KARNATAKA ISSUES

• Launched in 2023 by the former BBMP (now under the Greater Bengaluru Authority), the ‘Suraksha 75’ project aims to upgrade 75 major traffic junctions in Bengaluru to improve safety and traffic flow. With a budget exceeding ₹100 crore, work is ongoing at 28 junctions, while only Horamavu Bridge is complete. Completion is targeted for March 2026, with Outer Ring Road stretches among top priorities.
• Karnataka launched ‘Mission Zero Preventable Maternal Death’ to reduce its Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of 57 per lakh live births. In 2024–25, 70% of 530 maternal deaths were preventable. The plan focuses on institutional strengthening, DBT-based support for PHH mothers, essential drugs like Carbetocin, and digital monitoring through K-ARC Partography. Priority districts include Ballari, Vijayanagar, Chitradurga, and Tumakuru—aligning with SDG 3.1 on reducing global MMR.
• Karnataka has released a draft bill to regulate and protect domestic workers through mandatory registration, written agreements, and welfare measures. The bill defines domestic and gig workers comprehensively, mandates weekly holidays, maternity benefits, and minimum wages. It proposes a State Welfare Board and Fund financed by registration fees, employer cess, and government grants. Violations attract penalties up to 7 years imprisonment. Public feedback is invited within one month.

SCHEME

• The Central Government is drafting the Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Act, 2025 to strengthen India’s drug quality control and surveillance. Presented by DCGI Dr. Rajeev Raghuvanshi and reviewed by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, the law empowers CDSCO to act against fake drugs, mandates digital licensing, upgrades testing labs, and aligns India’s pharma standards with WHO norms—aiming to boost public health safety and global pharmaceutical credibility.

SOCIAL ISSUES

• The FSSAI has banned the use of the term ‘ORS’ (Oral Rehydration Solution) in commercial beverage names to prevent consumer deception and child health risks. The move, following 8 years of advocacy by Dr. Sivaranjini Santhosh, targets drinks with excess sugar falsely marketed as ORS. The decision strengthens food safety under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, ensuring authentic medical ORS use remains protected.

ECONOMY

• The RBI’s Economic & Policy Research Department updated the Rangarajan Committee (2014) poverty line using HCES 2022-23 data. Poverty declined sharply—especially in Odisha and Bihar (~40 percentage points). Himachal Pradesh recorded the lowest rural poverty (0.4%) and Chhattisgarh the highest (25.1%). RBI used a new price index based on the original Poverty Line Basket (PLB), not CPI. India’s focus now shifts toward Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

ENVIRONMENT

• Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘poor’ category (AQI 211) — the first in four months — prompting Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated this plan to curb worsening pollution. GRAP, introduced in 2017 by the MoEFCC and implemented by CAQM since 2021, prescribes graded emergency measures based on AQI levels to manage air quality in the Delhi-NCR region.
• In 2018, Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary (Balodabazar, Chhattisgarh) began a five-year blackbuck reintroduction project after the species was locally extinct for 50 years due to poaching and habitat loss. About 77 blackbucks were translocated from Delhi and Bilaspur zoos. Today, ~190 blackbucks are in the sanctuary, with 100 released in the wild. Efforts included controlled enclosures, disease management, and habitat improvement. Future plans aim to extend the program to Gomardha Wildlife Sanctuary.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS

• The 12th-century Qila Rai Pithora complex in Delhi will host Lord Buddha’s Piprahwa relics and jewels, publicly displayed in India after over a century. Discovered in 1898 at Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, the relics include bone fragments, crystal caskets, and gold ornaments with lotus and Triratna motifs. Repatriated from Hong Kong through a public-private partnership, this exhibition underscores India’s cultural diplomacy, heritage restitution, and the global significance of Buddhist art and devotion.
• Observed annually to honour 10 policemen martyred in the 1959 Chinese attack at Hot Springs, Ladakh. The patrol of 20 was ambushed; 7 captured, 10 cremated with full honours. Police guarded the 2,500-mile Indo-Tibet border pre-1959. Memorials exist at Hot Springs and the National Police Memorial, Chanakyapuri, hosting annual commemorations. Smart policing initiatives like SMART, ASUMP, CyTrain, and CCPWC enhance cybercrime prevention, modernization, and protection of vulnerable groups.