Page 3 - Karnataka Government

Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurates Dasara festival in Mysuru

The famous Mysuru Dasara festival commenced in the city and palaces on Monday with religious and traditional fervour, with International Booker Prize-winning writer Banu Mushtaq inaugurating the festivities. Mushtaq inaugurated the festivities during the auspicious "Vrushchika Lagna" by showering flowers on the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, amid chanting of Vedic hymns by priests, at the premises of Chamundeshwari temple atop the Chamundi Hills here. Celebrated as 'Nada Habba' (state festival), the 11-day Dasara or 'Sharan Navaratri' festivities are expected to be a grand affair this year, showcasing Karnataka's rich culture and traditions, coupled with reminiscence of royal pomp and glory. In the inaugural event, Mushtaq was accompanied by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, several ministers in the state cabinet, among others. Earlier, Mushtaq, along with CM and other dignitaries, visited the Chamundeshwari temple and offered prayers to th

Karnataka caste census begins today, minor delay possible in Bengaluru

Social and Educational Survey, popularly known as the 'caste census' in Karnataka, is to begin on Monday, though the exercise may be delayed by a day or two in Greater Bengaluru area in order to impart training and ensure necesary preparations. The survey by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes that will go on till October 7, will see as many as 1.75 lakh enumerators, mostly government school teachers, covering around 7 crore people in approximately 2 crore households across the state. The survey, at an estimated cost of Rs 420 crore, will be conducted "scientifically," with a 60-question questionnaire prepared for the exercise, according to officials. Meanwhile, amid criticism and objections from various sections, including within the ruling Congress, regarding the castes list prepared for the survey, containing a number of castes with dual identities -- having both Christian and Hindu caste names -- like 'Kuruba Christian', 'Brahmin Christian', 'Vokkaliga Christian'

Karnataka govt approves statewide caste census from Sep 22 to Oct 7

The Karnataka government on Friday approved the conduct of a statewide Social and Educational Survey or cast census of all citizens between September 22 and October 7 2025. In its order, the government said, "In view of the details stated in the proposal, approval is accorded to the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission to undertake a survey on the social and educational status of all citizens of the State from September 22, 2025 to October 7, 2025." The order notes that the Chairman of the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission had earlier written to the government stating the intention to carry out the survey during the above period. "Deputy Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayats have already been informed through video conference to organise the necessary training programmes at the district and taluk level for the enumerators and to create public awareness to ensure full participation in the survey," the order stated. The government clarified t

8 killed, 22 injured after truck rams into Ganesh procession in Karnataka

Karnataka CM Siddaramiah expressed grief on the death of the people and offered condolences to the families of the bereaved, and provided a compensation of ₹5 lakh to each of the families

President, Guv bound by advice of council of ministers: Karnataka to SC

The Congress-led Karnataka government on Tuesday asserted before the Supreme Court that under the constitutional scheme, the President and governors are only "titular heads" and are bound to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers, both at the Centre and in the states. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai was told by senior advocate Gopal Subramanian, appearing for the Karnataka government, that Article 361 of the Constitution grants immunity to the President and the governor from any criminal proceedings, as they do not perform any executive function. Referring to various verdicts of the apex court, Subramanian told a bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar that the satisfaction of governor required for acting on bills passed by assembly, is the satisfaction of the council of ministers. Resuming his argument on the eighth day of hearing on the Presidential reference on whether the court could .

Priyank Kharge seeks court-monitored audit, hackathon of EVM-VVPAT process

Karnataka's Minister for Information Technology Priyank Kharge has said that the state is ready to host a transparent evaluation of the entire EVMVVPAT process in partnership with judicial and industry oversight. Kharge had posted a copy of the letter he had written to the Election Commission of India again on September 6 on the social media platform X on Monday. In his letter, Kharge said he had written to the ECI on December 3, 2024, as well, outlining concerns regarding the function of EVMs and related procedural vulnerabilities, and suggesting a "constructive solution" in the form of a court-monitored ethical hackathon and audit, backed by the state. "With our strong technology and R&D ecosystem, I had proposed that Karnataka is well placed to carry out such a transparent exercise under judicial and industry oversight to rigorously test the EVM architecture and address public perception issues around electoral integrity," read the letter. He also said that on several ...

