Recent Current Affairs related to Karnataka

The Karnataka government has launched the ‘Vidyarthi Sahayahasta’ scheme to provide professional education opportunities for rural students in the state.

Eligibility is restricted to students who studied from Class 1 to 10 in rural government schools. The scheme provides a 7.5% reservation within the existing 15% rural quota for admission to professional courses like medical and engineering.

The Karnataka Cabinet has approved the ‘Sandhya Kiran’ scheme, a contributory cashless healthcare initiative under the Ayushman Bharat–Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) program.

The scheme is designed for state pensioners below 70 years of age and their families in Bengaluru. It will cover 4.93 lakh beneficiaries, providing an annual family health cover of ₹5 lakh along with standardized treatment packages and rates.

PM Narendra Modi has visited Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for various development projects.

In Andhra Pradesh, he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for projects worth over ₹17,900 crore. This includes the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in the Vizianagaram district, developed at a cost of over ₹5,640 crore by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Ltd (GVIAL).

In Karnataka, he inaugurated the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Youth Centre, also known as Viveka Smaraka, in Mysuru to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s historic visit to the city in 1892.

H Hanumanthapa, a veteran leader of the Indian National Congress (INC), passed away at the age of 94. He served 3 terms as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha, representing Karnataka.

Karnataka government is set to establish India's first government-driven AI University in Bengaluru.

The initiative was announced by CM DK Shivakumar at the 'Google I/O Connect India 2026' event.

The university will feature a 100-acre main campus in Bengaluru, with provisions to establish satellite campuses in other cities.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of $182.89 million (in Japanese Yen equivalent) to Karnataka for the "Strengthening Karnataka Public Schools Program". The program aims to strengthen the public school system by establishing 500 integrated school clusters.

Additionally, the program will receive a $10 million grant and a $25 million guarantee from the International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd).

Girish Bharadwaj, a social worker known as the 'Bridge Man of India', passed away at the age of 76. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri in 2017.

The RBI has cancelled the licence of Karnataka-based Shree Mahalaxmi Urban Co-operative Credit Bank. The cancellation was due to inadequate capital and lack of earning prospects of the bank.

According to the "Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2026" (GSER 2026) released by Startup Genome, Bengaluru is ranked 15th globally among the top startup ecosystems. It has also emerged as the second-best AI-native cluster in Asia, positioned behind Beijing (China).

Silicon Valley (USA) topped the global rankings, followed by New York City (USA) and London (UK).

The Ministry of Education has issued a Letter of Approval (LoA) to the University of Liverpool, UK, to establish a branch campus in Bengaluru.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has facilitated the first-ever sea shipment of botanical-infused ready-to-cook millet functional foods from Karnataka to New Zealand.

This initiative is expected to boost the agri-food exports of India, increase the income of farmers, and strengthen the agri-export ecosystem.

DK Shivakumar has been sworn in as the 25th Chief Minister (CM) of Karnataka, with the oath of office and secrecy administered by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.

He succeeds Siddaramaiah, who resigned from the position following a planned power-sharing arrangement. Dr G Parameshwara has been sworn in as the Deputy CM of Karnataka.

Swara Lakshmi Nair, a chess player from Bengaluru has secured the Woman International Master (WIM) title. She achieved this milestone at the Ptuj International Masters tournament held in Slovenia.

It is to be noted that she is the first WIM from Bengaluru and the second WIM from Karnataka, following Isha Sharma who achieved the title in 2019.

Karnataka Grameena Bank (KGB) has won the National Award from the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The award is given recognising its outstanding performance in subscriber enrolment under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) scheme.

The Karnataka government has launched India’s first integrated technology-driven monitoring portal to track ‘Not of Standard Quality’ (NSQ) medicines and regulate ‘Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances’ (NDPS) drugs.

This initiative aims to strengthen drug surveillance, enhance transparency, and ensure public safety.

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has unveiled the Unified Bharat e Charge (UBC) platform, a national unified electric vehicle (EV) charging platform, during the ‘National Conference on Enabling Nationwide EV Charging Infrastructure’ held in Bengaluru.

The platform is being developed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) with technical support from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). He also approved the installation of 1,243 EV charging stations in Karnataka with a financial outlay of ₹123.26 crore.

The Karnataka government has implemented an “Alcohol-in-Beverage” (AIB)-based excise duty structure and revised the liquor rates. It is the first instance of such a taxation model being implemented in India, following the 2026-27 Budget announcement. The State Excise Department aims to rationalize liquor pricing to make beverages more affordable for consumers.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has announced the winners of the National Panchayat Awards 2025 (NPA-2025), recognizing 42 Panchayats for excellence in rural governance and sustainable development. Karnataka secured the highest number of awards with 6 honors, followed by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh with 5 awards each.

Under the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP) category, 34 Gram Panchayats (GP) were selected based on the scores of the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0. The Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (NDSPSVP-2025) recognized 8 winners, comprising 3 District Panchayats, 2 Block Panchayats, and 3 GPs.

New Napam Gaon Panchayat in Assam was named the Best GP of India under NDSPSVP 2025, receiving a prize of ₹1.5 crore. Telcup in Bihar and Biraharu in Uttar Pradesh secured the second and third positions, earning ₹1.25 crore and ₹1 crore respectively.

The Karnataka government has inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Space Technology (CoE SpaceTech Foundation) in Bengaluru, marking the first state-led center in India dedicated to the space sector.

The foundation was established by the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) in collaboration with the SatCom Industry Association of India (SIA-India). It aims to bridge the gap between academic research and the commercialisation of space technologies to enhance industrial development.

The Karnataka government has launched India’s first digital grievance redressal framework for gig workers on May 1 (International Workers' Day).

The system utilizes the Integrated Public Grievance Redressal System (IPGRS) portal to allow workers to lodge complaints regarding remuneration, working conditions, and disputes.