Karnataka First

HAL emerged as the winning bidder among three shortlisted bidders; The PSU will initially make at least two SSLV rockets in two years with complete help and handholding from the ISRO, says IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka.

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has bagged a Transfer of Technology (ToT) deal, valued at ₹511 crore, from the Indian Space Research Organisation, to build and operate Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs).

The SSLV is a three-stage vehicle to launch satellites that weigh less than 500 kg into the Lower Earth Orbit (LEO). The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) on Friday announced the HAL as the winning bidder among three shortlisted bidders. The deal will enable commercialisation of SSLV launches.

Other contenders

Apart from the HAL, which had applied independently, two other technically qualified bidders were shortlisted: Alpha Design Technologies Ltd., Bengaluru, leading a consortium with Agnikul Cosmos and Walchand Industries Ltd.; and Bharat Dynamics Ltd., Hyderabad, leading a consortium with Skyroot Aerospace, Keltron and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Among the three, HAL emerged as the highest bidder.

Pawan Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, announced the winner. “The HAL will be giving ₹511 crore. It is a phased payment that will be done with some amount at the time of signing the contract and the remaining coming over a period of two years. The ToT phase will take two years and during these two years, the HAL will make at least two SSLV rockets with complete help and handholding from the ISRO and after two years, they will be on their own. So during the two years, they will draw all the technology and take it from there,” Dr. Goenka said.

Rigorous evaluation

IN-SPACe said the bidding process involved a rigorous eligibility and evaluation framework.

“A thorough evaluation process was followed, with various technology and financial readiness levels under review. The process, which continued for several months, culminated in the financial bid evaluation, where the HAL emerged as the highest bidder to acquire and operationalise SSLV technology,” the IN-SPACe said.

The ToT Agreement will be signed among HAL, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO, and IN-SPACe. The agreement encompasses extensive training and handholding of HAL personnel by ISRO teams, both at ISRO and HAL facilities, for the realisation and launch of two SSLVs in the next two years.

“The launch vehicle system, being multidisciplinary in nature, would require the winning entity, HAL, to undergo rigorous handholding and training under ISRO at both ISRO’s and the entity’s facilities. This is aimed at realising the projected launch of two SSLVs from an Indian launch port,” Rajeev Jyoti, Director, Technical Directorate, IN-SPACe, said.

Barenya Senapati, Director (Finance), HAL said that the PSU intends to build six to 12 SSLVs per year during the production phase and that it may ramp up based on demand and requirement.

Space launch liability

To a question on who will take the liability of a privately manufactured SSLV, Dr. Goenka said the state (Government of India) has the responsibility. “It is an international rule and not something India or the HAL or IN-SPACe can decide. Now, it is up to the Indian government to decide how much of that liability they keep on themselves and how much they pass on to the owner and launcher of the vehicle. As per the contract we will have, the HAL will follow whatever is the law of the land.”

“We will come out with a decision on how the launch liability will be shared between the owner of the rocket and the Government of India,” he added.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

In a move to enhance science education in rural India, 12 government schools in Raichur district, Karnataka, will be equipped with science lab stations to conduct experiments and access curated science courseware aligned with the state and NCERT syllabi.

This is part of Prayoga Institute of Education Research’s Kriya initiative, which aims to transform science learning for over 11,000 students across 77 schools in Karnataka. Prayoga’s effort in Raichur is supported by State Bank of India Foundation (SBIF), the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of India’s public sector bank, and the SBI Funds Management Pvt. Ltd, said Vallish Herur, Managing Trustee of Prayoga.

Kriya initiative, which is now in its 10th year, is designed for students in Classes 6 to 10, as a multi-year programme, particularly in government and rural schools, to understand the impact of experiential learning of science, added Herur. The initiative, said a press release issued by Prayoga on Thursday, also features a structured Teacher Empowerment Programme (TEP) with continuous academic mentoring for teachers.

Speaking about the collaboration, Sanjay Prakash, Managing Director of SBI Foundation, said, “This partnership is a significant step towards bridging the educational gap in rural India. By providing quality science education and the necessary resources, we are enabling students to experience science in a more practical and engaging manner.” The collaboration is a part of SBIF’s Integrated Learning Mission (ILM) project titled ‘Reimagining Science Education’, he added.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Ila Arun mesmerises with song, dance and stories of folk roots

The two-day Mysuru Literature Festival concluded on a high note last evening, bringing together over 100 writers, subject experts, artists and cultural enthusiasts under one roof.

Organised by the Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust and the Mysuru Book Clubs Charitable Trust, the ninth edition of the Festival offered a dynamic blend of discussions, performances and literary insight.

