Karnataka to enact Rohith Vemula Bill to curb caste discrimination on campuses: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that the state will enact the Rohith Vemula Bill to prevent caste-based atrocities against students across all government, private, and deemed universities in the state.

Last year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had written to Siddaramaiah, urging his government to bring a law named after Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar who died by suicide due to alleged discrimination in 2016 in Telangana.

The draft Rohith Vemula Bill was discussed in the cabinet meeting on February 26. It was then decided that after obtaining certain inputs from the Home department, it would be placed before the next cabinet meeting for finalisation.

Presenting the state budget here, Siddaramaiah said, "Rohith Vemula Bill will be enacted to prevent atrocities on caste lines on students across all government, private, and deemed universities in the State." The Chief Minister said students' union elections would be reinstated in the colleges and universities in the state to foster leadership, responsibility and democratic values.

He also said that the University of Visveshvarayya College of Engineering (UVCE) will be developed on the model of IIT, at a total cost of Rs 500 crore. For this, the state government has already provided Rs 100 crore and assured that Rs 100 crore will be provided during the current year also.

On the Karnataka Higher Education Transformation Project, he said it is being implemented at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore with Asian Development Bank (ADB) assistance to strengthen government first grade colleges and government polytechnics, to establish Centres of Excellence, and to enhance research outcomes.

"Under this project, 40 government first grade colleges and 11 polytechnics are being developed as model institutions. Further, nine Centres of Excellence will be established with ADB assistance to promote entrepreneurship and start-up culture among students." The CM also announced that 15 new courses with high demand and employment potential, such as AI, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Mining Engineering, and Automation Engineering, will be launched in 11 government polytechnics and in government engineering college in Chitradurga.

Referring to maternity benefits, he said all female guest lecturers working in government first grade colleges, polytechnics, and engineering colleges will be entitled to 90-day leave from the next academic year.

"As announced in the previous year, permission has been accorded to fill a total of 2,000 teaching posts in government first grade colleges, engineering colleges, polytechnics, and University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering. This recruitment process will be completed shortly. Further, 1,000 teaching posts in public varsities will be filled in a phased manner after rationalisation," he said.

According to him, in partnership with AnitaB.org India, skill development and vocational training for selected 3,000 female graduates who pursued STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses and who are in their early career stages, will be provided at a total cost of Rs. 13.50 crore.

The state has allocated Rs 31 crore to upgrade government degree colleges, three polytechnics, and three engineering colleges where female students make up more than 50 per cent of the enrolment.

Siddaramaiah announced that Rs 620 crore has been set aside in FY 2026–27 for the construction of medical colleges, hospitals and super-speciality hospitals.

Besides, the government has earmarked Rs 220 crore for the procurement of equipment.

He also informed the House that works for a 450-bed multi-speciality hospital, costing Rs 198 crore at Karwar, a Trauma Care Centre at a cost of Rs 10 crore at Raichur and Peripheral Cancer Centers in Mysuru and Tumakuru at a cost of Rs 92 crore have been completed.

An MoU has been signed with Azim Premji Foundation for the construction of 1,000-bedded charitable super speciality tertiary care and organ transplant hospital at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bengaluru. PTI AMP GMS ROH