Current Affairs - State

Karnataka has approved a 5% hike in the housing quota for religious minorities, raising it from 10% to 15%. This decision was made during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, aiming to provide equitable housing access and reduce the number of vacant government-constructed homes, particularly in urban areas like Bengaluru. The move is framed as a step toward social justice for economically disadvantaged minority communities. While the decision has triggered a political backlash, particularly from the BJP, the state government maintains that it addresses a real need based on data and guidelines indicating a housing shortage among minorities.

In the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 report released by the Ministry of Education for the academic year 2023-24, Chandigarh emerged as the top performer among all States and Union Territories with a score of 703. This made it the only entity to secure the Prachesta-1 grade, which includes scores ranging from 701 to 760. The PGI 2.0 framework, aligned with NEP 2020, evaluates educational systems across six critical domains. Chandigarh’s consistent top performance for the third consecutive year reflects its sustained excellence in areas like learning outcomes, access, equity, infrastructure, governance, and teacher education.

Uttar Pradesh led the country in digital public procurement on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), completing orders worth ₹65,227.68 crore between FY 2020–21 and FY 2024–25. The state’s comprehensive adoption of GeM across departments, especially after aligning procurement rules with the General Financial Rules in 2024, significantly enhanced transparency and efficiency. Key contributors included the Urban Development, Health, IT & Electronics, and Medical Education departments. Union Minister Piyush Goyal commended Uttar Pradesh for exemplifying transparent e-governance and setting a national benchmark in digital procurement, reinforcing its leadership in public sector reform and innovation under the Digital India initiative.

Maharashtra issued a revised directive under the State Curriculum Framework 2024 that makes Hindi the general third language to be taught in Marathi and English medium schools for Classes 1 to 5. This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and emphasizes multilingual learning and national integration. While schools may offer other Indian languages if at least 20 students per class request it, critics argue that the provision imposes practical hurdles, especially in smaller schools. The directive reignites concerns about language imposition and regional identity, especially after previous protests led to the shelving of a compulsory Hindi policy earlier in 2025.

Bihar made history by becoming the first Indian state to introduce a mobile-based e-voting system for its 2024 urban body elections. Spearheaded by the Bihar State Election Commission and supported by technological input from C-DAC, the system is designed to enhance electoral participation, especially among marginalized groups like migrant workers, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. With features such as blockchain-based transparency, biometric verification through live face scans, and an audit trail similar to VVPAT, the system emphasizes security and accessibility. This initiative represents a significant leap in leveraging digital tools to promote inclusive and secure democratic processes.