Former CM Kumaraswamy who recovered from a stroke says he got a third birth
Bengaluru (PTI): Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has recovered from a stroke due to timely treatment, said on Sunday that this was his "third birth".
Giving credit to God and the team of doctors who treated him, the JD(S) second-in-command said he got a new lease of life to be amidst the people of the state.
Before being discharged, Kumaraswamy also appealed to the people not to take the symptoms of stroke and paralysis lightly.
"For the past five days, some of my friends were in fear. If I am talking to you, then I must say that I got a rebirth," the former chief minister said.
"With regard to my health, God has given me a third birth. If a person gets one birth, in my case I am of the opinion that in my 64 years of age, I got my third birth," he added.
Kumaraswamy was hospitalised in the early hours of August 30 at a reputed hospital in the city.
Doctors treating him said he had had a stroke, which was then cured completely.
Recalling the turn of events that led to his hospitalisation, the JD(S) leader said he woke up at about 2 am on August 30 and felt his health was not in good condition.
The JD(S) leader said he quickly called his brother-in-law and eminent cardiologist Dr C N Manjunath and later consulted a neurologist who advised him to get admitted.
Kumaraswamy appealed to the people of the state not to waste even a single minute whenever they come across such symptoms.
"I sensed the symptoms of paralysis at 2 am. If had ignored it and said I will go to the doctor in the morning, I would have spent the rest of my life permanently on the bed," he said.
He said never think that doctors are working to make money because when the patient comes, they sincerely make an effort to save them.
Speaking on the occasion, eminent neurologist and former director of NIMHANS Dr P Satishchandra said people should be aware of the BE-FAST' method to detect a stroke -- where B stands for Balance, E for Eyes, F for Face, A for Arms, S for Speech and T for Time.
"These are the five symptoms. If there is less strength in the arm, if one lisps or stammers, if there is difficulty in eyes, if there are changes in the face, then without wasting time rush to a hospital," he said.
It is also important to take the patient to the right hospital, Dr Satishchandra added. He said the hospital where the patient is taken should be stroke ready.
"It should be a hospital which has all the equipment and experts required for treating stroke patients. Then we get the time. We call it the 'golden hour', which means the patient should be brought within three hours. Once the patient is brought within three hours, we get one hour to start our other works," the doctor explained.
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Karnataka sees drop in groundwater use, surge in recharge capacity: 2025 report
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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.”
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