26th and 27th June, 2025 - Notes on Daily Karnataka Current Affairs

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26th June, 2025 - Notes on Daily Karnataka Current Affairs

The Karnataka Water Security and Resilience programme:

• World Bank-funded initiative aimed at improving water security and disaster resilience in Karnataka, with a focus on Bengaluru

• $426 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

Key Objectives and Features:

Water Security and Flood Mitigation:

• The program seeks to enhance Bengaluru’s water resource management to meet the demands of its growing population and economy.

• It aims to revive 183 lakes in Bengaluru to act as natural sponges for flood mitigation, addressing the city’s vulnerability to frequent flooding, which has caused average annual losses of over $1.2 billion since 2009.

• Advanced flood modeling using computer simulations will predict flooding risks, optimizing resilience investments.

Infrastructure Improvements:

• Over 100,000 households will gain sewerage connections for the first time.

• Nine Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) will be constructed to prevent sewage from polluting lakes and drains, with treated wastewater reused for industrial purposes and groundwater recharge.

• Aging water pipes will be replaced, and smart water meters introduced to improve efficiency.

Disaster Preparedness:

• The program will strengthen the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre to enhance early warning systems and improve responses to extreme weather events.

Financial and Institutional Support:

• It will mobilize $5 million in private capital to modernize water systems and boost revenues for the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).

• The initiative supports the state’s broader goals of sustainable water management and disaster resilience, overseen by the Department of Revenue (Disaster Management).

Karnataka State’s Longest Cable Stayed Bridge:

• Across Sharavati river in Sagar Taluk, Shivamogga

• Also known as the Sigandur Bridge or Ambaragodlu-Kalasavalli Bridge. Connecting Ambaragodlu and Tumari (or Kalasavalli and Sigandur), the bridge is part of National Highway 369E. It significantly improves regional connectivity by reducing travel distance between Sigandur and Sagar from 80 km to about 40 km, cutting travel time by up to two hours.

• It also shortens the journey between Kollur (Udupi district) and Sagar, benefiting pilgrims visiting the Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple.

• Approximately 2.1 to 2.44 km long, with 740 meters of its span supported by cables.

• It is an extradosed balanced cantilever bridge, a hybrid design combining elements of girder and cable-stayed bridges for enhanced stability and aesthetics.

Goa-Tamnar power project

• Project to Supply power from Chattisgarh to Goa via Karnataka.

• The Goa-Tamnar Transmission Project (GTTP) is a 400 kV power line connecting Tamnar (Chhattisgarh) to Xeldem (Goa) via Karnataka, aimed at strengthening Goa’s power supply.

• Karnataka is critical to this project as 72 km of the line crosses our forests in Belagavi, Dharwad, and Uttara Kannada.

Key Concerns

The project poses serious threats to Karnataka’s environment and wildlife:

• Forest and Wildlife Impact: It requires 174.652 hectares of forest land, including 6.6 km through the Kali Tiger Reserve, potentially felling over 70,000 trees. This endangers tigers, elephants, and wildlife corridors like the Dandeli Elephant Corridor and Bhimgad Sanctuary.

• Rejections Overturned: Karnataka rejected the project in 2021 and 2024 to protect our ecology. However, central government pressure led to a 2025 directive to reconsider with new alignments, raising concerns about political interference.

• Interstate Politics: Approval has been tied to Goa’s stance on our Kalasa-Banduri project, suggesting a possible trade-off. This complicates our ability to prioritize environmental concerns.

Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has declared 15 drugs and products manufactured by various pharma companies as ‘substandard’

About Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drug Administration Department

Key Functions and Responsibilities

Food Safety Regulation:

• Enforces the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, ensuring safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

• Regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food products.

• Conducts inspections and collects food samples for testing to detect unsafe, substandard, or misbranded products. For example, in January 2025, 3,608 food samples were tested, with 26 found unsafe and 28 of poor quality; in February, 2,543 samples were tested, with eight unsafe and five below standards.

