Karnataka First

Karnataka saw 218 new biotech start-ups being added in 2025 alone, marking the highest annual biotech start-up additions in three years.

Karnataka’s bioeconomy, a $39 billion enterprise, contributes over one-fifth to the national bioeconomy and over 10% to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) as of 2025, observes a newly launched report.  

The Karnataka BioEconomy Report 2025, prepared by the Association of Biotechnology-Led Enterprises (ABLE) for the Karnataka government, was released on Monday.

Production-oriented

Between 2023 and 2025, the State’s bioeconomy expanded from $31 billion to $39.2 billion, representing a cumulative rise of 26.5%. The growth has been attributed to a robust biopharmaceutical base, rapid bioindustrial diversification, and strong bioservices integration.  

“Karnataka’s innovation ecosystem — anchored in research institutions, start-ups, and global R&D centres — has transitioned from being research-heavy to production-oriented and globally competitive,” reads the report, which pins the State’s contribution to India’s bioeconomy at 20.63%.  

While biopharma has remained the anchor with over 40% share (about $16.44 billion), driven by biologics, biosimilars, vaccines and diagnostics, bioindustrial has emerged as the fastest-growing segment (about $11.46 billion, around 29% share), led by fermentation-based industries, biofuels, enzymes and sustainable materials. 

Bioservices has also displayed steady growth, contributing about 25.8% share. 

Economic pillar

According to the report, Karnataka’s bioeconomy accounted for 10.51% of the GSDP in 2025. This is more than twice the share of the biotech sector to India’s GDP (4.57%).

“This positions biotechnology not merely a scientific discipline but as an economic pillar central to the State’s development model,” notes the report. 

Jump in startup numbers

Karnataka’s biotech start-up ecosystem continued to grow, with 218 new biotech start-ups being added in 2025 alone, marking the highest annual start-up additions in three years. With this, the cumulative number of biotech start-ups in the State stands at 1,451, up from 1,233 in 2024. 

The State currently holds a 12–13% share of the national biotechnology start-up pool and more than 75% of them startups are focused on life sciences and health-tech. Bengaluru accounts for about 54% of the biotech start-ups.  

Mysuru contributes around 8.7% to the bioeconomy of the State, while Belagavi and Dakshina Kannada together account for over 9%. 

On the investment front, between January 2024 and October 2025, Karnataka attracted $1.14 billion across around 40 deals, spanning biopharma, medtech, precision fermentation, digital health, and agribio. 

Collaboration critical

“The rapid expansion of biomanufacturing shows a sector moving decisively from research to global-scale production. Continued collaboration between government, industry and academia will be critical to sustaining Karnataka’s leadership in India’s next phase of bio-led growth,” said G.S. Krishnan, honorary president, ABLE. 

Priyank Kharge, Minister for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Rural Development, noted that biotechnology is no longer confined to laboratories, but is now a central driver of economic growth, industrial innovation and societal impact.  

“Our focus is on building a full-spectrum biomanufacturing economy by supporting deep-tech start-ups, strengthening innovation infrastructure, and ensuring that growth reaches beyond Bengaluru to every region of the State,” he said. 

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

This is the first GCC of Festo which reported a revenue of over €3.5 billion in 2025.

Festo, a 100-year-old German automation technology firm which focuses on 35 different industries, opened its Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

This is the first GCC of Festo which reported a revenue of over €3.5 billion in 2025, and it is expected to boost the company’s Industry 4.0, Automation, and Smart Manufacturing and R&D activities globally. The centre will serve as a strategic hub for advanced engineering, digital solutions, software development, data analytics, and process excellence, supporting Festo’s operations worldwide, according to spokespersons.

The 71,000 square feet centre has already hired over 250 people and it would have a people strength of 600 to 800 people by 2030. Furthermore, the GCC would also build on the skills of existing employees supporting global process optimisation and innovation.

Ravi Sastry, Managing Director, Festo India, said, “Our GCC in Bengaluru is aligned with Festo’s vision of automation for a sustainable future, the centre will play a significant role to drive global R&D initiatives while fostering collaboration with India’s rich technology and engineering talent pool.”

India has been a key growth market for Festo and the company remained focused on empowering industries, enabling skills for tomorrow through technical education and shaping the future of automation through innovation, partnership, and long-term impact, said Alok Maheshwari, Head of GCC, Festo India.

