State Cabinet gives nod to release Rs.85 crore more

Bengaluru: The State Cabinet yesterday decided to release Rs.85 crore as additional funds for 24×7 Drinking Water Project of Mysuru city.

Speaking to press persons after the Cabinet Meeting yesterday, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister Krishna Byregowda said that the funds has been released to expedite the Drinking Water Project taken up under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme.

Pointing out that the Cabinet has also agreed to release Rs.168 crore towards revision of construction cost of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences in Mysuru, he said that Rs.522.37 crore would be released for modernisation of Visvesvaraya Canal and other distribution canals of the KRS to ensure water supply to farmers at the tail end of KRS Reservoir.

The other decisions taken by the Cabinet include grant of Rs.59 crore for construction of 1,000-bed facility at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, approval to include None Of The Above (NOTA) option during Urban Local Body elections, release of Rs.136.94 crore for Multi-Village Water Supply Schemes at Uttara Kannada and Hassan and Comprehensive Drinking Water Project for Holenarasipura from Hemavati River at a cost of Rs.62.45 crore, among others.

The Cabinet has approved the tender for cloud-seeding at a cost of Rs.93 crore for 2019-20 and 2020-21. Kyathi Climate Modification Consultants has been awarded the tender for the cloud-seeding project, he added.

The Minister further said that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has approached the State Government saying it can take up cloud-seeding.

Cabinet approves ordinance to protect KPSC recruitees

In another important decision, the State Cabinet decided to promulgate an ordinance as a one-time relief measure to ‘Protect’ Gazetted Officers who will face demotion or lose jobs as their recruitment process in 1998 was found to be fraught with irregularities.

“The 1998 batch of KPSC recruitment has been caught in legal entanglements. As per the orders of the High Court, which has directed the Government to set right anomalies in the recruitment process followed by the KPSC in the 1998 batch, at least 25 officials in service are set to lose their jobs, while some others including those who have been promoted as IAS officers, face demotion,” Krishna Byregowda said.

Pointing out that as per the Court order, 28 candidates will be new entrants and 25 who are in service will lose their job, the Minister said: “As a one-time relief, the Cabinet has approved a new ordinance to protect only those who will be demoted and those who will lose their jobs.

The Karnataka Civil Services (Protection of service of persons appointed in pursuance to final selection list published by Selection Authority) ordinance, 2019, will now be sent to the Governor for assent, he added, while asserting that the ordinance would not amount to condoning irregularities in the recruitment.