All party meet, Parliament session should have been called before "ceasefire": Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the Centre should have called for an all-party meeting and convened a Parliament session before reaching an understanding with Pakistan to stop all military action.
He said the entire credit for the operations against the terrorists and its handlers should go to the armed forces, and that no one should claim credit for it politically.
"Ceasefire has been declared and both countries have come to an understanding on this. Director General of Military Operation (DGMO) of both countries are meeting, let's see what is decided there," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "In my opinion, they (central government) should have called for an all-party meeting before the ceasefire. Also, the Parliament should have been called, because it is a very serious matter."
On many invoking late PM Indira Gandhi, aimed at drawing parallels between her leadership during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and the ongoing India-Pakistan situation, he said, "It has been many years, about 54 years since 1971, I don't want to speak about it now. Ceasefire has been announced, DGMOs are speaking, let's see."
To a question whether all Pakistani nationals in the state have left the country, Siddaramaiah said that only three children were there in Mysuru and that the remaining all have gone.
The three children were aged below six years. Their parents -- mother was Indian, and father Pakistani. "The three children had gone to the border and as no one came to take them there, they have returned," he said. They were with their mother now.
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Bill to set up single higher education regulator likely to be tabled in Parliament next week
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.
