K'taka to get more funds under Centre's Educational Programme

Mysore, Mar 24 (UNI) Impressed by Karnataka's performance in utilising the funds allocated to it under the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme, the Union Government has decided to release more funds to it under the second phase.

Informing this at the two-day ''Do it yourself'' state-level Technical Projects Exhibition here, Technical Education Department Director K Basavaraj said under Phase-I, the Centre had allocated Rs 1,550 crore, of which Rs 174 crore was earmarked for Karnataka.

As many as 14 egineering colleges in the state had benefitted from the funds by utilising it to improve its quality, conducting seminars and taking up research activities.

Stating that the implementation of the programme was audited by the World Bank, he said that though the funds were meant only for engineering colleges, polytechnics too had been asked to improve its infrastructure so that it could also be covered under the Programme.

Prof Basavaraj pointed out that the Union Budget had increased the allocation for Technical Education by 25 times over the last year.

He informed that the services of education satellite, EDUSAT, hitherto limited to engineering colleges, would be extended to polytechnics soon.

About 70 institutions from all over the state were participating in the expo, jointly organised by the Department of Technical Education and JSS Polytechnic for the Physically Handicapped here.

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