Karnataka CM and All Lawmakers Get 100% Salary Hike

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.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake, and an aftershock of 6.8, hit central Myanmar at 12.50pm (local time) Friday. The epicentre was 16km northwest of the city of Sagaing, and at a depth of 10km, the United States Geological Survey said. 20 deaths have been reported - in Myanmar so far - by local media.

Deaths have also been reported from a mosque in Mandalay city, which collapsed while people were inside, praying and a university building in which a fire broke out. And a 1,000-bed hospital in Myanmar capital Naypyidaw has become a "mass casualty area", news agency AFP said.

The Myanmar junta has declared an 'emergency' and has appealed for international aid.

Tremors were felt as far away as northern Thailand, where some metro and rail services were suspended in Bangkok. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is holding an "urgent meeting" to review the crisis and she too has declared a state of 'emergency' in the capital city.

China's Yunnan province also reported strong tremors; the China Earthquake Networks Center said the magnitude was 7.9. And mild tremors were also reported from Kolkata in Bengal and parts of Manipur, where tremors of 4.4 magnitude were recorded as well as Dhaka and Chattogram in Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India is ready to offer any assistance needed. "Praying for the safety and wellbeing of everyone," he posted on X. "... have asked our authorities to be on standby."

Terrifying videos on X showed buildings shaking in Bangkok and other cities, with people running onto the streets in panic. "I heard it... I was sleeping in the house and then I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building," Duangjai, a resident of popular tourist city Chiang Mai, told AFP.

One particularly horrifying video showed water from an infinity pool falling over the edge.

And another showed an under-construction skyscraper in Bangkok's Chatuchak neighbourhood collapsing. According to reports, 43 workers have been trapped amid the debris.

"When I arrived to inspect the site, I heard people calling for help, saying help me," Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP. "We estimate that hundreds of people are injured but we are still determining the number of casualties."

In Myanmar, an old bridge over the Irrawaddy River and some residential buildings having collapsed, with images from Mandalay (around 24km from Sagaing) suggesting more people may be trapped.

Other videos showed extensive damage to the airport in Mandalay and to a monastery near the city of Taunggyi, in Myanmar's Shan State that is on the border to Thailand.

Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the country.

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake, in the ancient capital Bagan in central Myanmar, killed three people in 2016, also toppling spires and crumbling temple walls at the tourist destination.

The impoverished nation has a strained medical system, especially in its rural states.

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.