Karnataka Assembly passes Bill for new AYUSH varsity

The Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill to establish an AYUSH University in Shivamogga, amid criticism from opposition MLAs on the need for such a varsity now.

Health & Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, who piloted the Karnataka State AYUSH University Bill, said it will a first-of-its-kind university in south India that will focus on research. "It will also address the publication of research material on Ayurveda, which is very less now," he said.

Congress MLA Dr HD Ranganath said he has concerns on the new university as it took the state government 20 years to approve cadre and recruitment rules for the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). "The RGUHS does not have a separate campus till now," he said, urging the government to invest in RGUHS before floating any new varsity.

Former Congress minister Priyank Kharge questioned the suitability of promoting alternative medicine especially at a time when the state is facing a pandemic along with financial crisis.

Another Congress MLA Dr Yathindra was of the view that the state should allocate more funds for RGUHS rather than invest in a new university.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Anand Mamani and MLA Bandeppa Kashempur urged the government to allot the varsity to Belagavi and Bidar, respectively. Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri advised the government to choose districts where such projects were essential, rather than allotting it to districts that already have various infrastructure.

The Assembly also passed a Bill to rename the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences in Shivamogga as Keladi Shivappa Nayaka Agricultural and Horticulture University.

Another Bill that was passed was the Karnataka Municipal Corporations and Certain Other Law (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021, which proposes a separate slab of property tax for industrial buildings in municipal limits.

Urban Development minister Byrathi Basavaraju, who piloted the Bill, said that the legislation was aimed at encouraging the establishment of industries in the State.

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