Author: @admin

The achievement is particularly significant given that the Bengaluru Central RTO has often been in the spotlight in the past over allegations of irregularities and scams.

The Bengaluru Central Regional Transport Office (KA-01, HSR Layout) has emerged as the highest revenue-generating RTO in Karnataka and secured the third position nationally, setting a new benchmark in revenue collection for the financial year 2025–26.

The RTO recorded a total revenue of ₹1,273.8 crore during the year, placing it among the top three RTOs in the country out of more than 1,100 such offices. Officials said that only the Pune and Pimpri RTOs in Maharashtra ranked higher at the national level.

The achievement is particularly significant given that the Bengaluru Central RTO has often been in the spotlight in the past over allegations of irregularities and scams. Transport department officials said that the latest figures reflect a turnaround driven by stricter enforcement, improved administration, and better public interface.

“Within Karnataka, the Bengaluru Central RTO has consistently maintained the lead and has now held the top position for three consecutive years. In comparison, the Kasturinagar RTO generated ₹1,098 crore, while the Jayanagar RTO recorded ₹969 crore in revenue during the same period,” an official said.

A major contributor to the record collection has been intensified enforcement activity, said officials. “The Bengaluru Central RTO alone collected ₹6.2 crore through enforcement drives, making it the highest in the State under this category as well,” an official said.

Officials attributed this to the sharp rise in the number of vehicles in Bengaluru, which has necessitated stricter implementation of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and related rules. “Special drives were carried out targeting vehicles with pending taxes, those operating without valid driving licences, vehicles lacking fitness certificates, violations of permit conditions, and vehicles registered in other States but operating in the city. These enforcement operations have resulted in substantial revenue collection through fines and taxes, helping the office secure the top position in Karnataka,” the official added.

Meanwhile, the Transport Department fell short of its revenue target by 14%. It collected ₹12,829.64 crore in 2025–26 against a target of ₹15,000 crore, leaving a gap of about ₹2,100 crore. However, this still marks an 8.4% increase compared to 2024–25, when the department generated ₹11,744.67 crore.

This is the third consecutive year that the department has missed its target. In 2024–25, it collected ₹11,744.67 crore against a target of ₹12,500 crore, while in 2023–24, it mobilised ₹11,106.67 crore, falling short of the ₹11,500 crore target. In contrast, 2022–23 remains the only recent year in which the department surpassed its goal, collecting ₹9,487.23 crore against a target of ₹9,007 crore.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

 Vandse gram panchayat (GP), which has emerged as a model village with the distinction of being a clean village through effective solid waste management, has now been recognised as a ‘healthy panchayat’ and has received a national award. The panchayat has been conferred the Deen Dayal Upadhyay award by the central government along with a cash prize of Rs 75 lac.

Vandse gram panchayat has set a milestone in waste management over the past several years. Through its SLRM unit, wet and dry waste are systematically segregated, and by finding markets for the processed products, the panchayat has been generating revenue. The efforts of former president and current member Udaykumar Shetty have helped the panchayat emerge as a rare model in the Panchayat Raj system.

The panchayat has achieved 100 percent waste collection from households continuously for the past nine years. Scientific disposal of waste with a zero-waste approach, continuous maintenance of the solid waste management unit for eight years, and the provision of free mortuary box services are among the various initiatives undertaken.

The panchayat has also made significant strides in health-related aspects. At the Vandse Primary Health Centre, priority is given to maternal care, with a higher number of normal deliveries being conducted. Vaccination is ensured for all pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children, along with treatment to prevent anaemia among them. There have been no deaths of mothers or infants during pregnancy or childbirth, no cases of underweight children, and complete prevention of infectious diseases. The panchayat has facilitated distribution of Ayushman Bharat health cards and organised health camps. It has also implemented programmes such as the 100-day TB-free gram panchayat campaign and Poshan Abhiyan.

Further, a helpline and free ambulance service are provided through the Niramaya Society, and a digital health registry has been established for senior citizens and patients. In collaboration with Manipal KMC, a community palliative care centre has been set up. Monthly health and sanitation committee meetings are conducted at the gram panchayat, supported by the efficient work of ASHA workers and ANMs. Yoga training is provided in schools, and three well-equipped community toilets have been established within the village.

