Students irked with Kʼtaka government's decision to increase nursing seats after counselling: Report
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government’s decision to increase nursing course intake and grant recognition to new colleges after the third round of counselling has drawn criticism from students aspiring for nursing seats, who claim they were forced to opt for other courses this year.
The Department of Medical Education approved over 1,500 additional seats across at least 90 nursing colleges, along with recognition for seven new institutions, after the completion of the third round of seat allotment by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA).
Following the approvals, KEA conducted an extended mop-up round to allocate the newly added seats. However, only 350 students were able to attend the extended round seat allotment, as reported by Deccan Herald on Sunday.
“The seats left vacant after the extended round of seat allotment will be automatically converted into management,” DH quoted a KEA official as saying.
Several students expressed frustration over the government’s delayed decision. One student shared they had initially wanted to pursue nursing but were compelled to enroll in another course due to the lack of government-quota seats at their preferred college. "Now, the government has added a few more seats to that college," said the student.
Another student pointed out that many aspirants were unaware of the extended round, leaving them unable to switch courses. “There was no information about the extended round. Hence, many of us were forced to take up other courses as there were no seats available at quality nursing colleges. Now, we cannot withdraw admissions as we will not get the refund,” DH quoted one student as saying.
Meanwhile, department officials stated that seat approvals are based on recommendations from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).
Furthermore, KEA authorities acknowledged that similar issues occurred in the previous year’s counselling process. “This was a similar issue even during last year’s seat allotment. Nursing seats were added even after the completion of all the rounds. We were forced to conduct another round, but of no use for students as they had already taken admissions to other courses,” the KEA official said.
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NCB busts secret drug lab in Karnataka's Mysuru; four held
New Delhi (PTI): The Narcotics Control Bureau has busted a secret drug manufacturing laboratory in Karnataka's Mysuru and arrested four people from Rajasthan after seizing narcotics worth Rs 10 crore, the agency said on Friday.
This crackdown began on January 28 in Gujarat's Surat, where federal officials intercepted a SUV in the Palsana area. The vehicle was found carrying about 35 kg of Mephedrone.
Followingthe seizure, the Narcotcis Control Bureau (NCB) arrested the alleged mastermind of this trafficking racket named Mahindra Kumar Vishnoi and three others. All four suspects are residents of Rajasthan's Jalore district.
The investigation led to officials to a "clandestine" drugs manufacturing laboratory located in Hebbal industrial area of Mysuru.
The laboratory was being operated under the guise of a chemical manufacturing unit for cleaning purposes. The facility had been rented by a co-accused and relative of Vishnoi, the NCB said in a statement.
"Drugs worth Rs 10 crore (market value), Rs 25.6 lakh in cash, an SUV and 500 kgs of chemicals used in the manufacturing of drugs have been seized during the operation," it said, adding that the lab is understood to be established in 2024.
According to the NCB, Vishnoi is a "habitual offender" who "conceived" the idea of manufacturing synthetic drugs in secret labs while he was incarcerated in a drugs trafficking case. He has three drug-related cases registered against him in Rajasthan and one in Gujarat, the NCB added.
