Published on: September 13, 2025

Snippets : 12-13 SEPTEMBER 2025

Snippets : 12-13 SEPTEMBER 2025

  • The Karnataka Ratna, Karnataka’s highest civilian honour, was instituted in 1992 to recognize extraordinary contributions across fields. Only ten individuals have received it, including Kuvempu (literature), Dr. Rajkumar (cinema), Nijalingappa (politics), N.R. Rao (science), Devi Shetty (medicine), Bhimsen Joshi (music), Shivakumara Swami (social service), Javare Gowda (education/literature), Veerendra Heggade (social service), and Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar (cinema/social service). The award includes a 50-gram gold medal, citation, memento, and shawl. Vishnuvardhan and B. Saroja Devi are the latest recipients.
  • The Bengaluru City Police, in collaboration with Happiest Health, launched ‘Project Khushi’, a three-month health and wellness initiative targeting lifestyle-related diseases among police personnel. It combines six live expert sessions in endocrinology, nutrition, Ayurveda, yoga, and mindfulness with weekly digital modules and WhatsApp support. Participants undergo health assessments, including glycaemic, organ function, thyroid, and vitamin tests. The programme aims to improve preventive care, holistic wellness, and efficiency of officers facing high-stress, irregular schedules.
  • Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) will fully digitalise its Customer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) within three months through a dedicated portal and mobile app. Citizens can file complaints, track status, and appeal at district or corporate levels online. The system introduces automatic escalation—45 days at subdivision, 60 at district, and 30 at corporate level—ensuring timely resolution. Covering issues from billing errors to power delays, it aims at transparency, efficiency, and consumer convenience.
  • Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar announced that ‘Akka Pade’, a women’s protection force, will be operational across Karnataka within three months. Each taluk will have a unit of trained policewomen and NCC members, equipped with arms, helplines, and facilities at bus stands and fairs. The force will combat public harassment, domestic violence, and injustices
  • The Karnataka government has capped cinema ticket prices at Rs 200 across theatres, under the amended Cinemas (Regulation) Rules, 2025. The rule excludes multiplexes with ≤75 premium seats. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce welcomed the move, citing benefits for audiences and the Kannada film industry. The Film Exhibitors Federation opposed the exemption for select multiplexes, calling it biased against single-screen theatres.
  • The Karnataka government has formed a Cabinet sub-committee to examine regularisation or job security for 3.8 lakh contract employees in corporations, boards, and departments. The move aims to curb outsourcing lobbies and may include district-level cooperative societies for manpower hiring. Priority will be given to workers in hazardous sectors like the Energy Department. The Cabinet also approved a draft notification permitting biodiesel (B100) blending with high-speed diesel for transport and retail use.
  • India’s semiconductor sector is set to reach $103.5 billion by 2030 from $54.3 billion in 2025, growing at 13.8% CAGR. The market is shifting from consumption-led devices to a global hub for design, R&D, and manufacturing. Key growth drivers include EVs, 5G rollout, and data centres. The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) aims to invest ₹1.6 lakh crore and create 29,000+ jobs. Talent pool expected to rise from 250,000 to 400,000 by 2030, with Bengaluru and Hyderabad as key hubs.
  • A team at JNTBGRI, Thiruvananthapuram, has developed a novel wound-healing pad using red ivy (Strobilanthes alternata), traditionally used for cuts and wounds. For the first time, the bioactive molecule acteoside was isolated from this plant. Incorporated into a multi-layered nanofiber pad with neomycin, acteoside enhances healing even at 0.2% concentration. The eco-friendly, biodegradable pad ensures controlled drug release, efficient gas exchange, and accelerated tissue repair, integrating traditional knowledge with nanotechnology for advanced wound care applications.
  • The Indian Navy commissioned INS Aravali, a cutting-edge information and communication centre, in Gurugram to enhance Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and command capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The centre complements existing facilities like IFC-IOR and IMAC, providing additional operational and communication support. Its commissioning aligns with India’s plan to launch naval satellites GSAT-7R and a Technology Demonstration Satellite, strengthening surveillance, communication, and coordination amid evolving regional security challenges.
  • India, along with 141 nations, supported a UN General Assembly resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on resolving the Palestine issue via a two-state solution. The declaration, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, urges Israel to recognize a sovereign Palestinian state, halt violence and settlements, renounce annexation, and respect Palestinian self-determination. India’s vote reaffirms its commitment to peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine. The US, Israel, Hungary, and Argentina opposed the resolution.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a meeting with Mauritius PM Navinchandra Ramgoolam in Varanasi, announced a special economic package, signing seven MoUs covering development projects like hospitals, highways, Chagos Marine Protected Area, and ATC tower at SSR Airport. India will strengthen Mauritius’s EEZ security and maritime capacity. Highlighting deep historical and cultural ties, Modi emphasized the India-Mauritius “family” bond. Bilateral trade and FDI have grown significantly, and strategic cooperation supports India’s SAGAR and MAHASAGAR policies in the Indian Ocean.
  • Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki took oath as Nepal’s first woman prime minister
  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Fast Track Immigration–Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) at five airports—Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Kozhikode, and Amritsar. The scheme enables preverified Indian nationals and OCI cardholders to clear immigration in just 30 seconds, avoiding queues and manual checks. First rolled out at Delhi in July 2024, it now covers major airports. With 3 lakh registrations, the programme will expand to 21 airports, aligning with PM Modi’s vision of “speed, scale, scope.”
  • Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama tapped an Artificial Intelligence-generated ‘minister’ for his cabinet to take on corruption. “The new State Minister is called Diella,” Rama said in a Facebook post. He said the bot would help ensure that “public tenders will be 100% free of corruption”.
  • UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Report 2025 shows obesity has overtaken underweight as the main malnutrition form among children and adolescents. Globally, 20% of 5–19-year-olds are overweight, doubling since 2000, with 42% obese. South Asia and India have seen sharp rises: under-5 overweight prevalence in India grew 127% (2005–21), adolescent obesity 125%, and overweight 288%. India may have 27 million obese children by 2030. Urbanisation, ultraprocessed foods, and aggressive marketing are key drivers, requiring urgent policy action.
  • A study by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) reveals that 21% of Indian legislators (1,107 of 5,204) are from political families, indicating entrenched dynastic influence. Dynastic representation is higher among women (47%) than men (18%). Party-wise, Congress leads at 32%, BJP 17%, CPM 8%, while regional parties like NCP and YSR Congress show over 34%. States like Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Himachal show high dynastic prevalence, whereas Tamil Nadu and West Bengal report lower figures.
  • The Defence Minister flagged off ‘Samudra Pradakshina’, the world’s first tri-service all-women circumnavigation sailing expedition, from Mumbai. Ten women officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force will sail the indigenously-built IASV Triveni, a 50-foot yacht, on a nine-month voyage covering 26,000 nautical miles. The route crosses the Equator twice and rounds the Capes of Leeuwin, Horn, and Good Hope. The mission showcases nari shakti, armed forces’ jointness, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and India’s global vision.
  • Jagdeep S Chhokar (1943–2025), co-founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), passed away at 81. An academic, lawyer, engineer, and birdwatcher, he championed electoral reforms for over two decades. Chhokar played a key role in mandating candidate affidavits, opposing electoral bonds, and pushing for EVM verification. Remembered as a crusader for clean elections, he inspired activists, colleagues, and students. His body was donated to Lady Hardinge Medical College, marking the end of a life devoted to democracy and integrity.