Scouts, Guides, Bulbuls and Cubs get State awards

November 8, 2011

Mangalore, November 8: Ten-year-old Prajwal P. Shenoy proudly showed the badges he had received in his four years of being in the Scouts and Guides. “I have been trained in giving first aid,” he said showing the badge that has a cross. “This is for being a good entertainer,” he said with a smile.

Shenoy and his classmates Karthik Prabhu and Sumanth Kamath from Rotary School in Moodbidri were among the 400 students from the district who received the State-level awards at a function organised here on Monday. The function was organised by the Dakshina Kannada District Association of Bharat Scouts and Guides, Karnataka.

Karthik Prabhu said that his stint in the Scouts and Guides had been enriching. “I have learnt to save a person who is drowning. I have been trained in using fishing net,” said Prabhu, who along with his two classmates joined the Scouts this year. “I would like to continue with Scouts and later join the National Cadet Corps,” said Sumanth Kamath. These three students were among 26 students from the State who took part in the National Cubs, Bulbuls, Scouts and Guides camp organised in Haryana in February.

Children aged less than five are taken for Bunny. Those aged between five and 10 are taken for Cubs (for boys) and Bulbuls (for girls). Those aged between 10 and 17 go for Scouts (for boys) and Guides (for girls). Those aged between 17 and 25 are taken as Rovers (for boys) and Rangers (for girls).

The awards were based on the performance of the students during Chaturta Charana (for Cubs), Ratna Giri (for Bulbuls) and Rajya Puraskar (for scouts and guides) evaluation done at the State-level. Gopalakrishna Bhat, senior trainer, said that apart from a written examination, children went through various tests to know how responsible they were to society and the country. They got feedback from the parents and teachers about their children's behaviour at home and in school, he added.

On Monday, one student from each of the 40 schools in the district came forward to receive certificates from Assistant Commissioner K.A. Dayanand and 86-year-old Octovia Albuquerque, former MLC and former National Chief Commissioner of Bharat Scouts and Guides.

In her address, Ms. Albuquerque recalled the way the Bharat Scouts and Guides had grown in the district. She said there were eight guide companies when she was the District Commissioner of Bharat Scouts and Guides and it rose to 10 units when she was the State Commissioner. She also mentioned about the good response she received when Rangers' unit that was started in Besant College and a Rovers' unit for Mogaveera youth in Ullal.

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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.

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