State Cabinet gives approval for agri innovation centre

The state Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval for setting up of ‘Centre for Excellence in Agri-innovation’, said to be first-of-its-kind in agricultural research in the country.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said, “The institution, to come up at National Centre of Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bengaluru, will serve as an incubation centre for startups in agricultural research. The state government will provide a grant of Rs 15 crore to set up the Centre.”

In another decision, the Cabinet decided to set up a sub-committee headed by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to decide on subsidies to be provided for mega industrial projects. Industries Minister K J George, Small Scale Industries Minister S R Srinivas and Revenue Minister R V Deshpande will be other members on the panel.

Gowda said the Cabinet gave administration approval for construction of Rs 450-bed hospitals at the campuses of Koppal, Gadag and Chamarajnagar government medical colleges and a super-speciality hospital at PKTP hospital campus in Mysuru at a cost of Rs 450 crore.

The Cabinet gave its nod to the final rules to government educational institutions run by temple trusts. As per the rules, recruitment of teachers in these institutions should be based on merit-cum-roaster system.

Other decisions of Cabinet include modernisation of Ramadevarakatte Dam in Holenarasipura taluk of Hassan district at a cost of Rs 112 crore and construction of a bypass road in Mudhol at a cost of Rs 10 crore.