Kannada film actor Shiva Rajkumar’s wife Geetha joins Cong; to campaign for brother Madhu Bangarappa
Widens Geetha’s opportunity to involve herself in social work, says Shiva Rajkumar
Bengaluru: Geetha Shivarajkumar, wife of Kannada film star Shiva Rajkumar and daughter of former Karnataka Chief Minister S Bangarappa, joined the Congress on Friday.
Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar welcomed Geetha into the party during a formal function at the KPCC office in the city and in the presence of several Congress leaders.
Geetha’s brother and Congress candidate from Sorab constituency Madhu Bangarappa, was present as was Sadhu Kokila, who is a Kannada film actor and president of the Congress Cultural Wing.
Geetha had identified herself with the JD(S) in 2014 and contested the Lok Sabha elections from Shivamogga with the JD(S) ticket, as an opponent of veteran BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.
Last week, she had begun campaigning in Sorab for her brother Madhu Bangarappa. Her campaigning for Madhu Bangarappa is expected to intensify now that Geetha has officially joined the Congress.
Actively involved in film production too, Geetha started the film production company ‘Geetha Pictures’. She has also produced several films in Kannada.
Speaking about his wife’s decision to join the Congress, Kannada actor Shiva Rajkumar told reporters that each person had his/her own ideology.
“Geetha has been working for ‘Shaktidhama’, the school in Mysuru, for a few years now, since the death of my mother. The children at the school have benefited greatly due to her efforts,” said Shiva Rajkumar and added, “Joining hands with a political party will enable us to intensify our social work too.”
He also said that he would accompany Geetha during the campaigns, as scheduled by brother-in-law Madhu Bangarappa.
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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.
