BENGALURU: As the nation gears up for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamans presentation of the Union Budget for 2025-26 today, what do young Bengalureans just starting to step into workplaces, making investments, or planning to buy homes, want from this fiscal year? The answers vary between reduction in tax, incentives for saving money, aid for the most marginalised in our society, and affordable housing. Anaan Farooq, Public Policy Research Associate As a young person in Bengaluru, Im hoping fo

BENGALURU: With private school fees in Bengaluru going as high as Rs 2 lakh for third standard, parents argue that schools are profiteering and commercialising education by arbitrarily increasing fees by 30% to 40%, far exceeding the standard 8% to 15% hike justified under guidelines. Recently, the Voice of Parents Association shared a detailed fee breakdown in a post on social media, which included Rs 1.9 lakh for tuition, Rs 9,000 for annual maintenance fees, and Rs 11,449 labelled as imprest.

BENGALURU: Following the tragic incident of a 20-year-old woman coming under the wheels of a BMTC bus near Padmanabha Nagar in Banashankari Traffic Police Station limits on Wednesday, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy urged people to safely board and deboard buses and never try to catch a moving bus. On Wednesday morning, Monica, a resident of Katriguppe working in a private company, in a hurry to catch a BMTC bus, tripped and came under the rear wheel. She was rushed to the hospital, where she

BENGALURU: The parking policy for Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has been finalised and will be sent to the Urban Development department shortly for approval. To incentivise environment-friendly transport, parking for cycles will be made free and special parking space provided for Persons with Disabilities. A top official told TNIE , The policy 2.0 was readied in October 2024 and public feedback sought. We also took feedback from the Directorate of Urban Land Transport. It was

DAVANAGERE: The Davanagere police on Friday arrested a man for allegedly raping a minor girl and threatening her. Based on a complaint lodged by ASI HN Shashidhar at Davanagere Cybercrime, Economic Offences, Narcotics (CEN) police, the police registered a complaint and arrested Amzad (56), who owns a pharmacy at Devaraj Urs Extension C Block here, and produced him in court, which sent him to judicial custody. The complainant stated that when he was on duty, he came across a video clip on social

BENGALURU: Bengaluru experienced the most significant pollution spike among Indian cities during New Year celebrations, revealed a report by Airvoice, a global startup dedicated to air quality control, which analysed PM2.5 pollution levels during New Years Eve across major cities in India, Europe, and the Americas. In Bengaluru, PM2.5 levels jumped by 63 per cent compared to December night averages. The spike is attributed to increased firecracker use and marks a concerning trend for a city othe

BENGALURU: The Adugodi police arrested seven accused who cheated a man by sending a fake friend request on social media and defrauded him of Rs 1.5 lakh. The accused have been identified as Azharuddin, Mohammed Mudassir, Imtiaz Pasha, Shashi Kumar, Syed Khasif, Syed Danish and Shafiullah Sharif, all residents of Mysuru and in their early 30s. The police said that the accused sent a friend request on a social media platform using a fake profile picture of the victims old friend. Believing the req

BENGALURU: A special court sentenced Krishnappa, the then bill collector of Chikkajala Gram Panchayat, to undergo three years of rigorous imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs 50.20 lakh for possessing disproportionate assets (DA). Judge KM Radhakrishna passed the order sentencing Krishnappa, after charges of possessing DA to the tune of Rs 63.66 lakh, in a case registered a decade ago by the Lokayukta police, were proved. The conduct of the accused being a public servant in illegally accumulatin

BENGALURU: Lokayukta police unearthed disproportionate assets (DA) valued at Rs 18.45 crore allegedly possessed by seven government officials in various parts of the state on Friday. Conducting simultaneous raids on more than 27 premises in connection with seven DA cases registered in Bengaluru city, Belagavi, Bagalkote, Chitradurga and Raichur, the Lokayukta police unearthed DA valued at Rs 8.57 crore allegedly possessed by Madhav Rao, assistant executive engineer, Hebbal Division of BBMP. Acco

