Newly sworn-in Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar chaired his government’s first cabinet meeting at Vidhana Soudha shortly after taking the oath of office alongside 13 cabinet ministers. The two-hour session focused significantly on students, youth development, and city infrastructure, resulting in several landmark approvals. In a major move, the cabinet introduced the ‘Yuva Shakam’ (Era of Youth) initiative, which extends free bus passes to all students—including young men—matching the existing free travel benefits currently enjoyed by women in the state. Additionally, the Chief Minister announced plans to restore employment exchanges to boost job placement opportunities within the private sector.
As part of the youth-centric agenda, the government greenlit the establishment of 10,000 ‘Bharat Jodo’ youth associations across Karnataka, aiming to set up one unit per village panchayat and municipal ward. Each club will comprise 150 to 200 members and will serve as a structured platform to foster leadership skills, sports talents, cultural activities, and social harmony. To support this massive community network, the government has sanctioned a substantial grant of ₹10 lakh for each individual association. This step is also aimed at changing conservative mindsets toward agriculture, horticulture, and dairy farming to discourage rural youth from migrating heavily to urban centers.
The state capital received a major development boost with the cabinet allocating ₹2,000 crores specifically for road infrastructure in Bengaluru. The approved funding is earmarked for widespread re-tarring works on all city roads that are currently not covered under any other ongoing development projects. While state agrarian issues were also extensively deliberated during the meeting, Chief Minister Shivakumar clarified that immediate policy rollouts were deferred. He emphasized that the administration intends to consult deeply with agricultural experts and senior officials to formulate practical, sustainable schemes rather than making hollow promises.
