KARNATAKA

The chief minister was responding to Biocon chairperson Kiran Majumdar Shaw’s appreciation for ‘progressive development’ under his Leadership.

Ahead of the 2023 Karnataka assembly polls, Yediyurappa had assured that he shall work to bring the party back to power in the upcoming polls.

Indi lime, belonging to the Kagzi variety, has earned a geographical indication (GI) tag for eight years from the Union Government. This is the second lime after theAssamlime to be accorded this recognition.

TheKarnatakaState Lime Development Board (KSLDB), University of Horticultural Sciences Bagalkot (UHSB) and the Department Vijayapura had worked relentlessly for the last five years to get this tag, with which growers can now expect exports of lime to about 25 countries.
Vijayapura district accounts for 58% of all lime produced in Karnataka, which ranks fourth among the states in lime cultivation.

S-based C4V, a leading company in the lithium-ion cell manufacturing sector, is willing to invest over Rs 4,000 crore in the state in the electric battery manufacturing sector, Karnataka Medium and Large Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said.

A lithium-ion battery orLi-ionbattery is a type of rechargeable battery commonly used for portable electronics and electric vehicles.

An agreement with representatives of the world’s leading Li-Ion cell manufacturing company was signed in the city, the Minister said in a statement.

He added that the C4V is a leading company with over a hundred patents and lithium battery cell manufacturing and technology.

The company’s of Rs 4,015 crore in the state will create more than 4,000 jobs, Shettar said.

The company will set up a 5 Gigawatt hours (GWh ) plant in the state and will begin work next year, he explained.

Five entrants have joined the growing league ofprivate/deemed universities in Karnataka, with the giving the go-ahead in a notification issued on April 16.

The five universities St Josephs, New Horizon, Sri Jagadguru Murugarajendra, Vidyashilp and Atria will now be allowed to expand their campuses and launch new courses. Murugarajendra University will be based out of Chitradurga, about 200km from here, and the other four will be in Bengaluru.

As per the law, any private/deemed university applicant needs 25 acres of land and at least 3,000 students on its campus. With the newNational Education Policy, these requirements may be diluted due to the growing cost of land and increased need of practical courses.

In what could be one of the biggest teacher training programmes by the Education department, SamagraShikshana Karnataka(SSK) is set to roll outKarmayogi Shikshakprogramme “with an aim to reawaken the pride of teachers”.

The programme is likely to cover around 2 lakh teachers from primary to high schools as per theNational Education Policy.

The department has called a tender for organisations that have been involved in teacher training for over eight years to develop a module for these teachers. The plan is to build a five-day module for master trainers and a two-day one for teachers. The department will use the module in future as well.

Preliminary data from the department of public instruction has revealed that 1,316schoolsin the state have issues with recognition. However, the department says the data has mistakes and is being reworked.
As per the data, 63 schools have no recognition and 74 have started higher classes without permission. As many as 95 schools have permission to teach only state syllabus, but are claiming to be CBSE/ICSE institutions. This comes at a time when there have been complaints against an international school falsely claiming to be a CBSE affiliate.

About 620 schools have been identified as defaulters for starting additional sections. The Association of Primary and Secondary Schools ofKarnatakahas taken objection to this list. “We have updated all data on the SATS website of the department year on year. The department has been allotting students under the RTE quota to these schools. Why did it suddenly wake up to the fact that these schools are illegal,” asked D Shashi Kumar, secretary. “An older circular from the Education department said schools do not need permission to increase sections,” he added.

TheKarnatakaDigital economy Mission (KDEM) entered into a memorandum of understanding with Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering-Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park (SJCE-STEP) to build a startup ecosystem that will focus on Skill development, EMPLOYMENT generation and overall development across Karnataka.

The agreement will help KDEM and SJCE-STEP to create a symbiosis of support, mentorship, start-up incubation, and rural Entrepreneurship. KDEM will function as a knowledge bridge between the State Government and the Industry and will facilitate the setting up of a Global Entrepreneurship Centre in order to accommodate more than 100 startups.

With all 11 Inland National Waterways (NWs) identified by Indias Inland Waterways Authority (IWA) not taking off, the Karnataka Government has embarked on an development of an ambitious inter-state waterway betweenMangaluruand Panaji (Goa) to promote tourism and for affordable passenger and freight transportation.

Though techno-economic feasibility studies have been initiated for the 11 NWs in Karnataka, the has initiated Preparation of Detailed Feasibility Report (DFR) for the development of inter-state waterway between Mangaluru and Panaji.

There are seven critical river systems in Karnataka with a lot of tributaries, but not much progress has been seen in development of the inland waterways for transport, tourism or cargo movement.

Last year, the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) had appealed to the Director of Ports to initiate measures for the development of the inland waterway from Bantwal to Markada Bridge in Dakshina Kannada – National Waterway 74 and National Waterway 43 as identified by IWA.