Festo entered the Indian market in 1963 and established its incorporated presence in 1986. Over the last four decades, Festo India with over 1,000 employees has played a key role in advancing industrial automation, technical education, and Industry 4.0 readiness, working closely with 25,000 customers, institutions, and industry partners to deliver innovative automation solutions and develop future-ready talent.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

This 1.1 million square feet, 12-storey campus will support over 7,000 employees across ecommerce, operations, payments, technology, and seller services across India.

Amazon, a Seattle-based technology, e-commerce and cloud computing firm, has opened its second largest corporate office in Asia at Kattigenahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Monday.

Built on around five acres of land, the campus will support over 7,000 employees across e-commerce, operations, payments, technology, and seller services across India, according to the firm.

David Zapolsky, senior vice-president, global affairs & legal officer, Amazon, said, the speed of technology adoption and the ambition around AI in India were unmatched by any other country in the world. “There’s a growth orientation here that is unmistakable, bold, forward-looking, and optimistic,” Mr. Zapolsky said.

Amazon invested $40 billion across all of its businesses in the country and also recently committed to investing $35 billion more by 2030 in the coming years, he said.

Mr. Zapolsky also said, Amazon Now, the company’s quick commerce outlet, designed to meet the needs of customers in dense, fast-paced urban centers in India was now making its way across the Middle East, North America, Europe, and Latin America.

Speaking on the occasion, M.B. Patil, Minister for Large & Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, said Amazon’s continued investment in Bengaluru reflected India’s growing role as a global technology and innovation hub.

“Large-scale campuses like this create more jobs, strengthen the local ecosystem and support India’s digital economy. We welcome all investments that build long-term capability and create opportunity for our workforce,” Mr. Patil added.

Samir Kumar, vice president, international consumer, Amazon, said India continued to be a long-term priority for Amazon, and Bengaluru has played a central role in the company’s journey in India.

“Over the years, the city has been home to some of our earliest technology and business teams, and today it remains a key hub for innovation and talent,” Mr. Kumar added.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

IISc said that itch and pain are both unpleasant sensations triggered by harmful or irritating stimuli, but they lead to different behavioural responses.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have mapped a neural circuit in the brain involved in the complex relationship between itch and stress. Their findings, published in Cell Reports, reveal how specific neurons activated during stress can directly regulate itch.

IISc said that itch and pain are both unpleasant sensations triggered by harmful or irritating stimuli, but they lead to different behavioural responses.

While pain typically causes us to withdraw (such as pulling our hand away from a fire), itch drives scratching.

“Scientists have long known that emotional states such as stress and anxiety can influence the intensity of these sensations. While the neural mechanisms linking stress and pain have been studied extensively, the effect of stress on itch has remained poorly understood,” IISc said.

In the new study, the IISc team focused on the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), a region in the brain known to regulate stress, motivation, and emotional states. Using genetically engineered mouse models, the researchers identified a specific population of neurons in the LHA that become active during acute stress.

The researchers then tested whether these stress-activated neurons directly influence itch. “We ran some pilot experiments, and we saw that, surprisingly, acute stress was able to suppress acute itching,” said Jagat Narayan Prajapati, PhD student at the Centre for Neuroscience (CNS), IISc, and first author of the study.

When the team artificially activated the stress neurons, scratching behaviour decreased in both short-term chemically induced itch and a psoriasis-like chronic itch model. Conversely, when these neurons were silenced, stress no longer reduced scratching. These results showed that these neurons are both necessary and sufficient for stress-induced suppression of itch.

“We show that a specific circuit in the lateral hypothalamus can suppress itch during acute stress, revealing how the brain directly links emotional states to sensory perception. By identifying the specific neural circuit that links stress to itch, we are opening the possibility of targeting these brain mechanisms to better manage chronic stress-induced worsening of itch,” said Arnab Barik, Assistant Professor at CNS and corresponding author

The study, carried out in collaboration with PhD student Aynal Haque and Giriraj Sahu, Assistant Professor at the Molecular Biophysics Unit, IISc, also uncovered differences between acute and chronic itch.

Chronic itch affects millions of people worldwide. Current treatments largely focus on the skin and immune system, but the new findings highlight the importance of the brain in shaping itch perception.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The Archives at NCBS is a public centre for the history of science in contemporary India and the event will be held at the Dasheri auditorium in the NCBS campus.

The Archives at NCBS will be launching 80,000 plus new archival objects and more than 4,000 minutes of audio material across more than 35 collections, spanning over 100 plus years of scientific practice, imagination, and public life on February 27, 2026, at the Find, Tell, Share Stories-2026 edition.

The Archives at NCBS is a public centre for the history of science in contemporary India and the event will be held at the Dasheri auditorium in the NCBS campus.

