States PCS: Karnataka GK for KPSC and other Karnataka State Exams

Notes:
The 2026-27 Karnataka state budget reports 2.23 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation. This area benefits approximately 2.36 lakh farmers. In previous years, 7.16 lakh hectares was recorded as of November 2020. The budget allocated over Rs.426 crore to assist around 52,000 farmers under micro-irrigation schemes. These figures represent cumulative progress up to the 2026-27 period.

Notes:
Karnataka’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) was 14 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, as per the Economic Survey 2025-26 citing Sample Registration System (SRS) data. This shows a decline from 31 in 2013. The reduction reflects improved maternal and neonatal care services in the state.

Notes:
The Karnataka Budget 2026-27 allocated ₹913 crore to provide unemployment allowance under Yuva Nidhi to 3,08,267 eligible beneficiaries. The Karnataka State Labour Welfare Board covers 43,936 organised sector workers, and ₹44,632 crore is allocated for SCSP-TSP schemes, but these figures correspond to different programs than Yuva Nidhi. The figure 5,000 relates to minority students targeted for laptop distribution or hot cooked meals, not unemployment allowance.

Notes:
Karnataka Budget 2026-27 allocates Rs 22,430 crore to irrigation and flood control, which is 5.5% of total expenditure. This is higher than the 3.4% states’ average in 2025-26. The allocation includes Rs 6,654 crore for Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited and Rs 3,095 crore for Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited. Key projects include Vuduthore Halla scheme, Hebbala-Nagavara Valley Phase III, and others. The budget also includes subsidies of Rs 19,290 crore for free power to irrigation pumpsets and commitments for Mekedatu reservoir and Tubachi-Babaleshwar scheme.

Notes:
Sawai Gandharva was a disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, founder of Kirana Gharana. Abdul Karim Khan established the Kirana Gharana, a prominent school of Hindustani classical music. Sawai Gandharva helped popularize this gharana in southern India, especially Karnataka. He trained musicians like Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal, maintaining the tradition of swara purity and detailed raga exposition. Through him and his disciples, the Kirana Gharana’s style continued to flourish and spread.

Notes:
B. K. S. Iyengar, a disciple of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, created Iyengar Yoga focusing on alignment and props. His book “Light on Yoga” is a global reference. Iyengar Yoga gained international popularity and is linked to Karnataka through Iyengar’s origin.

Notes:
The Karnataka Land Reforms Committee of 1957 was chaired by B.D. Jatti. The committee was formed in May 1957 after Karnataka’s unification to suggest land reform laws. It submitted its report in September 1957, influencing the Karnataka Land Reforms Act of 1961. B.D. Jatti later served as Mysore State’s Chief Minister and India’s Vice President.

Notes:
K.S. Narasimhaswamy authored Dundumallige, Mysore Mallige (1942), and Deepada Malli (1947). Anju Mallige is a play by Kannada writer Girish Karnad and not by Narasimhaswamy. Mysore Mallige was adapted into a National Award-winning film. Narasimhaswamy’s works focus on romantic and domestic themes, especially jasmine (mallige) poetry collections.

Notes:
The Kaveri Wildlife Sanctuary, spread across Mandya, Chamarajanagar, and Ramanagara districts, acts as a wildlife corridor between Bannerghatta National Park and Biligirirangana Hills (BRT) Tiger Reserve. It facilitates elephant and fauna movement and supports genetic flow in the Eastern Ghats-Western Ghats transition zone. The sanctuary also hosts the endangered Grizzled Giant Squirrel along Cauvery river forests.

Notes:
The Guddada Budihal – Hirebidri Conservation Reserve is in Gadag and Haveri districts of Karnataka. It protects the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard by conserving dry grassland habitats essential for the species. This area is one of the few remaining habitats for the bird in Karnataka’s northern semi-arid plains. Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary was earlier a habitat but current conservation focuses here to prevent extinction. The reserve addresses threats like habitat loss and power line collisions which endanger the bustard.