State to get 2 innovative varsities - The legislation aims to turn the University of Mysore and Karnatak University (Dharwad) into model universities for excellence in the state.

BANGALORE: One university with two systems of governance, freedom for students to switch from one subject to another, flexi working hours and research project for every faculty, an induction programme with free classes on life/soft skills for every enrolled student and twinning programmes with foreign and other Indian universities.

All these radical changes are part of the landmark legislation __ Karnataka State Innovative Universities Bill, 2010 __ that will be placed before the cabinet for approval on Thursday. The legislation aims to turn the University of Mysore and Karnatak University (Dharwad) into model universities for excellence in the state.

Under the proposed bill, the two universities will have a new system of governance. The position of chancellor, vice-chancellor, registrar and syndicate will be done away with. These universities will be governed by a visitor, who will be an eminent scholar or professional; a president chosen among distinguished academics with capacities for managing large educational organisations and two directors __ one to deal with research and post-graduate education and other to handle affiliated and autonomous colleges.

"The proposed bill is based on a recommendation made by the Karnataka Knowledge Commission (KKC). The idea is to exclude the two universities from the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000 and have a separate legislation to promote excellence. I have discussed the bill with law minister and we will seek cabinet approval on Thursday," higher education minister V S Acharya told TOI.

In addition to UG programmes, every school of the university will offer an integrated PG and integrated PhD programme. Choice-based credit system will be offered to students to enable them to acquire credits from different clusters. Students will be allowed to move from one subject to another area, subject to certain conditions, within the purview of the school.

Every faculty will be asked to take up at least one research project and will have flexi working hours for consultancy and participation in extension services. The research carried out by the university will be published through an exclusive press to be set up on the lines of the Oxford University.

Schools of management, social sciences and humanities will have at least one international programme and the two universities will be allowed to twinning programmes in collaboration with Indian and foreign universities.

The Union HRD ministry is planning to set up 14 innovation universities across the country including one in Mysore.

HOW UNIVERSITY WILL BE GOVERNED

* There will be two directors (similar to the current vice-chancellors). An eminent academic will look after research and PG education, while another director will be in charge of affiliated and autonomous colleges. The term will be for 5 years

* University court: Advisory body with members from IIM-B, IISc, IIIT-B, ISEC and CII

* University ombudsman: Three-member body of retired professionals/scholars with members of integrity and scholarship. Will receive complaints, address grievances and facilitate good governance

* Manager: Will replace the existing registrars. Will be an expert from administrative and management background

* Board of Governors: Will replace syndicate. Will have members from civil society, professionals and industry

[Belagavi] Centre approves 3 over bridges

Source: All about Belgaum

This could be some good news for Belgaumites, not that all would change in a flash, but the traffic woes at major rail crossings in city could be averted as the Central government has given its primary approval for building of THREE over bridges over railway crossings in the city.
Three places approved are :
Old PB Road
Kapileshwar Road
Congress road
A Bhubneshwar based company has done the primary survey and submitted its report. The centre will bear 90% of the cost and the state will have to shell the remaining.
This is god news no doubt but this will take a lot of time and the project to be implemented in real terms could even take upto 2 years.
Source: Pudhari and inputs

NEKRTC making profits: Ashok

Source: The Hindu

Bidar: The North-East Karnataka Transport Corporation, which had incurred since it was set up, has begun making profit, Minister for Transport and Home R. Ashok said on Thursday at Humnabad.
“Last year, the corporation made a profit of Rs. 9.01 crore. This year, we are expecting a profit of about Rs. 18 crore,” Minister said, after inaugurating the renovated bus-stand there.
He said that the NEKRTC would focus on connecting villages to taluk and district headquarters.

Statewide International Film Festival 2010 between November 8-14

Source: http://www.mybangalore.com/article/1110/statewide-international-film-festival-2010-between-november-8-14.html

The Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA) is launching its first statewide international film festival this month. This will be on from November 8-14 across Bangalore, Shimoga, Dharwad, Bidar and Mangalore.

The Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA), in collaboration with the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) is launching its first statewide international film festival in November with ambitious plans to expand it to all the districts of Karnataka in the coming years. 