BENGALURU: The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) will be issuing a fresh advisory on the closure hours for commercial flights at the airport on account of the upcoming Aero India 2025 at Yelahanka. The non-operational hours announced earlier for nine days at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) are set to be reduced because of the jam-packed flights to Pragyaraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela event. A source from the airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), t

BENGALURU: In a significant push towards AI-driven urban governance, researchers from the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B) and the University of Toronto are collaborating to enhance infrastructure and quality of life in Bengaluru and other urban centres in India. The institutions have proposed a public-private partnership to integrate AI into governance for better management of water resources, urban mobility, waste disposal, and climate adaptation. The initia

BENGALURU: The Consortium of Medical, Engineering, and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) has announced that the Undergraduate Entrance Test (UGET) 2025 will be conducted on May 10 (Saturday), deviating from its usual schedule on the second Sunday of May. The Uni-GAUGE Engineering entrance exam, which facilitates admissions to 55 top universities across India, will also be held on the same day. Both exams will be conducted in online mode as a combined single test to reduce the burden on stude

BENGALURU: In what could be termed a shot in the arm for Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds Bengaluru Development and Town Planning portfolio, the state cabinet on Thursday approved Greater Bengaluru Integrated Satellite Town project comprising a cluster of 10 villages in Ramanagara district. Shivakumar got cabinets approval for renaming Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South in July last, and the state is awaiting the Union governments nod for the same. Shivakumar is also keen

BENGALURU: Environmental studies will soon be part of central and state boards of education.According to experts, environmental studies is essential at all levels of education. Dr Chong Shimray, associate professor, Department of Education in Science and Mathematics, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), said efforts are on to introduce environmental studies as a separate subject in the curriculum of 2026 academic year for Grade 10 students as part of the National Curric

BENGALURU: Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) on Thursday provided alternative sites to 167 Arkavathy Layout site losers in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout (NPKL). The sites were allotted through a computerised lottery system (Randomisation) inside the BDA head office. Hundreds of Arkavathy Layout site allottees lost their sites after the government denotified the allotment multiple times. The present batch was allotted their sites in 2007-2008, but the land was later denotified. The randomisati

BENGALURU: Bengaluru Development Minister and DyCM DK Shivakumar reiterated that a hike in the water tariff in the city is inevitable as this was last done 11 years ago. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a Sarvodaya Day programme at the KPCC office on Thursday, Shivakumar said the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWWSB) has been incurring losses of Rs 1,000 crore per year. The board also needs around Rs 6,000 crore to develop its network of pipelines. So, it is inevitable that

BENGALURU: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) on Thursday recovered its 18,513-sqft civic amenity site worth Rs 35 crore at Katriguppe in Banashankari 2nd Stage. An unauthorised temple housed in a shed and another shed housing several scrap vehicles were demolished, said a BDA official. Krishna Kumar, executive engineer, South Division, told TNIE , We began the demolition drive at 9 am. One of the sheds had a makeshift Lord Muneshwara temple. There was a problem initially with locals prev

GADAG: Four people were sentenced to death in Gadag on Wednesday for the brutal honour killing of a couple from different castes in 2019. The district court sentenced Shivappa Rathod, Ravikumar Rathod, Ramesh Rathod and Parashuram Rathod to death. They were angry over their sisters marriage to a Dalit man. The victims, Ramesh Madar and Gangamma Madar were residents of Lakkalakatti village in Gajendragad taluk of Gadag district. Gangammas brothers opposed their affair, but Gangamma and Ramesh mar

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has stayed the First Information Report (FIR) and all further proceedings initiated against 16 accused, including Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) director Prof Govindan Rangarajan, under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Justice S R Krishna Kumar passed the interim order on Wednesday after hearing the petition filed by all the accused questioning the legality of the

BENGALURU: A 24-year-old college student was molested by two unidentified men who tried to get into her cab in the early hours of Monday. The incident took place near Kammanahalli in Banasawadi police station limits and the police are yet to arrest the accused. The police said the incident occurred between 2 am and 3 am on Monday. The woman had booked a cab to Whitefield from Chikkamma Layout in Kammanahalli. As she got into the car and closed the door, two strangers attempted to barge into the

