Karnataka Budget 2026 policing | 8,000 new cops, AI traffic control: CM Siddaramaiah pushes for smart policing in Karnataka Budget 2026

The Karnataka chief minister said Rs 25 crore will be spent on developing an integrated digital traffic management platform to tackle Bengaluru’s worsening traffic congestion. The system will consolidate and analyse data from multiple agencies to improve traffic flow and provide a smoother commuting experience.

To boost mobility and surveillance, the Home Department will receive new vehicles worth Rs 75 crore. Under the Centrally Sponsored Police Modernisation Scheme, Karnataka has formulated a Rs 354-crore action plan, including Central and state shares, to equip the police with modern communication devices, forensic tools, CCTV systems, body-worn cameras, anti-drone technology, drones, and other equipment.

The state’s share for this initiative will be Rs 142 crore.

The Karnataka Government will also establish a permanent Police and Police Auxiliary Services Recruitment Board to ensure systematic and transparent recruitment.

The government also allocated Rs 10 crore to strengthen the Anti-Narcotics Task Force, reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy toward drugs. A Special Task Force has also been set up to prevent hate speech and maintain communal harmony with units already operational in Udupi, Shivamogga, and Dakshina Kannada.

The Karnataka Budget 2026 also proposes establishing an Urban Policing Innovation Centre in collaboration with the Global Business Alliance (GBA) and corporate partners, funded through CSR, to bring technology-driven solutions to urban policing challenges.

Boosting prison infrastructure

The Karnataka Government also announced ‘Operation Parishuddhikarana’, a Rs 20-crore initiative aimed at curbing the use of mobile phones, substance abuse and other prohibited items, and preventing illegal activities inside prisons across the state.

Siddaramaiah said modern security infrastructure, including AI-based intrusion detection systems, CCTV cameras, body-worn cameras and advanced screening equipment to monitor and control contraband, will be introduced in prisons.

He also announced that the second phase of construction of the Mangaluru Central Prison will begin this year. In addition, work on the Raichur District Central Prison will commence this financial year.

Further strengthening prison infrastructure, the government will construct district central prisons in Vijayapura and Bidar, each with a capacity of 1,000 inmates. The projects, along with a high-security central prison in Bengaluru, are being developed at a total cost of Rs 471 crore.

As part of efforts to address substance abuse among inmates, the government will also establish a Drug De-Addiction Centre at the Bengaluru Central Prison to help prisoners recover from drug dependency.