Degree   and post-graduate students and their teachers opting for regular classes in their respective colleges from November 17 onwards will have to get a Covid-19 negative certificate.

BENGALURU: Degree and post-graduate students and their teachers opting for regular classes in their respective colleges from November 17 onwards will have to get a Covid-19 negative certificate. The students will also have to get a written consent from their parents for letting them attend classes in person. These are some of the standard operating protocols (SOPs) released by the State Government on Monday in preparation for offline classes for degree and postgraduate courses.

However, while colleges will now open their doors, the government has not restricted online classes, although those who opt for online classes will have contact classes for solving their doubts. While masks are mandatory for all, the teaching faculty are advised to wear masks as well as face shields. Up to 50 per cent of students can be asked to come to classrooms per batch on a rotational basis decided by the colleges.

The teaching time at colleges can be extended or modified by the teachers. However, libraries and canteens at colleges will not be allowed to open. The SOPs state that it is mandatory for teachers, students and other staff of respective institutions to undergo an RT-PCR test three days prior to starting the classes and only those testing negative will be allowed to attend offline classes. Colleges must also reserve a room for Covid- 19 emergencies with firstaid kits and pulse oxymeter.

The principal has to create a special task force of teaching and non-teaching staff to handle emergencies, while vicechancellors will have to set up similar task forces at the university level. Colleges are asked to take continuous feedback from students and encourage exercises — like yoga and pranayama with social distancing — to increase immunity. Colleges should ensure thermal scanning, social distancing at entrances and exits and install sanitising facilities.

In an elaborate 12-page SOPs, the government has laid emphasis on teaching and non-teaching staff ensuring safety protocols at the colleges, and spreading awareness about hygienic practices and mental health to keep Covid-19 at bay. A tollfree counselling helpline fo r students (0804611007) has also been set up for the purpose. The national helpline for telecounselling is 84454440632. Besides, colleges will have to ensure mapping with the nearest Primary Health Centre.

While not giving clear guidelines on person-limit per room in the hostels, the SOPs state that all categories of hostels, both private and those under the education department, have to follow health guidelines already issued by the Backward Classes and Social Welfare Departments. Each district will have a monitoring and coordination committee, chaired by the district deputy commissioner, and nine members including the Zilla Panchayat CEO, officials from transport, health, social and minority welfare and education departments.

Bengaluru: The disciplinary committee of Karnataka Congress has urged its leaders and workers to desist from making public statements about the party’s future state leadership after some of them aired divergent views on who would head the government if the party comes to power.

Expressing concern over such discussions in public, the committee felt it would be advisable to leave this matter to the time when the question of leadership would arise, a party release said here on Sunday.

Recently, a few leaders had issued statements proposing names of party’s state unit president D K Shivakumar and legislature party leader Siddaramaiah as their Chief Ministerial candidates on coming to power. The tenure of the current BJP government is till 2023.

“In a meeting held on November 5, the KPCC Disciplinary Action Committee noted with concern the differing views being expressed by leaders of the party on the question of future leadership of the legislature party,” Committee Chairman K Rahman Khan said in the release.

He said that the committee requested all the elected representatives, leaders, office-bearers and workers of the party to desist from such public statements in the interest of party unity.

“It would be better if party leaders and workers engage themselves in organising the party and work with an aim to bring the party to power in the interest of our state.

Siddaramaiah will be the Chief Minister once again while a few of his party colleagues, including Rajya Sabha Member G C Chandrashekhar, MLA Sowmya Reddy, and Hanumantharayappa had reportedly claimed that Shivakumar will occupy the top post on Congress coming to power.

Declining to comment on him being projected as the next chief minister by some party colleagues, Shivakumar had said “first, our party should come to power. Then, the high command and legislators will decide who the CM should be….”

However, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said exit polls can go wrong. “The BJP is in power and it could look like they are winning.

BENGALURU: If the exit poll is anything to go by, the ruling BJP is likely to win both Sira and RR Nagar Assembly bypolls. The Congress, however, was sceptical of the exit poll and expressed confidence that the party would win both seats.  

