Shankar Bidari pledges to visit all district every month

Udupi, December 17: Director General of Police Shankar Bidari informed that he will visit all districts in the state every month to ensure effective maintenance of law and order.

Speaking to media persons on his maiden visit to the district on Friday, after taking charge, the DGP said the districts comprising Naxal prone areas are given additional priority. Measures will be taken at zonal level to strengthen the police force, he said.

Asserting that Naxal menace in this part of the state is absolutely under control, Bidari assured that the Naxal problem in this area is not an issue to worry. Stating that Anti Naxal Force (ANF) will have additional responsibilities to discharge in the coming days, the DGP said the action plans of ANF will be changed aiding more effective activities. Measures will be taken to make the force more pro-counteractive. However, he declined to reveal the details of the changes to be incorporated into ANF activities.

Reiterating that attempts are made to make the coastal belt of the state free of underworld activities, the DGP said police are working towards making the area free from underworld activities.

Lauding Udupi Superintendent of Police Dr Y S Ravikumar for his commendable job in maintaining law and order across the district, Bidari said Udupi police under the guidance of Ravikumar has achieved incredible work. They successfully nabbed the underworld gangsters besides quickly solving many theft and robbery cases.

The DGP said they are able to trace the slayers involved in the murder cases that took place in the district in a short span of time. Bidari informed that he visited ANF camps located in the naxal prone areas of Karkala. The purpose of the visit is to assess the progress in the activities of the force, besides to chalk out proposals over the necessary measures to improve the action strategies of ANF, he added.

As a departure note, the DGP hilariously commented that these days differences between public and police are increasing owing to the proximity of the police personnel with the public, he added.

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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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