The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new Biotechnology Policy, with which the state government hopes Karnataka will take the lead in making India a $100 billion market for the sector.
The Karnataka Biotechnology Policy 2017-2022 seeks to simplify administrative and clearance processes to attract investment in the sector. The policy will focus on emerging areas of research such as synthetic biology, antimicrobial resistance, rare disease management, bioinformatics, stem cell and regenerative medicine among others.
Over the next five years, the state government has estimated that it will need to spend Rs 198 crore to implement the policy. “Our focus is heavily on technology, public investment and startups in the biotechnology policy,” IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge said. “We are looking to spend Rs 35-40 crore on skilling, Rs 7-8 crore for international and domestic collaborations, Rs 10 crore on public institutions among others,” he said.
This will be Karnataka’s third biotechnology policy. The first one was brought out in 2001, followed by the second one in 2009.
The Cabinet also cleared the Yuva Chaitanya project, under which 2,000 youth clubs will be provided with sports equipment worth Rs 1 lakh each. The total project cost is Rs 20 crore. “This will help encourage sports in rural areas,” Law Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet approved a steep hike in the cost estimates for the third stage of the Upper Krishna Project (UKP-3), from Rs 17,207 crore to Rs 51,148 crore. “Compensation for farmers was fixed at Rs 2.25 lakh per acre. This will go up four times as per the new Land Acquisition Act, 2013. A Cabinet sub-committee has been formed to fix the base rate for land acquisition,” Water Resources Minister M B Patil said.
The UKP-3 will irrigate 5.3 lakh hectares in the drought-prone districts of Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Gadag.
On the Cauvery legal dispute, Patil said the state was preparing a note to be submitted before the Supreme Court. “We have nine points of discussion and our note will be very clear. Also, we will oppose the formation of the Cauvery Management Board,” he said.
Other decisions:
* Upgrading 1,512 primary veterinary centres as dispensaries at a cost of Rs 182 crore. This year, 302 centres will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 36.72 crore.
* Compulsory retirement for senior public prosecutor SS Khaji, who was caught by the Lokayukta while accepting bribe of Rs 1,000.
* Upgrading state highway 101 (Surathkal to Kabaka) as a 6-lane road - Rs 58 crore.
* Approval to hike accidental death compensation for KSRTC workers from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
* Set up Centre for Excellence for Data Science and Artificial intelligence.
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