The festival will screen movies like, The Bicycle Thieves, an Italian film directed  by Vittorio de Sica, A butterfly in the wind, a film made in Iran by director Abbas Rafaei, I can't live without you, a film made by Taiwanese director, Leon Dai. Get the entire schedule of all the films at all venues on the KCA website.

Dates and Cities

Bangalore on November 8, Malleswaram, Sucharita Film Society, Yavanika

Bidar on November 9 (4 days, 16 films) 

Dharwad on Nov 10 (4 days, 12 films)

Mangalore on Nov 14 (4 days, 12 films) 

Shimoga on Nov 15 (4 days, 16 films)

Announcing the festival on Wednesday, TS Nagabharana, KCA Chairman;  HN Narahari Rao, FFSI director and artistic director of the new festival and Muddu Mohan, state Director of Information said the festival was designed to promote film culture in the remote areas of the state. The festival, planned with a low budget and entirely on DVD format, will include 100 titles from nearly 20 countries. “Many of the films have seen international releases only in the last two or three years and are being screened for the first time in India,” Narahari Rao said. Many films in Indian language, including Kannada, have been selected for the festival.

Apart from Suchitra in Bangalore (Nov 8 – 14, 28 shows), the screenings are being held at Yavanika (Nov 8 – 14, 28 shows), which is the main venue, Malleswaram Seva Sadan (Nov 9 – 12, 16 shows) and Samprati, Malleswaram (Nov 13-15, 12 shows).

Seminars

The festival will see two seminars at Yavanika: on Saturday, Nov 13  (3:00 – 5:30 PM),  ’The Challenges and Opportunities of Film Distribution and Exhibition in the Digital Age’  with director Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, distributor ‘MARS’ Suresh and Jyotsna Pattabiraman of Moovie Shoovie and Sunday, Nov 14 (3:00 – 6:00 PM),’Film Criticism Today’ with Narahari Rao, MK Raghavendra and journalist Sadashiva Shenoy, general secretary, Press Club of Bangalore.

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Entry is through the delegate passes, priced at Rs 200/- (Student concession: Rs.100, on producing ID).

Buy Passes online: Please visit Moovie Shoovie

KCA : Phone 080-2213 3410

Website: http://www.thekca.in/

Email: chalanachitraacademy@gmail.com;

Suchitra: 080-2671 1785

Work on Dharwad-Goa road finally starts

Source: http://sify.com/finance/work-on-dharwad-goa-road-finally-starts-news-news-kliaO8dggea.html



It is official now. The road between Dharwad and Ramnagar that connects Karnataka to Goa and which has been in a very bad condition for decades is being converted into double-lane highway by the state government. On Sunday, public works minister C M Udasi performed the bhoomi pooja for the road construction work at Alnavar in the presence of rural development and panchayat raj minister Jagadeesh Shettar and MP Prahlad Joshi.
The state government has entrusted the works to the Karnataka Road Development Corporation which in turn has given the responsibility to Hyderabad-based GVR-RMN-Pratyusha Companies consortium named GVRMP Dharwad-Ramna-gar Tollway Private Limited. The 61.50 km stretch on the Aurad-Sadashivagad state highway No 34, which has made the journey for those travelling to Goa from Dharwad via Ramnagar a herculean task, will be re-laid for Rs237.60 crore. It will be on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) / viability gap funding (VGF) basis.
The nine-metre-wide road covers 29.9 km in Dharwad district and 31.50 km in Belgaum district before entering Goa. It will pass through three railway crossings, one bridge and 12 culverts. There will be two truck lay base, five under passes and two toll gates. The work is expected to be completed in two years. When completed, it will give a big boost to tourism, trade and commerce in Dharwad, Belgaum and Uttara Kannada districts.
The road has been in a bad shape for decades and any number of petitions and complaints to the authorities had failed to yield results. Those traveling to Goa were forced to take a route via Belgaum and Savantawadi, covering an additional distance of 80 km.
Kannadigas settled in Goa had repeatedly appealed to the legislators and ministers visiting Goa to get the road repaired, but to no avail.
Udasi, being the public works minister for second term, had failed to fulfill the demand. Successive governments had given up the road repair work after conducting ‘bhoomi pooja’, citing financial crunch. Dharwad MP Prahlad Joshi and minister Jagadeesh Shettar’s efforts to get the road included in Central Road Fund during the regime of H D Revanna as public works minister had also not been fruitful.
Now it seems the road is set to be repaired with state government contributing 20 per cent of the cost while the Centre will contribute matching amount. The companies taking up the work on BoT basis will bear 60 per cent of the cost. Th e BoT is for a period of 30 years and the time frame for getting the road ready is two years.