Vandse gram panchayat has been working across multiple dimensions with a strong focus on public welfare. With the cooperation of villagers, the PDO, gram panchayat members, and officials, the panchayat has been able to function successfully. Being recognised at the national level as a healthy gram panchayat has brought great satisfaction, said Udaykumar Shetty Adekodlu, former president of Vandse gram panchayat.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

As of midnight on March 31, cargo handling had reached 23.4 million tonnes, highlighting the refinery’s strong dependence on port infrastructure.

The Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) is currently operating its refinery at nearly 120% capacity in the backdrop of major global maritime disruptions, said its director Nandakumar V Pillai.

He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Maritime Adversities and the Role of Stakeholders and the Indian Port Act 2025’, organised by New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) on Wednesday.

Highlighting efforts to sustain domestic fuel supply, Pillai said LPG has become a key focus area. “We have ramped up production by nearly 30%, reaching about 45 lakh kg per day, which is equivalent to around 10 lakh cylinders daily,” he said, noting that supply chain challenges continue.

He emphasised the responsibility of ensuring uninterrupted fuel availability and protecting critical infrastructure. Addressing maritime challenges, he stressed that resilience and collaboration are essential, calling for flexible and robust supply chains, greater adoption of digital technologies and smarter port operations.

Pillai also underscored the importance of disaster preparedness. “Despite best efforts, natural calamities and disruptions can occur. What matters is our level of preparedness and response,” he said, adding that safety culture must extend beyond rules and standard operating procedures.

Providing operational data, he said through MRPL, around 346 vessels called at the port last year. As of midnight on March 31, cargo handling had reached 23.4 million tonnes, highlighting the refinery’s strong dependence on port infrastructure.

Referring to ongoing global geopolitical tensions, Pillai noted that the economic impact of conflicts is being felt far beyond war zones. He pointed to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for crude shipments from West Asia, where vessel movement has been severely affected, with nearly 3,000 ships reportedly awaiting clearance.

He added that crude oil prices have almost doubled, from about $69 per barrel in February to an average of $128 in March, while diesel has become one of the costliest commodities in the global market.

“Oil is available at ports but cannot be transported,” he said, adding that alternate routes such as the Red Sea are also facing security threats, even as some seafarers continue to navigate these risks.

Pillai highlighted a steep rise in cargo insurance costs. “Earlier, insurance ranged between 0.25% and 0.3% of cargo value. Now it has surged to 5% to 15%, along with additional war risk premiums of about Rs100 crore per cargo,” he said. He added that uncertainties in loading schedules and conflict-related disruptions have made operations increasinly unpredictable.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

In response to rising concerns over smuggling, illegal fishing, and “dark shipping” amid the West Asia crisis, a Bengaluru-based startup has developed an innovative tool capable of tracking ships and aircraft even when GPS systems are disabled, reports The New Indian Express.

Xovian Aerospace uses radio frequency (RF) signals combined with satellite technology to detect and monitor vessels and aircraft that vanish from conventional radar.

Co-founder Ankit Bhateja explained, “Our artificial intelligence-powered RF capture tool can be deployed across ships, defence installations, aircraft, and the industrial sector. Pilot projects are underway with commercial shipping companies, and discussions with the Indian defence sector are in progress.”

The 14-member team, which includes former ISRO scientists, spent two years developing the technology before its official launch.

Bhateja noted that traditional tracking depends on satellite imagery and GPS. “When GPS is turned off, our system analyses RF signals emitted by onboard instruments and the electromagnetic trails they leave behind,” he said.

For instance, ships usually transmit signals at 160 MHz on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) band. Even when AIS is disabled, other onboard devices continue emitting RF signals that can be detected. If all communications are switched off, the system estimates movement using the vessel’s last known location and signals from surrounding ships.

Currently, tracking relies on multiple data sources, causing a delay of around 20 minutes. With the launch of Xovian Aerospace’s own spectrum-scanning RF payload satellite, Bhateja expects tracking time to reduce to a few minutes.