According to the exit poll, BJP candidate N Munirathna will win in RR Nagar, Congress candidate H Kusuma will stand second and JDS candidate Krishnamurthy third. In Sira, BJP candidate Dr Rajesh Gowda will breast the victory tape, leaving behind Congress’ TB Jayachandra and JDS candidate Ammajamma in the second and third spots, said news television channels, citing the exit poll conducted by CVoter. 

However, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said exit polls can go wrong. “The BJP is in power and it could look like they are winning. But voters know better, and they are in our favour. Our internal survey says Congress will win both seats,” he told TNSE. People are unhappy with the BJP government as there is no development, he added. 

BJP National Secretary C T Ravi, concurring with the exit poll, said the BJP’s internal report as well as chief minister’s intelligence report favour the party in both constituencies.  “We will win RR Nagar by 25,000 lead and in Sira by 15,000,’’ Ravi said.  

From the beginning, BJP was confident of winning RR Nagar. “In Sira, though initially we had a 50:50 chance, clarity emerged in later stages. When the polling was just one week away, it was clear that the BJP would win in Sira,’’ he added.  CM BS Yeddyurappa too had expressed confidence of winning both seats with a big margin.

Tata Technologies Ltd has joined hands with the Karnataka government to develop 150 government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) by investing over Rs 4,000 crore.

BENGALURU: Tata Technologies Ltd has joined hands with the Karnataka government to develop 150 government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) by investing over Rs 4,000 crore.  Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa termed the agreement, signed on Friday, as a first-of-its-kind initiative of government-industry partnership that will enable youth to get good quality skill training based on industry requirements. The initiative is part of the government’s continued efforts to ensure ease of doing business, and the agreement is mutually beneficial as the industry will have a skilled workforce. 

As per the agreement, signed by Anand Bhade, president, Tata Technologies, and S Selvakumar, Secretary, Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, ITIs will be upgraded by investing `4,636.50 crore. Tata Tech and 20 other companies are contributing `4,080 crore from their CSR funds, while `657 crore will be provided by the State government. Each of the 150 ITIs will get `30 crore for upgradation. 

New infrastructure, industry-oriented courseware, training and support for advanced equipment and software to benefit students to get better employment opportunities will be provided at ITIs. Students from other such institutes too can avail of the facilities. While 300 trainers from Tata Tech and associate industries will train students at the upgraded institutes, online training will be provided in all government and aided ITIs in the State. In the first phase, ITIs at Peenya, Hosur Road, Ballari, Mysuru, Dastikoppa and Shikaripura will be upgraded.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said the initiative is expected to help over one lakh youth get better employment opportunities every year. Based on the requirement of the industry, ten new courses are being added at ITIs, he said. Warren Harris, Managing Director and CEO, Tata Tech, said their vision of  ‘Engineering a better world’ is to create a platform for students to be part of the transforming ecosystem and get exposure to the latest machinery, hardware, software and training.  There are 1,713 ITIs in the state. Of them, 270 are government, 196 aided and 1,247 private with 1.8 lakh students.  

Industrious plan 

• Rs 30 crore each will be invested to upgrade 150 government ITIs: Total investment: `4,636.50cr
•  ITIs will be developed into skill training hubs with new machinery and technology  
•  Syllabus will be based on demands of industry
•  Electric vehicles, agricultural machinery, aerospace and defence, horticulture, smart city and other sectors would be the focus 
• Tata Tech will strengthen training, counselling and placement cells

The engineer was made to sit on a tractor and taken for a ride for 2 km on Thursday. The incident happened near Dodduru when some villagers staged a protest to fix the road.

GADAG: Angry villagers of Dodduru and nearby villages took an Engineer from the National Highway Authority on a tractor to show the pathetic condition of Lakshmeshwar and Dodduru road. 

The engineer was made to sit on a tractor and taken for a ride for 2 km on Thursday. The incident happened near Dodduru when some villagers staged a protest to fix the road.

Rajesh Patil, AEE of National Highway Authority visited the spot to convince the villagers but villagers asked him to travel on that road to know the exact situation. Lakshmeshwar to Doddur is a road which was repaired a month back but the villagers are complaining that the contractor has not done his work properly. 

The main road from Lakshemwar to Doddur is one of the busiest roads in the taluk. Farmers go to their fields on carts, villagers go to market on  auto rickshaws.

This road has also witnessed many minor accidents and last week a cart’s wheel stuck in a muddy road and one cattle’s leg was broken. After these incidents many villagers submitted memorandum to the concerned officials but it was in vain. 

