Smoking, drinking alcohol, consuming ''gutka'' to be banned on Chamundi hills in Mysuru
Mysuru, Sep 3: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said smoking, drinking alcohol or consuming 'gutka' and 'paan' will be completely prohibited on Chamundi hills here, which will also be made plastic-free.
He also asked officials to prepare a master plan for development of Chamundi hills over the next five years.
"Smoking, drinking alcohol or consuming gutka and paan on Chamundi hills have been completely prohibited. We had decided to make Chamundi hill plastic free," Siddaramaiah said after chairing the first meeting of the Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority here.
Speaking to reporters, he said additional funds of Rs 11 crore will be released from the Authority to implement the union government's Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme here, and five temples will be renovated.
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"Inside the temple (on the Chamundi hills) photography will be prohibited and mobile phones should be switched off... making Chamundi hills more attractive and providing all facilities and amenities is the aim," he said.
He added, however, that there will be no dress code, and all people, irrespective of caste, religion and sex, are welcome to the temple.
Goddess Chamundeshwari is considered as the reigning deity of Mysuru and its erstwhile royals; she is also regarded as “Naada Devate” (state deity). Chamundeshwari temple is about 13 kms from Mysuru, atop of the "Chamundi hill".
A temple that is over 1,000 years old was a small shrine initially and assumed importance over the centuries before becoming a prominent place of worship as seen now.
It assumed significance after the Mysuru Maharajas, the Wadiyars, came to power in 1399 CE, and were great devotees and worshippers of Chamundeswari, who became their home deity and rose to religious prominence.
Noting that the Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority has been constituted keeping in mind thousands of devotees who visit the temple and the world famous Dasara festivities, Siddaramaiah said some developmental work have been completed while others are still pending completion and they have to be completed immediately.
"There are 24 temples other than the Chamundi hills and the temple here, that come under the purview, their development should also happen along with the main temple and the hill. Public should be provided with all facilities and amenities, that's our motive," he said.
Siddaramaiah said in coordination with the police department, the temple authorities will install CCTV cameras at various spots where it is necessary.
"Under the CSR fund it will be done...enough lights will also be installed at Chamundi hills...To ensure no criminal activities take place, a task force will be set up," he added.
Noting that it has been decided to provide medical facilities to temple employees and educational support for their children, the Chief Minister said instructions have been given to ensure quality of food provided at 'Dasoha Bhavan.'
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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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