“We are in talks with ISRO and international launch providers to deploy our indigenously developed satellite this financial year,” he added.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

A two-day international conference for physiotherapists — Mangalore Physiocon 2026 — will begin here on April 10.

Organised by South Canara Physiotherapy Teachers’ Association, the Minister for Medical Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Sharanprakash R. Patil, is set to inaugurate the event at TMA Pai International Convention Centre at 9 a.m.

Addressing press persons here on Saturday, U.T. Ifthikar Fareed, chairman of the conference’s organising committee, Karnataka State Allied Healthcare Council, said that Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao will deliver the keynote address at the conference.

The theme of the conference is ‘Health Movement — Moving into the Next Era through Technology and Autonomy’.

Many activities have been organised as a prelude to the conference from April 6, and they will go on till April 12.

The activities include blood donation at the Mangala College of Physiotherapy on April 6, a preliminary round of cultural competition at Yenepoya (Deemed-to-be) University on April 7, pre-conference workshops on April 8 and April 9 at different colleges, and a post-conference workshop, he said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

While many major sporting leagues today, from the IPL to the Premier League, are a remarkable amalgamation of sport and technology, what about India’s very own kabaddi?

Students at Mangalore Institute of Technology and Engineering, Moodbidri, may have something to offer to the high-intensity game — an intelligent mat system that detects player contact in real time, identifying touches, tackles and scoring events, and could thus help the referee make accurate decisions.

Christened ‘Tech Kabaddi’, it was one of the 60 projects from ten tier-2 and tier-3 colleges in Karnataka displayed at the New Age Innovation Network Conclave at International Institute of Information Technology – Bangalore (IIIT-B). 

The student-developed technologies displayed at the exhibition addressed challenges across healthcare, environment, agriculture, digital transformation, and social innovation. 

Compendium

A compendium on the student innovators, startups, and institutions was released at the conclave. Lakshmi Jagannathan, CEO, IIIT-B Innovation Centre, noted that the conclave was a culmination of the creativity and technical excellence of students from cities and towns beyond Bengaluru.

“It highlights how young innovators are leveraging emerging technologies to solve complex societal challenges and contribute to India’s journey towards becoming a resilient, technology-driven nation,” she added.

A large number of projects displayed at the exhibition focused on agri-tech. Some of these included liquid nano-fertiliser developed from sewage water, paper made from areca waste, an automated harvesting system that identifies and plucks ripe areca nuts, a smart livestock management system, a community-owned machinery bank that enables small farmers to share modern agricultural equipment, smart storage system for areca nuts, and drone for precision pesticide spraying, among others.

Projects also featured a rescue robot for high-precision operations in confined, hazardous spaces, a health-monitoring smart jacket, potable water from atmospheric moisture, an AI-enabled self-learning Braille device, smart nutraceutical solution developed from seaweeds, solar sun tracker and so on.

Nurturing student innovators

The New Age Innovation Network (NAIN) programme is a Government of Karnataka initiative under the Startup Policy 2025–2030, conceived with the idea of nurturing student innovators and promoting a culture of entrepreneurship within engineering institutions, particularly in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

Students are encouraged to identify local challenges and develop frugal, technology-driven solutions, supported by mentorship in product development and entrepreneurial thinking.

Under this scheme, 50 new NAIN centres will be established in higher education institutions outside Bengaluru Urban, and each NAIN 2.0 centre is eligible for funding support of up to ₹5 lakh per student project, covering a maximum of 10 projects annually over a period of three years.  

IIIT-B served as the anchor institute for six colleges, including Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology, Davangere, JAIN College Deemed to be University, Ramanagara, Malnad College of Engineering, Hassan, College of Fisheries, Mangaluru, Mangalore Institute of Technology and Engineering, Moodbidri and St Philomena College (Autonomous), Puttur. In the coming year, the Institute will anchor nine centres.  

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Unlike NMHS-1 conducted in 2015-16, where only 12 states participated, this survey covers all 28 states and 8 Union Territories.