• Issues and renews licenses for Food Business Operators (FBOs). Petty FBOs with an annual turnover of up to ₹12 lakh require registration, while those with turnovers between ₹12 lakh and ₹20 crore need a license, valid for 1 to 5 years.

• Categorizes food businesses into high-risk (e.g., milk, meat, prepared foods), medium-risk (e.g., honey, beverages), and low-risk (e.g., oils, fruits, bakery products) for targeted inspections.

• Penalizes violations, such as unhygienic manufacturing (up to ₹1 lakh fine) or adulteration (up to ₹2 lakh for non-injurious and ₹10 lakh for injurious adulterants).

Drug and Cosmetics Regulation:

• Implements the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and Rules, 1945, to ensure the quality, safety, and availability of drugs and cosmetics at prices fixed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).

• Issues licenses for manufacturing, selling, and storing drugs, cosmetics, blood banks, and medical devices. A minimum area of 10 square meters is required to open a medical shop.

• Conducts inspections and collects samples for quality testing. In 2024–2025, 1,133 drug samples were tested, with 106 substandard; in February 2025, 1,841 samples were analyzed, with 58 failing. Additionally, 262 cosmetic samples were tested in December 2024, with 120 meeting standards.

• Recalls substandard drugs (e.g., ₹17 lakh worth recalled in 2024–2025) and files cases for violations (75 cases filed from December 2024 to January 2025).

• Monitors psychotropic and narcotic drugs under the NDPS Act, inspecting 488 medical shops in January 2025.

• Issues certificates like Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Free Sale, and Export Registration for tenders and exports.

Emerging Initiatives:

• Developing software to track drug stocks from manufacturers to retailers for faster recall of substandard products.

• Addressing unregulated tattoo inks, which were found to contain 22 harmful heavy metals (e.g., selenium, chromium, arsenic), urging the central government for safety standards.

Recent Activities

• Quality Control: In June 2025, 15 drug batches and one cosmetic product, including IV fluids, antibiotics, and nutritional supplements, were declared “Not of Standard Quality” by the FDA.

• Special Campaigns: In August 2024, a drive tested artificial colors in cakes, identifying 12 unsafe samples (4.06% of those tested).

• Public Health Protection: The department actively removes low-quality medicines and unsafe food from the market through inspections and legal actions.

Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS):

Crisis background: Karnataka produces 8-10 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes annually across 1.39 lakh hectares, with key districts including Bengaluru Rural, Urban, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Ramanagara. In 2025, prices crashed from ₹12,000 per quintal to ₹3,000 per quintal due to oversupply, adverse weather, disease outbreaks, and Andhra Pradesh’s ban on Totapuri mangoes. This left farmers unable to recover costs, sparking protests.

Market Intervention Scheme (MIS)

What is it?

• The MIS is a price support mechanism under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), introduced to stabilize prices of perishable agricultural and horticultural commodities (e.g., mangoes, apples, onions) when market prices crash due to oversupply or other factors.

• It involves direct procurement of produce by government agencies at a predetermined Market Intervention Price (MIP) to ensure farmers receive remunerative prices and avoid distress sales.

• The scheme is implemented at the request of state governments, with losses shared equally (50:50) between the central and state governments (or 75:25 for North-Eastern states).

• MIS is temporary, applied for specific crops, regions, and durations, typically during peak harvest seasons when prices plummet.

How it helps Karnataka mango growers?

• Procurement at MIP: In June 2025, the Union government approved an MIS for Karnataka mango farmers, setting an MIP of ₹1,616 per quintal for up to 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes (primarily the Totapuri variety).

• Stabilizing prices: By procuring a significant portion of the produce, the scheme reduces oversupply in the market, helping to stabilize prices and prevent further crashes.

• Support amid regional trade issues: A ban by Andhra Pradesh on Karnataka’s Totapuri mangoes disrupted trade, exacerbating the price crash. The MIS counters this by providing an alternative market through central agencies like the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).

• Reducing post-harvest losses: Direct procurement minimizes losses for farmers in districts like Kolar and Chikkaballapur, where protests erupted due to unsold produce.

Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS)

What is it?

