The State government has made teaching yoga mandatory in all government and aided degree colleges in the State.
The new Minister for Higher Education, Basavaraj Rayaraddi, said officials have been directed to make necessary arrangements to introduce yoga classes in degree colleges. Yoga instructors would be appointed in over 400 government first grade colleges in the State. This, he said, would help in mental and physical fitness.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier announced that yoga would be introduced in primary and secondary schools in a phased manner.
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Mr. Rayaraddi, after a review meeting of officials, said the National Service Scheme (NSS) and the National Cadet Corps (NCC) would also be “made more relevant” in degree colleges by roping in all students. Personality development classes would be introduced for the NSS to make the course more relevant.
He also proposes to introduce a railway engineering course in engineering colleges in the State, with the support of the Railway Ministry as civil, mechanical or electronic engineers are being roped in for railway engineering works at present.
A conference of 23 vice-chancellors in Bengaluru will be held in the second week of July to gather information on the various problems faced by universities. All VCs have been told to come to the conference with a vision document and make a 45-minute presentation. Mr. Rayaraddi, who called on the Chancellor and Governor Vajubhai R. Vala, proposes to bring in a comprehensive Act to cover all 23 universities in Karnataka. At present, different universities are administered under different Acts.
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On the attachment of Rs. 430 crore of the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, by the Income Tax Department, he said the Governor has been urged to bring the issue to the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve it. “VTU is not an industry or business house,” he said. The fund with the I-T Department could instead be utilised for providing basic infrastructure in engineering colleges, he said.
Similarly, he directed the Karnataka State Open University not to deposit Rs. 600 crore with the I-T Department, but to place it in the State treasury to avoid attachment of accounts by IT officials.
No drinking water
Mr. Rayaraddi said 81 government first grade colleges have no drinking water facilities on the college premises. He said only Rs. 2 crore is needed to sink borewells and install pumpsets, so he instructed officials concerned to do the needful