For the first time in India, the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2025-26 will examine mental wellness or wellbeing as a model rather than mental illness.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has mandated NIMHANS to conduct the survey to estimate the burden of mental health problems, understand healthcare-seeking patterns, and identify the status of human resources and services.

Dr Girish, Prof of Epidemiology, Centre for Public Health, NIMHANS, said, “We are looking at mental well-being as an index for the first time Because a lot of us talk about illness as a model. This time, the survey involves questions around mental wellness and how people look after themselves. It is a challenge to find out the mental wellbeing, but we thought we should give it a try to find out how do people report their wellness. This will create a well-being index for the entire country. Our new parameters also include looking at loneliness among the elderly. We are also looking at mental health crisis women go through during pre-menstrual and post-menopause problems.”

Unlike NMHS-1 conducted in 2015-16, where only 12 states participated, this survey covers all 28 states and 8 Union Territories. So far, more than 2,50,000 interviews have been completed across 24 states.

“All these 24 states including Karnataka have completed their field level data collection and planning for thematic studies. The field-level data collection has been done by approaching people door to door capturing the minimum needed information. Thematic study is more of indepth study or qualitative study which involves studying, analysing, and report recurring patterns. Training is rigorous and intense lasting over a period of six weeks for the field data collectors and State Survey Coordinators,” said Dr Rao.

“The overall sampling design is a stratified, cluster sampling technique proportional to population size and adopt a four stage sampling. The districts within each State / UT has been divided into 5 strata based on Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MDPI) of Niti Aayog; within each strata 5 to 10 districts has been randomly selected,” he added.

The government has mandated that AIIMS-like institutions and government medical colleges act as implementation partners in each state. Each State and Union Territory has two Principal Investigators from the departments of Psychiatry and Community Medicine.

NMHS-2 aims to estimate the prevalence of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) disorders among adults, adolescents, and on a pilot basis, children. It will also assess disability, socio-economic impact, pathways to care, service utilisation, caregiver burden, and mental health systems, while identifying vulnerable populations and available resources.

A draft report will be submitted to the National Technical Advisory Group by July 2026. The final report will be released on October 10, 2026, on World Mental Health Day.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Six gram panchayats from the state have been selected for the central government’s Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grama Vikas Puraskar under various categories. Notably, five of these gram panchayats are from Udupi district.

Mudradi and Madamakki from Hebri taluk, Vandse and Hakladi from Kundapur taluk, Sanoor from Karkala, and Halnayakanahalli from Bengaluru have been selected for the award. Each selected gram panchayat will receive a cash prize ranging from a minimum of Rs 75 lac to a maximum of Rs 1.50 crore.

Mudradi gram panchayat has been selected for the Poverty-Free and Enhanced Livelihood Panchayat Award. The selection was made considering its efforts in promoting self-employment through women’s self-help groups, use of modern agricultural machinery, effective implementation of Central and State self-employment schemes, provision of pension benefits to eligible beneficiaries, and achieving 100 percent progress in ration distribution.

Madamakki gram panchayat has been selected for the Sustainable Drinking Water Scheme Award. The recognition comes for conserving water sources within its jurisdiction and ensuring adequate water supply to every household through well-planned measures.

Vandse gram panchayat has been selected for the Health Services Award. Key factors include the services of its health centre, solid waste management, health activities in schools and anganwadis, special health camps, and notably, the initiation of palliative care for the bedridden through the Neeramaya Society.

Hakladi gram panchayat has been selected for the Social Justice and Social Security Panchayat Award. The selection was based on effective utilization of government grants for all sections including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, the underprivileged, differently-abled, and vulnerable groups, achieving over 80 percent progress in all aspects, and efficient implementation of employment guarantee schemes.

Sanoor gram panchayat has been selected for the Infrastructure Sector Award. Its achievements include installation of streetlights across all parts of the village, sustainable drinking water supply, scientific drainage systems, development of rural roads, emphasis on quality education in schools and colleges, and prioritizing the creation of local employment opportunities.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

Musician Sakre talks about his work and his journey, decoding his method and process along the way.

