VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html First India study backs govt-funded annual flu vaccine for seniors | India News Jannik Sinner’s fitness under spotlight ahead of Wimbledon title defence | Tennis News Meghan Markle and Prince Harry vacation in Europe, ahead of reconsidering the UK visit due to security concerns Citizens will soon be able to access and share medical records, book OPD appointments, locate nearby hospitals, call ambulances and access Ayushman Bharat services through a single mobile application as the Centre launches Aarogya Setu 2.0 on Monday. New Delhi: Citizens will soon be able to access and share medical records, book OPD appointments, locate nearby hospitals, call ambulances and access Ayushman Bharat services through a single mobile application as the Centre launches Aarogya Setu 2.0 on Monday.Union health minister J P Nadda will also launch a series of digital health initiatives aimed at connecting patients, hospitals, laboratories and insurers through a common digital health network.Originally launched during the Covid-19 pandemic as a contact-tracing app, Aarogya Setu has now been transformed into a personal health record application. The revamped app will allow users to create and manage their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), access and share digital health records, register for OPD visits using Scan & Register, make hospital payments through Scan & Pay, receive medicine reminders and manage the health records of family members.The app will also help users find nearby hospitals, doctors, ambulance services, blood banks with real-time blood availability and Jan Aushadhi Kendras. It will provide access to Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY services, including hospital search, Ayushman Card services, treatment history, grievance redressal and beneficiary support.The Centre will also launch Ayushman Sarathi, a WhatsApp chatbot that will enable beneficiaries to check eligibility, locate empanelled hospitals and access key PM-JAY services through a conversational interface, making PM-JAY services easier to access.Another major initiative, the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX), seeks to reduce paperwork and speed up settlement of health insurance claims by creating a common digital platform for hospitals and insurers to exchange claims information across both public and private health insurance schemes.The Centre will also launch eSushrut@Clinic, a cloud-based clinic management system developed by C-DAC for small private clinics, with the platform also being made available to primary health centres, health and wellness centres and sub-centres. The software will help digitise patient registration, billing and electronic health records. It will be offered free for the first three months before being made available at Rs 299 a month for up to five users under an arrangement with the National Health Authority. More than 800 health facilities have already been onboarded on eSushrut@Clinic, while the full-fledged eSushrut hospital management system has been deployed in over 15 AIIMS and several state government hospitals.Officials said the initiatives are expected to make healthcare services easier to access while reducing paperwork and enabling hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies and insurers to exchange health information seamlessly.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorAnuja JaiswalAnuja Jaiswal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, with an impressive 18-year career in narrative journalism. She specializes in health and heritage reporting, expertly simplifying complex health information to make it engaging and understandable for readers. Her deep dives into heritage topics are well-researched, resulting in captivating narratives that resonate with her audience. Over the years, she has worked in Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and West UP, gaining diverse on-ground experience that shapes her storytelling.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosKetan Agarwal Murder Probe Enters Crucial Phase As Police Recreate Crime Scene At Lohagad Fort‘Look Inwards’: India Rejects Pakistan’s ‘Baseless’ Karachi Attack AllegationsPM Modi Thanks Citizens for Cutting Fuel Use, Postponing Gold Purchases Amid West Asia Crisis’Visit Ram Temple, Do Penance’: Yogi Adityanath Attacks Akhilesh Yadav Amid Donation Row | AyodhyaDelhi-Varanasi Bullet Train To Cut Delhi-Lucknow Travel Time To 2 Hours 10 Minutes: Ashwini VaishnawMahua Moitra’s Explosive Attack Over Ram Mandir Donation Row| ’70 KG Silver, 1,250 KG Gold Missing?’Mumbai Police Foil Alleged Mass Poisoning Bid at Muharram Procession; 14,900 Toxic Capsules SeizedCong Seeks Bigger Role in UP Alliance; New In-Charge’s ‘Equal Share’ Pitch Raises Stakes: ReportsBharat Taxi Rolls Out as India’s First Cooperative Cab Service; 500-City Expansion PlannedSix Op Sindoor Personnel Honoured; Opposition Questions Rajnath Singh’s Parliament Remarks123PhotostoriesMinimalist suit looks from Bano’s closet from the Pakistani series ‘Zanjeerein’ that are perfect for festivities and beyondFeeling stressed? 