Rajesh Patil, engineer who saw the road on a tractor said, “I have seen the pathetic condition of the road. This is all due to the contractor’s mistake. The road repair work will start after Deepavali”.

Officials have had a number of discussions on the issue of reopening of schools, but there is no official announcement as yet.

BENGALURU: The decision on reopening schools in Karnataka will be taken after discussions with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in the next four or five days, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said here on Wednesday.

Kumar, who is out of home quarantine after being treated for the novel coronavirus, was speaking to the media after a meeting with officials of the department of public instruction and representatives of primary and high school teachers’ associations. 

Officials have had a number of discussions on the issue of reopening of schools, but there is no official announcement as yet. The final date should be known after the meeting with Yediyurappa. Over the next two days, officials of the departments of public instruction, social welfare, minority welfare, rural development, transport and health will convene a discussion with representatives of the School Development and Monitoring Committee and educationists, and come out with a comprehensive report.

DDPIs and BEOs have already held preliminary discussions. The report will be submitted to the Chief Minister, who will also be apprised of the statewide situation, and only then a decision on reopening of schools will be arrived at, Suresh Kumar said. The government stalled the Vidyagama project after declaring three-week mid-term holidays from October 12, and private institutes were also not permitted to open, despite several pleas by the managements.

Kumar said that although the rights of children and their health takes precedence, it is also important to think about students being kept away from learning processes for a prolonged period of time. “Children’s rights, welfare, parents’ panic , teachers’ rights, are all important to us, hence the government has not made any hasty decision on reopening schools,” he said. 

Various stakeholders have been consulted to ensure that schools open with necessary precautions in place, Kumar said. The department also discussed the education model of various states in light of Covid-19, and weighed their pros and cons.

Lecturers of government and aided colleges have been given the option to work from home from November 4 to 11. They have been demanding ‘Work From Home’ since October 12, due to the spike in Covid numbers.

Teachers are expected to prepare for digital learning, online and offline teaching and study material preparation, among others, during the period, the order from the department of higher education read. 
T M Manjunath, president of Karnataka Government College Teachers Association, told TNIE, “This will be a break from coming to college amid the pandemic.” However, teachers who are called on duty by the school principal for emergency work and examination related work, must compulsorily be present, said Sheethal Hiremath, under secretary, higher education department. Meanwhile, Manjunath said, “There is much scepticism among parents for offline classes. So far, no consent letters have been received.” ENS

Once a Covid-19 vaccine is successfully tested and gets the official nod, the State Government will give it to the people free of cost, he reiterated.

Under fire from the opposition for announcing free Covid-19 vaccination for the Bihar electorate in its Assembly poll manifesto, leaders from the ruling BJP in Karnataka are now in a damage-control exercise.  

Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan on Saturday declared in Belagavi that the State Government will provide Covid-19 vaccination free of cost to all the people of Karnataka once it is ready after successful trials.

Speaking to media persons at Belagavi airport, Ashwath Narayan hit out at former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for challenging the government to announce free Covid-19 vaccination for the people of Karnataka. “The State Government is already treating Covid patients free of cost and all health care facilities to people from all classes are being provided,” he pointed out.  

“The government has taken these decisions in the interest of people and to control Covid-19 from spreading,’’ DyCM Ashwath Narayan said. Once a Covid-19 vaccine is successfully tested and gets the official nod, the State Government will give it to the people free of cost, he reiterated.

To a question on why his party announced the free vaccine for the people of Bihar ahead of the elections there, he reasoned, “It has been done to take the people into confidence and give them hope of coming out of the crisis.

But our opposition leader here (Siddaramaiah) is politicising the issue to gain some mileage out of it.” On Siddaramaiah’s objection to reopening of degree colleges, Ashwath Narayan said, “He too was Chief Minister earlier and I didn’t expect such a reaction from him. Colleges are being restarted after considering the prevailing conditions and by taking all the necessary safety precautions.’’ There will be online and offline classes and students, in consultation with their parents, can opt for either of them, he stressed.

He claimed that the guidelines drawn up for the offline study system has been welcomed by students and parents. “The opposition parties, which never carried out any task effectively during their tenure in the past, should stop teaching us now, he said.