Priyank Kharge wants private firms to be allowed to participate in EVM hackathon

Bengaluru, May 25: IT Minister Priyank Kharge, who had invited the Election Commission of India to hold its EVM hackathon in Bengaluru, is now not happy that only political parties have been invited to make an attempt to evaluate or tamper the machines.

Earlier, Kharge had announced that the Karnataka government was ready to host the hackathon as Bengaluru is IT capital of the country. He had argued that the EC should restore confidence among people by proving that EVMs are foolproof. The IT department was ready to participate in the hackathon, he had said.

The hackathon, organised by the EC, is going to be held in Delhi from June 3 in two phases. Some political parties including the Congress party and AAP had expressed doubts that EVMs could be tampered with. Hence, the EC has organised the hackathon to provide an opportunity for political parties to prove their charges.

Those parties which had participated in the assembly elections held earlier this year are allowed to participate in it. Each party can send three people to evaluate and assess the machines. The outcome will be judged by a team of technical experts working independently with a panel, the EC has announced.

Replying to a question, the minister said the Karnataka government would not be sending anyone. But the Congress party in Delhi may send participants, he added.

However, in Karnataka a couple of startups have come forward accepting the challenge of the EC. However, he was not ready to disclose the names of the firms.“We are looking at their capability.

Also, the Election Commission has invited only political parties to participate in the hackathon. So no company can participate on its own. Even individuals cannot participate. Private companies will not be ready to represent political parties at the hackathon. The EC should have allowed even individuals and tech companies to participate,” he said.

Asked why not the Congress party’s IT wing or technical cell members make an attempt to prove the machines could be tampered with, Kharge said, “It is left to the INC to decide. But I strongly feel that private companies should have been allowed to participate. We, politicians have expressed apprehensions. We have raised an issue which needs to be answered. But we are not technically qualified to handle the machines. Why not allow companies which have been listed in the Fortune 500 list to participate? Let R&D centres of tech companies be allowed.”

The intention should be re-establish credibility in EVMs. Unfortunately, the EC has not given such opportunity, he added.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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