“This year’s additions expand our holdings across diverse fields of science. The material includes letters, lab and field notebooks, photographs, audio recordings, and more. Among these are stories that challenge and complicate dominant narratives of science in India,” Archives at NCBS said.

It added that across these collections, visitors will encounter not only experiments and discoveries, but also labour, class, gender, politics, humour, institutional tensions, collaborations, and the everyday texture of doing science. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 4 p.m. and will feature short talks introducing this year’s collections, a walkthrough of the Archives and a visit to the new exhibition launching alongside the collections.

“We will also present key public-facing projects from the past year, including our school education initiatives, developments in our preservation labs, new digital access tools, exhibitions, talks, and collaborative programs,” it added.

There will be a preview of “Beyond Treatment: Rethinking Conservation in Archives”, the latest exhibition by the Archives’ Conservation team.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The team defeated Malaysia in a closely contested final, winning 25-23, 23-25, 25-21.

Indian athletes who won the international throwball tournament held in Cambodia received a grand welcome at Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli on February 16.

The team defeated Malaysia in a closely contested final, winning 25-23, 23-25, 25-21. Among the players were Akshay and Chandan Reddy, students of Endeavours International School in Bengaluru.

Parents, school management, and supporters received the team. The athletes were later congratulated and honoured by the school’s chairman, M.L. Sivashankar. Following their victory, the team also met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and shared their experience of the tournament.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Satish, who is serving as a fireman at the Udupi fire station under the Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services department, has received the award given by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for his good and dedicated service and for his excellent performance during emergency situations, the department said.

Satish recently received the medal in the presence of the director general of police of the state and the director general of police of the Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services.

He joined the Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services department in 2005, underwent training at the R A Mundkur Training School, and was posted to duty at the Moodbidri fire station in 2006. In 2018, he was transferred on promotion to the Hebbal fire station in Mysuru and is currently serving at the Udupi fire station. During his service period, he has received several recognitions and the Salute Silent Star award for protecting the lives and properties of people, according to a press release from the district fire officer.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

The Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN), a global non-profit body that promotes digital and data-based solutions in the water sector, has appointed Ram Prasath Manohar, Chairman of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), to its 5th Senior Utility Advisory Group (UAG).

Dr. Manohar is the only utility head from India selected for this global advisory group.

He will serve alongside five other members representing water utilities from Australia, Canada, Portugal, Brazil and the United States. This is also seen as the international recognition of the recent technology-driven steps taken by the BWSSB, particularly the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and data-based systems in managing Bengaluru’s water supply and sewerage network.

The group will bring together senior leaders from water utilities across the world to discuss practical challenges faced by utilities, identify regional trends, and suggest priority areas for research and innovation.

The announcement comes ahead of the SWAN’s 16th Annual Conference, scheduled to be held from June 2 to 4, in Tampa, Florida, on the theme “Adapting your digital journey”. 

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Nittile Mahabaleshwar Bhat (70), a progressive farmer, researcher and temple trustee from Kodapadavu Nittile in Vitlapaduru village, passed away on February 18 at a private hospital in Deralakatte.

He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Mahabaleshwar Bhat served as the mottesara (chief trustee) of the Kodapadavu Sri Veeranjaneya Kshetra. Known for his innovative mindset and commitment to agriculture, he developed several farmer-friendly machines aimed at reducing labour and improving efficiency.

In 2007, he invented a pepper threshing machine, followed by a cocoa bean separating machine in 2012 and an arecanut de-husking machine in 2013. His agricultural innovations gained recognition beyond the district. All the machines designed by him were showcased at ‘Vaiga’, a reputed agricultural exhibition organised by the Government of Kerala.

Apart from farm equipment, Bhat also constructed a unique and practical cement pipe-based bridge on his farmland to meet local needs. The innovative model drew appreciation from the minor irrigation department of Kasaragod district, Kerala, which later replicated the design to build hundreds of similar pipe-culvert structures in the region.

For his contributions to agriculture and rural innovation, he received several accolades, including the Krishi Pandit Award (2007), Samruddhi Award (2012), DK District Rajyotsava Award (2015), Havyaka Ratna Award (2018) and Campo Award (2019). He was also honoured by various organisations for his service.

Well-versed in astrology as well, Mahabaleshwar Bhat was known to be a soft-spoken and widely respected personality. 

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

By Dr. C.D. Sreenivasa Murthy, Physician, Cardiologist and Member of Freemasons Lodge Mysore No. 34

Before independence, the British governed India through a dual system. Approximately two-thirds of the country was under direct British control via Presidencies and Provinces, managed by Governors or Commissioners. The remainder consisted of Princely States, which were ruled by local monarchs under treaties with British Crown.

