The State Cabinet on Thursday decided to implement the Krishi Bhagya scheme in the current financial year in 106 rain-fed taluks by spending ₹100 crore and set up 100 hi-tech harvester hubs across the State.
Briefing decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Law and Parliamentary Minister H.K. Patil said the Krishi Bhagya scheme would be implemented in 106 taluks of 24 districts. About 152 farm ponds would be created in each taluk under the scheme. The previous Congress government (2013-18) launched the scheme.
Hi-tech harvester hubs would be established in 100 locations to provide hi-tech farm machines for harvesting crops to farmers on rent. The scheme would strengthen the Krishi Yantra Dhare scheme launched during the previous tenure of Mr. Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister. Each hub would cost ₹1 crore.
The government implemented Krishi Yantra Dhare for mechanised farming, under PPP mode, to provide facilities to farmers to use appropriate farm machineries at the required time on hire basis through custom hire service centres.
The Cabinet decided to implement the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana-II in five taluks – Badami, Nippani, Mandya, Channapatna, and Sirsi – by spending ₹38.12 crore. The cost would be shared by the Centre and State on 60:40 ratio. The project aimed to increase the watershed area, Mr. Patil said.
Under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana, the State has been divided into 10 clusters and different insurance companies given different clusters for crop insurance. The government is expected to incur expenses of ₹900 crore for paying the premium of the crop insurance. Six insurance companies – Reliance Insurance, Bajaj Allianz, Agricultural Insurance, SBI General Insurance, Universal Sompo General Insurance, and Future General Insurance companies have been allocated different clusters, Mr. Patil said.
The Cabinet has authorised the Chief Minister to select the next Chief Secretary of the State. As the incumbent Vandita Sharma is retiring on November 31, Rajneesh Goel is expected to be next head of the State bureaucracy, on seniority basis.
A sum of ₹18 crore was approved for holding a conference on Constitution and national integration in Bengaluru. The Social Welfare Department headed by H.C. Mahadevappa would conduct the conference on November 26.
Legislature session in Belagavi from Dec. 4
The winter session of the State Legislature will be held at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi from December 4. The State Cabinet has decided to hold the session for 10 days in the border district.
Change in birth, death registration norms
The Cabinet has decided to change the Karnataka Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 1999, for the benefit of the public. Under the existing rule, any birth or death which has not been registered within one year of its occurrence, should be registered only on an order of a Magistrate of the first class or a Presidency Magistrate under section 13(3) and on payment of a late fee of ₹10.
The new rule has scrapped the powers given to the Magistrate and empowered the Assistant Commissioner to issue an order for registration of birth and death. The fee has been increased from ₹10 to ₹500 for delay in the registration for more than a year. The fee increased from ₹2 to ₹100 in case of delay between 21 and 30 days. The fee has been increased from ₹5 to ₹200 in case of delay from 30 days to one year.
