will abide by the Congress high command's decision. Speaking to reporters after briefly meeting top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the airport, Siddaramaiah said there was no confusion within the party regarding leadership issues. He clarified that he did not hold any political discussions with Rahul Gandhi during the meeting. "No discussion has taken place today, and none is scheduled for the evening. He (Rahul Gandhi) is en route to Gudalur in Tamil Nadu and will return here later to fly back to Delhi. I will see him off again," Siddaramaiah said. Responding to questions about media reports on a possible leadership change, the CM said, "What speculations? You (the media) are the ones speculating. There is no such issue within the party. This question itself is baseless." Addressing rumours of confusion over a potential Cabinet ...

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the state government has begun verification of reports about Bangladeshi nationals obtaining Aadhaar and other identity documents and assured that action would be taken wherever violations are found. Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said he has already instructed senior police officials to compile detailed data on the presence of Bangladeshi nationals in Karnataka. The focus, he said, is on identifying those who have entered the country illegally and secured local identity documents to stay in the state. "We are verifying it. Already, I have told the Director General of Police and the police commissioners to extract statistics about Bangladeshis staying in Karnataka," Parameshwara said, adding, "They have come here and got different kinds of ID cards. They have got Aadhaar cards and other IDs and are behaving as if they are not even Bangladeshis." His response came following the arrest of two Bangladeshi nationals in th

Kristu Jayanti University marked its inauguration as a deemed university with a two-day event, featuring addresses by national education officials and the release of its commemorative book and logo

The state government on Saturday urged the Centre to address Karnataka's "shrinking fiscal space" in the Union Budget 2026-27, stating that the state is under mounting pressure due to GST changes, rising social commitments and rapid urbanisation. Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, on behalf of the state government, handed over a representation to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Union Pre-Budget Meeting for 2026-27 in Delhi today. In a release issued by the Chief Minister's Office, Gowda said, "Karnataka is a major contributor to national growth, but is facing shrinking fiscal space amid GST changes, rising social commitments, climate shocks, and rapid urbanisation. States' responsibilities have expanded faster than their revenues, necessitating corrective fiscal measures in Budget 2026-27." The minister also flagged the fiscal and employment impact of replacing the demand-driven Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the ..

Karnataka will host India's "first commercial quantum computer", with the state government announcing its deployment at the IIIT-Dharwad, Minister Priyank Kharge said on Thursday. The move is seen as a major step towards positioning Karnataka as a national hub for advanced quantum technologies, the state IT/BT minister said. The announcement followed separate meetings held by Priyank with Bengaluru-based deeptech firm QpiAI and Singapore-based water technology company ZWEEC, focusing on cutting-edge innovation and rural infrastructure solutions, according to a press release. "Karnataka is moving decisively in the quantum space. The deployment of India's first commercial quantum computer at the Indian Institute of Information Technology-Dharwad marks a significant milestone in building a world-class quantum ecosystem," the minister was quoted as saying. During discussions with QpiAI, Priyank reviewed plans to deploy the country's "first indigenously built commercial quantum computer