1. Janardhana Reddy rejoins BJP, merges his KRPP with saffron party
Mining baron and Gangavathi MLA G. Janardhana Reddy on March 25 merged his Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and formally rejoined the saffron party along with his wife Aruna Lakshmi and other followers. Calling the merger purely “non-conditional”, Mr. Reddy said asserted that he would function as an ordinary worker.
Though Mr. Reddy had formally quit the BJP by floating his own political outfit in December 2022 ahead of the previous Assembly elections, in reality he had disassociated with the BJP for more than a decade ever since the legal issues related to mining had impacted his political position as well as relations.
2. Congress urges EC to stop broadcast of Yaduveer’s radio programme in Mysuru
The Congress party has urged the Election Commission to immediately stop the broadcast of a radio programme in Mysuru by Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, who is now the BJP candidate for Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency.
In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka in Bengaluru, KPCC spokesperson H.A. Venkatesh pointed out that the scion of the erstwhile royal family participates in a weekly radio programme called ‘Mysore Diaries’ on 104.8 Radio Mirchi channel, where he talks about the history of the erstwhile Mysuru kingdom in the form of an interview called “Stories of Kings from the mouth of a King”.
3. Apartments in Bengaluru can now sell 50% of treated water from in situ STPs
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) recently issued an order allowing residential communities to sell 50% of treated water they produce from Sewage Treatment Plants on commercial basis. The treated water has to be compliant with standards set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and can be used for any purpose except in food and medicine industries.
This is the first time Karnataka government has allowed treated water from localised STPs inside apartment complexes and gated communities to be sold commercially. After using treated water for flushing and gardening purposes within the communities, estimates suggest that at least 300 MLD of water can be used effectively.
4. First annual examination for SSLC Class 10 begins in Karnataka
The first annual examination for Class 10 SSLC started in 2,750 examination centres across Karnataka on March 25. On day one, first language Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, English and Sanskrit exams were held from 10.15 am to 1.30 pm.
A total of 8,69,968 students have registered for the three annual examinations that the State government has decided to conduct for Class 10 students from this year. To avoid malpractices, the Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) is webcasting the examination process and conducting surveillance through app based CCTV cameras.
5. All 241 Hoysala police patrol staff in Bengaluru are now armed with weapons
In a revamp of the Hoysala patrol squad, City Police commissioner B. Dayananda said that all 241 teams have been upgraded, with the Head Constable to Assistant Police Sub Inspector being patrol officers, along with arms training.
All PSIs and officers above this rank and even the night beat constable have been made to carry the arms compulsorily, as part of their uniform. Apart from upgrading the Hoysala vehicle with advanced wireless system, provision of first-aid box, body-worn cameras and reflective jackets to the staff has improved the performance of the patrolling team effectively, he said.
