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Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly on Friday passed Bills doubling the salaries of the chief minister, ministers, and legislators, adding an annual burden of ₹62 crore on the exchequer.

The CM's monthly salary will increase from ₹75,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, while ministers will see a 108% hike, from ₹60,000 to ₹1.25 lakh. MLAs and MLCs will get ₹80,000 per month, up from ₹40,000, and their pension will rise from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000.

The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill and the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill were passed without debate, as the Opposition BJP protested in the well of the House.

The Bills cited the rising cost of living as justification for the hike. The Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council chairperson will now receive ₹1.25 lakh per month, up from ₹75,000.

Kanpur (UP): The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad on Wednesday arrested an employee of the Kanpur Ordnance Factory for allegedly sharing classified and sensitive information with a Pakistani intelligence operative through social media, according to a statement.

The accused, identified as Kumar Vikas, was employed as a Junior Works Manager at the Kanpur Ordnance Factory, the ATS said in the statement.

He was in contact with a suspected Pakistani agent who used the alias "Neha Sharma", it said. Investigations revealed that Vikas had been sending confidential documents and sensitive data related to ordnance manufacturing, employee attendance sheets, machine layouts, and production charts via WhatsApp.

On March 13, ATS arrested another Ordnance Factory employee, Ravindra Kumar, from Hazratpur, Firozabad, for similar offenses. His interrogation led ATS officials to Vikas, who had also been in contact with the suspected Pakistani agent since January 2025.

Authorities said the Pakistani agent introduced herself as an employee of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and initially contacted Vikas on Facebook. They later exchanged mobile numbers and continued their communication on WhatsApp.

To avoid detection, they used the Ludo gaming app for covert conversations, the statement read. Vikas was allegedly lured by financial incentives to pass on classified information, it said.

Kumar Vikas has been taken into custody and further legal proceedings are under way.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday tabled a Bill in the Legislative Assembly to introduce a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts.

The Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was tabled by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil.

On Friday, the Cabinet approved an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act, reserving 4 per cent of contracts for Muslims in civil works valued up to Rs 2 crore and goods/services contracts up to Rs 1 crore. This proposal was announced by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the 2025-26 Budget, presented on March 7.

Currently, Karnataka provides reservations in civil works contracts for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) at 24 per cent, Other Backward Classes (OBC)–Category 1 at 4 per cent, and OBC–Category 2A at 15 per cent.

There had been demands to include Muslims under Category 2B of the OBCs with a 4 per cent reservation.

The BJP has called the Karnataka government’s move to provide a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts an "unconstitutional misadventure" and vowed to oppose it at all levels, including challenging it in court, until it is revoked.

The Bill presented on Tuesday further amends the KTPP Act, 1999, to implement the proposal outlined in the 2025-26 budget speech, according to its statement of objects and reasons.

The Bill aims to address unemployment among backward classes and promote their participation in government construction projects, reserving up to 4 per cent for individuals in Category 2B (Muslims) for works valued up to Rs 2 crore.

The Bill also provides for reservations among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes in the procurement of goods and services, excluding construction works, in notified departments, for contracts valued up to Rs 1 crore.

It encourages their participation in such procurement to the extent of 17.5 per cent for persons belonging to SC, 6.95 per cent for those belonging to ST, 4 per cent for Category 1 of OBC, 15 per cent for Category 2A, and 4 per cent for Category 2B (Muslims).

The Bill stated that the proposed legislative measure involves no additional expenditure.