Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre laments wildlife deaths
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Forest Minister on Thursday expressed sorrow over the recent death of tigers, peacocks and monkeys in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of 71st Wildlife Week on the steps of Vidhana Soudha, he said despite the strict enforcement of the Wildlife Conservation Act, such incidents continue to occur, which is "unfortunate".
"The death of five tigers at Male Mahadeshwara Hills, 20 peacocks at Midigeshi in Madhugiri, and 19 monkeys in Bandipur has caused me immense pain and has increased the responsibility of wildlife conservation," the Minister said in his address.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar was also present on the occasion.
Khandre emphasised that every creature has the right to live, and coexistence with wildlife has become inevitable as forest areas shrink.
Wildlife plays an important role in maintaining the balance of nature, and the purpose of this week is to create awareness about it, he said.
The minister noted that Karnataka has given top priority to wildlife conservation, pointing out that the state is home to 5,395 elephants and 563 tigers.
"Among the states with the highest number of tigers in the country, Karnataka stands in second place. However, in Male Mahadeshwara Hills, in a single day, one person cent of the tigers died due to poisoning. This is a heart-wrenching incident," he rued.
Noting that such shocking incidents should not recur, the Minister said wildlife conservation is not only the responsibility of forest staff, but also the duty of citizens.
"Today, many wild species are on the verge of extinction, some have already disappeared. Therefore, the need to spread awareness among people about forests and wildlife is greater today than ever before," Khandre said.
Since the day coincided with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, Khandre said the 'Father of the Nation' also had immense concern for nature and the environment.
"Mahatma Gandhi would also say that this world is not our inherited property, but rather a debt we have received from our future generations," recalled Khandre.
The Minister told the gathering that in Bengaluru city alone, more than 250 acres of forest land worth about Rs 10,000 crore has been cleared of encroachment and saplings have been planted there.
"Green cover in Bengaluru city is being increased. Along with this, a vast botanical garden on the model of Lalbagh is being established on 153 acres at Madappanahalli. In Hessarghatta, 5,678 acres of land has been declared as a protected grassland," Khandre said.
The area with 371 trees near the Cantonment Railway Station has been declared a traditional biodiversity site, he added.
“From the government and department side, we have taken measures for the protection of environment, forest and wildlife. You too, as citizens, must make your contribution and protect nature and environment,” he appealed.
In view of Deepavali this month, he appealed to people to avoid firecrackers, and insisted on burning only green crackers.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.”
_vb_22.jpeg)
