KARNATAKA

Chief ministerBasavaraj Bommai said the government was providing impetus to two key pieces of to encourage the employability in the state and also bring more investments toKarnataka.

Inaugurating theUdhyami Aagu, Udyama Needu (Become an entrepreneur, provide EMPLOYMENT) workshop organised by the industries department in Bengaluru, CM Bommai said the biggest challenge for the state is to ensure that there are more avenues for employment in the state.

The government has already rolled out an engineering R&D policy and is expected to build upon it for a comprehensive R&D policy.

Bommai said the government was striving towards bringing a more investor friendly Environment in the state and that the future entrepreneurs should look at success stories of local business tycoons to draw inspiration.

Highereducation minister Ashwath Narayanannounced this after convening a meeting with officials of the Education department and state higher education council.

As per that, students will have the flexibility to pursue a three-year bachelor or four-year honours degree, among other things.

Sarvatrika Arogya AndolanaKarnataka(SAAK), a state-level Network of several right-based organisations has urged the to take steps to strengthen the existing Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL), located at Bengaluru to ensure that any person who visits the government hospitals should get free medicines.

SAAK has urged the minister to setup up a committee headed by anIASofficer with experience in Health system management and to make the officer in charge of KSMSCL without interference from any political leader. The Ias officer should be held responsible for the lack of adequate medicines at various government hospitals and an enquiry should be done.

As part of the New Education Policy,Karnatakawould introduce new Learning methods in higher education to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge.

Participating in the regional research symposium on problem-based learning (PBL), Narayan said educational institutions would be encouraged to collaborate with the to impart knowledge and skills to students.

The PBL method introduces students to real-life problems and motivates them to find solutions together. It will also enable them to experience the aesthetic, emotional, moral, creative, analytical and other aspects of the situation in a holistic way.

The department of primary and secondary Education will form an expert committee to draft guidelines on how formal TEACHING can take place in the upcoming academic year starting in June. On-campus classes are unlikely to resume in the initial months of the school calendar as Covid-19 cases are still high.

The panel will comprise eminent educationists, experts from the Indian Institute of Science and Nimhans, members of the state technical advisory committee on Covid-19 and representatives of parents, private schools.

The recently released draftKarnatakaCurriculum Framework for the foundational stage (3-8 years) has called for a detailed individualised Education plan for children with special needs.

According to data with the School Achievement Tracking System for 2021, as many as 96,020 children with various forms of disability are enrolled in Karnataka schools. This includes those with visual impairment (14,047), hearing impairment (10,652), speech and language disability (10,024), locomotor impairment, intellectual disability (18,524), and multiple disabilities (10,054).

The draft framework says since the most optimal time to identify delay or disability in a child is at the foundational level, it is crucial that a child be enrolled in preschool. However, teachers or anganwadi workers are not authorised or equipped to make a diagnosis. Instead, they should play a role in early identification recognising symptoms of delay and disability in a non-judgmental manner and refer the parents to seek medical diagnosis.

The has allotted land for seven projects of pharmaceutical companies that are investing Rs 123 crore atKadechur villagein Yadgir district. These units are expected to create 633 jobs for youths. These proposals are expected to get clearance from the single window clearance committe (SWCC) chaired by large and medium industries minister Jagadish Shettar by the end of April.

he proposedpharma parkhas also evoked interest among pharmaceutical companies of Hyderabad, Mumbai and other cities.

Minister for energy, Kannada and cultureV Sunil Kumarlaunched the Revenue documents at farmers doorstep scheme at Moodbidri on Saturday.
Launching the scheme of delivering land and other revenue documents to the doorstep of farmers, at a programme in Padumarnadu, the minister said that similar programmes will be held in all villages in Dakshina Kannada district.

He said the scheme of delivering records to the doorstep of farmers is a revolutionary step taken by the government to help farmers. RTC of the farmers will also be made available in all Nadakacheris for free. Through this, the government has come to the doorsteps of the people, he said.

Disappointed with the failure of a few government departments not adhering to the rule stipulating 8% reservation in jobs for residents of districts comprisingKalyana Karnataka, transport minister and chairman of the 371(J) implementation cabinet sub-committee BSriramulu said, The will take action to enforce this rule strictly.

The minister, who chaired a meeting of the cabinet sub-committee inKalaburagi, said that he had directed the officials to gather all information about vacant jobs in the government in Kalyana Karnataka, and ascertain if people of the region had been denied promotion. Candidates from the region had the eligibility to apply for posts both in Kalyana Karnataka, and elsewhere, but the state governments order dated June 6th, 2020 created some confusion in this matter. The minister concerned has informed me that he will talk to the officials concerned, and take a decision. Once this issue is resolved, candidates can apply for jobs both within the region, and across the state, Sriramulu said.

A cold wave has gripped parts of NorthKarnatakaas mercury in several districts dropped below 12 degrees Celsius. The border district ofBelagavihas recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 8.6 degrees Celsius.

The chill weather in Belagavi continued even during the day with people wearing skull caps, scarfs and sweaters while outside. In the early hours the residents were sitting around fire for heat, while the city was engulfed in thick fog. In the city, the temperature was 10.5 degrees C and the lowest was recorded at Belagavi airport in Sambra, about 18km from here. The data is sourced from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).