The State government has decided to set up Indira Canteen in all taluk and district headquarters and provide subsidised food from January 1, 2018.
A Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday instructed the Municipal Administration Department to identify locations for setting up 246 canteens in all taluk and district headquarters by November 17. The work on building the canteens would be completed by December 17.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra told presspersons after the Cabinet meeting that the canteens would become operational from January 1 next year. They would be established near bus stations, hospitals, railway stations and thickly populated areas where the population is not less than one lakh, he said.
A sum of ₹185 crore would be spent on infrastructure of the canteens. The daily expense of running these canteens would be ₹29 lakh and the monthly expenditure would be around ₹9 crore, he said.
On giving LPG connection to poor families, the Minister said under the Mukhyamantri Anila Bhagya scheme, one gas cylinder, a two-burner gas stove, two refills, and LED bulbs would be given to families not covered by the the Prime Minister’s Ujjwala scheme.
It has been decided to cover 10 lakh families by March 2018. The Ujjwala scheme covers eight lakh families. A total of 28 lakh families in the State have no LPG connection.
DNB course
To overcome shortage of specialists in government-run hospitals, the Cabinet approved commencement of Diploma of National Board course in district hospitals of Bagalkot, Ballari, Chitradurga, Kolar, Dharwad, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi, and Vijayapura, and K.C. General Hospital and Jayangar General Hospital in Bengaluru. In-service government hospital doctors are eligible to get admission for the course. A total of 1,065 seats would be available in the first year of the two-year course, he said.
The Cabinet approved purchase of 276 basic life support equipped ambulances and 95 advanced life support equipped ambulances to replace old ambulances under the ‘108’ Arogya Kavacha Scheme.
Winter session in Belagavi from Nov. 13
The winter session of the State legislature will be held at the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi from November 13 for 10 days.
