Mangaluru (Karnataka), Mar 5 (PTI): Forty-five inmates of Mangaluru jail were admitted to the government Wenlock Hospital on Wednesday after complaining of diarrhoea and related issues, officials said.

One of them is in critical condition and is receiving treatment in the hospital's ICU, they added.

According to jail officials, the inmates were served rice and sambar for lunch and ‘avalakki’ (flattened rice) for breakfast. They reported discomfort only at around 3 pm after which all 45 inmates were taken to the hospital in police vehicles under security and admitted for treatment.

Commissioner of Police Anupam Agarwal visited the hospital and spoke to the doctors attending to the inmates.

Speaking to the media later, Agarwal said food samples had been sent for testing and that the cause of the suspected food poisoning would be determined once the report was available.

He noted that the jail houses 350 inmates, of whom only 45 were affected.

He also confirmed that one inmate is in serious condition and has been admitted to the ICU.

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New Delhi (PTI): A Bill which seeks to set up a single regulator for institutions of higher education is required to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes become independent and self-governing, officials said.

The Bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament next week after it got the Union Cabinet's nod on Friday.

The proposed legislation, which was earlier christened the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, has now been named Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill.

A single higher education regulator, which was proposed in the new National Education Policy (NEP), looks to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

"The Bill proposes to set up a Higher Education Commission of India to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes become independent and self-governing institutions and to promote excellence through a robust and transparent system of accreditation and autonomy. It is likely to be introduced (in Parliament) in the coming week," an official said.

While the UGC presently oversees non-technical higher education in the country, the AICTE oversees technical education, while the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education.

The Commission is proposed to be set up as a single higher education regulator, but medical and law colleges will not be brought under its ambit.

It is proposed to have three major roles -- regulation, accreditation and setting professional standards, officials said.

Funding, which is seen as the fourth vertical, is not proposed to be under the regulator so far. The autonomy for funding is proposed to be with the administrative ministry, they said.