C T Ravi hits out at Cong, Left parties for supporting farmers’ agitation against Modi govt

News Network

December 9, 2020

Bengaluru, Dec 9: Launching a blistering attack on the opposition Congress, Communist parties and farmers` unions in Karnataka, BJP national general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra and Tami Nadu, C.T. Ravi, on Tuesday dared both the parties to answer publicly why they were insisting that farmers should sell their products in markets run by Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) alone?

Speaking to reporters after the Bharat Bandh that evoked considerable traction in various parts of the state, Ravi said that the Communist ruled state of Kerala did not have a single APMC market, while the Congress itself had proposed to bring the same law since 2004 onwards.

"The opposition by both the Congress and the Communist parties is a clear case in point that it was done only with the intention to malign Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The idea behind fuelling such disgruntlement is to tarnish all the good work done by Modi," he said.

He questioned why both the Communist parties and the Congress are opposing the very idea of creating another parallel market which can provide a better alternative to the farmers?

"The clear intention of this protest is nothing but to prevent the farmers from getting better prices and protect the middleman culture that is rampant in APMCs," he alleged.

Training his guns on the Karnataka farmers` unions, the BJP leader said that the state`s iconic and undisputed farmer leader - Nanjunada Swamy - was vehemently opposed to the farmers being forced to sell in the APMCs. "He had said, `the farmer can sell his produce anywhere, who is anyone to question him?` This was his stand, but the farmers` associations which are largely indebted to him are trying to misguide the farmers in the state," he said.

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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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