BENGALURU: A 15-year-old student ended her life by hanging herself from the ceiling fan at her house in Srinagar in Hanumantha Nagar police station limits on Wednesday night. The deceased has been identified as Bhoomika, a Class 10 student at a private school in Girinagar. The police said on Thursday morning, Bhoomikas parents knocked on her door to wake her up. When they didnt get any response, they checked through the window and found her hanging with a saree. The police suspect that she died

BENGALURU: The All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) Bengaluru District Committee has started a statewide appeal demanding the fair and timely disbursal of government scholarships. The organisation is submitting memoranda to all ministers and legislators, urging immediate intervention. As part of this, the members met State Road Transport and Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday and handed over a memorandum highlighting their concerns. According to official data from the Bac

BENGALURU: A woman is battling for life after she was assaulted by a man with alog in Sadashivanagar on Tuesday evening. Kirthana Rajath, 41, a mother of two, is in coma. She has undergone a major brain surgery. The accused, Mallikarjun, 40, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, is a daily wage earner. He committed this crime when out on bail in a case related to stalking a woman under Section 79 of BNS, according to DCP (Central) Shekhar H Tekkanavar. Kirthanas husband, Rajath Ramachandran, a business

BENGALURU: For 3,500 years since its origin in China, the Lunar New Year has been celebrated to mark the end of winter days and welcome warmer weather. Far from their home countries, Bengalurus East Asian communities are gearing up to indulge in the festivities with family gatherings and delicious food. Lunar new year is very special, especially while growing up. The sense of festivities build up weeks before We would hang up mostly red/gold coloured decorations around the house in anticipation

BENGALURU: Xin Nian Kuai Le! As the Year of the Snake slithers in, the 15-day Lunar New Year celebration brings with it dragon dances, lucky red envelopes, and diverse customs inviting prosperity. Dont miss out on the chance to experience the Lunar New Year in Bengaluru at these premier venues offering an array of Chinese delicacies to celebrate the year of the wooden snake with style and flavour. Savour Tradition Indulge in a menu crafted by Chef Chow Chee Meng, blending authentic Chinese flavo

BENGALURU: Known for her unconventional voice and strong personality, Ila Aruns journey is a testament to breaking stereotypes in the male dominated music and film industries.With the release of her much-anticipated memoir, Parde ke Peechhey (Penguin Random House India; `699), Ila Arun unveils her remarkable journey in her own words, offering readers an intimate glimpse into her extraordinary life. What inspired you to write this autobiography? The process was straightforward. I primarily write

TUMAKURU: Two labourers from Bihar died and three others suffered severe burns when a boiler exploded at a food and oil manufacturing factory at Antharasanahalli industrial area here on Tuesday. Those with severe burns were shifted to the district general hospital and their condition is said to be critical. The deceased have been identified as Chandan Sharma, 26, and Santhosh, 23. The rice bran oil boiler exploded around 3.45 pm at Parimala Agro Foods and Feeds Private Ltd. Superintendent of pol

BENGALURU: A novel document which could offer a fillip to tourism in the State, Philately Passport, was launched by the Karnataka Postal Circle at GPO Bengaluru. It inspires residents to visit landmarks in Karnataka and get stamps of the spot cancelled at the post office nearest to it. Launched on January 25, it is available in English, Kannada and Hindi at all the philatelic bureaus of the State - Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru and Belagavi. A total of 80 permanent pictorial cancellations (PPCs)

BENGALURU: The work on the railway overbridge at Jakkur, which has been in limbo for the last 11 years, is gaining pace and is all set to be completed by Ugadi, according to officials. BBMP Major Roads Division officials said the project was initially taken up by the South Western Railways and the contractor completed eight pillars and girder beam work. But because of land acquisition issues, the completion of the upward and downward ramp was incomplete. This resulted in the contractor abandonin

BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has said that licences of shops and business establishments located on roads lesser than 40-ft wide in residential areas, will not be renewed. This will be applicable only to those establishments which started their business post 2015. Special Commissioner for Health Suralkar Vikas Kishore said the Palike will not renew licences of commercial shops opened in residential areas after 2015, where road width is narrow, and shops that have come up

