Karnataka Assembly tables 11 bills, including one to make CM as chancellor of RDPR varsity

PTI, Dec 13, 2024, 8:10 AM IST

Representative image (PTI / file)

Bengaluru: Eleven bills were introduced in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday, including the one to make the Chief Minister the chancellor of the Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) University, replacing the Governor in the role.

The Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was tabled in the Assembly, which amends the 2016 Act to make provisions for the Chief Minister to be the Chancellor and for appointment of the Vice Chancellor by the chancellor from the panel of three persons suggested by search committee, the bill said.

There is no extra expenditure involved in the proposed legislative measure.

The Karnataka cabinet had on November 28 approved a bill.

The Governor is the Chancellor for all public universities in Karnataka. Currenlty, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot holds the post.

Earlier in September, the Cabinet had decided to divest the Governor of the power to appoint the vice-chancellor of the RDPR University.

The opposition BJP had condemned the government’s move, terming it as an “attempt to pollute” the higher education system. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, however, had defended the government’s move and said, ” it will make the University more active and quick decisions will be taken…..this system is there in many states, including Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh.”

Also tabled was Karnataka Labour Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to amend the 1965 act to increase the rate of contribution payable by the concerned employee, employer and the state government to the labour welfare fund.

The Karnataka Ground Water (Regulation and Control of Development And Management) (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was also introduced.

According to the bill, bore wells or tube wells which have failed or are defunct or have been abandoned are unprotected without closing, have resulted in many incidents of tender aged children falling into them, therefore the bill proposes for proper mechanism fore safety measures as well as punishment for negligence by the drilling agency or implementing agency or apathy by the concerned authorities.

The Karnataka Tourism Ropeways Bill, 2024 was also tabled today, which is aimed at constituting an advisory authority for regulation of ropeways and to authorise and facilitate the construction and working of ropeways in the tourism places and for the matters concerned there.

Among the other bills tabled are Karnataka State Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to rename the Raichur University as “Adikavi Sri Maharshi Valmiki University”; Chanakya University (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to nominate one special expert from respective field by the state government to the board of governors, and Karnataka Motor Vehicles Taxation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024.