Page 5 - Karnataka

Priyank Kharge denies talks with Rahul Gandhi on Karnataka CM change

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday played down reports that he has held discussions with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the leadership change issue in the state, during a recent meeting, and has conveyed the latter's message to CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar. Maintaining that the Congress high command will decide and give clarity on the issue of CM change in Karnataka, he said, he met Gandhi to explain about KEO (Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source), an AI-ready personal computer, that was launched during the recent Bengaluru tech summit, and to discuss on "vote chori" cases in the state. The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculations about chief minister change in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, citing purported "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023. According to reports Kharge has conveyed Rahul Gandhi's messa

Shivakumar's crucial weekend may open a new chapter for Karnataka Congress

Siddaramaiah's Budget vow and Shivakumar's cryptic remarks revive debate on a stalled power-sharing deal and set the stage for a fresh tussle in Bengaluru

'Illegal, unsafe': Karnataka govt panel urges continuation of bike-taxi ban

Karnataka's expert panel has backed the continued ban on bike taxis, calling them illegal, unsafe and outside the Motor Vehicles Act

Karnataka government bets big on AI with ₹400 crore push at tech summit

Government teams with venture investors to back deeptech startups as Bengaluru seeks to fortify its position as India's premier innovation hub

Karnataka announces ₹5 lakh relief for fatal dog-bite victims' families

According to the new directive, the families of individuals who die due to dog bites will receive ₹5 lakh as compensation from the state government

Siddaramaiah hints at continuing as CM, says will present Budget next year

Signalling that he will continue as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah has asserted that he would present his record 17th Budget next year. Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented his 16th budget in March. He was speaking at the golden jubilee of LG Havanur on Wednesday, marking submission of the first backward classes commission report. "When I first became finance minister, a newspaper wrote -- this Siddaramaiah (a Kuruba) can't count a hundred sheep, how will he function as Karnataka's finance minister -- I accepted this as a challenge..... I have presented 16 budgets. Next, I will present the 17th budget," Siddaramaiah said, drawing loud applause. The 2026-27 budget is likely to be presented in March next year, and preparatory work has already begun. Siddaramaiah's comments come amid speculations about a possible leadership change in the state, when the Congress government reaches the halfway mark of its five-year term in November. There was s

Karnataka launches concept of India's 'first Quantum City' in Bengaluru

Karnataka Minister N S Boseraju on Wednesday unveiled the concept of "India's first Quantum City", proposed at Hesaraghatta here, aimed at positioning the state at the forefront of the global quantum technology landscape. Speaking at the Quantum Technology Roundtable during the 28th Bengaluru Tech Summit, the minister said that 2025 is being observed as the International Year of Quantum Science. The minister for Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology added that Karnataka is preparing not only to lead in research but also to export quantum hardware, cloud services, and skilled human resources to global markets. "Karnataka has the capability to build the quantum technologies of the future and export them to the world," he said. Under the Karnataka Quantum Mission, the state has announced a Rs 1,000 crore investment, with the vision of building India's strongest quantum ecosystem. The upcoming Quantum City will serve as the centrepiece of this mission, according to a statement. "T

Brain-eating amoeba: Why Karnataka has warned pilgrims visiting Sabarimala

Kerala's sharp rise in Naegleria fowleri infections has led Karnataka to caution Sabarimala pilgrims, urging awareness of symptoms, risks, water-safety measures to prevent the highly fatal infection

Karnataka plans ascent into India's space orbit with $22 billion target

State eyes $3 bn in investment and a 50% national share as it ramps up upstream, downstream activities

New AI city to come up in Bidadi, B'luru infra to get ₹1 trn: Shivakumar

Karnataka will build a 9,000-acre AI-driven IT city in Bidadi, creating a major new tech hub with strong connectivity and green spaces, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has announced

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah meets PM, insists on sugarcane price, AIIMS

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and insisted on demands pertaining to the state, including on Fair Recovery Price of sugarcane, AIIMS for Raichur, the release of flood relief among others. His demand on sugarcane price came in the wake of farmers' protest in the north Karnataka demanding an increase in the cane procurement price. The chief minister highlighted several long-standing demands of the state, including the release of over Rs 2,100 crore in flood relief, and the clearance of crucial irrigation projects in his memorandum to Modi. "The meeting, which comes amid ongoing state concerns over central fiscal devolution and disaster funding, covered five critical areas outlined in the document submitted to the PM," a statement issued by the chief minister's office said on Monday. In his memorandum to the prime minister, Siddaramaiah sought a sustainable solution to the sugarcane pricing crisis. "Following recent farmer agitations, the state

Karnataka launches KEO, a low-cost AI-ready PC to bridge the digital divide

Karnataka has introduced KEO, a RISC-V-based, AI-ready personal computer designed to offer affordable, locally built computing to students, households and small businesses, aiming to narrow the state'