BENGALURU: The number of Kannadigas working in administrative roles in banks is steadily declining, which could lead to severe social conflicts in the future, warned Purushotham Bilimale, chairman of Kannada Development Authority (KDA). After a meeting with officials of the State Level Bankers Committee on Tuesday, he emphasised the importance of appointing individuals proficient in the local language for roles that demand interaction with the public in banks. He cautioned that delaying this imp

BENGALURU: Three persons, including a husband-and-wife duo, have been arrested by Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths for allegedly cheating a realtor of Rs 5.75 crore. Realtor Nisar Ahmed had filed the complaint on January 13. The accused have been identified as Rekha (38), her husband Manjunathachari (40) and their friend Chetan (35). Rekha was arrested from a PG accommodation in Hoskote and her husband from KR Puram on January 16. Both of them were sent to 14-day police custody on January 17.

BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar said on Tuesday that a hike in water tariffs is inevitable in Bengaluru. This is to help the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) improve its finances. The board incurs a loss of Rs 1,000 crore annually. The minister revealed this after a progress review meeting of various departments, including the Bangalore Development Authority and the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company. Shivakumar said officials

BENGALURU: An environment-friendly initiative by the Rail Wheel Factory (RWF) in Yelahanka has ensured bright illumination round-the-clock across the floor of this spacious factory. It manufactures wheels, axles and wheel sets for Indian Railways and international customers. The factory has started reaping the benefits of a pilot project initiated three months ago. An innovative step introduced here was to tap direct sunlight using a Piped Daylighting System, said GM, RWF, Chandra Vir Raman. Sha

BENGALURU: Brightly coloured hoops going round and round, staying afloat by the sheer rhythmic movements of someones waist is what most people think of when they hear hula hooping. But several hoopers across Bengaluru are pushing the boundaries of hooping by incorporating awe-inspiring tricks, dance moves and flow movements at workshops across the city. Hula hooping spread like wildfire during the lockdown with people looking for a fun exercise to pick up. But the dance workshops followed much l

BENGALURU: Rohan Murty, the founder of The Murty Classical Library of India (MCLI), dreams of a future where generations of Indians grow up cherishing classical literature that reflects the richness and diversity of our countrys history. It was towards this that he set up the MCLI, which will mark its 10th-year anniversary on Tuesday with an evening featuring the launch of the landmark anthology Ten Indian Classics (Harvard University Press; `599) and a performance by Shubha Mudgal. Ahead of the

Delusionship: A situation where you find yourself imagining someone youre not officially in a relationship with yet. Love bombing: It involves showering a new partner with excessive attention, gifts, and time at the beginning of a relationship. However, once the honeymoon phase ends, the love bomber often loses interest and becomes distant. Hot-girl summer: Prioritising ones own happiness and having fun. Affordating: A budget-friendly way of dating that involves choosing low-cost date activities

KALABURAGI: Poverty and illiteracy of her parents did not stop her from ascending to the top from the depths. Oncologist Dr Vijayalakshmi Deshmane, born at Kobal village of Jewargi taluk (Kalaburagi district), took poverty and illiteracy of her parents as a challenge and reached the peak of her career which got her the recognition of Padma Shri award that was announced on Sunday. Speaking exclusively to The New Indian Express on Monday, Dr Deshmane said she was conferred with the prestigious Raj

BENGALURU: Two years after the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) Act 2023 was notified, the rules are yet to be framed and committee members have not been appointed. Experts and urban planners pointed out that the government does not seem to be keen on implementing it. This is the reason why Bengaluru is in a mess. There is no coordination among agencies, there is no planning or vision for Bengalurus growth, said an urban planner working with the government. Section 4 of th

BENGALURU: Bengaluru is at an emergency point in its water crisis, hydrologists say, warning that immediate steps must be taken to avoid further depletion of the citys groundwater. According to a recent report by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), groundwater levels are expected to start declining in February, and the situation will intensify in March and April. While the study highlights concerning projections, experts say they are not

