Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society - HKE Society

Hyderabad Karnataka region of the erstwhile Hyderabad State had remained educationally and economically backward. Following the State reorganization in 1956, attempts were made for educational upliftment of the backward region by establishing Hyderabad Karnataka Education (HKE) Society in 1958. The contributions of the farmers and businessmen laid the foundation for its growth and development.

The Society established the Engineering College (now named Poojya Doddappa Appa Engineering College), the same year and Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, then Vice-President of India laid the foundation stone of the College on 15th October 1958. The opening of the College paved the way for promoting higher education in the region.

Late Mahadevappa Rampure, then Member of Parliament guided the Society as its President for 13 years. There was opening of Moulana Azad Memorial Hostel in 1960 to provide residential accommodation to the students of the Engineering College. The Society established SSL Law College in Gulbarga in 1960. An alumnus of the Law College, Justice Shivaraj Patil, rose to the position of the Judge of Supreme Count of India. Going outside Gulbarga, the Society established B.V. Bhoomareddy College of Arts and Science at Bidar in 1960. The Medical College was established in 1963 at Gulbarga which offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Medical Sciences. The graduates of the College have spread far and wide in the country and outside. A distinguished alumnus of the Medical College, Dr. Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy went on to become the Chief Minister of Andhara Pradesh.

Since then the Society has established more than 40 educational institutions in the districts and taluks, and villages in the erstwhile Hyderabad Karnataka and also at Bangalore, under the guidance of successive Presidents of the Society. It includes a Women’s College, Women‘s Polytechnic, and High School for girls. Various Colleges are providing education in Arts Science, Commerce, Business Management, Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Homoeopathy, Nursing and Education.

The Society established Basaveshwara and Sangameshwara Hospitals to provide Medical care to the suffering public. The total number of Students in various educational institutions has exceeded 25,000 with a teaching faculty of 2000. Looking at the growth, Prof. N.G. Ranga expressed that it is half the University. Sri R. Venkataraman then Vice-President of India laid the foundation of Basaveshwara Teaching Hospital in 1983. Late Rajiv Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India opened the Hospital in 1989. Sri Zail Singh, then President of India laid the foundation of dental College in 1994. Now the hospital is grown phenomenally with all advanced high tech medical facilities and has Super Speciality Section. Basaveshawara Teaching and General Hospital (BTGH) is serving this area by providing medical services at very nominal fee to poor and general public. Runs many free madical camps and has free wards for poor patients.