Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: High: 27 ℃ | Low: 20 ℃ | Generally cloudy sky with light rain.
🧐 Did you know? The city was known earlier as Bengalval – Uru, which means “the city of the guard”.
🕛 14-hours workday?
Bengaluru’s IT companies are lobbying for a legal change to extend the maximum daily working hours to 14.
What’s it about? This proposal recalls Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s earlier suggestion for young professionals to work up to 70 hours a week, which sparked controversy.
- The proposed law change would allow 12 hours of regular work plus 2 hours of overtime, totalling 14 hours a day.
- Currently, regulations cap work at 12 hours a day, including overtime.
KITU protests: The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) opposes this move, warning that it could shift the industry from a three-shift to a two-shift system, potentially resulting in job losses for a third of the workforce.
❌ Ad ban lifted
The Karnataka government has lifted the six-year ban on outdoor advertisements in Bengaluru by notifying a new advertisement policy.
What’s it about? This policy, modelled after New Delhi’s outdoor advertising system, allows one hoarding every 100 metres on notified roads. The public has 30 days to submit objections or suggestions following the notification.
- According to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Advertisement) Bylaws, 2024, commercial advertisements will be permitted on all roads wider than 60 feet.
- Billboards can also be installed around traffic intersections.
Online auction: Advertisement rights will be auctioned online, with the minimum rate determined by the locality’s guidance value.
🪙 Underutilised air funds
The Centre for Science and Environment has ranked Bengaluru the lowest among 25 cities in utilising funds for air quality improvement.
What’s it about? Karnataka has only used 13 per cent of its Finance Commission grant and approximately 31 per cent of its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) funds since the program’s inception in 2019.
- Bengaluru and Nagpur have both utilised just 13 per cent of their NCAP funds over the past four years.
- Whereas cities like Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Greater Mumbai have used up to 72 per cent.
Other cities: Other cities in Karnataka, including Davanagere, Gulbarga, and Hubli-Dharwad, are also part of the NCAP. Gulbarga, in particular, has used only 27 per cent of its funds, making it one of the lowest in spending efficiency.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you seen any hoardings in the city in the past six years?
- I have seen hoardings in the city in the past six years.
- I have not seen hoardings in the city in the past six years.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What are the best Kannada serials that will help with learning the language as well?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In Other News…
- Tomato prices have hit a century in the city.
- BBMP has sealed two eateries in Indiranagar over hygiene issues.
- Shamrock emerged victorious in the Jayachamraja Wadiyar Cup.
- Bengaluru’s first zero FIR under the BNS was filed for a laptop theft.
- The Health Department is discussing the feasibility of taking over BBMP’s secondary and tertiary care hospitals.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!