Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: PM Modi dedicates Namma Metro Purple Line to nation, and more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally dedicated the 43.49-km Purple Line to the nation on October 20 through a virtual event. This much-awaited stretch of the metro, which connects Challaghatta to Whitefield (Kadugodi), was opened for public use on October 9.

PM Modi inaugurated the line, along with rail projects in other States, through video-conferencing from Uttar Pradesh. The line acts a bridge between the CBD and the IT corridor. With the full length of the Purple Line becoming operational, the ridership has increased to 7 lakh on weekdays. 

A popular deemed-to-be university in southeast Bengaluru was recently in the news for sending a non-binary person (biologically female) home for wearing a lungi to the ethnic day celebrations. Similar dress codes and heteronormative culture in educational institutions begs the question of how queer-friendly and inclusive colleges and universities in Bengaluru are. 

Interactions with students, faculty members and managements of different educational institutions revealed that while a few institutions have led the way with gender neutral washrooms, pride clubs and on-campus counsellors, others have a long way to go, even with basic things like understanding pronouns. Most queer students told The Hindu that their friends are understanding, accepting and affirming, and that the problems mostly exists with a select members of the faculty and management. 

As many as 1.73 lakh children in Karnataka were found to be suffering from refractive errors, possibly due to excessive use of mobile phone and TV. According to the ‘School Children Eye Screening’ report for the 2022-23 academic year, of the total screened children (62,08,779), 1,73,099 children were suffering from refractive errors. The highest number of such cases were in Belagavi (39,997).

Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), the Department of Health and Family Welfare in March 2023 conducted the screening, including for eyes, anaemia, malnutrition, and worms, for children of government, aided and private schools across Karnataka.

More than 2,000 persons have enrolled for a free online Cyber Crime Intervention Officer (CCIO) course offered by Mysuru-based Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC), a non-profit venture, as part of the International Cyber Security Awareness month.