• The PDPS, also part of PM-AASHA, compensates farmers for the difference between the market price and a predetermined price (often based on the cost of cultivation or a minimum support price) when direct procurement is not feasible.

• Instead of physically procuring crops, the government transfers the price deficit directly to farmers’ bank accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

• This scheme is particularly useful for perishable crops like mangoes, where storage and procurement logistics are challenging.

• Like MIS, it is implemented with cost-sharing between the central and state governments.

How it helps Karnataka mango growers?

• Compensation for price gaps: In 2025-26, Karnataka rolled out the PDPS to stabilize incomes for mango farmers facing prices as low as ₹3,000 per quintal compared to cultivation costs of ₹5,466 per quintal. Farmers receive compensation for the price difference, ensuring they recover input costs.

• Financial relief: The state allocated ₹101 crore from a Revolving Fund for PDPS, with 50% reimbursement from the Union government. This covers up to 100 quintals per farmer (20 quintals per acre, limited to 5 acres), benefiting small and marginal farmers in districts like Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Kolar, and Chikkaballapur.

• Streamlined implementation: The Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited is the nodal agency, ensuring transparency through pre-registration, verification using Bhoomi and UIDAI-linked crop data, and DBT payments. Procurement occurs via Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs), sub-yards, Direct Purchase Centres, and approved processing units.

• Reducing distress: By covering price deficits, PDPS alleviates financial stress, preventing protests and socio-economic fallout in mango-growing regions.

Impact and Limitations

Positive impact:

• Income stability: MIS and PDPS ensure farmers receive fair compensation, reducing losses and stabilizing rural economies.

• Quick relief: The swift response in June 2025, following appeals, demonstrates government commitment to farmer welfare.

• Farmer-centric approach: Direct payments and procurement through established agencies enhance trust and efficiency.

Limitations:

• Limited coverage: The schemes currently cover only 2.5 lakh metric tonnes, a fraction of Karnataka’s 8-10 lakh tonne production. Farmer unions have demanded increased procurement.

• Temporary nature: Both MIS and PDPS are short-term interventions. Permanent solutions like Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for horticultural crops are being demanded.

• Regional challenges: The Andhra Pradesh ban highlights the need for inter-state coordination to prevent trade disruptions

27th June, 2025

Tigress, 4 cubs found dead in M.M. Hills, poisoning suspected

• The Male Mahadeshwara (M.M. Hills) Wildlife Sanctuary is in Chamarajanagar district

• Bridge between the Western and Eastern Ghats

• It lies near the tri-junction of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, forming part of a contiguous tiger habitat with adjacent reserves like the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (north and east), Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (south), and Biligirirangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve (west).

• Since 2019, there have been efforts to declare it a tiger reserve, which would make it Karnataka’s sixth and give Chamarajanagar the distinction of hosting three tiger reserves (alongside Bandipur and BRT). The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approved the proposal in 2020, but delays persist due to political concerns, including the impact on religious tourism to the Mahadeshwara Temple and local communities.

Now Namma Metro tickets can be booked on various mobility apps on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

What is Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC):

• It is an initiative by the Indian government to make online shopping more open, fair, and accessible for everyone.

• It’s a digital marketplace that connects buyers and sellers across different apps or platforms, so they don’t have to rely on big e-commerce giants like Amazon or Flipkart.

How Does ONDC Work?

• Not a single app: ONDC is not one app or website. It’s a network that connects many apps, sellers, and buyers.

• Open to all: Small shops, local businesses, and big retailers can join ONDC. Buyers can use apps like Paytm, PhonePe, or others to shop from these sellers.

• Cross-platform shopping: For example, you could use Paytm to buy groceries from a seller listed on a different app, like Magicpin, without needing to download multiple apps.

• Fair competition: It helps small businesses compete with big players by giving them access to a wider market without high fees.

Why Was ONDC Created?

• To break the control of big e-commerce companies that charge high fees and favor certain sellers.

• To help small businesses, especially in rural areas, sell online easily.

• To give buyers more choices and better prices by connecting them to many sellers.

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