The State government has decided not to separate COVID-19 positive children from their mothers during the third wave, if any, Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol said in Belagavi on Thursday.
“There are reports, including some scientific studies, that say there will be a third wave of the epidemic, that could affect children. We should be prepared to face it, if it comes. We have already given instructions to Deputy Commissioners and Health Department officials to take steps to protect children. We have asked them to create facilities to house children along with their mothers, whether they are to be treated in COVID Care Centres or in their houses,” he said.
He was speaking at a Karnataka Development Programme quarterly progress review meeting in the Suvarna Soudha here. He said that officers are setting up a child COVID ward of 420 beds in Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences.
Jal Jeevan Mission
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned ₹5,000 crore for Karnataka under Jal Jeevan Mission, a rural drinking water scheme. This aims at providing water on the doorstep of all people in rural areas. Electricity supply companies should lay express feeder lines to help Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department take up the drinking water supply works.
Electricity supply companies should also take up repairs of power lines, poles and other infrastructure facilities that were damaged during floods in the recent years. Transmission and distribution units will be set up in villages on government land. If there is no government land, the State government will buy private land and set up such units, he said.
Sub-stations
To a demand from MLAs to upgrade 33 kV sub-stations to 110 kV sub-stations, he said that the electricity supply companies will set up the facilities if the legislators helped the government find suitable sites. He asked officers to reduce transmission loss that is measured at 18% now.
“Officers tell me that we have stock of 85,000 tonnes of fertilizer in Belagavi district. To ensure hassle- free distribution, the State government has decided to allow village-level primary agriculture cooperatives sell fertilizer,” he said. All PACs should be given licence to sell farm inputs, he said. He asked officials to ensure that farmers did not suffer discrimination during the release of crop insurance.
Mr. Karjol asked Deputy Commissioner M.G. Hiremath to hold public grievance meetings in villages, regarding payment of social security benefits. He said that officers are inquiring into 33 complaints against issuing fake caste certificates.
The MLAs complained about various issues, including inadequate COVID-19 vaccination, fake caste certificates, delay in release of flood relief compensation, improper distribution of social welfare benefits, lack of cooperation of officers in giving land titles to residents of slums, delay in completing buildings of Morarji Desai Residential Schools and multi-village drinking water scheme.
