Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Journalists protest move to restrict media access at Vidhana Soudha, and more

Journalists in Bengaluru, wearing black attire and black masks, staged a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of Vidhana Soudha on February 20, 2026, opposing recent directives issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) restricting media access within the State secretariat.

They expressed objection to the circular that mandates journalists to obtain official video statements only at a designated location near the western gate of Vidhana Soudha. It also instructs media representatives not to follow the CM or other ministers inside the premises to record statements. The DPAR stated that the restrictions have been implemented in the interest of security.

Calling Bengaluru “green” and that it was the one thing that stood out to him the most, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof, said he was struck by the city’s tree cover and “air quality” during his visit on February 20, 2026. Mr. Schoof added that he had gone for a morning run, noting that when compared with air quality levels in the Netherlands, it was “roughly the same.” 

The Netherlands PM was in Bengaluru as part of his India visit. During his brief tour to the city, he visited the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the Philips Innovation Campus, and the city’s Traffic Management Centre (TMC), where he was shown how the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s (BTP) ASTraM model functions. 

Karnataka’s IT Minister Priyank Kharge met Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, on the sidelines of India AI Summit in New Delhi on February 19. The interaction also covered Anthropic’s plans for its Bengaluru office and opportunities to work closely with Karnataka’s technology and startup ecosystem.

The discussions centred on responsible AI development, digital governance, data sovereignty, and building stronger support systems for AI startups and developers as part of Karnataka’s push to strengthen its deep-tech and innovation ecosystem. Irina Ghose, India Managing Director, and Rahul Patil, CTO of Anthropic, were also part of the meeting.