K’taka govt plans seat reservation for local students in foreign universities to be set up in state
Bengaluru: In a move aimed at expanding access to global education, the Congress government is planning to introduce reservation for economically disadvantaged, meritorious local students in foreign universities expected to establish campuses in the state.
The state government has proposed this with Lancaster University of United Kingdom, which announced to set up its campus in Bengaluru recently, and operations are likely to start from February, 2026, while admissions will begin from August/September, 2026.
Karnataka Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar said that the state has held discussions on reserving seats for Karnataka students in foreign universities that plan to establish campuses in the state. According to him, the universities have responded positively to the proposal. The state government is also contemplating offering scholarships to the selected students.
Sudhakar explained that pursuing higher education abroad is often financially out of reach for many students. To address this, the government is exploring ways to offer scholarships with contributions from both the state and the universities. He added that such a model would also reflect the universities’ social commitment.
Lancaster University is reportedly planning to operate from a temporary 50,000 sq ft campus in Electronic City. The institution plans to move to its own campus within the next four years. It has also sought land and basic infrastructure at a marginal rate. The university will offer academic programs in cyber security, business, finance, and accounting.
Earlier, the University of Liverpool from the UK had signed an agreement with the state government to set up its campus at KWIN City. Additionally, Imperial College London has already opened its research wing at Bengaluru City University.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
