Make Bengaluru plastic-free by 2030: CM Siddaramaiah appeals to citizens
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called for a collective effort to make Bengaluru plastic-free by 2030, revealing that the city produces 900 tonnes of plastic waste daily.
Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) at Palace Grounds, the CM urged all stakeholders and the public to work together to reduce plastic usage and its harmful effects. “By raising awareness about the environment and working together with the government, the city can achieve a plastic-free status by 2030,” he said.
Siddaramaiah emphasised that clean air, water, and surroundings are vital for all life forms, and citizens must actively participate in preserving them.
He also appealed to Bengalureans to segregate dry and wet waste before handing it over to the municipality to improve waste management.
The CM announced that a corpus fund of Rs 1 crore would be set up in the KSPCB. He added that programmes would be organised every year from the interest earned from this deposit and awards would be instituted in the name of environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka who passed away recently.
Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister B. Eshwar Khandre supported the CM’s call, urging citizens to help make at least 50 wards of Bengaluru plastic-free this year. He encouraged people to replace single-use plastic with cloth bags and emphasised the importance of the pollution control board officials working without external pressures to achieve this goal.
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge met a high-level delegation from Chile, led by Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday to discuss collaboration in emerging technologies, clean energy, and startup ecosystems, officials said.
The delegation’s visit to Bengaluru, as part of its India engagements, underscores Karnataka’s growing prominence as a preferred partner for global collaborations in technology, innovation, and startup ecosystems, officials added.
The discussions reflected strong alignment between Chile’s evolving technology-focused growth strategy and Karnataka’s established leadership in innovation and deep-tech ecosystems, according to a statement.
Both sides explored opportunities to build partnerships that move beyond traditional sectors and focus on innovation-led growth, talent exchange, and market access.
The meeting focused on opportunities in renewable energy, including green hydrogen and sustainable industrial innovation.
Other potential areas of collaboration included marine biotechnology, aquaculture technologies, and AI applications across traditional industries.
According to the state IT minister, Karnataka is now a global hub for deep-tech, AI, biotech, aerospace, and advanced research, backed by one of the world’s strongest talent pipelines.
“As partners under the global innovation alliance, we must move beyond agreements on paper to actionable collaboration,” Kharge said.
“We are keen to work with Chile on startup exchanges, market access programmes, and building joint innovation corridors, including R&D centres, incubators, and accelerators. Chile’s position as a gateway to Latin America presents a significant opportunity for our startups to scale globally,” he added.
Officials said the engagement builds on the Letter of Intent signed between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of Chile during the Bengaluru Tech Summit, which established a framework for collaboration in startups, emerging technologies, research, and skill development under the Global Innovation Alliance.
Mackenna, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the country is actively advancing its transition toward a knowledge- and technology-driven economy.
“Our engagement with Karnataka reflects our interest in building strong innovation partnerships that enable technology exchange, talent collaboration, and access to dynamic startup ecosystems,” he added.
“We see significant potential to work together in sectors such as clean energy, digital technologies, and emerging industries, while also strengthening Chile’s role as a bridge between India and Latin America,” he said.
