• The State Cabinet approved the Karnataka Aerospace and Defence Policy 2022-27 to attract investment of ₹45,000 crore in the next five-year period and extend concessions for investors in the sector.Earlier, the government formulated Aerospace and Defence Policy in 2013.

Aim of the policy

• Attracting more investments and to establish Karnataka as the preferred investment destination for Aerospace and Defence manufacturing
• Promote development of indigenous and advanced technologies.
• Promoting development of manufacturing facility for space-related applications,

developing world class-skilled manpower

• With agriculture accounting for about 84% of water consumption and the estimated water demand set to reach 1,859 tmcft by 2025, the State Cabinet approved the Karnataka Water Policy 2022 for effective management of water resources.

The objective of Jal Niti

• to facilitate safe and optimal use of water resources of the state for drinking water, health, food, energy, environmental and other social purposes.

• The Cabinet approved a new scheme for development of aspirational taluks to address regional imbalances in the State. It included 49 indicators assigned by NITI Aayog following completion of the tenure of the Special Development Plan (SDP) launched as per the D.M. Nanjundappa Committee report on regional imbalances in the State.
• National award-winning Sugama Sangeetha singer Shivamogga Subbanna passed away. Subbanna became popular with the rendering of songs written by Jnanpith Award-winning Kannada writer Kuvempu. He became a household name in Karnataka after he sang Baarisu Kannada Dindimava, written by Kuvempu.He went on to receive a national award for the song Kaadu Kudure Odi Banditta in the film Kaadu Kudure. He was the first Kannada playback singer to get a national award.
• The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 provides legal sanction to law enforcement agencies for “taking measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of identification and investigation of criminal matters”.
• The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry on Friay launched the ‘SMILE-75’ initiative for comprehensive rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging in 75 identified municipalities as a part of the celebrations of 75 years of Independence. The initiative is part of the Ministry’s ongoing SMILE project (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) for which ₹100 crore has been allocated till 2025-2026.
• India experienced severe working-hour and employment losses in 2020 and 2021, and Indian youth employment deteriorated in 2021 compared to 2020, according to the Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022 report released by the International Labour Organisation
• An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent left for Malaysia to participate in a four-day bilateral exercise ‘Udarashakti’ with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). This continues the recent trend of India’s expanding defence and security cooperation with South East Asian countries.
• The south London home where Dadabhai Naoroji, a prominent member of the Indian freedom struggle and Britain’s first Indian parliamentarian, lived for around eight years at the end of the 19th century has been honoured with a commemorative Blue Plaque.
• With tur dal prices surging since mid-July and reports coming in of some traders creating artificial supply squeeze by restricting sales, the Centre has invoked the Essential Commodities Act of 1955 to ask States to monitor and verify the stocks available with such traders.

• World Elephant Day was celebrated on 12^th August bringing into focus the challenging task of ensuring the jumbos’ conservation amidst habitat destruction and disturbance and the resultant increase in human-elephant conflict.