Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Rahul Gandhi urges CM Siddaramaiah to enact Rohith Vemula Act, and more

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging the State government to enact a law named Rohith Vemula Act for ensuring that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system. In his letter to the Karnataka CM, Gandhi highlighted the discrimination B.R. Ambedkar faced in his lifetime.

Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination, in 2016. Sharing the letter on X, Gandhi said that during a recent meeting with students and teachers from Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities in Parliament, he was made aware of caste-based discrimination in colleges and universities. Now is the time to put a complete stop to this injustice, he said.

Higher Education Minister M. C. Sudhakar on Friday (April 18, 2025) said that strict action will be taken against the officials who are alleged to have forced students in Bidar and Shivamogga who were writing their Common Entrance Test (CET) to remove their ‘Shivadara’ and ‘Janivara’ (consecrated threads worn by members of certain communities) if the incidents are proven to be true.

While a student from Bidar alleged that he was not allowed to take his mathematics exam as he refused to take off his ‘Shivadara’ as per the instructions of the officials at the examination centre, another student from Shivamogga alleged that his ‘Janivara’ was cut off by the examination centre officials after he refused to take it off. He was allowed into the exam hall after that.

Dandeli has a century-old railway station, but no passenger trains arrive there. There is a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus stand, but rarely does any bus arrive from distant destinations like Bengaluru. This is the condition of public transport facilities in Dandeli — one of popular adventure tourism destinations in Karnataka.

Situated in Uttara Kannada district, Dandeli is popular for its natural beauty and adventure activities, including white water rafting and jungle safari. While tourists from across India find their way to this destination, connectivity remains a problem due to the over-reliance on private transport options. The locals there say that better connectivity can increase the number of tourists.

In a first, the Agriculture Department of Karnataka, which was established a century ago, has brought out “Krishi Varthe”, a monthly newsletter, for providing information regarding developments in the sector to farmers, NGOs, and various stakeholders. Minister for Agriculture N. Cheluvarayaswamy released a copy of the first issue in Bengaluru on April 16, 2025.