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AMRITSAR: AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced that a grand temple dedicated to Luv, Kush and Mata Janaki will be built in Amritsar, while the Punjab chief minister said his government will leave no stone unturned in constructing it.The site of the proposed temple will be next to the temple of Lord Valmiki, Kejriwal said.”I returned from Ayodhya only yesterday after offering prayers to Ram Lalla at the Shri Ram mandir. Today, I am extremely happy to make this announcement,” he said.This is not just good news for the people of Amritsar but for devotees of Ram and Sita across the world, the AAP national convener said.”Amritsar is also home to the Durgiana Mandir. It has Jallianwala Bagh, a symbol of patriotism, and the Wagah Border. Most importantly, Bhagwan Valmiki wrote the Ramayana while residing in Amritsar.”Mata Sita, lived here. Luv and Kush were born here, and they received their education here. When Bhagwan Ram released the horse for the Ashwamedha Yagna, it was here that Luv and Kush stopped the horse and tied it to a tree,” he said.Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government will leave no stone unturned in “constructing this magnificent temple on this sacred land”.”It will emerge as a major centre of faith and attract devotees and tourists from across the world, as Luv and Kush were born and educated here,” Mann said.Kejriwal also announced the expansion of the ‘Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra Yojna’ with new pilgrimage routes and the staging of the play ‘Hamare Ram’ across Punjab from August 1.He further said that the series of ‘Ek Shaam Shiv Ji Ke Naam’ spiritual programme, which started in Jalandhar has now reached Amritsar, and it will soon be organised across all 22 cities of Punjab. The state government is undertaking the redevelopment of the famous Kali Mata Temple at a cost of Rs 80 crore in Patiala, Kejriwal said, adding that it will be completed by September.”I believe that once completed, it will become the largest temple in the whole of north India,” he said.Talking about the expansion of the Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra Yojna, he said, “At present, the teerath (pilgrimage) scheme operates on two routes, one to Darbar Sahib and the other to Anandpur Sahib. Now, three more routes are being introduced.”One route will cover Salasar and Khatu Shyam Ji, the second will cover Haridwar and Rishikesh, and the third will cover Mathura and Vrindavan.” The new routes are expected to begin around 1 August, and nearly 1.5 lakh pilgrims will be taken on these journeys, the former Delhi chief minister said.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosKetan Agarwal Murder Probe Enters Crucial Phase As Police Recreate Crime Scene At Lohagad Fort‘Look Inwards’: India Rejects Pakistan’s ‘Baseless’ Karachi Attack AllegationsPM Modi Thanks Citizens for Cutting Fuel Use, Postponing Gold Purchases Amid West Asia Crisis’Visit Ram Temple, Do Penance’: Yogi Adityanath Attacks Akhilesh Yadav Amid Donation Row | AyodhyaDelhi-Varanasi Bullet Train To Cut Delhi-Lucknow Travel Time To 2 Hours 10 Minutes: Ashwini VaishnawMahua Moitra’s Explosive Attack Over Ram Mandir Donation Row| ’70 KG Silver, 1,250 KG Gold Missing?’Mumbai Police Foil Alleged Mass Poisoning Bid at Muharram Procession; 14,900 Toxic Capsules SeizedCong Seeks Bigger Role in UP Alliance; New In-Charge’s ‘Equal Share’ Pitch Raises Stakes: ReportsBharat Taxi Rolls Out as India’s First Cooperative Cab Service; 500-City Expansion PlannedSix Op Sindoor Personnel Honoured; Opposition Questions Rajnath Singh’s Parliament Remarks123PhotostoriesMinimalist suit looks from Bano’s closet from the Pakistani series ‘Zanjeerein’ that are perfect for festivities and beyondFeeling stressed? 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Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma register unwanted T20I record vs Ireland ‘No better than Rs 370 biryani’: Netizens slam Samay Raina over ‘kandha dega tabhi woh…’ remark: ‘Vasoolunga toh sahi’ Putin admits ‘problems’ as Ukraine ramps up attacks deep inside Russia Anant Ambani offering prayers TIRUMALA: Anant Ambani, Executive Director of Reliance Industries, offered prayers at the sacred hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala during the early hours of Sunday. Ambani arrived in Tirumala at around 1am and fulfilled the centuries-old tradition of offering his hair to Lord Venkateswara Swamy. Later, he proceeded to Tirupati to offer prayers at the Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple before concluding his spiritual visit.