Bangalore: Dr Mohan Alva, Dravid among members of Knowledge Commission
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Dec 28: The State Government has reconstituted the Karnataka Knowledge Commission under the chairmanship of Dr K Kasturirangan, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Planning Commission member.
Higher Education Minister R V Deshpande told reporters in Bangalore on Saturday that the Commission will have 26 members.
Prominent members of the 26-member panel are: Sudha Murthy, chairperson, Infosys Foundation; M R Satyanarana Rao, ex director, Jawaharlal Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore; Devi Prasad Shetty, heart specialist; G Padmanabhan, former director, IISc, Bangalore; S Sadagopan, director, IIIT-Bangalore; and Sudha Rao, ex-vice-chancellor, Karnataka State Open University, Mysore.
Sudha Rao is the member secretary of the commission.
Rahul Dravid, Dr Mohan Alva Among Members
Ten members aged below 45 years have also been included in the panel.
Prominent among the 10 persons are: former Indian cricket Capitan Rahul Dravid, Vikram Sampath, author, and Dr Mohan Alva, Chairman of Alva's Education Foundation, Moodbidri.
Interestingly, former badminton champion Prakash Padukone’s name has been included in the list of members aged below 45 years.
The previous BJP Government had constituted the Knowledge Commission under the chairmanship of Dr K Kasturirangan, which had submitted a list of 81 recommendations.
The panel would give recommendations in the field of institution building, policy innovation, and excellence in the field of education, health, science, technology and industry.
It would give suggestions on increasing the State’s competitive advantage in the fields of applications in agriculture, rural development and other areas.
The Minister the commission would give recommendations in eleven areas of different fields.
State Innovation Council Set Up
The State Government has also established the Karnataka State Innovation Council headed by H P Kincha, former vice-chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), to support the government in promoting innovation.
Other prominent members of the 31-member panel are: R Gopalakrishnan, executive director, Tata Sons; Kiran Majumdar Shaw, chairman and managing director, Biocon Limited; Janardhana Swamy, BJP MP; Mohan Das Pai, chairman, MAHE, Manipal; R S Deshpande, former director, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore; B S Paitl, former Chief Secretary; and vice-chancellors of Bangalore University, VTU, Belguam, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore.
Its terms of reference are: mapping out opportunities for innovation in the State; identify and reward talent in innovation and dissemination of success stories; help to create innovation eco-system; encourage innovation in governance; public service delivery and SMEs etc.