Overview
- Siddaramaiah announced legislation named after Rohith Vemula to prevent caste-based atrocities against students across all university categories in the state.
- The cabinet cleared a draft on February 26 and sought inputs from the civil rights enforcement and Home departments, with the bill’s text and enforcement timeline yet to be published.
- Student union elections will return to campuses to promote democratic leadership, though the government has not clarified whether private colleges must hold them.
- The move follows national equity rules being put on hold after the Supreme Court called the UGC’s amended regulations vague and prone to misuse.
- The Budget also commits higher-education investments, including developing UVCE with a Rs 500 crore plan, an ADB-backed Rs 2,500 crore transformation project, new technical courses, faculty recruitment and 90 days of maternity leave for women guest lecturers.