1. Speed kills: Overspeeding leading cause of accidents on expressways, say experts
Home Minister G. Parameshwar recently said in the Legislative Assembly that 100 people had lost their lives in 84 fatal accidents which occurred on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway in the last four months. Similarly, in the first six months of this year, 45 fatal accidents have occurred on the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) expressway, which has been a hotspot for accidents ever since its inauguration.
But why do so many accidents take place on expressways? While the purpose of expressways is to provide quicker access to motorists, the instinct to overspeed on these freeways has made them perilous, experts opine. While engineering problems cannot be ignored, manual errors are said to be on a much larger scale when it comes to fatal accidents.
2. Karnataka In Focus | This food research institute is the Royal City’s crowning glory
Long before food tech became a fad, Mysuru came to house the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), a premier institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Established in 1950 on the premises of the majestic Cheluvamba Vilas Mansion donated by the then Maharaja of Mysore, Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the CSIR-CFTRI is on the threshold of completing 75 years.
A key research centre in the area of food science and technology for the last seven decades, with focus on food and nutritional security. it has to its credit over 400 technologies. On average, the CFTRI develops 15 to 20 technologies annually, and many are transferred to interested entrepreneurs every year, according to scientists.
3. Kannada TV news channels launch AI-powered news presenters
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has finally entered Kannada newsrooms. On July 11, 2023, 24/7 Kannada news channel Power TV launched Soundarya, Kannada’s first AI news presenter. Though Power TV introduced Soundarya as “South India’s first AI anchor”, many social media users were quick to point out that such an experiment had already been done by Malayalam and Telugu news channels. Power TV later modified its statement to call Soundarya “Kannada’s first AI news anchor”.
Close on the heels, another channel News First Kannada also launched their AI-assisted anchor, Maya.
4. Number of taxpayers increased by 4.20 lakh under GST in State
The State government on Friday informed the Legislative Assembly that the number of taxpayers had increased by 4.20 lakh, from 5.80 lakh during the VAT regime to 10 lakh under the current GST regime in Karnataka.
The tax collection too has increased from ₹44,816 crore in 2017-18 to ₹81,848 crore in 2022-23 under the GST, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs H K Patil said. Explaining the benefits under the GST and amendments required for the Karnataka Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Mr. Patil said ₹1,320 crore had been collected in the form of penalty from various traders in the State during 2022-23. Close to 1,400 bogus dealers have been nabbed, he said.
5. Karnataka to release its maritime policy to develop port sector shortly
The State government is likely to release the Karnataka Maritime Policy shortly, Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Infrastructure Development, Ports and Inland Water Transport said on July 14.
He was speaking virtually from Bengaluru at the inaugural session of the first edition of Karnataka Ports Conference – 2023 organised by the Karnataka chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Mangaluru. The theme of the conference was ‘Ports: Backbone of Indian Economy and Atmanirbhar Bharat.’
