Karnataka Assembly passes Bill to make UVCE autonomous

UVCE is currently a constituent college of the Bangalore University

The Karnataka Assembly on Monday passed four Bills, including one that proposes to upgrade the iconic University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) into an autonomous institution like an IIT.

The UVCE, which was started by Sir M Visvesvaraya in 1917, is currently a constituent college of the Bangalore University.

“The UVCE has grown in stature. For further growth, it needs administrative and academic autonomy,” Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said, piloting the Visvesvaraya Engineering College University Bill.

According to Narayan, Karnataka needs four lakh skill workers in the engineering and technology fields. “In just six months, 10 lakh people have changed jobs in the IT sector,” he said. “Bengaluru, a global city, doesn’t have a single engineering college that has good quality,” he added.

The Bill says 25% of admissions will be through the JEE. “We want good talent across India to come to Bengaluru,” Narayan said.

However, MLAs Sharath Bachegowda and Priyank Kharge urged the government to make 100% admissions for local students through the common entrance test (CET). “Since the UVCE is not centrally-funded, why should we have 25% seats for JEE,” Kharge asked.

Narayan initially accepted the proposal to amend this and have 100% admissions through the CET. However, at the time of passage, Narayan asked Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri to retain the existing clause. “We will examine the change later,” the minister said.

The Assembly also passed the Karnataka Municipal Corporations and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Act, 2021 to circumvent a High Court order that required the BBMP to refund Rs 2,362 crores collected as ground rent, licence fee, building licence fee, scrutiny fee and so on.

“The fees were collected as per bye-laws. But, the HC said the fees collected 2015 onwards should be refunded as they weren’t provided for in the Act. This Bill is to safeguard the taxes collected since 2015,” Law Minister JC Madhuswamy said.

Senior Congress MLA HK Patil said the government was trying to circumvent a court order that would have otherwise helped citizens get their money back. “But, these fees weren’t collected illegally. There was a provision in the bye-laws. We’re now correcting the Act,” Madhuswamy said.

Two other bills - the Karnataka Certain Inams Abolition and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2021 - were also passed.

The first of the two Bills will give farmers more time to apply for regularisation of their cultivated Inam land. The second Bill introduces provisions for licensed surveyors and other officials to issue certified copies of phodi, land conversion map and so on to ensure speedy disposal of applications pending in the Revenue Department.

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