KARNATAKA ISSUES

• Karnataka remains India’s services-export powerhouse + Bengaluru drives ~35% of national services exports + India hits $387.54 bn in FY25 with Karnataka contributing ~40% + strong IT-ITES ecosystem + deep talent base in AI/Cloud/R&D + 500+ GCCs employing 35% of India’s GCC workforce + services sector forms 1% of GSVA + growth led by IT services, GCC transformation, engineering/ER&D, and rising AVGC-XR & healthcare exports + future driven by GCC 2.0/3.0 + AI innovation + challenges include urban infrastructure strain, global demand volatility, and high compliance burden.
• Karnataka Social Boycott Bill proposes 3-year jail + Rs 1 lakh fine for unlawful social boycott by caste panchayats + lists 19 forms of ostracization (denial of business/opportunities/access) + makes assemblies discussing boycott unlawful + creates Social Boycott Prohibition Officer + GBG Bill adds MPs/MLAs/MLCs + senior officials to Greater Bengaluru Authority

POLITY

• SC sets aside Patna HC order in Amlesh Kumar v. State of Bihar (2025) + rules involuntary narco tests unconstitutional for violating Article 20(3) (self-incrimination) + Article 21 (bodily integrity + mental privacy) + reaffirms Selvi (2010) guidelines + narco test = sedation using barbiturates to lower inhibitions + results have no standalone evidentiary value and require corroboration + permissible only with voluntary informed consent recorded before magistrate + BNSS 253 allows voluntary testing but no right to demand or impose such tests.

GEO

• IIT Bombay-led research shows early Mars (4.1–3.7 bn years ago) was warm & wet with rivers + deltas + glaciers + later turned cold & arid as its small size → rapid cooling → early core solidification + loss of global magnetic field → solar wind stripping of atmosphere + water loss/freeze → unlike Earth’s sustained habitability + study refines planetary evolution and future Mars exploration

INTERNATIONAL

• Trump’s ‘gold card’ goes live + offers fast-track US residency for $1M individuals/$2M corporations + replaces EB-5 with a revamped, stronger path to citizenship + aims to attract top global talent + promises billions in revenue for the US government + removes mention of job-creation rules/caps while highlighting demand from businesses for hiring top graduates