Joel Sakkari, who performs as Sakré, has a theory about why certain songs feel inescapable. Growing up in Karnataka, he was surrounded by South Indian music from the likes of Ilaiyaraaja, Hamsalekha, Rajan-Nagendra and others.

“These songs used to be playing everywhere. You could not escape them,” he says. What began as an osmotic experience has since become the structural backbone of everything he makes. As a producer and guitarist who builds beats almost entirely outside a computer — primarily on the SP 404, a hardware sampler with a devoted cult following among beatmakers in hip-hop and electronic music — Sakré has carved out a sound that takes the harmonic richness of beloved Kannada and Tamil film music and processes them the way a jazz musician might, not to replicate, but to improvise.

Earlier this month, Sakré brought that sensibility to Sonos Sound Suites, an immersive listening experience held at The Conservatory in Shanti Nagar, Bengaluru, where the emphasis on high-end audio was mirrored as a natural fit for his music. He performed a solo set alongside a collaboration with singer-songwriter Sahana Naresh adding Hindustani classical vocal elements.

For Sakré, these curator-led listenership events are where his music breathes best. “My music requires an audience who come with an open mind. They curated people from various fields who were already inclined towards listening — so I was in the right setting where my music also becomes part of that experience.”

The composer who looms largest over Sakré’s reference palette is Ilaiyaraaja. “Raja Sir has pushed a lot of boundaries, and his soundscape has defined the entirety of South Indian cinema,” he says.

Beyond Ilaiyaraaja, he names Kannada composers such as Vijay Anand. “Some of the older songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s had interesting harmonisation happening within the composition itself. I’d maybe pick two or four bars, that is how it has been.”

His approach to sampling is closer to the jazz tradition than a DJ. “Sampling is my voice. I chop like a beatmaker, but I reharmonise like a jazz musician. It is like Coltrane playing over ‘Fly Me to the Moon’… that’s my philosophy.”

That methodology found its most tangible expression in his beat tape Raja Has No Friends, a collection of songs that could just carry a cross-generational appeal given that a seasoned Kannadiga might pick up on some of the sonic familiarities and a hip-hop fan might just groove to the beats. Out in 2024 and 2025 in two volumes, the albums tell how nostalgia can be woven into futuristic sounds.

His most recent release, Bangalore Sonic Archives, was out in October 2025 and pushed that thinking into physical geography. It started as a social media commission from art collective Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, who gave him full access to their Instagram for a week and asked him to do what he wanted with it.

Sakré proposed sonically mapping Bangalore, from Indian Coffee House and how it was a third space for meetings and hangouts to a street musician named Narayana. The Instagram project grew into a seven-track beat tape, and then into a 160-minute audio-visual performance at BLR Hubba’s Kantha Festival in January, with visual artist Upendra doing live coding and visual sampling alongside Sakré’s set.

The audience Sakré finds most receptive tends to come from three directions. There are fellow beatmakers who regard the SP 404 as a crucial tool for lo-fi hip-hop beats and appreciate his technique. “It is a device that has a heritage and a history. A lot of fellow beatmakers actually start listening to my music because they see how it is like a blank slate; they appreciate my technique,” he says.

Then, there are listeners drawn in by the emotional charge of the samples themselves. “Every sound has a certain place in our heart, right?” he asks. Lastly, there are those who arrive through recognising the film songs, initially assuming that what they are hearing is a remix. “But I wouldn’t call them remixes. I don’t take the hook exactly. I take smaller samples and reharmonise them,” he clarifies.

Coming up, Sakré is planning re-releases of earlier beats, this time with hip-hop artistes and rappers who have already been writing verses over his instrumentals. He is also putting the finishing touches on a Hindi electronica album called Rozi Roti with longtime collaborator Jitesh Jadwani, his bandmate in Droolfox who also makes music under the moniker Galat Admi.

In the meantime, he continues to be a go-to collaborator for the likes of Sahana Naresh and the Vasu Dixit Collective. “These collaborations have happened on a very human level,” he says. In the age of rapidly churned out digital music, Sakré adds more humanness to music production, taking things apart and putting them back together to arrive at refreshing tracks

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)