Tulu Language
Context
High level committee backs move to grant second official language status to Tulu.
- A high-level committee set up by the Government of Karnataka to examine Andhra Pradesh’s model for recognizing Urdu as a second official language has submitted its report.
- The panel supported granting similar second official language status to Tulu headed by M. Gayatri (former Director of the Kannada and Culture Department).
- Tulu is predominantly spoken in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, and in parts of Kasaragod in neighbouring Kerala.
About Official Language
- Article 345 allows state legislatures to adopt one or more languages in use in the state, or Hindi, as official language(s).
- State governments have the authority to decide their official language(s) to reflect regional diversity.
- Official language of a state is used to ensure smooth administrative, legal, and legislative operations, facilitating clear communication between government bodies and citizens.
- English continues to be used for official purposes until the State Legislature decides otherwise.
Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary
Context
High Court directs inclusion of left-out55 sq. km reserve forest area into Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary.
- High Court of Karnataka directed the State government to issue a notification to include the remaining areas of Kappatagudda Reserve Forest in Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Gadag district.
- Decision follows the resolution passed in the 11th meeting of the Karnataka State Wildlife Board (KSWB).
- Petitioners held licences to operate stone crushing industries on lands located in the immediate vicinity of Kappatagudda Reserve Forest.
- They challenged the notification, declaring the area measuring 244.15 sq. km excluding enclosures, revenue villages, patta lands and revenue land
About Kappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary
- Location: Gadag
- Vegetation: Dry deciduous forest
- Extends in four taluks namely, Gadag, Mundaragi, Shirahatti and Laxmeshwar in three Forest ranges.
- It is the only Wildlife Sanctuary declared in the state with the objective of conservation of wild flora.
- Sanctuary forms the major catchment for the River Tungabhadra in the district
Fifth State Finance commission
Context
Fifth State Finance Commission has recommended that the newly formed city corporations in Bengaluru introduce a new entertainment fee and tax.
- Proposal is part of a broader set of recommendations aimed at making the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) financially sustainable.
- The panel suggests levying these charges on both ticketed and ticketless events, as well as television entertainment.
- New levies could generate approximately ₹300 crore annually from the Bengaluru metropolitan area.
- Recommendation draws from the Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Act, 2024, which empowers civic bodies to impose such charges.
- If the State government accepts the proposal, the cost of movie tickets, live shows, and television services is expected to rise.
What is an Entertainment tax?
- Entertainment tax is an indirect tax levied by governments on commercial forms of entertainment, such as movie tickets, sporting events, amusement parks, and exhibitions.
- This tax in Karnataka is generally levied at 30% on cinema tickets and various entertainment forms, governed by the Karnataka Entertainments Tax Act, 1958.
25-qubit quantum computing system
Context
25-qubit quantum computing system installed at IIIT-Dharwad, Raichur.
- Installation of QpiAI Indus, at the Quantum Computing Center of Excellence (QCCE) at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Dharwad and Raichur.
- The initiative, part of the Local Economy Acceleration Programme (LEAP), aims to provide hands-on training for students, support faculty research, and enable industry adoption of quantum technologies.
What is QpiAI Indus?
- QpiAI-Indus is a 25-qubit, superconducting quantum computer developed by Bengaluru-based start-up QpiAI as part of India’s National Quantum Mission.
- It bridges academia and industry by supporting specialized curriculum development, student training, and faculty research.
- Enables enterprises and innovators to deploy quantum computing for commercial workloads and practical, real-world applications.
Strategic Hubs and Infrastructure
- India’s First Quantum City (Q-City) is proposed for Hesaraghatta, near Bengaluru to include advanced research labs, a hardware park, and cryogenic testing facilities.
- IISc Bengaluru has been selected as one of four national fabrication hubs under the National Quantum Mission (NQM) to advance superconducting, photonic, and spin qubit fabrication.
- Bengaluru-based QNu Labs successfully demonstrated India’s first extensive 500 km Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network for secure communications.
