The State Cabinet on Friday decided to constitute Go Seva Ayoga (Cattle Conservation Commission) to protect and promote cattle wealth in the State.
Addressing presspersons after the Cabinet meeting, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri said the government had decided to constitute the commission to take care of cattle, and protect and promote various breeds of cattle.
Both Houses of the State Legislature have passed the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2010 and the President’s office had sent back the Bill suggesting some changes. After making the changes, the Bill had been submitted for the President’s assent again, he said.
The government was committed to banning slaughter of cows. Several States had already enacted laws to ban cow slaughter, he said.
Water project
The Cabinet in-principle decided to implement the proposed Yettinahole water project to supply drinking water to Kolar, Chickballapur, Tumkur and Ramangaram districts. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 8,323 crore.
In the first phase, the Cabinet decided to release Rs. 3,269 crore. The project aims to supply water from Yettinahole, a tributary of the Netravati, in Sakleshpur taluk in Hassan district, to drought-prone districts.
A decision had been taken release Rs. 35 crore to provide support price for silk cocoons in 2012-13. The prices of cocoons crashed last year following the Centre’s decision to cut in the duty, which resulted in importing silk from China cheaper.
The Minister said the Cabinet decided to extend the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification scheme to Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada.
Railway projects
For laying 144 km railway line between Kudachi and Bagalkot, the Cabinet grated administrative approval for releasing Rs. 408 crore as the State’s share. The total cost of the project is Rs. 816 crore. The State and the Centre would share the cost equally.
It was also decided to release Rs. 20 crore towards the gauge conversion between Kolar and Chickballapur. Out of the State’s total share of Rs. 68 crore, the Cabinet gave its nod for releasing Rs. 20 crore, Mr Kageri said.
Administrative approval was given to release Rs. 5.80 crore for taking up construction work of a railway bridge in Bidar town. It was also decided to release Rs .10 crore for the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Chitradurga centre, for setting up renewable energy project at Challakere; Rs. 24.5 crore to establish a planetarium at Pilikula on the outskirts of Mangalore; Rs. 10.50 crore for Sharada Sringeri Peeta for taking up road works; Rs. 8.25 crore for road widening in Jewargi town in Gulbarga district; and Rs. 83 crore for drinking water schemes in Mandya and Bagalkot districts, he said.
RGUHS
The Cabinet has also approved the decision to shift the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences from Bangalore to Ramanagaram