While English-language sessions were hosted at Jyothi Hall, Hotel Southern Star, Kannada-language talks were held in the open courtyard near the poolside at Gardenia, creating two parallel tracks of rich intellectual exchange. Topics ranged from art, literature, music and folk traditions to technology and contemporary issues.

Adding to the Festival’s cultural depth were 27 artists from varied disciplines and an internationally acclaimed photographer, whose participation brought an added vibrancy to the event.

Ila’s session brightens Fest

The penultimate session on Sunday evening featured acclaimed actress, TV personality and Rajasthani folk-pop singer Ila Arun, whose presence lit up Jyothi Hall. Speaking during the session titled ‘A Voice Like Earth, A Spirit Like Flame,’ Ila Arun reflected on her dual identity as a singer and actor. “I sing while I act and I act while I sing,” she said, drawing applause from the audience. Authors Anjula Bedi and Reena Pereira were also present at the session.

Sharing insights into her roots, Ila Arun remarked, “I’m from Jaipur, Rajasthan, where folk culture is a way of life.

Children must be introduced to folk stories and songs — it refines their cultural awareness.”

The session ended on a lively note as Ila Arun treated the audience to a live folk song and performed a short dance on stage.

Captivated by the performance, many in the audience spontaneously joined her, dancing and celebrating the close of the Festival in a spirit of joy and togetherness.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

The idea of starting something of their own came up when markets were shut during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Tired of seeing the word ‘organic’ on almost every label but rarely finding anything truly natural, an IT couple working in Bengaluru quit their corporate jobs and returned to their hometown Puttur in Dakshina Kannada, to start a chocolate brand. They wanted to put Puttur on the ‘Made in India’ chocolate map, using cocoa grown on their family farmland.

What started as small experiments with homegrown cocoa and natural sweeteners like dates and jaggery, has now grown into a full-fledged brand, with the couple also providing employment to women from rural backgrounds. In a chocolate market largely dominated by foreign brands, Swathi Kallegundi and her husband Balasubrahmanya PS (above) wanted to show what organic chocolates from India could be like. The couple now produces 300-500 kilograms of chocolate every day.

Swathi, an electronics and communication engineering graduate, and Balasubrahmanya, a software engineer, had worked for years in MNCs in Bengaluru. Like many urban professionals, they often relied on packaged foods labelled ‘organic’, but over time, found themselves questioning the quality behind the tags. The idea of starting something of their own came up when markets were shut during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Balasubrahmanya and Swathi moved to Puttur to work remotely, living on their farmland. With time and access to fresh cocoa, banana, coconut and dates, they began experimenting with small batches of chocolate, using only cocoa and natural sweeteners like jaggery, coconut sugar or date sugar. “That’s how Anuttama was born. In Sanskrit, Anuttama means ‘the finest’ or ‘none better’, and we chose the name to reflect the focus on clean chocolate made from local ingredients,” Balasubrahmanya said. Swathi said that as the brand grew, they started developing flavours inspired by familiar tastes from Karnataka.

“One of our best-known products is Spicy Tang, a dark chocolate made with jaggery, ginger and pepper. The idea came from kashaya, a traditional home remedy popular across Karnataka, made from spices like ginger and pepper and sweetened with jaggery, often given for cough and cold. Turning that into a balanced chocolate bar took several failed attempts but eventually became one of the best creations,” Swathi said. In 2021, Spicy Tang flavour won the bronze medal at the International Chocolate Awards Asia Pacific.

Another popular flavour is Bella Tharai, made with coconut milk and jaggery — a nod to the coastal region’s cooking traditions. “We didn’t want to add flavours just for variety. We wanted them to mean something and connect to what people here actually consume,” she said.

To support growing demand, the couple uses cocoa beans from their own farm as well as neighbouring ones. “We buy wet beans and handle the fermentation and drying ourselves to maintain consistency,” Balasubrahmanya said, explaining that the entire process — fermenting, drying, roasting, grinding, tempering, moulding and packaging — is done at their unit in Bettampady in Puttur.

Currently, they employ nine women from nearby villages. “The idea is to build a clean product and also create steady local employment, especially for rural women,” she added.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

The funds will be used to improve healthcare facilities, especially in areas related to maternal and child care.

Infosys Foundation, the CSR arm of Infosys, on Wednesday announced a partnership with Prashanthi Balamandira Trust, an organisation that provides education, healthcare, nutrition, and community service free of charge in Karnataka, to support free medical services for women and children in rural Karnataka. The foundation will provide a grant of over Rs 48 crore to Sri Sathya Sai Sarla Memorial Hospital in Chikkaballapur, which functions under the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR).

