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| Rs 1,500-cr WB aid sought for drinking water projects |
| BS Reporter / Chennai/ Bangalore Dec 05, 2008, 00:34 IST |
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The Karnataka cabinet today decided to seek Rs 1,500 crore as financial assistance from the World Bank to implement drinking water projects in the state. The Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) had asked the government for funds to implement drinking water projects to supply water to 15 districts affected by high fluoride and nitrite content.
Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Shobha Karandlaje, said, “The loan assistance is for a period of five years. This loan will ensure relief to about 1,370 villages in 15 districts of the state.”
The districts to be included under the water supply schemes are Bangalore Rural, Mysore, Tumkur, Bellary, Chitradurga, Hassan, Kolar, Chikballapur, Ramanagar, Mandya, Raichur, Koppal, Gulbarga and Davanagere.
The cabinet has also approved government guarantee to the Karnataka State Marketing Federation to raise Rs 125 crore in loans to buy and stock fertiliser for the next agricultural season at subsidised rates. The government has also given permission to set up the Karnataka State Skills Commission to recognise and certify artisans in various fields.
Labour minister Bache Gowda said, “This is being done with the objective to create one million jobs over the next five years. Annually, about 200,000 people will be either trained or certified at specified institutions. For this, the cabinet had earlier approved Rs 25 crore. In today’s cabinet meeting, an additional assistance of Rs 30 crore was approved for speeding up the exercise to set up the commission.”
The state government, which held two job fairs in the last four months, has got 30,000 registrations. Of these, 5,739 people have got jobs and another 5,000 are undergoing training at various institutes in the state, he added.
The cabinet also approved the proposal to construct a bus stand-cum-shopping complex in Mangalore city on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
Karandlaje said, “In all, three bus stand-cum-shopping complexes will be taken up by the Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Mangalore City Corporation (MCC). Permission to call for a tender to remodel bus stands at Hampankatta, Urva market and another on the outskirts of the city will be initiated.”
The cabinet also gave permission to upgrade Mangalore-Bajpe road having a length of 2.5 km through the Centre’s Assistance to states for developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities (ASIDE) scheme. The total project cost has been estimated at Rs 17.57 crore. The Central government’s contribution is 70 per cent and the balance is to be raised by the local administration.
The approval was given to government medical colleges to absorb 143 teachers who were also working for government hospitals. Of these, Mandya has 10, Belgaum 27, Bidar 13, Shimoga 23, Raichur 15, Bangalore 27 and Mysore 27.
Karandlaje said, “All 143 teachers will be absorbed by the respective colleges and this has been done to facilitate Medical Council of India’s (MCI) recognition to have staff on college rolls. The health department, in turn, will call for applications to fill the vacancies created by this adjustments.”
In order to give a push to industrialisation in Bellary, the government has cleared the proposal to create Vijayanagar Development Authority in Sandur taluk. This authority will have the mandate to demarcate and create urban areas, and identify industrial belt in the taluk.
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