CM's permission mandatory to transfer officers in Karnataka: DPAR Additional Secretary
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has established a new protocol requiring the Chief Minister's authorization for the appointment of officers in any government department. This directive comes after the conclusion of the official period for public transfers, as announced by JD Madhuchandra Tejaswi, the additional secretary of the government in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) of Karnataka.
According to this protocol, the administrative department of each ministry must seek permission from the Chief Minister for any premature transfer of an officer or for extending the tenure of a government official in any department. Furthermore, the heads of departments who fail to adhere to this rule and proceed with staff transfers within their departments will be held accountable, and appropriate actions will be taken against them. This directive was issued in the form of a circular to address these concerns.
Tejaswi also outlined that the principal secretary or the secretary to the government has the authority to issue transfer orders and subsequently obtain ex-post facto approval from the Chief Minister. Between May and July, a minister was granted the authority to transfer up to 6 percent of senior officers and staff members from Groups A, B, C, and D for the fiscal year 2023-24 within their respective departments. However, any transfers made within a government department following the stipulated transfer period must be submitted to the Chief Minister for approval, as mandated by the government, according to the circular.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka sees drop in groundwater use, surge in recharge capacity: 2025 report
_vb_86.jpeg)
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka has recorded a significant decline in groundwater usage alongside a notable increase in annual recharge capacity, reflecting the impact of sustained water conservation efforts and good rainfall, Minister N S Boseraju said on Wednesday.
Releasing the 2025 Groundwater Assessment Report at Vikas Soudha, he said the gains are the result of good rainfall, focused policy interventions, and large-scale water conservation initiatives implemented over the past two years under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
According to the report, overall groundwater extraction has reduced from 68.44 per cent in 2024 to 66.49 per cent in 2025, indicating more responsible and sustainable usage patterns across the state.
At the same time, annual groundwater recharge capacity has increased from 18.74 billion cubic metres (BCM) in 2024 to 19.28 BCM in 2025, while annual extractable groundwater resources rose from 16.88 BCM to 17.41 BCM, the minister’s office said in a statement.
“This simultaneous reduction in usage and increase in recharge reflects our government’s commitment to long-term water sustainability,” the Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology Minister said.
The improvement has been driven largely by the expansion of water conservation structures (WCS) across the state.
Recharge through such structures increased by 29.11 per cent, from 0.81 BCM to 1.04 BCM within a year, the report stated.
Notably, the number of water conservation works has risen sharply from 3.15 lakh in 2024 to 3.94 lakh in 2025, strengthening the state’s groundwater recharge ecosystem.
The report indicates improvement in groundwater status across 11 taluks, with several regions moving to safer categories.
Highlighting these changes, the minister pointed out that Chamarajanagar taluk has improved from "over-exploited" to "critical".
Similarly, taluks including Athani, Channapatna, Molakalmuru, Ranebennur, Savanur, and Shiggaon have successfully transitioned from "semi-critical" to "safe" status.
Domestic groundwater extraction has also declined by 0.58 per cent, dropping from 1,21,731 hectare-metres (ham) in 2024 to 1,21,023 ham in 2025. Officials attribute this to increased reliance on surface water under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Boseraju said that initiatives such as lake rejuvenation, year-round water supply through treated and surface water, sustained public awareness campaigns, and good rainfall have played a key role in reducing over-extraction and enhancing recharge.
“Instead of depending solely on the 120-day monsoon, we are ensuring water availability throughout all 365 days through scientific management. This has strengthened long-term water security for both farmers and urban residents,” he said.
Announcing a major technological step forward in future governance, the minister added, “To further safeguard our resources, we are rolling out the Digital Water Stack (DWS) initiative. Under this framework, we will soon initiate space technology and AI-based satellite surveillance to obtain real-time data for continuous groundwater monitoring.”
_vb_85.jpeg)
_vb_92.jpeg)
_vb_51.jpeg)