Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: State to organise conclave of education ministers against new UGC guidelines, and more

The Congress government in Karnataka is working towards passing a joint resolution with other Opposition-ruled States against the new draft of University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations at a conclave of Higher Education Ministers being organised in Bengaluru on February 5.

February 6 is the last date to submit objections to the new regulations, which many States have described as an ‘assault on federalism’. Education Ministers of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Jharkhand and some other States ruled by non-BJP parties are expected to participate.

After much deliberation, the traffic entry rules of Cubbon Park have been revised yet again. In a meeting chaired by Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh on January 23, 2025, it was decided that traffic movement will be allowed inside Cubbon Park between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on alternate Saturdays, for three months. 

While the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) had proposed that vehicles should be allowed inside the park even on holidays and weekends to ease congestion in the Central Business District (CBD), regular visitors, including members of Cubbon Park Conservation Committee, had opposed the idea citing pollution and ecological harm. 

Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre has said that it is mandatory to obtain government permission before commencing filming in forests in Karnataka. He said that prior to granting permission for filming, the prescribed fees should be collected by the respective Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF).

In a letter to the Forest, Ecology, and Environment department’s Additional Chief Secretary, dated January 20, Mr. Khandre has said that it is mandatory to obtain government permission for any filming activities in forest areas, including for movies, documentaries and television serials. He added that it has been recently noticed that local-level authorities are granting permission.

Members of a farmer’s family, including a lactating mother, were evicted from their house recently after the farmer failed to repay six installments of a housing loan, at Tarihal village in Belagavi district. However, following an intervention by Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, the family was resettled on January 24, 2025.