I have full confidence that Cong will win K'taka Assembly elections with clear majority:Rahul Gandhi

Vartha Bharati | 01-04-2022 | 16:20:00 IST

Bengaluru (PTI): Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday exhorted party leaders in Karnataka to work together and set a target to win 150 seats in the Assembly elections due next year.

Addressing a party meeting here, he said Karnataka has a "spirit of Congress" and is a "natural Congress State".

"....we should win with a minimum of 150 seats (in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly)," Gandhi said. "We should fight united, on right issues and with merit as criteria".

He said the "biggest responsibility" for party leaders Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar, and Mallikarjun Kharge and others is to fight together and win 150 seats.

"We should focus on youth and women in this election whether in giving ticket or in organisation," Gandhi said. "I have full confidence that the Congress will win with clear majority and give a government that works for the poor, small traders and all sections."

The Congress leader also attacked the BJP which, he alleged, is not in a position to generate jobs as "they have destroyed small and medium industries".

"The Prime Minister used to speak about corruption, but if he speaks about it in Karnataka, people will laugh as this (BJP government in Karnataka) is the most corrupt state with 40 percentage (commission) government".

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

08-04-2026 ¦ 08-04-2026 IST

Representational Image (PTI)

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.”