Activists involved in Dharmasthala row are from RSS-BJP: Priyank Kharge

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday alleged that the two activists Girish Mattannavar and Mahesh Shetty Thimarody were associated with the RSS and BJP. The two people are accused of being the brains behind the Dharmasthala row involving large-scale excavation following complaints of the burial of many young women and girl students, sources said. Two separate cases have been registered against Mattannavar and Thimarody for allegedly creating and circulating videos on social media, that disturbed communal harmony and offended public sentiments, police said on Tuesday. Kharge, who holds the Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister portfolio, told reporters that Thimarody is from RSS. "Against whom did they (BJP) speak inside the Karnataka Assembly? Wasn't that Mahesh Shetty Thimarody? This person is from RSS. The RSS is BJP's Guru. These people grew up in RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal," Kharge said. Regarding Mattennavar, the Minister said, "He is Bharatiya Janata Yuva .

Head Digital moves Karnataka High Court against real-money gaming ban

A23 Rummy operator files first writ against the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025, which bans real money games and ads, citing disruption to business and jobs

RSS song row: Shivakumar says ready to apologise if anyone is hurt

Apparently stung by criticism from within the party for singing the RSS' prayer song, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday offered to apologise if anyone was hurt over its rendition in the state assembly and asserted he was a Congressman and would die as one. Shivakumar, also the state Congress president, had taken everyone by surprise by singing the RSS prayer song on the floor of the House. The Deputy CM said he only made a "passing reference" in the Assembly. On August 21, Shivakumar recited a couple of lines of the RSS' prayer "Namaste Sada Vatsale..." in the Assembly during a debate on the June 4 Chinnaswamy stadium stampede. Addressing reporters here, he said, "I'm not bigger than anyone, my life is there to give strength to everyone. I have stood by everyone in their difficulty, still I stand by them...as a loyal Congressman I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings... If you want an apology, yes. For all the Congressmen and many political party friends of

SIT arrests complainant who alleged multiple burials in Dharmasthala

The complainant who had alleged there were multiple murders, rapes and burials in Dharmasthala over a period of the past two decades, was arrested on Saturday by the SIT formed to investigate these charges, official sources said. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) and its chief, Pranab Mohanty, have questioned the complainantwhose name is not revealedon Friday till late hours. Officials said the arrest was made after inconsistencies were found in the statements and documents provided. The SIT is continuing its probe into the matter. The complainant-witness, a former sanitation worker, has claimed that he worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, and that he was forced to bury a number of bodies, including those of women and minors, in Dharmasthala. He had alleged that some of the bodies showed signs of sexual assault. He has also given a statement before a magistrate in this regard.

Put wire mesh on safari vehicles, urge tourists to act properly: Minister

Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre has said that he instructed biological parks officials to install mesh on the windows and photography holes of all safari vehicles. The minister issued the notification immediately after a leopard entered a safari vehicle at the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BNP) in Bengaluru on August 15. The leopard had scratched a 12-year-old boy before it could be chased out of the vehicle. BNP's leopard safari enclosure, launched last year, covers 20 hectares and is India's largest leopard safari featuring semi-wild leopards, mostly rescued from in and around Bengaluru. Khandre said he had instructed the officials to take all necessary precautionary measures during the safari and to give appropriate warnings to tourists and to print a warning message on the safari ticket itself.

