Published on: February 5, 2025
Snippets : 5 FEBRUARY 2025
Snippets : 5 FEBRUARY 2025
- The Governor of Karnataka has appointed new officials for the Karnataka Information Commission, with Ashit Mohan Prasad (IPS Retd.) as the Chief Information Commissioner and seven new Information Commissioners: Mamatha B.R. (IAS Retd.), Rajashekara S., Badruddin K., Rudranna Harthikote, Raman K., Harish Kumar, and Narayan G. Channal. Established on July 30, 2005, with headquarters in Bangalore, the Commission handles RTI-related complaints such as the non-appointment of Public Information Officers (PIOs), refusal to accept applications, denial of information, delayed responses, unreasonable fees, and misleading information. It has powers similar to a Civil Court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, including summoning witnesses, requisitioning public records, and issuing summons. It serves as the Second Appellate Authority under the RTI Act, can direct Public Authorities to comply with RTI provisions, impose penalties on PIOs/APIOs, and submits an Annual Report to the State Legislature. The Chief Information Commissioner leads the autonomous Commission, assisted by seven Information Commissioners. Governed by the RTI Act, 2005, it ensures transparency and accountability, with salaries and allowances aligned to high-ranking government officials.
- A bill has been introduced in the Lok Sabha to establish Tribhuvan Sahkari University, which will be located on the IRMA campus in Gujarat and declared an institution of national importance. The university will specialize in technical and management education, training, and research for the cooperative sector, aiming for global excellence. This initiative aligns with Home Minister Amit Shah’s 2021 announcement on creating a National Cooperative University. While IRMA currently offers rural management courses, the new university will establish sector-specific schools (dairy, fishery, sugar, banking) and affiliated institutions in states with a high concentration of cooperatives. It will also leverage e-learning platforms like SWAYAM. Recognizing the cooperative sector’s key role in India’s economy (agriculture, dairy, sugar, fisheries), the government aims to standardize education and training to meet the growing demand for skilled manpower. Post-establishment, IRMA’s society will be dissolved, but it will function as a Centre of Excellence for rural management, retaining its autonomy and identity.
- India has made significant strides in biomedical research and innovation with the dedication of its first Ferret Research Facility at THSTI, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, which will support vaccine development, therapeutic testing, and pandemic preparedness. Additionally, the GARBH-INi-DRISHTI data repository, developed under the GARBH-INi program, was launched, providing one of South Asia’s largest maternal and child health databases, sourced from over 12,000 pregnant women, newborns, and postpartum mothers, to aid global research in maternal and neonatal health. A technology transfer agreement was also executed between THSTI and M/s Sundyota Numandis Probioceuticals Pvt. Ltd. for the commercialization of Lactobacillus crispatus, a microbiome-based nutraceutical derived from the GARBH-INi cohort. The GARBH-INi program, led by THSTI under the Department of Biotechnology, focuses on maternal and child health, developing prediction tools for preterm birth, and operates under the Atal Jai Anusandhan Biotech Mission (UNaTI) to drive nationally relevant technology innovation.
- A joint report by UNICEF-WHO Collaborating Centre at NIMHANS highlights that road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among children (5-19 years) in India, with children accounting for 10% of all road crash fatalities and nearly 45 deaths daily. The report recommends a dedicated budget for child road safety, child occupant safety ratings for new cars, road safety audits around schools, and strengthening emergency care infrastructure. It calls for behavioral change campaigns, mandatory seatbelt and helmet use, safe-school zones by NHAI, and affordable public transport for children. NIMHANS is taking initiatives such as establishing a Level-1 polytrauma center in North Bengaluru and conducting a pilot study with KIMS, Hubballi, to enhance polytrauma care.
- The Karnataka government is considering setting up a price fixation committee to determine compensation for land acquisition for the 74-km Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC), which requires 2,560 acres. With the project first notified nearly two decades ago, landowners are opposing acquisition due to inadequate compensation, prompting the need to align payouts with prevailing market rates. Retired IAS officer LK Atheeq, who heads Bengaluru Business Corridor Ltd, chaired a meeting to expedite the process, stating that about 90% of property measurement is complete and requesting the Urban Development Department (UDD) to form the committee soon. The committee will base compensation on the consent award formula and will take inputs from nine special land acquisition officers (SLOs) who have been engaging with farmer groups across 77 villages between Hosur Road and Tumakuru Road. However, many landowners remain dissatisfied, with some refusing to meet officials, arguing that the BDA’s compensation—capped at Rs 8 crore per acre—is far below the Rs 16 crore market rate. While the government has instructed the BDA to follow the 1976 Land Acquisition Act with market-aligned compensation, landowners are demanding payouts under the Centre’s 2013 Act, citing the region’s real estate boom over the last decade.
- The registration of properties and other citizen services, including downloading encumbrance certificates (ECs) via the Kaveri 2.0 portal, has nearly halted in Karnataka since Monday, with the Revenue and E-Governance Departments identifying the cause as a “motivated Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack” rather than a technical glitch; Kaveri 2.0, launched in 2023 to streamline registrations, is currently overwhelmed by a cyberattack where botnets flood the system with excessive traffic, rendering it inaccessible, a tactic used for extortion, competition, or disruption, with one of the earliest documented DoS attacks credited to 13-year-old David Dennis in 1974.
- The Indian Army is set to use bamboo-based materials for constructing bunkers in high-altitude areas like Arunachal Pradesh, aiming to reduce the logistical burden of ferrying supplies. The Gajraj Corps, stationed at Tezpur in Assam, signed an MoU with IIT Guwahati to research, design, and fabricate bamboo panels, which will undergo field trials for durability and protection. This initiative, part of the Army Chief’s ‘Decade of Transformation,’ enhances force preservation by offering lightweight yet robust alternatives. The MoU, signed in the presence of Maj Gen Rohin Bawa and IIT Guwahati Director Devendra Jalihal, strengthens collaboration between military and research institutions, paving the way for innovative defense solutions.
- ‘Chhota Bheem’, one of the most famous tigers of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, died while undergoing treatment for multiple fractures at Bhopal’s Van Vihar recently.