VTU to set up hi-tech valuation centre in Davangere soon

Source: Times of India

DHARWAD: The Visvesvaraya Technological University, which has 186 engineering colleges across the state under its purview will set up a hi-tech valuation centre at Davanagere soon.

The new centre will come up on a sprawling 15-acre land adjoining the national highway near Kunduwad off Davanagere and is allotted to VTU by the Karnatak Housing Board. The centre will be well-equipped with modern facilities like high speed scanner and networking with all the colleges under the VTU.

The use of a high speed scanner will enable quick announcement of results and quick dispatch of marks cards. According to VTU V-C H Maheshappa, nearly 25 lakh answer scripts are evaluated at four centres situated at Bangalore,Mysore, Gulbarga and Belgaum every semester. The examiners will be provided food and accommodation at the valuation centre so that they do not waste time commuting to the centre.

The new centre is expected to be ready in two years, sources said. A teacher's training centre will also be set up on the same campus.

World Kannada Conference at Belgaum in Jan or Feb 2011: CM

Source: http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=88680



Bangalore, Nov 1: The long-delayed World Kannada Conference proposed to be held in the border district of Belgaum will be held in January or February next year, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa announced on Monday November 1.
     
Inaugurating the colourful Children’s festival and gala Kannada Rajyothsava celebrations organized by the State Education Department at the Kanteera Stadium in Bangalore, the chief minister said it was necessary to strive for the emotional integration of the state just as the geographical unification.

People of Karnataka must always be vigilant and ceaselessly work for the protection of state’s borders, language, water and culture. All sections of society must be allowed to have a share in the state’s progress and development, he said.
     
Yeddyurappa, who released balloons and pigeons to mark the celebrations of 54th Statehood, pointed out that the government’s developmental efforts during the last two and half years had helped Karnataka to earn the second rank over the country in the implementation of the 20-point economic programme.
     
''The government will continue its efforts to emerge as the number one state in the country,” he said emphasizing the need for all-round progress in the education department. It was necessary to ensure that the educated youth were able to stand on their own legs and become self-reliant, he said.
     
The chief minister said the Global Investors’ Meet organized by the government in the month of June had resulted in the signing of as many as 383 MoUs involving a total investment of Rs 3.93 lac crore. The GIM’s success was followed up with the signing of another 342 MoUs involving an additional investment of Rs 91,519 crore.

The total investments generated on account of GIM was Rs 4.85 lac crore, he said pointing out that as many as 137 companies involving an investment of Rs 2.43 lac crore had already started preliminary works on implementation of the projects. ''We are confident that the state will overtake all other states in industrial development in the coming years,” he claimed.
     
He said the districts in northern Karnataka, which were known as Hyderabad-Karnataka and Mumbai-Karnataka, were likely to be renamed as ''Kalyana Karnataka” and ''Swabhimani Karnataka” respectively to signify the self-respect in the state. Names of noted Kannada literatteurs and personalities would be given to some of the districts and prominent places, he indicated.
     
Though Kannada had been accorded its rightful status as a classical language, the chief minister lamented that the state’s official language was yet to get the facilities and benefits commensurate with its status. He said the patience of the state’s people should not be tested.
     
Primary and secondary education minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, who presided over the function, said the government was committed to its policy of according primacy to Kannada and compulsory education in Kannada as the medium of instruction. The matter was pending before the Supreme Court.
While all languages must be respected and given due encouragement, Kannada should enjoy primacy in the state, he said urging teachers and education department officials must strive to inculcate the love of language among the students and also prevent brain drain.
     
Karnataka’s Planning Commission deputy chairman Ramachandra Gowda, former minister, and Public Instruction Department commissioner K R Shashidhar were among the dignitaries who participated in the function.
     
Over 1200 students from as many as 125 schools provided variety entertainment and cultural programmes. Students from 25 schools in the city staged a march-past.