Karnataka Cabinet clears Rs 478-cr facelift plan for health centres

The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved a plan to upgrade 2,859 health sub-centres into 'Health and Wellness Centres', adding additional infrastructure and staff in the primary healthcare space.

Briefing reporters, Law Minister JC Madhuswamy said the upgrade would be done up under the National Health Mission.

"There are several sub centres scattered across the state. These are health sub-centres in rural areas that function with nurses and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs). We will now upgrade the infrastructure in these facilities and also recruit staff wherever necessary," he explained.

The Cabinet approved Rs 478.91 crore for this project. The Centre will chip in 60 per cent while the state government will bear 40 per cent of the cost.

The Cabinet also approved providing sanitary napkins to adolescent girls in government schools and colleges, under the 'Shuchi' scheme. The government will provide ten sanitary napkins per student, Madhuswamy said. The government has earmarked Rs 47 crore for the purpose.

In another decision, the Karnataka State Mental Health Care Rules, 2021 to implement the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 was also approved. The state government had constituted a committee led by NIMHANS director. In December 2019, the state had sent draft rules to the Centre for approval. However, the Centre had issued some objections to it, following which the state government had sent back a revised version in May 2020. These draft rules have now received the Centre's nod and have been approved by the Cabinet.

Further, the 'Amrith Schemes' that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced in his Independence Day speech were approved by the Cabinet. Bommai had announced upgrading infrastructure through 14 different programmes covering schools, gram panchayats, towns apart from financial aid to self-help groups and entrepreneurs. "All these schemes have the Finance Department's concurrence," he said.

In other decisions, the Cabinet authorized Bommai to reconstitute 14 Cabinet sub-committees. They have to be reconstituted as there is now a new government in place.

Also, the Cabinet cleared an allocation of Rs 73.73 crore to clear 'legacy waste' (9 lakh tonne) at Pachchanadi waste processing unit under the Mangaluru City Corporation limits.

Madhuswamy specified that the Cabinet did not discuss the threat of the third wave of Covid-19. "We haven't felt the panic still as the situation is under control right now," he said.

Nothing was discussed on renaming the Indira Canteens, he added.

Legislature session next month

The Cabinet decided to convene a 10-day session of the legislature starting September 13, which will be the first for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The session will be held in Vidhana Soudha and not the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, Madhuswamy said. The Opposition Congress is likely to target the government on Covid-19 and developmental issues. It remains to be seen if former chief minister BS Yediyurappa will attend the session.