Bypolls: Govt cuts winter session to three days

The Cabinet on Monday decided to cut short the winter session of the legislature to three days in view of the bypolls to 15 Assembly constituencies.

The legislature session will now be held from October 10 to 12. Earlier, the Cabinet had decided that the session will be convened from October 14 to 26.

Briefing reporters, Law Minister J C Madhuswamy said that the state government was forced to advance the date after the Election Commission announced dates for bypolls in 15 constituencies of Karnataka.

Supplemetary budget

“Discussions during the 3-day session will be restricted to the supplementary budget alone,” he said, adding that expenditure of National Disaster Relief Fund and others have to be appropriated into the budget. The government must pass the Appropriations Bill before October 31 in order for the government to draw from the Consolidated Fund.

Monkey fever lab

The Cabinet also sanctioned Rs 5 crore to set up a monkey fever diagnostic lab in Shivamogga.

“The disease has been affecting many people in the region. One of the objectives of the center will be to synthesise an anti-virus to treat the disease,”

Madhuswamy said. More than 400 people are affected annually by the disease, which has claimed more than five lives since December 2018.

The Cabinet also resolved to sanction Rs 20 crore for the construction of Anubhava Mantapa at Basavakalayana in Bidar district. The total cost of the Mantapa will be Rs 50 crore, he said.

“The project was sanctioned following popular demand from the people of the region for construction of the Mantapa,” he said.