Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

1. Cook at Karnataka government hostel relieved from service for taking part in RSS march in Bidar’s Basavakalyan

A contract employee working as an assistant cook at a State-run boys’ hostel in Basavakalyan in Bidar district, has been relieved from service after he was found to have participated in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) route march held on October 14, 2025, as part of the organisation’s centenary celebrations in the town.

The action was taken following a complaint lodged by Gagan Phule, a civil society activist and president of the Committee for Protecting Democracy, who objected to the employee’s participation in the RSS procession. The development comes amid the State Government’s scrutiny of government employees and outsourced staff participating in RSS activities in public spaces.

A video showing Mr. Pramod Kumar taking part in the RSS route march in Basavakalyan had earlier surfaced on social media. He had also reportedly uploaded a photograph of himself at the event as his WhatsApp status, which prompted the complaint.

2. From ruin to recovery: How a parasitic wasp saved South India’s tapioca crops

Two years after scientists from the ICAR-NBAIR released a tiny parasitic wasp into South India’s tapioca fields, the crop that once faced near devastation from an invasive pest is now thriving again. Farmers in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry report that their tapioca harvests have returned to pre-outbreak levels. This marks a rare success in controlling a major agricultural pest without chemicals. 

Cassava, better known as tapioca, is grown on about 1.73 lakh hectares in India, with Tamil Nadu and Kerala together contributing more than 90% of total production. Before the outbreak, yields averaged 35 tonnes per hectare, far above the global average of 10.76 tonnes, and India exported value-added tapioca products worth nearly ₹200 million annually, according to NBAIR officials. 

3. Karnataka State Travel Operators Association urges Finance Ministry to include mid-sized vehicles under GST 2.0 concessions

The Karnataka State Travel Operators Association (KSTOA) has raised strong objections to the GST 2.0 reforms, which exclude mid-sized multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) from the revised concessional tax structure. In a recent letter to the Union Finance Ministry, the association termed the move as a ‘grave injustice’ to the travel and tourism industry.

KSTOA President K. Radhakrishna Holla said the exclusion of widely used mid-sized MPVs and SUVs used in tourism operations would have adverse effects on travel businesses. He urged the Union Finance Ministry and the Fitment Committee to recognise mid-sized passenger vehicles as the ‘real workhorses of Indian tourism’ and extend appropriate tax concessions to them.

4. Police shoot at alleged cow lifter, seize truck transporting 10 cattle in Puttur

The Puttur Rural Police in Dakshina Kannada district shot at a truck driver, who was allegedly transporting 10 cattle illegally and did not heed their warning to stop the vehicle near Ishwaramangala on October 22 early morning.

Driver Abdulla from Kasargod in neighbouring Kerala, who the police said is a habitual cow lifter, was injured on his leg and was admitted to a government hospital in Mangaluru. The driver allegedly rammed his vehicle to the police vehicle.