Youth Festival preparation on war footing

December 14, 2011

Mangalore, December 14: Preparations are on full swing for the '17th National Youth Festival-2012' scheduled from January 12 to 16 in the city.

An online registration control room has been set up to facilitate registration for delegates who intend to participate in the fest. Deputy Commissioner N S Channappa Gowda inaugurated the online control room that can be accesses on www.nyf2012.in . A help-desk to give information on online registration too has been activated and can be reached on 0824-6555001/03/06 from 10 am to 7 pm.

The festival will serve as a platform for around 6,000 participants from 28 states, seven Union territories and five Saarc nations to exhibit their talent.

According to Mr Channappa Gowda 18 competitions will be held at Koragappa Kalyana Mantapa, Gokarnanatheshwara Kalyana Mantapa, Devadiga Bhavan, Dr TMA Pai Convention Centre, SDM Law College and Scouts and Guides Bhavan in the city. Seven non-competition events will be held at Sangha Niketan, Kadri Park, Karavali Utsav grounds, Nehru Maidan, Panambur Beach and Loyola Hall, he said, adding that star night programmes will be organized as part of the fest at Mangala Stadium from January 13 to 15.

Pratibha Patil is expected to inaugurate the fest on January 12.

The state government has sanctioned Rs 10 crore, while the Centre has released Rs 2 crore for the festival. Elaborate arrangements will be made for accommodating the participants at various lodges, guest houses and college hostels.

Arrangements for food will be made at Dr TMA Pai Convention Centre.

Arrangements will also be made to attract the participants and guests towards historic places of worship, tourism spots and beaches in the region.

A special kambala will be organized at Pilikula, beach volleyball and special boat race for fishermen will be held at Panambur. Visitors can also enjoy the holiday in house boats (on Nethravathi river) that will be brought from Kerala, according to District-in-charge minister Krishna J Palemar.

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