Renowned researcher, author Dr. Shamsul Islam, to deliver BV Kakkilaya Inspired Oration 2023
Mangaluru: Renowned researcher, author, and former Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Delhi, Dr. Shamsul Islam, is scheduled to deliver the BV Kakkilaya Inspired Oration for 2023. The oration, titled "Joint Martyrdoms, Joint Heritage of 1857 War of Independence," will take place on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 10 a.m. at Ravindra Kalabhavana, University College, Mangaluru.
The annual BV Kakkilaya Inspired Orations serve as a tribute to the life and contributions of Sri BV Kakkilaya (1919-2012). Kakkilaya was a freedom fighter, a leader in the Karnataka unification movement, a prominent figure in the Communist Party of India and All India Trade Union Congress, a member of the first Rajya Sabha, and the Karnataka State Assembly.
He was also an award-winning writer and thinker. The oration aims to promote alternative thoughts and approaches to address the challenges faced by the underprivileged masses in India. The event is organized by Hosatu Monthly, Bangalore, MS Krishnan Trust, Bangalore, and Samadarshi Vedike, Mangalore, in collaboration with the Department of History, University College, Mangaluru.
During the event, Dr. Shamsul Islam's book, "The Untold Amazing Stories of 1857," will be released in its Kannada translation, titled "Bharatada Modala Swatantrya Sangrama 1857 - Helade Ulida Adbhuta Kathegalu." The book is translated by Dr. B.R. Manjunath and published by Navakarnataka Publications. Dr. Jayaraj Amin, Vice Chancellor of Mangalore University, will have the honor of unveiling the translated work.
Additionally, the event will feature the publication of the names of 128 martyrs from Karnataka, who hailed from diverse backgrounds including various castes, religions, sects, and socio-economic strata. These martyrs gave their lives during the 1857-58 anti-British revolts. Dr. Shamsul Islam compiled this list from national archives, and the occasion will be marked with tributes to these brave individuals.
The public is warmly welcomed to attend this significant event.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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