Cong leaders lack courage to fight discrimination against Dalits'

August 16, 2011

Mangalore, August 16: Dissatisfaction of the participants was clearly visible at the DK District Congress SC/ST Cell meet due to a delayed start and a rushed conclusion of the meeting at DK District Congress Office here on Tuesday.

Dalit representatives of the Party, who had attended the meeting from various parts of the District, were discontented at the haste exhibited by the senior Congress leaders. “I have travelled over 80 kilometres for this meet. There is no point in attending if they conclude the meet abruptly without giving us a chance to express our opinions”, a Dalit member of the party complained.

Janardhan Chantimar, President, Bantwal Block Congress SC/ST Cell questioned the leaders present in the meeting about how many Dalit leaders have grown in the Congress party. Referring to Padmanabha Naringana, President, Dakshin Kannada Congress SC/ST cell, he said, though Padmanabha has served the Congress longer than the prominent leaders in the district, he is still ignored.

Stating that discrimination has not stopped even after independence, he said: “Congress leaders lack courage to fight against the continued discrimination against Dalits and minorities by some organisations in the district”.

Presiding over the meeting, N Manjunath, President, Karnataka State Congress SC/ST cell reminded the gathering about the benefits the party has provided for the oppressed classes of society.

He lamented about the disinterest exhibited by the former Chief Minister Yeddyurappa in forming a vigilance committee to solve the problems endured by the Dalits. He was critical against the fake caste certificate issue and demanded the government to dismiss the officials who had issued them.

Mangalore MLA U T Khader and senior Congress leaders of the district Ivan D'souza and P V Mohan also addressed the gathering.

Ibrahim Kodijal, Vice President, Dakshina Kannada District Congress, Appi, Vice President, Dakshina Kannada Congress SC/ST cell, Mamatha Gatti, President, Dakshina Kannada Mahila Congress were present among others in the meeting.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

Comments