Must not allow communal exclusion in Karnataka: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Bengaluru(PTI): With Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw requesting him to resolve "growing religious divide" in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday called upon all sections of society to observe restraint before going public on social issues, as they can be resolved through discussions.
He said Karnataka is known for peace and progress and sought cooperation from everyone in maintaining it, as Mazumdar-Shaw, while pointing out that the State has always forged inclusive economic development, expressed worry that if IT/ BT sectors became communal it would destroy its global leadership.
"Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion- If ITBT became communal it would destroy our global leadership. @BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide," she said.
Her tweet was in response to incidents of denial of permission to non-Hindu traders and vendors to carry on business around temples during annual temple fairs and religious events in some parts of the state.
Responding to a question on the tweet, Bommai said, "Several issues have come up for discussion in the State, the issue on uniform for students has been decided by the High Court. On other issues my appeal to those concerned is that we have been leading our lives all these years, based on our beliefs. Everyone should cooperate in maintaining peace and order."
"Karnataka is known for peace and progress, and every one should observe restraint and see to it that it is not affected. When social issues arise, there is a possibility for us to discuss and resolve it.
So before going public, everyone should observe restraint," he added.
Initially, banners were placed during the annual Kaup Marigudi festival in Udupi district, which said non-Hindu vendors and traders should not be allowed entry, and the temple management paid heed to the request of certain pro-Hindu organisations.
Later, similar banners were displayed at Padubidri temple festival also, and at a couple of temples in Dakshina Kannada district as well.
When the matter came up in the Legislative Assembly recently, the BJP government sought to distance itself from it by citing a rule which states that no property, including land, building near the place of worship shall be leased to non-Hindus.
Also, recently some right-wing groups have given a call to boycott halal meat, ahead of 'varshadodaku', the day after Ugadi when many communities in the state have a non-vegetarian feast.
BJP national general secretary C T Ravi on Tuesday called halal food "economic jihad".
Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion- If ITBT became communal it would destroy our global leadership. @BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide🙏 https://t.co/0PINcbUtwG
— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) March 30, 2022
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)