Vendors and SHGs to get four per cent interest credit

Small, very small traders and Stree Shakti groups would get the credit through cooperative institutions for which Rs 500 crore would be earmarked. The new scheme to be operationalised shortly was expected to benefit at least 35 lakh people across the state, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri told reporters while briefing today's cabinet decisions.

The meeting decided to regularise the services of 3746 teaching and non-teaching staff, which earlier employed on contract in institutions imparting Job Oriented Courses, fulfilling a 40-year-old demand, he said.

The cabinet approved setting up a Trust to promote organic farming on Amrutha Bhoomi, coming under government control, Kageri said. In another major decision, the government decided to transfer the control of 513 residential schools (395 Morarji Desai Residentaial schools, 114 Rani Kittur Chennamma residential schools for girls and four sports schools) to the Social Welfare Department, divesting them from th Zilla panchayats for administrative reasons.

A cabinet sub-commitee comprised of ministers of Home, PWD, Irrigation, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Environment was constituted to suggest guidelines to be adopted to allow sand mining in the state, he said.

The cabinet approved continaunce of tax holidays to various investors contemplated under its industrial policy, as some of the schemes had expired, Kageri said, but could not give details.

The government decided to sanction Rs 50.76 crore for computerisation in Commercial Department and to enhacne salaries, pension and other benefits to Judicial officers and retired judicial officers with effect from this October as suggested by a commitee of the Supreme Court.

A Rs 30 crore drinking water project for Madikeri and Rs 57 crore underground drainage project for Chikmagalur were given approval at the cabinet meeting, Kageri said. The report of the Knowlege Commission headed by noted space scientist Dr Kasturi Rangan for turning Mysore and Karnataka Universities into Innovative universities was accepted, he said.