MCA conducts inter-district chess tournament

February 6, 2012

Mangalore, February 6: Mangalore Chess Academy (MCA) in association with Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan under the auspices of South Kanara district Chess Association conducted inter-district Chess Tournament on Sunday at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, here.

The tournament attracted 48 players from South Kanara, Kasargod and Udupi districts, out of which 15 players were Fide rated. Prizes were distributed in Open and Age category in the evening.

Shabdik Varma of Mangalore Chess Academy scored 5.5 points out of 6 rounds and won the open category event. Vanessa D Souza became the runner up.

Tournament was packed with many strong players from the state, Shabdik played brilliantly without losing a single match, and he beat Vivekraj to clinch the championship trophy.

Open Category prize winners are: Shabdik Varma – 5.5, Andria D Souza – 5, Arjun Adappa – 5, Vivek Raj – 5, , Vishruth Sharm - 5

Age Category prize winners are as follows:

Under 15 Boys: Aditya Pai - 4.5, Hermon – 4

Under 15 Girls: Panchami Shenoy – 4, Shallone Pais - 3.5

Under 12 Boys: Anuttama – 4, Rajath Rao – 3

Under 12 Girls: Swathi Bhat – 4, Ashwija Bharanya - 3

Under 9 Boys: Shreedhar Sherlekar-3, Niranjan Rajeev -2

Under 9 Girls: Poorvi Adappa -2, Hitha K – 1

Under 7 Best: Shiva Chetana-2

Best Veteran: Krishnappa

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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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