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The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has announced that admissions to undergraduate programmes in physiotherapy and occupational therapy will henceforth be conducted exclusively through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

In a press release issued by Prof. U. T. Iftikhar Ali Fareed, Chairman of the Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council, stated that the NCAHP has clarified the category-wise degree nomenclature and admission criteria for allied and healthcare undergraduate programmes, effective from the academic year 2026–27.

According to the notification, admissions to the Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) – Category 3 and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) – Category 6 will be conducted only through NEET, in accordance with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021.

All Vice-Chancellors of public, private, and deemed-to-be universities in Karnataka have been asked to ensure strict compliance with the NCAHP guidelines and to disseminate the information widely among affiliated colleges, faculty, and students.

Prof. Ifthikar Ali emphasized that universities must take necessary steps to implement the admission procedure for the academic year 2026–27 and subsequent years.
 

Bengaluru A 34-year-old software engineer from Mangaluru lost her life due to asphyxiation after a fire broke out in her apartment in Ramamurthy Nagar late on Saturday night.

The deceased has been identified as Sharmila, a native of Kavoor in Mangaluru. She had relocated to Bengaluru about a year ago in search of better career prospects and was residing in an apartment complex at Subramanya Layout.

The incident occurred around 11 pm when Sharmila was alone in the flat, as her roommate had travelled out of town for the weekend. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire may have been triggered by a short circuit in one of the rooms. Within a short span, the apartment was filled with dense, toxic smoke.

As the flames spread, the power supply to the building was cut off, plunging the flat into darkness. Police believe that Sharmila, trapped inside the smoke-filled apartment and unable to find an exit or a source of ventilation, succumbed to smoke inhalation.

The fire caused extensive damage to household items, with beds, curtains and other furniture completely gutted. Personnel from the Ramamurthy Nagar police shifted the body for post-mortem examination, which has since been completed. The mortal remains were later handed over to her family.

A case has been registered, and the police have launched a detailed investigation to determine the exact cause of the suspected electrical failure.