The funds will be used to improve healthcare facilities, especially in areas related to maternal and child care.

The hospital will offer services such as maternity care, pediatric treatment, gynaecological procedures, and heart-related interventions and surgeries for children.

All services will be provided free of cost.

Sri Madhusudan Sai, founder of SMSIMSR and trustee of the Prashanthi Balamandira Trust, said the support from Infosys Foundation will help improve services for women and children, who otherwise struggle to access quality healthcare. He added that the hospital, as a teaching institution, will use the new facilities to train medical and nursing students.

Infosys Foundation trustee Sunil Kumar Dhareshwar said the aim is to make essential healthcare available to people who cannot afford it.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

With 11 such centres spread across BBMP, the municipality aims to offer free cataract surgeries and spectacles to the poor and needy free of cost.

Deputy Chief Minister and Bangalore Urban Development Minister DK Shivakumar and Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao inaugurated the “Ashakirana Drishti Kendra” at Dr Balagangadharanath Swamiji Multi-Speciality Hospital in Govindarajanagar M C Layout on Thursday.

This was in collaboration with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), National Health Mission, National Blindness and Visual Impairment Control Programme and Sight Saver Swayamsevak Sanstha. With 11 such centres spread across BBMP, the municipality aims to offer free cataract surgeries and spectacles to the poor and needy free of cost.

“Among the 11 Ashakirana Drishti Kendras, five centres will be provided with human resources, surgical equipment and spectacle distribution services under CSR initiatives,” said Sirajuddin Madani, Chief Health Officer (CHO), BBMP. He added these centres are part of a total of 393 designated Ashakirana Vision Centres operating in Karnataka.

The CHO also added that the facility will be available at JJR Nagar Public Hospital, Halasuru Maternity Hospital, H Siddaiah Road Maternity Hospital, Hosahalli Maternity Hospital, R C Pura Maternity Hospital, Banashankari Maternity Hospital, Gauri Palya Maternity Hospital, Rampur Hospital, Indiranagar Public Hospital, Jayanagar Public Hospital and KC General Hospital, Malleswaram. Local MLA Priya Krishna, Special Commissioner of the Health Department Suralkar Vikas Kishore, National Health Mission Director Avinash Memon Rajendran, Zonal Joint Commissioner Sangappa and other officials were present.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

A futuristic Bengaluru Airport City will be developed on the KIA premises over the next decade. Spread over 463 acres, it will have business parks, a global innovation hub, an education and health district, a retail dining entertainment village, a concert arena, and more. The Hindu gets an exclusive peek into what the future holds.

The Karnataka government might have set the ball rolling for a second airport for Bengaluru to meet the future demands of the city and the State, but the existing Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at Devanahalli still has more to offer not just as a world-class airport but as an international gateway to a sustainable smart and vibrant city, say those at the helm.

Over the next decade or so, a futuristic airport city is being developed within the KIA premises, about 40 km north of the city, applying the core principles of ‘work, play, live, learn, and create’.

Sprawling area

Spread over 463 acres, the Bengaluru Airport City will have business parks, a global innovation hub, an education and health district, a retail dining entertainment (RDE) village, a concert arena, a convention and exhibition centre, a knowledge park, an hospitality area, a logistics park, and a central park.

While the business parks will occupy 241 acres of land, the hospitality area will cover 44 acres, RDE village 23 acres, and the remaining 155 acres will have logistics parks, education and health district, aerospace park, corporate retreat, etc.

Overseeing this project is Bengaluru Airport City Limited (BACL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bangalore International Airport Limited incorporated in early 2020.

Master plan

Before the commencement of the project, BACL officials say they visited Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, Munich International Airport in Germany, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands. BACL officials say they conceived the Bengaluru Airport City master plan after examining these major airport cities.

“The aim was to identify and understand the scale at which airport cities operate, the specific land-use mix and positioning, and best practices deployed in terms of mobility and infrastructure,” officials say.

A few projects at the Bengaluru Airport City are already up and running, including the 3D technology facility and a technologically advanced central kitchen. An EV research and development (R&D) facility is being set up by Epsilon Carbon.

The 3D technology facility from Voxeljet Germany, which has come up on a one-acre plot, has been operational since July 2022, and SATS Central Kitchen, which has come up on 6.7 acres of land, has been operational since March 2024. The SATS Central Kitchen can produce up to 1,70,000 ready-to-eat meals a day.

“Bengaluru Airport City strives to be more than just an urban extension — it aims to serve as a catalyst that propels North Bengaluru into a future-ready economic powerhouse. Our vision is to create an environment that functions as a living laboratory, where R&D hubs and global capability centres operate round the clock, driving cutting-edge research, continuous progress, and breakthrough inventions,” says Rao Munukutla, executive director and CEO of BACL.

