Current Affairs - State

Karnataka prohibited the sale, distribution, and manufacture of tobacco and nicotine products across the state for a period of one year from August 10, 2026. The ban specifically covers gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine, and also prohibits their manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale. The Department of Food Safety and Drugs Administration is responsible for enforcing the notification. The measure aims to protect public health and promote an addiction-free state. Karnataka was formed as Mysore State in 1956 and was renamed Karnataka in 1973, with Bengaluru as its capital.

Gujarat approved the establishment of four Centres of Excellence to promote and expand natural farming across the state on August 11, 2026. The centres will be developed in Navsari, Morbi, Bhavnagar, and Chhota Udepur, with an allocation of ₹20 crore for the financial year 2026-27. The Gujarat Prakrutik Krishi Vikas Board will serve as the nodal agency for implementing and managing the scheme. Each centre will have the capacity to train 100 farmers at a time. The facilities will focus on bio-input production, natural farming demonstrations, soil and quality testing, and post-harvest processing.

Himachal Pradesh implemented a Widow and Orphan Cess on the sale of petrol and high-speed diesel from August 11, 2026. The cess is levied at 60 paise per litre and is collected at the first point of sale within the state. The measure was introduced under Section 6-A of the Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax Act, 2005, following the passage of the Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The revenue generated through the cess is specifically earmarked for the welfare of widows and orphaned children. Himachal Pradesh became the 18th state of India on January 25, 1971.

Karnataka launched Tathyakosh.in, a centralised digital public good platform designed to simplify the discovery of fragmented public data across India. Developed by the ACSEL Technology Forum, Karnataka’s Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, in collaboration with the IIT Alumni Centre Bengaluru, the platform integrates more than 1.5 million datasets from 458 data sources. Tathyakosh functions as a discovery tool rather than storing datasets directly, redirecting users to original sources to preserve data ownership and provenance. It is particularly useful for startups and researchers working in healthcare, agriculture, climate research, and financial inclusion.

Tripura dispatched its first-ever international consignment of mustard honey to Dubai on August 10, 2026. The one-metric-tonne shipment was produced and aggregated by the Dergang Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) in Tripura. The export was facilitated by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and promotes exports of scheduled agricultural and processed food products. The initiative highlights Tripura’s growing apiculture and agricultural potential and provides international market opportunities for local farmers and producers. Agartala is the capital of Tripura, which shares international borders with Bangladesh on three sides.