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosKetan Agarwal Murder Probe Enters Crucial Phase As Police Recreate Crime Scene At Lohagad Fort‘Look Inwards’: India Rejects Pakistan’s ‘Baseless’ Karachi Attack AllegationsPM Modi Thanks Citizens for Cutting Fuel Use, Postponing Gold Purchases Amid West Asia Crisis’Visit Ram Temple, Do Penance’: Yogi Adityanath Attacks Akhilesh Yadav Amid Donation Row | AyodhyaDelhi-Varanasi Bullet Train To Cut Delhi-Lucknow Travel Time To 2 Hours 10 Minutes: Ashwini VaishnawMahua Moitra’s Explosive Attack Over Ram Mandir Donation Row| ’70 KG Silver, 1,250 KG Gold Missing?’Mumbai Police Foil Alleged Mass Poisoning Bid at Muharram Procession; 14,900 Toxic Capsules SeizedCong Seeks Bigger Role in UP Alliance; New In-Charge’s ‘Equal Share’ Pitch Raises Stakes: ReportsBharat Taxi Rolls Out as India’s First Cooperative Cab Service; 500-City Expansion PlannedSix Op Sindoor Personnel Honoured; Opposition Questions Rajnath Singh’s Parliament Remarks123PhotostoriesMinimalist suit looks from Bano’s closet from the Pakistani series ‘Zanjeerein’ that are perfect for festivities and beyondFeeling stressed? 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Try these 6 traditional Indian porridges for breakfast123Hot PicksChinese proverb of the dayJapanese Proverb Of The DayErling Haaland and Isabel Haugseng Combined Net worthFIFA world cup 2026Rams FanRam Temple DonationNigerian Proverb of the dayUS Strike on IranKetan Agarwal MurderTop TrendingK BhagyarajMumbai Local Train DeathRam Temple Donation RowFIFA World Cup 2026NFL TradeUS Iran CeasefirePriyanka GandhiSergei IvanovMK StalinMumbai Local Train News Aishwarya Rai ‘hid it really well’ after breakup with Salman Khan, recalls Shabd co-star Sadiya Siddiqui: ‘She always came fully prepared’ Odisha: Four minors attack catering staff for not serving mutton curry at wedding feast ‘Indian H1-B holders are not…’: Immigration lawyer says waiting on green cards for years is pushing professionals towards UK AI-generated image Saleya (name changed), a victim of domestic violence and sexual abuse, was forced into the sex trade by a woman from her own village. She had just returned to her parental home after escaping an abusive marriage, and was looking for work. The woman deceived her with the promise of domestic work in Mumbai and sold her at the Falkland Road Red-Light Area for Rs. 1,00,000.While working at the red-light area, she gave birth to a girl. Later, she met a man in Akluj and built a family with him. However, her happiness did not last long. She had to leave as her partner was an alcoholic and unfaithful. She kept moving between Tuljapur, Akluj, and Mumbai, working hard to care for her children independently. She sought institutional help and kept on juggling between several rehabilitation centres while she trained to be a beautician. In 2025, when she discovered that she was pregnant again, she shifted to a Mumbai shelter for survivors of human trafficking.”I do not wish to go back to my family. They do not even know about my present situation. I have learned a skill here and wish to earn money while taking care of children on my own,” Saleya said.Udaan House is Saleya’s new address, which she now shares with 5 other women whose lives followed a similar storyline before they were rescued and rehabilitated. Varsha Kamble, working as a project manager at the shelter, said that most of the survivors she rescued were either living in poverty, looking for a stable source of livelihood or were emotionally manipulated by their lovers. Traffickers lured them with false promises of education, financial stability, love and a better life, and when they started trusting them, they were pushed into the sex trade.What data reveals‘Crime in India Report’, released in May by the National Crime Bureau, registered a modest decline of 3.3% in human trafficking cases from 6,043 in 2023 to 5,839 in 2024.However, what lies under this muted achievement is a dark reality revealing the grave situation of women’s safety in India. The report documented that a staggering 40% of human trafficking cases were committed for the purpose of prostitution. And when mapped against the data over five years, it is revealed that the number of cases surged significantly from 2022 to 2024.Maharashtra accounted for the highest number of cases at 829, followed by Telangana (770), Andhra Pradesh (279), and Bihar (97). This is not the first time these states sit at the centre of this crisis, together accounting for a majority of the cases nationally. Maharashtra has led the country in human trafficking cases committed for the purpose of prostitution since 2017.Growing proportion of human trafficking cases involving sexual exploitation for prostitution. Bottlenecks in the anti-trafficking frameworkTaking note of the gaps in the existing protection and support efforts for the survivors of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment on March 30 and constituted a nationwide “Victim Protection Plan”. The proceedings had begun with a PIL filed by anti-trafficking NGO Prajwala in 2004. Invoking its powers under Articles 32 and 142 of the Constitution, a bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan issued a detailed set of binding directions constituting a nationwide “Victim Protection Plan” covering rescue operations, identification, rehabilitation and prosecution.