Karnataka Assembly adjourned sine-die, after special debate on electoral reforms
Bengaluru, Mar 30: Need for stronger anti-defection law, making voting compulsory, functioning of the Election Commission and ending nexus between political parties and corporate bodies, were among the issues that came up for discussion during a special debate on electoral reforms in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, before it was adjourned sine die.
Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah expressed concerns over the deteriorating electoral system in the country since 1970s; while Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed hope citing the innate strength among the people of the country to protect democratic system and values, despite diversity.
Participating in the debate, Bommai said, "India's democratic system has stood the test of time and we have been able to protect it. There is a smooth transfer of power in our country after every election, when compared to several developed countries, including the US."
Stating that there is no need for getting disheartened about the present electoral system, compared to the past, he said he has confidence in youngsters and changes in technology that is trying to bring in some kind of transparency.
"Certain percentage of voters may get infused, but normally every voter wants his vote to win...a voter observes everything, whether he takes allurements or not, most of the voters do (vote) according to what is in his or her mind," he said, adding that political parties need to understand this, as making people corrupt is the greatest sin.
Siddaramaiah during his intervention expressed concern about growing nexus between political parties and corporate bodies and said they have now reached a position of controlling governments, whichever party they may be from. "Also electoral bonds should be completely stopped," he said.
Advocating for strong laws to protect the electoral system, he felt that there should be a collegium system to make appointments to the Election Commission.
Noting that other bodies of the constitution and society on the whole are also responsible for the deterioration of the electoral system, he stressed on the need for liberating it from the mafia, money and caste.
However, former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said, despite allurements of money, liquor, and caste factor, voter when he goes to the polling booth votes according to his conscience, and that is what is safeguarding democracy and the system so far.
Senior Congress Leader and former Speaker Ramesh Kumar stressed the need for strengthening the tenth schedule of the Constitution that deals with anti-defection and making voting mandatory.
Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, calling on the youth to become caretakers of the democracy and the parliamentary system, said, "My vote is not for sale" should become a mass movement.
He said he will bring to the notice of constitutional bodies, including the Election Commission, about the Karnataka assembly 's debate on electoral reforms and suggestions made.
JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the Election Commission should clarify doubts regarding the credibility of the Electronic Voting Machines, and called for an open discussion in this regard.
He also said that there should be discussion and accountability must be fixed regarding missing EVMs, which was pointed out by senior Congress MLA H K Patil.
During the debate on electoral reforms on Tuesday, citing RTI reports, Patil had said almost 19 lakh EVMs were missing and nobody knows where they have gone.
Reacting to Patil's statement, Speaker Kageri had said he would use his office to seek an explanation from the Election Commission on where 19 lakh EVMs are.
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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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