The winter session of the State legislature that was earlier scheduled to be held from October 14 to 26 has been advanced to October 10 to 12. This is in the wake of the bypolls to 15 constituencies on October 21.
A decision to this effect was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday.
Briefing reporters on the decisions taken at the meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy said the three-day session will only deal with the Finance Bill. “We will place the supplementary budget too. If it is not passed, we will take a vote on account,” he said.
Monkey fever
The Cabinet also took note of the growing incidence of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), commonly known as monkey fever, in Shivamogga and the surrounding areas in Western Ghats.
Given the emerging need to completely understand the changing epidemiology of KFD, map the ongoing research and identify future directions, there is a necessity to set up a modern laboratory. The Cabinet decided to release ₹5 crore for setting up a modern diagnostic laboratory in Shivamogga, he said.
Earlier, KFD was limited to the Western Ghats of Karnataka for about seven decades. However, in the last seven years, cases have also been reported from adjacent States along the Western Ghats (Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu). From November 23, 2018 till date, 15 deaths and 445 confirmed cases of KFD have been reported from the districts of Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Belagavi, and Udupi.
Anubhava Mantapa
The Cabinet decided to release ₹20 crore in the first phase for construction of a Anubhava Mantapa in Basavakalyan. Mr. Yediyurappa had promised ₹50 crore from the exchequer for the same and had said he would release ₹20 crore within 20 days, he added.