“The lack of a Victim Protection Plan is a serious lacuna that carries the risk of derailing any and all rescue efforts, as there is no clear, guiding, and binding framework for how victims are to be handled, both during and after rescue,” the judgment stated as reported by Bar and Bench.The Plan also sets out detailed operational standards for Anti human-trafficking units (AHTUs) and rescue teams. Units must be led by a DSP-rank officer and have at least two women police officers, with a cybercrime officer included wherever feasible. States are required to notify AHTUs as police stations for their entire district, granting them the jurisdiction to register and investigate trafficking cases. Each unit must maintain a database which has to be updated every month and covers traffickers, victims, and vulnerable communities, with the information moving up to the State Anti-Trafficking Bureau and from there to the NCRB.However, there exists a major schism between the establishment, maintenance and operation of AHT units ordered by the authority and their implementation on the ground.In 2019, a scheme to set up AHTs across all districts was launched by the ministry of home affairs and funded under the Nirbhaya Fund. The intent was to provide every district in the country with a dedicated unit equipped to detect, investigate, and respond to human trafficking cases. While states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal have succeeded in achieving this goal, the implementation has been uneven. Several states continue to have a number of functional AHT units that fall significantly short of their total district count which means that a substantial share of districts across these states are operating without a unit that is specifically mandated to handle trafficking cases.States and UTs with AHT units fewer than the total districts. Data shows children at centre of the crisisIn 2023, Kamble rescued a minor girl in Navi Mumbai’s Kalamboli area. The girl was just 14 when she was forced into sex trade by her own mama and mami (maternal uncle and aunt). Her father had died and her mother used to beg to sustain the family. Her uncle and aunt brought her to Mumbai from Uttar Pradesh’s Kishanganj with the false promise of education and job. “She used to tell them that it hurts and she can’t do it. They would tell her that this is what everyone does in Mumbai to earn money,” Kamble said.She mentioned that deception by their own family members robs them of their ability to trust anyone. “When we raid the brothel, women think we have come to arrest them. Even during their rehabilitation, they lie about their past, and only gradually do they trust us and reveal the truth,” she added.As per the report, under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956, a total of 2,301 female victims were reported. Among all the states, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar recorded the highest numbers, placing them at the top of the list. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were notably prominent within this group.Of particular concern is the age profile of the victims in three of these top five states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, where over forty per cent of the victims were under the age of 18, as recorded under Section 5 of the Act.States with over 40% of victims being minor. Role of police and judiciary in human trafficking casesKamble, whose NGO has held many anti-trafficking raids jointly with the police, noted there had been instances where their rescue operations failed because the police leaked the information.“We no longer tell the police the exact location where the crime is being committed. We ask them to come to a nearby spot and take care of the rest on our own,” Kamble said.Apart from the potholes in police proceedings, an analysis of the five years of NCRB’s data reveals that the journey has not been smooth even with the judicial system. The data points to two critical concerns:First, the conviction rate in cases registered under the Act has witnessed a significant decline from 2022-2024, indicating a deteriorating rate of successful prosecutions.Second, and perhaps more strikingly, the percentage of cases pending trial has consistently remained above 90% for the past five years. This reflects a prolonged and persistent backlog within the system.Conviction rate Case pendency rate“In my experience, I have observed that while those arrested under the POCSO Act face stringent criminal proceedings, it is comparatively easier for those arrested under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act to obtain bail and secure release.” Kamble addedMeanwhile, Saleya continues to work to rebuild herself and wishes to work as a beautician, a skill she has worked hard to acquire through multiple training sessions. She envisions a secured and dignified future for herself and her children. She does not wish to return to her parental home where her years were marked by hardship, violence, and limited access to education. Fear of societal shame and familial abandonment continue to haunt her.