Media failed Indian farmers, poor by suppressing real issues: Sainath

February 21, 2011

Manipal, February 21: Newspapers should reflect the dichotomies in the society. But it is unfortunate that Indian media has been following US corporate media model of having a largest media and least informed public, said development journalist P Sainath.

He was delivering a lecture, as part of Article-19, a communication fest of Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC), here.

“When it comes to mass media V/s mass reality fundamental features of Indian media are being disconnected. Corporatization of media has resulted in structural compulsion to lie,” he said.

“A good writer should be a good reader. The piece of writing should bring perspectives. Journalists are accountable to the society. He has the choice before him to b a journalist or a stenographer. His writings should reflect the shortcomings in the society. We do need writers like Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar who had insightful approach towards castes and communal issues,'' Sainath said.

“Over 141 farmers committed suicide in three days and over 800 attempted suicide. Over 6,600 farmers quit agriculture in three days. According to the National Crime Record Bureau 47 farmers commit suicide every day. About 4,000 died of malnutrition. In this scenario government of India writes off 4000 crore of taxes for the richest people in three days. It is unfortunate that media fails to focus on those issues,'' the Magsaysay award-winning writer added.

He said that it has become difficult to differentiate between real estate and fourth estate.

Honorary Director of MIC MV Kamath, Director of MIC Prof Vardesh Hiregange and others were present.

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Karnataka to scrap separate entrance exams for private universities from 2025

News Network

September 20,2024

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, private universities in Karnataka offering professional courses will no longer conduct separate entrance exams. This decision follows a directive from the state’s Higher Education Department, prompting private universities to form an association and agree to this significant change.

In a recent meeting with Higher Education Minister Dr. M. C. Sudhakar, representatives from 17 private universities confirmed their decision to discontinue individual entrance tests. Of the 27 private universities in the state, 17 offer professional courses, and they have collectively agreed to accept scores from existing national or state-level entrance exams.

“Some universities will consider JEE scores, others will rely on KCET, and a few are inclined towards COMEDK,” Dr. Sudhakar stated, leaving the choice of examination to the universities themselves. However, the department has also suggested that the universities consider a unified entrance test for admissions.

Looking ahead, Dr. Sudhakar hinted that the government may introduce a common entrance test for general degree courses at private universities as well. "As government colleges and universities currently don’t require entrance exams for general degree courses, we haven’t made any decisions on this yet," he explained.

The meeting also addressed concerns over the high fees charged by private universities. To regulate this, the universities were instructed to establish fee fixation committees, headed by retired judges, as required by law. These committees will be responsible for determining tuition fees. Additionally, the government will continue to regulate fees for 40% of seats in professional courses that are filled through KCET.

In an effort to bring greater uniformity among private institutions, the government is considering enacting a common law for all private universities, which would replace the individual acts currently governing each university. This would place all private universities under a single regulatory framework.

This move is expected to streamline the admissions process and create a more standardized system for both professional and general degree programs across Karnataka's private universities.

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