<h1>Chief minister announces phased hiring under Article 371-J, Rs 5,000 crore for Kalyana Karnataka board and major irrigation push</h1> The state chief minister announced legal and administrative measures for Kalyana Karnataka, citing Article 371-J's impact on recruitment-1,19,923 posts identified with 84,620 filled-and a plan to fill remaining vacancies phasically. The government allocated Rs 5,000 crore to the regional development board for 2025-26 (over Rs 14,000 crore spent to date on 41,103 works) and pledged nearly Rs 70,000 crore for irrigation projects including land acquisition for Phase III of the Krishna Upper Canal via farmer consent and raising the Almatti Dam to irrigate over 15 lakh acres. A regional secretariat will be formally notified.