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorHarshita BansalHarshita Bansal is an intern at the Times of India. She has done a PG Diploma in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosKetan Agarwal Murder Probe Enters Crucial Phase As Police Recreate Crime Scene At Lohagad Fort‘Look Inwards’: India Rejects Pakistan’s ‘Baseless’ Karachi Attack AllegationsPM Modi Thanks Citizens for Cutting Fuel Use, Postponing Gold Purchases Amid West Asia Crisis’Visit Ram Temple, Do Penance’: Yogi Adityanath Attacks Akhilesh Yadav Amid Donation Row | AyodhyaDelhi-Varanasi Bullet Train To Cut Delhi-Lucknow Travel Time To 2 Hours 10 Minutes: Ashwini VaishnawMahua Moitra’s Explosive Attack Over Ram Mandir Donation Row| ’70 KG Silver, 1,250 KG Gold Missing?’Mumbai Police Foil Alleged Mass Poisoning Bid at Muharram Procession; 14,900 Toxic Capsules SeizedCong Seeks Bigger Role in UP Alliance; New In-Charge’s ‘Equal Share’ Pitch Raises Stakes: ReportsBharat Taxi Rolls Out as India’s First Cooperative Cab Service; 500-City Expansion PlannedSix Op Sindoor Personnel Honoured; Opposition Questions Rajnath Singh’s Parliament Remarks123PhotostoriesMinimalist suit looks from Bano’s closet from the Pakistani series ‘Zanjeerein’ that are perfect for festivities and beyondFeeling stressed? A psychologist shares 3 quick ways to calm yourselfWhy beauty experts are warning against the viral ‘no-hair-brushing’ hair-fall hackHow to make high-protein Desi Ghee Paneer Fried Rice for dinnerPsychology says people are being emotionally bankrupt and don’t even know: Philosopher explains howQuote of the day by Kangana Ranaut: ‘What you do and what you are is more important than who you marry’Single or married? Scientists discover rare link between marital status and cancer riskThree- two- three: The magical relationship rule that Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas swear by to keep their marriage strongPsychology says women who retain their surname after marriage may have these 7 common personality traitsForget overnight oats! 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(Janata Dal (Secular) via PTI Photo) Bidadi, a small town on the outskirts of Bengaluru, has become the centre of a major controversy in Karnataka.At the centre of the row is the proposed Bidadi Smart City project, officially known as the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), which the Congress-led Karnataka government is moving forward with despite strong pushback from farmers, local residents, environmentalists, and opposition parties.For chief minister DK Shivakumar – the Bidadi township is widely regarded as one of his most ambitious projects – the controversy comes just days after Congress elevated him to Karnataka’s top post.The issue has therefore acquired added political significance.Bidadi Smart City: India’s ‘first AI City’Termed by Shivakumar as the country’s “first AI City,” GBIT has been envisioned as a futuristic township and a sprawling work-live-play urban hub on the outskirts of Bengaluru.GBIT was initially conceived as the Bidadi Integrated Township in 2006 by Janata Dal (Secular) leader and then-chief minister HD Kumaraswamy as a housing solution for Bengaluru’s rapidly growing population. However, the proposal remained in abeyance for several years after real estate major DLF withdrew from the project following the global economic crisis of 2008-09. GBIT project timelineIn its current form, the project is estimated to cost Rs 18,133 crore and is planned across 7,481 acres spanning nine villages in Ramanagara and Harohalli taluks. On June 11, the administration issued a final acquisition notification for 499 acres across three villages. However, this is widely seen as the first step in a broader land acquisition process that could eventually extend across the entire proposed area. GBIT project in a nutshellIts key features would include AI-powered industrial and residential zones, employment opportunities for local communities, world-class schools and hospitals, and zero-traffic mobility corridors, among other planned amenities. Features of GBIT project However, criticism has continued to mount, prompting the state government to defend the proposed township as a key component of Bengaluru’s future growth.Bengaluru’s population pressure and Bidadi townshipLike the-then ruling BJP-JD(S) combine in 2006, the incumbent Congress government argues that GBIT is crucial to Bengaluru’s long-term expansion and to easing pressure on the city’s infrastructure—a position that is reflected in the demographic data.The metropolis was already home to more than 85 lakh people in 2011, as per the Census. An October 2025 report by Karnataka’s Directorate of Economics and Statistics projects Bengaluru’s population to rise from around 1.22 crore in 2021 to nearly 1.47 crore by 2031. Between 2025 and 2026 alone, the city’s population is estimated to have grown by 1.93%—the highest rate in the state. Bengaluru populationAs of 2021, Bengaluru accounted for 18.2% of Karnataka’s nearly 7 crore residents. Experts expect this share to rise to 20.7% by 2031, attributing the trend to the city’s strong migratory pull, driven by its diverse job market and its position as India’s foremost IT hub.Therefore, the data underscores the pressures associated with Bengaluru’s continued population growth and the broader debate over how that growth should be accommodated.This is where townships such as Bidadi enter the conversation.Yet, the debate is far from straightforward.Why farmers are