Hospitality and business park

Bengaluru Airport City will also host one of the largest hotels in the country promoted by Vivanta and Ginger. The 775-room Combo Hotel (Vivanta and Ginger), which is under construction, is expected to be operational in October 2026. The proposed hotel comprises a combination of a 450-room Vivanta (four star) and a 325-room Ginger (three star) hotels.

According to the BACL, a demand study had shown a potential to develop up to 5,200 keys (accommodation units) in total to cater to the needs within the airport city. At present, there is one five-star hotel operational within the airport, Taj Bangalore, with 370 rooms.

“Hospitality will be a big story on this campus. While we complete the airport city, we will have 5,200 keys. So technically, if you take 100 keys as a standard hotel, it is equivalent to having 52 hotels on this campus,” Munukutla says.

The BACL will also develop 28 million sq. ft of business parks over time, starting with the first phase of 2 million sq. ft. This will cater to the requirements of the global capability centres (GCCs), technology companies, and financial institutions. The construction for Phase 1 of 0.5 mn sq. ft has commenced.

In addition, the BACL, along with the Government of Karnataka, recently announced the establishment of the global innovation hub – District I – within the business park to bring together GCCs, IT service providers, accelerators, corporate labs, start-ups, venture capital firms, academia, and public institutions.

“In Bengaluru, start-ups are scattered across the city. There are a few in Koramangala and a few in Whitefield. There is no place like Silicon Valley, where all the start-ups are in the surrounding area of Stanford University and San Francisco. The District I fixes this issue,” Munukutla says.

An Air India Academy will also become operational by July 2026, where approximately 360 students will get trained every year.

“Airports and airport cities are socio-economic hinges. Students from Devanahalli and surrounding villages can get trained in this academy. The qualification for getting trained here is a class 10 or class 12 pass. They will be learning hands-on aircraft maintenance. Then they will get absorbed in our maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities. We have got an Indigo MRO here and Air India is also building a massive MRO,” Munukutla says.

Addressing vibrancy

Munukutla opines that vibrancy is missing in Bengaluru when compared with global cities. “For any city to be dynamic, vibrancy is very important. We want the airport city to be a vibrant destination,” he says.

At the Bengaluru Airport City, a Concert Arena is also being constructed, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. Designed to be a state-of-the-art, fully integrated, technologically advanced venue with world-class acoustics and flexible infrastructure, it will accommodate 10,000 people.

This Concert Arena is the first of its kind in an airport city in India, and it is being developed in technical collaboration with Live Nation, U.S.

“We will have a metro station. People from Bengaluru can take a train and come here for the shows at the Concert Arena. Not just people from Bengaluru but people from all over India and the neighbouring countries, East Asia, Malaysia, and Indonesia can fly to Bengaluru and stay in the hotels here, so all these make the airport city a destination by itself,” says Munukutla.

Smart, sustainable

The Airport City draws inspiration from the Singapore Smart City.

“Built environment and city management, urban mobility, energy, environment and water, and safety and security these are the five pillars on which Singapore works, from there we derived 12 solutions which are: advanced security and surveillance, PA system and AI-based video analytics, smart traffic management, smart energy management, smart streetlight, environment monitoring, waste management, transport management, smart kiosk, digital signage, public Wi-Fi, and the airport city mobile app. We are applying these solutions to our airport city,” says a BACL official.

The BACL says that the airport city’s urban design guidelines are aligned with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals by promoting mixed use development to ensure that it becomes inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

In addition, the BACL and the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly advance sustainable, energy-efficient developments, aligned with global best practices in high-performance building design at the airport city.

Through its ASSURE programme, the IIHS also aims to accelerate the development of super-efficient, high-performance real estate in line with India’s climate goals.

The BACL has also received the IGBC Green City ‘Platinum’ rating for green master plan and design and policy interventions for the entire development.

Munukutla says that 90% of the project work will be completed by 2038, and the last 10% in the subsequent years.

Will it work?

Aviation experts and urban planners have welcomed the move to establish the airport city, which they say can evolve into a central business district by itself.

“It will work because you are going to have campuses that will be very close to the airport. The new aero city is following the similarities of quite a few global airports, but newer generation airports and not older generation ones,” says aviation expert Devesh Agarwal.

He adds that if the planners are building an entertainment district or a chain of restaurants it will work as well.