While Britain held suzerainty — acting as the paramount power — these States enjoyed relative administrative autonomy, though defence, communications and external affairs remained under British jurisdiction.

The lapse of suzerainty and the challenge of accession

When the British Government decided to exit the subcontinent by partitioning it into India and Pakistan, British suzerainty over the Princely States lapsed. Technically, this rendered more than 540 States independent. Viceroy Lord Mountbatten advised these rulers to join either India or Pakistan, primarily based on geographical contiguity.

At the dawn of independence, the largest of these States were Kashmir, Hyderabad and Mysore. Home Minister Sardar Patel and his Secretary, V.P. Menon, spearheaded the reorganisation of these States. They urged rulers to sign two key documents:

1. The Instrument of Accession: Ceding defence, communications and external affairs to the Central Government.

2. The Standstill Agreement: Ensuring administrative continuity during the transition.

Among the major States, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the Maharaja of Mysore, was the first to sign these documents on August 9, 1947. They were formally accepted by Lord Mountbatten on August 16, 1947. In contrast, Kashmir and Hyderabad refrained from signing at the time of independence.

The ‘Mysore Chalo’

Movement

Despite the Maharaja’s early accession, domestic tension rose. The Mysore State Congress and various freedom fighters demanded that the Maharaja replace the rule of the Dewan, Sir Arcot Ramaswamy Mudaliar, with a popular, representative Government. When this transition did not immediately occur, the ‘Mysore Chalo’ Movement (also known as the Palace Satyagraha) was launched.

Led by Sri K. Chengalraya Reddy, the movement saw activists from across the State converge on Mysore City. The agitation occasionally turned violent; notably, a student named Ramaswamy was killed during Police firing at a major intersection. Today, the ‘Five Lights Circle’ on JLB Road in Mysore is named Ramaswamy Circle in his honour.

While Dewan Mudaliar and Private Secretary T. Thamboo Chetty were criticised at the time for allegedly delaying the establishment of a responsible Government, history also credits Mudaliar for his instrumental role in guiding Mysore’s swift integration into the Indian Union.

The path to a sovereign republic

Succumbing to popular demand, Maharaja invited K.C. Reddy to become the first CM of Mysore. The oath of office was administered at the Mysore Palace on October 25, 1947, with A.R. Mudaliar continuing his service as Dewan.

Initially, the Mysore leadership envisioned a federal structure where the State could remain a constitutional monarchy. To this end, a Constituent Assembly was established by royal proclamation on October 29, 1947.

Sardar Patel even sent a congratulatory message, wishing the Assembly success in fashioning a constitution “worthy of the traditions of Mysore.”

However, after members were elected for the Constituent Assembly in March 1948 — with the Congress party winning a landslide 68 of 76 seats — the Assembly ultimately decided against a separate constitution. Instead, they resolved in 1949 to adopt the Constitution of India.

The inauguration of the Republic

On Nov. 25, 1949, the Maharaja issued a proclamation accepting the Draft Constitution of India. On Jan. 26, 1950, Mysore officially became a Part-B State of the Union. The Maharaja’s role transitioned to that of Rajapramukh (Constitutional Governor). The historic day was marked by a grand ceremony:

10.15 am: A special durbar was held at the Mysore Palace, where the Maharaja read the proclamation of the Indian Republic and took his oath as Rajapramukh.

Military honours: A 21-gun salute was fired from the Palace battery.

Public celebration: The Maharaja drove from the Palace to Government House for a ceremonial parade and the unfurling of the National Flag.

Evening festivities: The day concluded with a garden party for 2,000 guests at the Chamundi Gymkhana.

The Mysore Constituent Assembly continued to serve as the State’s provisional Legislative Assembly until the first general elections were held in 1952.

Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, born on July 18, 1919, was a towering figure in both stature and spirit — handsome, highly educated and deeply cultured. At the young age of twenty-one, he ascended the throne of the Princely State of Mysore on Sept. 8, 1940, becoming its 25th Maharaja.

His reign came to a historic close on Jan. 26, 1950, when Mysore merged with the newly formed Indian Republic. He stood as the 25th sovereign of the illustrious Wadiyar dynasty, a royal lineage that began with Raja Wadiyar in 1399 and ruled Mysore uninterrupted for 651 years.

On India’s first Republic Day, the magnificent Wadiyar dynasty gracefully passed from the realm of power into the pages of history.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)