The Karnataka Congress government’s cabinet on Thursday, 30 April 2026, approved a ₹600 crore action plan aimed at developing colonies populated by minorities over the financial years 2026-27 and 2027-28, including implementation of pending works carried forward from previous years, as reported in The New Indian Express.
The scheme, routed through the Minorities Welfare, Hajj and Waqf Department, targets the most backward minority-dominated colonies, including slums across eleven city corporations. The initiative falls under the Chief Minister’s special development package. The Finance Department cleared the proposal submitted by the concerned minister, following which the cabinet granted final approval.
Responding to questions over approving funds for two financial years at once, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil stated that incomplete works from earlier years naturally extend into subsequent financial cycles. He dismissed suggestions that the move was aimed at appeasing Muslims ahead of political developments, including the Davangere South elections, and said the action plan had been under preparation for a considerable period before reaching the cabinet stage.
On the Supreme Court directing the state to submit a report on reinvestigating the Sowjanya murder case following a plea from the victim’s mother, Patil said the government would comply and file the report as instructed.
The cabinet also deferred a detailed discussion on the State Education Policy (SEP) to its next meeting, citing the need for additional information from officials. The policy, examined by a committee headed by economist Prof Sukhadeo Thorat, includes recommendations with significant financial implications for the state.
In another key decision, the cabinet withdrew its April 27 order on internal reservation for Scheduled Castes and decided to issue a revised order incorporating changes to the recruitment and education roster system. All prior notifications that did not incorporate the internal quota will be withdrawn.
Under the revised structure, roster points will be fixed at 400 for Category A (SC-Left), Category B (SC-Right), and Category C, which includes Bhovi, Lambani, Koracha, Korama and 59 other nomadic castes. Category C will receive 20% reservation. If no eligible candidates are available from these groups, the posts may be filled by others. In cases where there are fewer than three vacancies, all three categories will compete under the SC general category.
The cabinet also took note of Minister D Sudhakar’s hospitalization and the speculation surrounding his health, deciding that any official updates would be left to the minister’s family.
Among other decisions, the cabinet approved the Centre’s High-Speed Rail Corridor between Hyderabad and Bengaluru, spanning 607.03 km with 15 stations. Of this, 101.03 km falls within Karnataka, covering Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts, with stations planned at Alipur, Devanahalli and Kodihalli. Approval was also granted for the Bengaluru-Chennai corridor.
The cabinet cleared the allotment of 140 acres in the Bengaluru Signature Business Park to Apride Materials Incorporated, a California-based firm, on a lease-and-sale basis for setting up a semiconductor, R&D, and innovation ecosystem with a project cost of ₹780 crore.
A financial incentive of ₹28.47 crore per year was approved as Viability Gap Funding for Star Airlines, operated by Ghodawat Enterprises Pvt Ltd, for managing air services on the Bengaluru-Bidar and Bengaluru-Kalaburagi routes.
The government also sanctioned ₹115.84 crore for distributing school kits, including books and stationery, to children of construction workers from Classes 1 to 12. Each kit is estimated to cost ₹8,625.
Additionally, the cabinet approved the formation of a State High Powered Steering Committee and a State Level Technical Committee to oversee projects funded under the Government of India’s Urban Challenge Fund.
Infrastructure-related approvals included ₹28.97 crore for re-asphalting works between State Highway-22 and Chinamalli on State Highway-171, and a revised estimate of ₹75 crore for constructing the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Belagavi, with an additional grant of ₹20 crore.
The cabinet rejected the Karnataka Lokayukta’s recommendation for a probe against Dr Ashok Kumar Rai, Administrative Medical Officer in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, opting instead for a departmental inquiry. It also approved the transfer of 12.04 acres in Dasanapura hobli for the establishment of a satellite market.
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