“If you see, the northern Bengaluru area does not have too many food and beverage outlets beyond Jakkur. Jakkur is kind of the limit; after that, you don’t really see any concentration of restaurants and pubs. So, if a complete entertainment and hospitality district is created — a sort of what has been done in Delhi aero city where they have a mall with many restaurants inside — it will work out. I also think they will focus on what is called the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions sector,” he adds.

Unique venture

Another expert says that when the Bengaluru Airport City comes up, it will truly be India’s first airport city. “Though Delhi has an aero city, its concentration is more on hotels and restaurants, unlike this one, where you have a mix of business and entertainment,” says an expert.

(Edited by Giridhar Narayan)

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a unique luminescent probe that uses terbium, a rare earth metal, to sense the presence of an enzyme called β-glucuronidase, which can potentially aid in the detection of liver cancer.

According to IISc, β-glucuronidase is an evolutionarily conserved enzyme found across life forms – from microbes to plants and animals. Its core function is to break down a sugar acid called glucuronic acid.

“Beyond its biological omnipresence, the enzyme also doubles as a critical biomarker for liver cancer. In fact, an upsurge in β-glucuronidase often accompanies colon, breast, and renal cancers, as well as infections of the urinary tract and AIDS,” IISc said.

Conventional methods

“Conventional methods of colorimetry and fluorescence for detecting such enzymes are often restricted by sensitivity or interference from background signals. The ability of rare earth metals to have long-lived excited states allows us to filter out short-lived background fluorescence, resulting in a much clearer signal,” said Ananya Biswas, former PhD student at IISc and co-first author of the paper published in Chemistry.

The roots of the project trace back nearly a decade, beginning with the team’s experiments on metal ions and their gel-forming properties. The team found that terbium ions couched in a gel matrix derived from bile salts can emit green fluorescence.

Within the same gel matrix, the team added an organic molecule called 2,3-DHN (2,3-Dihydroxynaphthalene) “masked” with glucuronic acid. When β-glucuronidase slices this modified molecule, 2,3-DHN gets released. The researchers then shined UV light on the sample.

“The free 2,3-DHN acts as an ‘antenna’ – absorbing UV light and transferring the energy to the terbium ions nearby, greatly enhancing their green emission. The gel matrix ensures sufficient proximity between the ‘antenna’ and terbium ions, facilitating efficient energy transfer,” said Uday Maitra, honorary professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry, IISc, and corresponding author of the study.

Ease of application

For ease of application, the team designed this assay as a simple paper-based sensor by anchoring the gel matrix onto a paper disc. When β-glucuronidase pre-treated with modified 2,3-DHN is added, the disc exhibits a much stronger green glow under UV light.

IISc said that the uniqueness of this technique is the analysis. “Unlike conventional high-end fluorescence detection systems, these sensors can be analysed using a UV lamp and ImageJ, an open source, freely accessible software, making this technique ideal for resource-limited settings,” it said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Nandini, the flagship dairy brand of KMF, retains its fourth position in Brand Finance’s 2025 rankings of India’s Most Valuable Brands.

Nandini, the flagship dairy brand of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), has once again cemented its position among India’s elite in the food and beverage space. In the latest 2025 rankings released by global brand valuation firm Brand Finance, Nandini retained its fourth spot, standing tall alongside industry heavyweights like Amul, Mother Dairy, Britannia, and Dabur, news agency PTI reported.

“In its latest report, Nandini has demonstrated remarkable progress, climbing from 43 in 2024 to 38 in 2025 among the Top 100 Most Valuable Indian Brands. The brand’s valuation rose to USD 1,079 million, reflecting an impressive increase of USD 139 million in brand value over the previous year,” the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) said in a statement accessed by news agency PTI.

KMF expressed pride in Nandini’s continued presence among the top-tier, with the brand trailing only behind Amul (#1), Mother Dairy (#2), and Britannia (#3), while staying ahead of several other major players including Dabur (#5).

These rankings, which reflect not just financial value but also intangible factors like consumer trust, market share, goodwill and brand loyalty, serve as a benchmark for brand strength and influence. A high position on this list is a signal of enduring consumer confidence and competitive edge, the report stated.

Nandini’s consistent climb in valuation highlights its growing resonance with consumers, particularly in South India, reinforcing its reputation for quality and reliability in a crowded marketplace.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to our valued consumers, dedicated farmers, trusted partners, and committed teams. Your continued trust and unwavering support have been the driving force behind Nandini’s growth and recognition. We remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering value, nourishment, and reliability–every single day. Together, we will continue to strengthen Nandini’s legacy and reach new milestones,” KMF’s MD B Shivaswamy said, as quoted by the agency.

(With inputs from PTI)

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)