BENGALURU: Over 27,000 street vendors will receive identity cards to run their businesses across the eight zones of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. At a meeting at the BBMP head office on Monday, Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said, The survey of street vendors is being conducted using mobile application, and so far, about 27,655 street vendors have been identified zone-wise. Identity cards and certificates will be distributed and vendors instructed to conduct their business only in desi

MANGALURU : Mangaluru City Police has managed to recover 18.314 kg of gold and Rs 3.8 lakh cash stolen from the Kotekar Vyavasaya Seva Sahakari Sangha on KC Road under Ullal station limits, and arrested four people. Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal said that the robbers had planned the heist six months ago when the accused Murugan and Kannan Mani met in Taloja jail and conspired with a local associate, Shashi Thevar, the main conspirator is still on the run. The robbery was carr

BENGALURU: Three persons, including a juvenile, have been arrested in connection with a daylight robbery reported at a silversmiths house on RT Street in Chickpet in the city between 3.40 and 4.20 pm on Friday. The accused had threatened the complainant Nagaraju Shindhe, 27, and his mother Nitha Shindhe, 45, at gunpoint and escaped with Rs 12,000 in cash and 26 grams of gold ornaments. The gang had also gagged and tied the hands and legs of the duo. The police have recovered a country-made revol

BENGALURU: At least 19 electric scooters were gutted in an accidental fire in a two-wheeler showroom on Dr Rajkumar Road in Rajajinagar police station limits on Monday afternoon. This is the second such incident in the same vicinity in the past two months. On Monday, fire broke out in the EV showroom located near Suguna Hospital, and is suspected to have been sparked by a blast in a battery. Locals reported a loud sound, and four persons, including the staffers who were inside, rushed out immedi

BENGALURU: The pending portion of Kamaraj Road, from Cubbon Road towards MG Road (near Cauvery Arts and Crafts Junction), is set to open only by July-end. Though the original deadline was April 2024, it has been put off several times due to the delay in arrival of equipment from abroad and technical delays on the part of the BMRCL. Meanwhile, the 220-metre stretch opened last year (June 14) in the reverse direction has helped ease traffic considerably in this area and surrounding places, said th

BENGALURU: Bengalurus Narayana Nethralaya, which runs the Dr Rajkumar Eye Bank, recorded a surge in pledges after actor Puneeth Rajkumars death. The eye bank, which had 75,000 pledges over 30 years, received about 1.3 lakh pledges in just four years. Moreover, the eye bank collected 3,989 eyes since Puneeths death. In October 2021 - the year when the actor passed away - the hospital had also introduced a dedicated number for people to register their names, which contributed to a 67% rise in eye

BENGALURU: The three-day International Trade Fair 2025- Organics and Millets concluded successfully on Saturday, generating a revenue of Rs 185.41 crore and recording an estimated footfall of 3 lakh people. With participation from 25 states across India and five state agriculture ministers, the fair highlighted the growing significance of organic and millets-based products. More than 330 stalls were set up at the fair, where 194 producers and 105 marketing organisations engaged in 185 B2B meetin

BENGALURU: Noting that mere mention in the suicide note that nobody is responsible for the death is not a ground to quash the proceedings when evidence categorically points to dowry harassment, the Karnataka High Court refused to quash proceedings against a victims husband, father-in-law and mother-in-law. Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order, dismissing a petition filed by the victims husband Vikas CV and her in-laws Savitha and Vasanth Kumar, residing at Nagasandra in the city. The petition

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court directed the Department of Health and Family Welfare to constitute a three-member committee headed by the secretary of the department to continuously oversee and implement a mechanism to ensure medical facility and medical infrastructure, including medical and para-medical personnel, at all levels city, district and rural. A division bench of Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind passed the order while disposing of a public interest litigation that

BENGALURU: Most usually tend to throw away their old, worn out shoes if they cannot pass them on to their siblings. But dont throw away those footwear, and instead hand them over to these Bengaluru kids managing the NGO, Hasiru Sole. Conceptualised and formed by 16-year-olds, Vedika Balachandran and Ameya Uchil, in February 2023, their NGO till date has handed over 6,000 pairs of footwear to the needy in slums, orphanages and other such places in Bengaluru and Mumbai. They have also donated over