X Corp challenges legality of 'Sahyog' portal takedown in Karnataka HC

Social media giant 'X' Corp has informed the Karnataka High Court that it received 29,118 government requests to remove content between January and June 2025, complying with 26,641 of them, a 91.49 per cent compliance rate. The company argued that these figures contradict a single judge's September 24 finding that the platform intends to defy Indian law. The data was furnished as part of X's writ appeal against the order upholding the Union government's 'Sahyog' portal, the online system used to issue takedown directions to intermediaries. In its recent appeal, X Corp contended that government agencies are unlawfully using Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with Rule 3(1)(d) of the 2021 IT Rules, to issue content removal orders. This, the company said, creates a parallel and unconstitutional mechanism that bypasses Section 69A of the IT Act, the only statutory process for blocking online content in India. The Supreme Court, in Shreya Singhal versus Unio

Karnataka to set up 5 world-class aerospace, defence parks: Dy CM Shivkumar

Shivkumar said the initiative aims to strengthen Karnataka's leadership in aerospace and defence manufacturing while creating new opportunities for skilled talent

Karnataka bets on quantum push to build a deep-tech hub beyond Bengaluru

New Centres of Excellence at IIIT and IIT Dharwad aim to expand high-end research, talent pipelines and industry partnerships beyond Bengaluru

Tractors carrying sugarcane set on fire in Karnataka amid farmers' protest

Tension prevailed in parts of Bagalkote district on Thursday as several tractors and trolleys carrying sugarcane to a factory in Rabkavi Banhatti taluk were set on fire, allegedly by miscreants. The incident occurred amid ongoing protests by sugarcane farmers demanding Rs 3,500 per tonne for their produce, police officials said. Firefighting personnel rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control. Farmer leaders, however, claimed the protesters had no role in the incident and suggested it may have been orchestrated by miscreants to tarnish their agitation. Reports also indicated some stone-pelting during the incident, injuring several people, including police personnel, sources said. Following the incident, Bagalkote Deputy Commissioner, exercising powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, issued prohibitory orders banning protests, strikes, and assemblies in Jamkhandi, Mudhol, and Rabkavi-Banhatti taluks from 8 pm on November 13 to 8 am

Priyank Kharge: Govt-industry ties vital for India's deeptech growth

Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge said the State aims to lead globally in deeptech innovation, emphasising collaboration between government and industry to boost entrepreneurship and talent

EC has not done justice to Bihar over vote deletions in SIR: D K Shivakumar

Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar Monday alleged the Election Commission has not done justice to the Bihar electorate as it has deleted a large number of poor voters and those seeking jobs outside the state from the electoral rolls. He claimed the EC was conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after admitting that "something wrong" was committed by "misusing its office". Shivakumar was here to present the 1.12 crore signatures collected from across Karnataka as part of the Congress' "Vote chor, gaddi chhod" campaign. "The Election Commission has not given justice to Bihar voters," he claimed, alleging that the votes of the poor and those migrating outside Bihar in search of jobs were deleted on a large scale during the SIR exercise. Shivakumar, however, did not answer any queries on whether he raised the issue of the change of chief ministership in Karnataka with the party high command. "I am not here to speak on politics.

Panel to probe lapses after videos show special treatment in Bengaluru jail

The BJP in Karnataka on Monday staged a demonstration here demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after videos purportedly showing inmates, including a terror accused, getting "special treatment" at the Bengaluru central jail, surfaced. The party has also sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the incident, calling it a "serious security lapse". The party leaders, including BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and Council R Ashoka and N Chaluvaraya Swamy were later taken into preventive custody at Shivananda Circle during their march towards the Chief Minister's office residence in the city. Holding placards and posters, the party members took out a march to Siddaramaiah's office-residence 'Krishna'. Speaking to reporters, Vijayendra claimed that the royal treatment given to the prisoners indicates rampant corruption in the prison department and the nexus between jail officials and criminals. Allegin

Belagavi farmers end protest after state fixes Rs 3,300/tonne for sugarcane

Sugarcane farmers, who have been protesting in Belagavi for the last ten days demanding a higher price for their produce, on Saturday withdrew their protest, following the Karnataka government fixing procurement price of sugarcane, yielding 11.25 per cent recovery, at Rs 3,300 per ton. With Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil handing over the government's order copy on the price fixation to farmers' leaders at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk of Belagavi, farmers celebrated and withdrew the protest, officials said. However, sugarcane farmers in Bagalkote, Mudhol, and a few other places have decided to continue with the protest, dissatisfied with the government's decision, calling it "confusing". Sugarcane farmers' had staged a protest at Gurlapur Cross demanding a procurement price of Rs 3,500 per ton of sugarcane, excluding harvesting and transport charges (H&T) for the last ten days. It had also spread across various parts of north Karnataka districts like Belagavi, Bagalkote, ...