Karnataka-specific education policy in the works: CM Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said steps are being taken by the state government to frame a comprehensive "Karnataka-specific" education policy which will lead to holistic development of the youth. A commission constituted for this purpose has recommended a two-language policy in school education and that Kannada or the mother tongue be the medium of instruction up to Class 5. In his address during the 79th Independence Day celebrations here, the chief minister also said the government was upgrading first-grade colleges and polytechnics in the state, and establishing 13 new technical education institutions. "Recently, the State Education Policy Commission, chaired by Prof Sukhadeo Thorat, submitted its report. For the first time, steps are being taken to frame a comprehensive, Karnataka-specific education policy which will lead to holistic development of our youth," Siddaramaiah said. The Commission had submitted its report to Siddaramaiah on August 8. It was constituted i

Karnataka minister KN Rajanna removed from cabinet amid 'vote-theft' row

Rajanna reportedly upset the Congress leadership by questioning his own party's government in Karnataka for the alleged 'vote theft' in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment

PM-KISAN: ₹15,127.88 cr disbursed to beneficiaries in Karnataka since FY20

A total of Rs 15,127.88 crore was disbursed to beneficiaries from Karnataka under the central flagship scheme PM-KISAN since April 2020, Parliament was informed on Friday. Karnataka implemented the PM-KISAN scheme around the time the central government launched it nationally on February 24, 2019. "A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured that the benefits of the scheme reach all eligible farmers across the country without the involvement of any intermediaries," said Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur, in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha. As per the data placed before the Upper House on disbursal amount from the 5th installment onwards, a total of Rs 15,127.88 crore was transferred to the beneficiaries' bank accounts in Karnataka. The 20th installment of Rs 877.32 crore was disbursed for the April-June quarter to 43,29,135 beneficiaries. As on August 8, the Centre disbursed over Rs 3.90 lakh crore to farmers across the country in 20 installments since t

Karnataka eases setback rules to promote stilt parking in Bengaluru

RMP 2015 amended to exclude stilt floor height in building limits, allow relaxed setbacks for smaller plots, with experts warning of misuse and seeking stricter enforcement

Karnataka transport corporation strike: Unions demand pay revision, arrears

The strike left thousands of passengers stranded, particularly in major cities such as Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, and Belagavi

Protest vs protest: Govt prepared for Cong, BJP agitations, says K'taka HM

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said all necessary security precautions have been taken ahead of the protests planned for August 5. Countering an agitation called by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against vote theft during Lok Sabha polls last year at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, the opposition BJP is also protesting at Vidhana Soudha, to inform the public about the misleading stand of Congress. The day will also see state-wide protests by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees. Speaking to the reporters, the Home Minister said, The government has the capability to handle everything. Adequate police personnel have been deployed for security. Instructions have been issued for all necessary measures. Parameshwara also gave more details about the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF), formed to eradicate drugs in Bengaluru city. They function like a task force. They act based on wherever the information comes from. We have already given specific instructi

Justice Desai submits report to Karnataka govt in MUDA scam probe

Retired High Court judge Justice Desai, who investigated the alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, submitted a report to the Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh on Thursday. The Karnataka government has constituted a one-man Commission headed by retired High Court judge Justice P N Desai on July 14 to inquire into the alleged MUDA site allocation scam. The details of the report have not yet been made public. Allegations of a scam gathered steam after the BJP alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi was one of the beneficiaries of alternative sites (plots) allotted in lieu of land given to Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Siddaramaiah categorically rejected the allegation and claimed that MUDA illegally took over the four-acres of land belonging to his wife and formed a layout without her permission. The CM said MUDA compensated them by providing them with 14 alternative plots in Mysuru upmarket.

Chinnaswamy Stadium unsafe: Report points fingers at several stakeholders

The Bengaluru stampede after RCB's win has triggered questions on safety, crowd control, and accountability, casting uncertainty over the upcoming Women's World Cup 2025 and IPL 2026 matches

SC junks Karnataka govt's plea against quashing of case on Tejasvi Surya

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Karnataka government's plea against a high court order quashing the criminal case against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya. What is this? Don't politicise the matter. Fight your battles before the electorate, a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and K Vinod Chandran said. Surya was alleged to have disseminated fake news on a farmer's suicide in state's Haveri district. The bench dismissed the appeal of the state government and cautioned its against politicisation of legal proceedings. The case stemmed from a post shared by Surya on November 7, 2024, in which he cited a report from Kannada news portals claiming that a farmer, Rudrappa Channappa Balikai, had died by suicide after discovering that his land had been taken over by the Waqf Board. The post was subsequently deleted after it emerged that the claim was unfounded.