Five bills passed in assembly

BANGALORE: The legislative Assembly on Monday passed five bills - Karnataka Abolition of Local Laws Bill, Karnataka Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, Karnataka Land Revenue (amendment) Bill, Karnataka Minority Commission (amendment) Bill and Karnataka Innovative Universities Bill by voice vote. The Opposition parties were not present. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar, while moving the Innovative Universities Bill, said that the objective is to separate academic and administrative functions of the universities so that more thrust and focus could be on the academic issues in order to enhance its excellence.
"Two universities - Karnatak University at Dharwad and University of Mysore - have been chosen to be innovative universities where steps will be taken to ensure academic excellence and administrative efficiency," he added.On the abolition of local laws, Suresh kumar said, "Before the reorganisation of states in 1956, BombayKarnataka region, HyderabadKarnataka region and Coorg had separate local laws. Most of the laws are dysfunctional after the Constitution came into being as well as after the states were reorganised, which need to be abolished."