Karnataka govt forms panel to manage drinking water dams during summer

Bengaluru, Mar 27 (PTI) The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday formed a high-level committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, to manage the major dams and drinking water situation in the state during the upcoming summer season.
    "Aimed at providing drinking water and managing water release from major dams during the summer, the committee will be led by the Chief Secretary and will include senior officials and technical experts," said State Law and Parliamentary Minister H K Patil.
    Briefing reporters about the Cabinet decisions here, he added that the committee would analyse the situation and make necessary decisions to manage the water release from dams.
    The cabinet also approved a proposal to recommend to the central government the declaration of the area around Bankapur Wolf Sanctuary, Uttaregudda Wildlife Sanctuary, and Arasikere Sloth Bear Wildlife Sanctuary as Eco-Sensitive Zones, along with a revised proposal for the sensitive zone around the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.
    Approval was also granted for the purchase of 59 different medicines required by 7,045 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs at Rs 16.91 crore through the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL), under the grant allocated for IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) activities under the 'Universal Health Coverage' programme, subject to the approval of the National Level Committee.
    Administrative approval was given for comprehensive renovation work of the Karnataka Kalamandira, Rangayana, and Vishwa Kannada Conference Guest House buildings in Mysuru at an estimated cost of Rs 14.64 crore.
    The cabinet also approved human resource deployment and establishment of IT infrastructure on the Build-Own-Operate (BOO) model in the offices of the Registration and Stamps Department, with a revised estimate of Rs 637.45 crore for operations and maintenance.
    Additionally, the government consented to amend the "Karnataka Data Center Policy, 2022-27" and revise the employment criteria and grant pattern under the "Nipuna Karnataka" initiative. It’s a statewide initiative aimed at boosting workforce skills and employability.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)