K'taka assembly okays setting up of new universities in 7 districts
Bengaluru, Sep 21: The Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday passed a Bill to constitute new universities in seven districts and to upgrade Unitary University in Mandya, as Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan promised to bring in new laws to ensure reforms in the functioning of such institutions in the state.
The Karnataka State Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed after it was thoroughly discussed by the House, during which legislators from across party lines, including the Chair expressed concerns about the quality and functioning of universities in the state and rampant irregularities in many of them.
The Bill in its financial memorandum states that with regard to the establishment of new universities there will be an approximate expenditure of Rs 14 crore per annum towards the annual recurring expenditure at Rs 2 crore for each varsity.
Narayan, piloting the Bill, said: "It is the demand and aspiration that there should be a university in all the districts and in this direction as a step the government is opening new universities in seven districts -- Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Haveri, Bidar, Koppal and Bagalkote, and in Mandya district we will be expanding the existing university."
According to the National Education Policy, there should be at least one university in every district to fulfill the educational and skill needs of the youth there, he said.
It has also been a long-standing demand and hence the Chief Minister had made an announcement in the budget for certain districts and the same will be considered for other districts in the days ahead, the minister added.
As per the Knowledge Commission, UGC and National Education Policy, there should not be more than 100 colleges under one university, he further said, adding that now the aspiration is that every college has to be developed to a status of degree-awarding autonomous university by 2035.
Intervening, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri expressed concern about the quality and the condition of existing universities, while adding that the government should also focus on improving their quality and infrastructure.
Pointing out that thousands of students go to countries like Canada from the state to pursue their higher education, he said: "Then what is the quality of our universities here...improving the quality of universities and education provided there should be of highest priority."
Addressing the concerns expressed by the Chair and several legislators regarding the quality and other issues in universities, the minister said allocations have been considerably enhanced to universities upgrade them.
Noting that it has been nearly 22 years since the Karnataka State Universities Act came into existence, he said new legislations have to be enacted for bringing in accountability and reforms to address the current challenges.
"We are taking steps to bring in new legislation, committee has been formed, which has submitted report and public opinion has been sought, aimed at addressing all issues concerning recruitment, administration, ensuring transparency, accountability, quality education, skill development and integration," he said, adding the laws will be separate for public and private universities.
Earlier, Congress Deputy Leader in the Assembly U T Khader advised that the government should frame rules to maintain the quality and standards in varsities, pointing out that Mangaluru University has come down from A-grade to B-grade and may even further come down to C-grade.
Several legislators like JD(S)' A T Ramaswamy said that those who are genuinely concerned about higher education and the future of the student community should be appointed as Vice Chancellors and to university syndicates, as they lamented about legislators and politicians making recommendations for unworthy people. They also pointed at malpractices for good results at deemed universities.
Congress MLAs Eshwar Khandre and P T Parameshwar Naik pointing out lack of basic infrastructure, facilities and faculty at various existing universities, said, "when such is the state, announcing new universities will be only like applying ghee to the lips."
BJP MLA Arvind Bellad suggested that the building construction and recruitment powers should be withdrawn from universities, so that they can focus only on academic activities.
Also, there should be a common exam system instead of each private university having their own exams, he said.
Pointing at there are currently 27 universities in the state and most of them lack facilities and qualities, Congress MLA Krishna Byre Gowda said, to set up each university it will cost Rs 100-150 crore and there will be annual costs on top of that, so eight new universities will lead to spending hundreds of crores.
"Without looking into the quality of existing university, establishing new ones, seems to be aimed at only appeasement with election approaching," the legislator said, as he also pointed at earlier CAG reports on rampant irregularities in recruitment and activities at various universities in violation of laws.
ರಾಜ್ಯದ ವಿವಿಧ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ 7 ನೂತನ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ಮಂಡ್ಯದ ಏಕೀಕೃತ ವಿವಿಯನ್ನು ಪೂರ್ಣಪ್ರಮಾಣದ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯವನ್ನಾಗಿ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಪಡಿಸಲು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.
— Dr. Ashwathnarayan C. N. (@drashwathcn) September 21, 2022
ಈ ದಿಶೆಯಲ್ಲಿ 2022 ನೇ ಸಾಲಿನ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾನಿಲಯಗಳ (ತಿದ್ದುಪಡಿ) ವಿಧೇಯಕ ಅಂಗೀಕಾರಗೊಂಡಿರುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಹೃತ್ಪೂರ್ವಕ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. pic.twitter.com/S4PiZJoso5
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UP: 19-year-old allegedly gang-raped by 23 people over six days, six arrested
Varanasi (UP), Apr 7 (PTI): A 19-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by 23 people over six days, with the accused drugging her and taking her to several hotels as they passed her on for abuse, police said here on Monday. Six of the accused have been arrested.
Additional Commissioner of Police, Cantonment, Vidush Saxena said the woman had gone out with some youths on March 29. Her family filed a missing report on April 4 when she did not return home.
When the police rescued her, she did not mention about the rape, he said.
However, the survivor's family on April 6 lodged a complaint alleging that she had been gang-raped.
The woman told the police that between March 29 and April 4, the accused allegedly took her to many hotels and hookah bars and gang-raped raped her, the officer said.
The police said 11 unnamed persons have also been booked. Out of 12 named accused, six were arrested on Sunday, and efforts are on to nab the rest of the accused.
The woman's mother in her complaint said that her daughter had gone to her friend's house on March 29. "On the way back home, she met a boy named Raj Vishwakarma, who took her to his cafe in Lanka, where Raj and his other friend did 'bad acts' with her.
"The next day my daughter met a boy named Sameer, who was on a bike with one of his friends. Sameer took her on the bike to a highway and did a 'bad act' with her on the bike itself and left the girl at Nadesar," she alleged.
"The next day, on March 31, a boy named Ayush along with his five other friends named Sohail, Danish, Anmol, Sajid and Zahir took her to Continental Cafe in Sigra and made her drink intoxicants and raped her one by one. On April 1, a boy named Sajid along with his friend took her to a hotel, where two-three other people were present.
"There, a man raped her and them threw her out. As she was leaving the place, she met a boy named Imran on the way, who also raped her in a hotel after making her drink intoxicants. Later, when the girl screamed, he left her outside the hotel," the mother alleged in her complaint to the police.
On April 2, a boy named Raj Khan took her to the roof of his house in Hukulganj where he tried to rape her after drugging her. When the woman screamed, the youths took her to Assi Ghat in an intoxicated state and left her there, her mother alleged.
On April 3, a person identified as Danish took her to his friend's room and there Sohail, Shoaib and some other boy drugged her daughter and raped her. Later, they left her near Chowkghat. The next day on April 4, her daughter came home and told them about her ordeal, the complainant said.
The named accused have been identified as Raj Vishwakarma, Sameer, Ayush, Sohail, Danish, Anmol, Sajid, Zahir, Imran, Jaib, Aman and Raj Khan.
A case has been registered under sections 70(1) (gang rape), 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 123 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 127(2) (wrongful confinement) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the police said.