up in arms against Bidadi townshipFarmer opposition to the project has been persistent. In the Ramanagara district, where Bidadi is located, protests have continued for more than 400 days.Cultivators argue that the township threatens fertile agricultural land, livelihoods and the local ecology, while also raising concerns about the land acquisition process and whether a sufficient number of affected landowners have consented to the project.Farmer leaders accuse the state government of occupying their fertile land without their consent.”This is cultivated and irrigated land. Not even one acre is uncultivated. Agriculture is going very well. They came here and occupied this land without our permission. There has been no discussion with farmers,” PTI quoted BN Srinivas Reddy, leader of a local farmers union, as saying.Another protesting farmer, Sumitra, also criticised the project.”The CM is saying they will do the Bidadi township project. This is all false. By doing this, they want to fill their treasuries,” she added.To address concerns over the acquisition, the Karnataka government has offered affected landowners two broad options: monetary compensation or a share in the developed township. Landowners can either opt for compensation of Rs 2.07 crore to Rs 2.5 crore per acre, depending on the land category, or retain up to a 50% share in the developed land. GBIT project: Compensation documentsAuthorities have also fixed compensation for trees that would be felled to make way for the “AI City”: Rs 25,000 per coconut tree, Rs 45,000 for a mango tree and Rs 6,000 for an arecanut tree.However, intensifying their campaign, protesters have written to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. They urged him to intervene and halt the acquisitions, which they say are being carried out without adequate consultation and could affect hundreds of farming families.Bidadi township: Land, livelihood, and ecologyAccording to an online petition, as many as 5,000 farmers across the nine revenue villages stand to lose their fertile agricultural land if the proposal proceeds.As per the petition, accommodating the “AI City” would require felling around 2 lakh trees, including 87,903 coconut trees, 83,536 arecanut trees, 12,550 mango trees and 2,344 chikoo trees. The petition further claims that more than 3 lakh banana plants would also be uprooted as part of the development.Additional claimed impacts include the potential loss of livelihoods for around 3,500 families, along with those engaged in dairy farming, horticulture, sericulture and other allied rural activities; loss of groundwater recharge and water security; and loss of active food production, with ragi alone cultivated on 231 acres of the proposed project area.With so much at stake, the project has sparked a battle of competing narratives. Both the ruling dispensation and the opposition cite the same figure—80% of affected farmers—but arrive at opposite conclusions: the government says 80% support the township, while the opposition insists that 80% are against it.Bidadi township row: Political stakes for CongressThe controversy comes as an early challenge for Shivakumar, who took oath as chief minister on June 3, ending a long wait.However, even as the political back-and-forth continues — largely between Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy — any electoral fallout from the controversy is unlikely to be immediate for the Congress, as Karnataka is not scheduled to go to the polls until May 2028.Yet, prolonged farmer opposition could carry political implications in the longer term. As per Census 2011, Karnataka had 13.74 million (1.37 crore) workers linked to the agricultural sector. Of these, 23.61% were cultivators and 25.67% were agricultural labourers.The party also holds all four assembly constituencies in Ramanagara district. This includes Kanakapura, a DK Shivakumar stronghold.What lies ahead for Bidadi township projectGBIT is the third major infrastructure-related project of a Congress government in Karnataka to face sustained public opposition.In July last year, a plan to acquire 1,777 acres for an aerospace park near Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport was rolled back as farmers were opposed to it.In March 2017, a proposal to construct a steel flyover in the heart of Bengaluru was scrapped. The flyover would have required the felling of 812 trees.For GBIT, the government has initiated the process of compensating farmers whose land has been acquired for the project.Meanwhile, the JD(S) has indicated that it will move the Karnataka high court against the proposed township.For now, the debate over the project shows no signs of ending. The controversy also reflects a broader challenge facing Karnataka as it seeks to accommodate Bengaluru’s projected population growth while balancing concerns over land, livelihoods and development.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorKaran ManralKaran Manral is a journalist at the Times of India. He covers politics, social issues, and international affairs, exploring stories that affect people’s everyday lives. 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