The year 2023, that draws to a close on December 31, was marked by a change in political guard in Karnataka with a keenly contested Assembly election bringing Congress to power. It also saw the ushering in of five “guarantee” schemes, including free bus travel for women, even as the State suffered a huge deficit in rainfall with 223 out of 236 taluks being declared drought-hit. As always, it resurrected the Cauvery water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
On a positive note, Bengaluru-based ISRO succeeded in its moon mission Chandrayaan-3 this year, while the city with its notorious traffic jams had some reason to cheer with the much-awaited Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway opening and the entire stretch of Metro Purple line becoming operational.
