Karnataka, Bavaria to draft roadmap for deeper bilateral ties: Minister Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka and the German state of Bavaria have significant potential for bilateral collaboration and investment, and a detailed roadmap will be prepared and finalised to advance this, Minister M B Patil said on Monday.
Minister of Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development said both Karnataka and Bavaria have made notable progress in information technology, aerospace, defence, research and development, semiconductors and innovation.
Patil held discussions with a high-level delegation led by Ilse Aigner, President of the Bavarian State Parliament, who called on him here.
The delegation expressed interest in designating Karnataka as a "privileged partner" of Bavaria, his office said in a release.
Patil said further in-depth discussions would be needed and noted that the current environment is favourable for technological cooperation.
Highlighting Bavaria’s global leadership in supercomputing and quantum technologies, he said Karnataka has formulated an exclusive quantum technology policy.
With the presence of Lam Research in the state, he added, there are strong prospects for collaboration.
Bavaria has maintained a representative office in Bengaluru for nearly two decades.
Its higher-education system is well regarded, Patil said, adding that Bavarian universities may consider setting up campuses in the upcoming KWIN City (Knowledge, Wellbeing and Innovation City). Academic partnerships with local institutions would also be beneficial, he noted.
He said more than 200 Indian companies currently operate in Germany, while over 2,000 German firms have a presence in India.
The delegation expressed pleasant surprise at the high number of young women pursuing technical education in Karnataka and showed interest in adopting similar initiatives in Bavaria.
Patil said girls in the state have traditionally excelled in academics and that Karnataka has created a strong enabling environment for them, which will continue.
Earlier in the day, the delegation met Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh.
The chief secretary briefed the delegation on the government’s women-centric policies and its commitment to democratic values of equality, a release said. She also outlined the five guarantee schemes implemented by the state government.
She expressed happiness over the delegation’s participation in the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS), which she said would help enhance cooperation in deep tech, manufacturing, and research and development.
The 28th edition of BTS, organised by the Department of Electronics, IT and BT and Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on November 18.
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Parents fear uncertainty after Karnataka govt rules out age limit relaxation for Class 1 admission
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has ruled out any relaxation of the minimum age limit for admission to Class 1 beginning with the academic year 2026-27. Following the refusal, a group of parents continues to press for leniency.
Parents of children who fall under the age of six by a small margin on the cut-off date have met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and senior officials from the Department of School Education and Literacy to request an exemption. School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the government will not change its decision, as reported by Deccan Herald.
According to the minister, children must be six years old by June 1 to be eligible for admission to Class 1. beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. He noted that the previous relaxation was a one-time measure that was clearly confined to the 2025-26 academic year.
“If such requests are entertained every year, it will never end. While granting relaxation last year, it was explicitly stated that it applied only to one academic year. From 2026-27 onwards, the rule will be strictly implemented,” Bangarappa was quoted by DH.
Parents argue that the rigid cut-off is affecting children who are short by a few days. One parent was quoted by DH as saying that his daughter would be 12 days short of completing six years on June 1. Such parents would be forced to repeat a year despite being academically ready. Others pointed out that children promoted from LKG to UKG during the 2025-26 academic year are now facing uncertainty over their transition to Class 1.
Few parents also recalled that earlier, admissions were allowed for children aged between five years and 10 months and six years. Parents saw it as a more practical approach, with children born in November and December being disproportionately affected.
The issue of age criterion goes back to a government order issued in July 2022. The order mandated six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission. Parents of children already enrolled in pre-primary classes, protested against the order and the state deferred implementation, announcing that the rule would come into force from the 2025-26 academic year.
After renewed pressure, the government granted a one-year relaxation for 2025-26, citing the large number of students affected and in consultation with the State Education Policy Commission. While announcing the exemption, the minister had stated that no further concessions would be allowed.