- Karnataka Quantum Roadmap mission with a ₹1,000 crore outlay aiming to build a $20 billion quantum economy by 2035.
State Finance Commission for 5% of GST
Context
Fifth State Finance Commission (SFC) of Karnataka recently recommended that the state government earmark at least 5% of its total GST revenue generated in cities for municipal bodies.
- Commission recommended that city corporations under the GBA be allowed to levy an entertainment fee on ticketed and ticketless entertainment (including television).
Features
- Commission Leadership: The three-member panel was led by former MP C. Narayanaswamy.
- Potential Impact: The commission estimated that this allocation would increase the revenue of municipal bodies by approximately 52%.
- Specific Focus on Bengaluru: For the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), this share could boost revenues by over 40%, as Bengaluru alone accounts for 60% of the state’s total GST revenue.
- Objective: The goal is to link municipal revenue directly with the state’s economic growth and provide stable funding for infrastructure and civic service
5th SFC suggested additional measures to bolster municipal finances:
- It suggested adopting value-based assessment and innovative land-lease models to unlock the commercial value of municipal assets, which have historically underperformed.
- The report advocates for ward-wise devolution of funds to empower local representatives to handle hyper-local challenges like urban flooding and communicable diseases.
- Moving to ward-wise devolution of funds in city corporations to ensure balanced development and better management of natural disasters or diseases at the local level.
- Requiring larger bodies like the BBMP to prepare a Medium-Term Fiscal Plan (MTFP) every year alongside their annual budget.
About 5th State Finance Commission
- Fifth State Finance Commission (5th SFC) of Karnataka, chaired by C. Narayanaswamy.
- It aimed to review the financial position of Zilla Panchayats, Taluk Panchayats, Gram Panchayats, and Municipalities.
Constitutional Mandate
- Article 243-I & 243-Y: The SFC is a constitutional body formed every five years to recommend the distribution of the net proceeds of taxes, duties, tolls, and fees between the State and local bodies.
Overview of 1st to 4th State Finance Commissions
Commission | Chairman | Year Constituted | Key Focus / Achievement |
1st SFC | Dr. G. Thimmaiah | 1994 (Report 1996) | Established the first formal sharing of 36% of State’s Non-Loan Net Own Revenue (NLNORR) with local bodies. |
2nd SFC | K.P. Surendranath | 1999 (Report 2002) | Recommended increasing the share to 40% and introduced a more detailed “Deprivation Index” for horizontal distribution. |
3rd SFC | A.G. Kodgi | 2006 (Report 2008) | Focused on “Activity Mapping” to align funds with specific functions (the 3 F’s: Functions, Functionaries, and Funds). |
4th SFC | C.G. Chinnaswamy | 2015 (Report 2018) | Addressed the impact of GST and introduced a tiered devolution methodology (State -Rural/Urban -Tiers – Units).
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Psychiatric disorders
Context
India’s first repository of major psychiatric disorders launched in Bengaluru.
- Launched at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru.
- It is collaborative effort between NIMHANS, the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR), and the Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind (CBM).
- It addresses the under-representation of South Asian populations in global mental health research.
- Findings have immense potential to transform the understanding of mental disorder.
- Dataset is also linked to a biorepository of stem cells, which can be used to perform biological research in psychiatry to understand the origins of such severe mental illness
- Currently, repository contains data of over 2,000 participants from 900 families.
Features
- Targeted Disorders: Focuses on five disorders mainly Addiction, bipolar disorder, dementia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia.
- Biological Link: Linked to a biorepository of stem cells for studying disease mechanisms.
- Open Access: An open-source platform for global research on disease progression in the Indian context.
- Data incorporates multiple modes in which these disorders can be studied through MRIs, near-infrared spectroscopy, electroencephalograms, and genetics, amongst various other techniques.
Data
- According to estimates cited by the WHO, India’s economic loss due to mental health, conditions is USD 1.03 trillion (2012-2030).
- NIMHANS-led National Mental Health survey in 2015-2016 found that 10.6% of Indian adults suffered from one or another mental illness.