Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 10 (ANI): In a strong message to private nursing colleges, the Karnataka government has announced that there will be no fee hike for nursing courses this academic year, reiterating its commitment to protecting students from economically weaker sections.

Karnataka Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Sharanaprakash Patil made this clear during a meeting with the Association of Nursing Colleges held at Vikasa Soudha on Thursday.

'The government will not allow any fee increase. Most nursing students come from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Imposing additional fees is unjust and unacceptable,' Patil said while firmly rejecting the association's plea to raise the fees.

He stated that the existing fee structure - Rs 10,000 under the government quota, Rs 1 lakh under the management quota and Rs 1.4 lakh for non-Karnataka students - will continue.

'Any college charging more than the approved fee will face penalties and legal action. We will not hesitate to revoke their affiliation,' he asserted.

Currently, there are 611 nursing colleges in the state with around 35,000 seats. Of these, 80 per cent are filled by the management, and 20 per cent fall under the government quota.

The minister also directed Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) Director H Prasanna to ensure reimbursement of fees to nursing colleges within 30 days.

He further clarified that only the state government will decide on filling unallocated seats, closing the door to any unauthorised changes.

In a major boost to India's innovation and skilling ecosystem, Patil today inaugurated the Telecom Centre of Excellence (TCOE), a first-of-its-kind national initiative aimed at advancing research, innovation and capacity building in next-generation technologies.

The TCOE, established under a collaborative framework between Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) and the Visvesvaraya Research and Innovation Foundation (VRIF), follows a Hub-and-Spoke model to drive impact at scale. The launch event was held at VTU's Bengaluru Regional Office in the presence of Union Minister for Communications and development of North Eastern region, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, and VTU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Vidyashankar S.

'This national-level Centre is poised to become a catalyst for advanced R&D, next-generation skilling, and industry-integrated innovation,' Patil said.

The Centre will focus on cutting-edge domains such as 5G/6G communication, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), quantum computing, healthcare technology, and other frontier areas.

Operating from its central Hub at VTU's Bengaluru campus, the TCOE will coordinate with 30+ affiliated spoke institutions across Karnataka to promote region-specific research, build advanced infrastructure, and nurture local innovation ecosystems. (ANI)