Karnataka govt inks pact for Centre of Excellence in Agri & Allied Innovation in Kalaburagi
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Krishi Kalpa Foundation to establish a Centre of Excellence in Agri and Allied Domain with a rural focused intervention in Kalaburagi, officials said.
The Memorandum of Agreement was signed by the Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science &
Technology through the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), they said.
According to official statement, the Centre of Excellence (CoE) will be established under the Local Economy Acceleration Programme (LEAP) — the Government of Karnataka’s flagship Rs 1,000 crore, five-year initiative aimed at accelerating regional innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-led economic growth across emerging clusters beyond Bengaluru.
Building on the government’s earlier announcement of a Centre for Entrepreneurship in Kalaburagi, this agreement formalises the operational framework to establish a dedicated research, innovation and entrepreneurship hub focused on agriculture and allied sectors, with a strong emphasis on rural innovation and technology adoption.
As the implementing partner, NGO Krishi Kalpa Foundation will operationalise the Centre of Excellence and lead its programmatic activities, including innovation programmes, startup support, research initiatives, and capacity-building efforts aligned with the objectives of the Karnataka government, officials said.
The CoE will support research and development, skill development, innovation programmes, and industry–academia partnerships, while helping local innovators build scalable products and enterprises that address challenges across the agricultural value chain, they said.
Speaking on the initiative, IT Minister Priyank Kharge said, "Kalyana Karnataka has immense potential to emerge as a hub for innovation in agriculture and rural enterprise. Through the LEAP programme, the Government of Karnataka is committed to bringing technology, entrepreneurship and opportunity closer to our communities beyond Bengaluru.
"The Centre of Excellence in Kalaburagi will create a strong platform for farmers, startups, researchers and young innovators to collaborate on cutting-edge agri-tech solutions, while strengthening livelihoods and driving sustainable economic growth across the region," he said.
The agreement will remain in force for a period of five years, during which the CoE will work towards building a vibrant rural innovation ecosystem and accelerating technology-led development in agriculture and allied sectors across the Kalyana Karnataka region, officials added.
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Siddaramaiah seeks Centre's urgent intervention over commercial LPG cylinder shortage
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday sought the Centre's urgent intervention to ensure supply of adequate commercial LPG cyclinders to hotels and restaurants in Bengaluru.
He said hotels, restaurants and catering establishments in the city would be forced to suspend operations if supplies are not restored, affecting a large number of students and working professionals who depend on them for regular meals.
In his letter to Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, he also requested him to issue appropriate directions to the oil marketing companies to address the current supply constraints that would help ease the situation.
Referring to the March 9 order issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas prioritising LPG supply for domestic consumers, Siddaramaiah said while the intention behind the order to ensure uninterrupted LPG supply to households across the country is well understood and appreciated, its implementation appears to have led to an unintended shortage of commercial LPG in Bengaluru.
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He cited that several hotels and restaurant associations in the city have reported that they are unable to procure commercial LPG cylinders, and many establishments are expressing concern that they may have to temporarily shut operations if supplies are not restored soon.
Bengaluru has a large ecosystem of small restaurants, mess facilities, and catering units that serve lakhs of people every day.
According to him, as per the discussions held with the oil marketing companies, the state's commercial LPG demand has traditionally been supported by supplies from the three OMCs-IOCL (around 500-550 MT per day), HPCL (around 300 MT per day) and BPCL (around 230 MT per day) and the sudden disruption of this supply is now severely affecting hotels, catering establishments and other commercial users in Bengaluru.
Any disruption to their functioning will have a direct impact on daily life in the city, he said.
"This issue also affects a large number of students and working professionals who live away from their homes and depend on hotels and mess facilities for regular meals. In addition, Choultries (wedding halls), hostels, and event venues that rely on commercial LPG for food preparation are also facing uncertainty, particularly with scheduled social and community events," the chief minister said in the letter.
Given the scale of dependence on commercial LPG in a metropolitan city like Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah sought the union minister's intervention to ensure that adequate commercial LPG supply is made available to hotels, restaurants, choultries, community halls and any other pure commercial establishments.
"Appropriate directions to the oil marketing companies to address the current supply constraints would help ease the situation. A timely resolution will help ensure that businesses continue to operate smoothly while also avoiding inconvenience to thousands of people who rely on these services on a daily basis," he added.
