Karnataka Cabinet gives Rs 2,600 crore irrigation boost

The Cabinet approved lift irrigation through the canals of Kalasa and Banduri, which are the tributaries of Mahadayi river, apart from the Bhima lift irrigation project, Law Minister J C Madhuswamy said.

For the Banduri canal, the Cabinet approved a budget of Rs 791 crore. About 2.18 TMC water will be diverted to the Malaprabha river. On the other hand, through the Kalasa canal, the government has decided to make use of 1.72 TMC water for drinking water purposes. An amount of Rs 885 crore has been set aside.

The Bheema project is planned to be implemented in Aflzalpur (Kalaburagi), which is expected to irrigate 24,962 hectares, benefiting 43 villages. The project will be taken up at a cost of Rs 964 crore.

The Cabinet also cleared the leasing of MySugar Ltd. The lease is for a 40-year period on the condition that it has to be given back in its original state, Madhuswamy said.

The government has also stipulated that the sugarcane should be crushed this year itself, while ensuring that the distillery is functioning, apart from calling for tenders only through e-procurement. This decision comes after several appeals have been made by the farmers in Mandya to restart the defunct company.

In another significant move, the Cabinet stated that it will not consider employees of the government undertakings as its own staff. With several undertakings under losses or on the verge of closure, there have been demands from the employees of these undertakings, to be considered as government employees. Madhuswamy said the government will not be able to accommodate this request.

For now, employees of Mysore Lamps, who are on deputation or lien, will be abosorbed wherever they are working. In future, the government will not continue with this procedure, Madhuswamy added.

The Cabinet also decided to withdraw the power of KPSC to conduct in-depth scrutiny of candidates during direct recruitment. "This was taking a lot of time. It has been decided that detailed scrunity will be done by the departments for which recruitment is being done," Madhuswamy said.

Other decisions

* Coordination committee in every district of the Kalyana Karnataka region to ensure development.

* Minority residential schools to come up in Haveri, Raichur, Koppal at a cost of Rs 25 crore each.

* Rs 29.40 crore set aside for Chikkamagalur-Hiremagalur stretch road works.

The State Cabinet on Friday approved three big-ticket irrigation projects costing Rs 2,640 crore.