Quantum city blueprint to be unveiled at Bengaluru Tech Summit: Minister Boseraju
Bengaluru (PTI): The blueprint for the proposed Quantum City to be established at Hesaraghatta near here will be officially unveiled on November 19 at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, Karnataka Minister for Science and Technology N S Boseraju said on Tuesday.
He was speaking at the Smart Bio Awards ceremony held at Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) as part of the Tech Summit, where he also interacted with several distinguished delegates attending the global event.
Boseraju said the State's Karnataka Quantum Mission (KQM), with an allocation of Rs 1,000 crore, aims to position Karnataka as the "Quantum Capital of Asia," according to a statement issued by the minister's office.
"Karnataka is establishing India's first Quantum City in Bengaluru. The government will present its detailed roadmap at the Bengaluru Tech Summit tomorrow (Wednesday). In addition, the State has requested the Centre to approve a Quantum Materials Innovation Network under India's National Quantum Mission," he added.
Minister Boseraju also highlighted the government's commitment to promoting scientific temper and innovations across the state saying that science centres and planetariums are being established in every district.
Under the Astronomy Access Programme, he said, telescopes have been distributed to schools, giving rural students hands-on exposure to space science.
"The Rs 300-crore 'Bengaluru Science City', being developed with support from the Government of India, is progressing rapidly and will offer immersive, experiment-based learning environments," he said.
The minister also lauded Science Gallery Bengaluru, supported by the Government of Karnataka, for its role in blending science with art and design and attracting more than six lakh visitors since its inception.
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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.
