Special incentives for oxygen manufacturing units in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Jul 16: The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved a scheme to provide special incentives for Oxygen Manufacturing and Associated Enterprises in the State.
Pointing out that the state had faced a shortage of oxygen due to COVID, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai said there were 9 oxygen manufacturing units/factories in the state and six oxygen suppliers.
"The manufacturing capacity is 815 MT and storage capacity is 5,780 MT.To increase the capacity, if any entrepreneurs come forward, we will give them incentives," he told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
The incentives include capital subsidy of 25 per cent of the value of fixed assets subjected to minimum investment of Rs 10 crore, 100 per cent exemption from electricity duty for three years after commencement of commercial production, additional power tariff subsidy of Rs 1,000 per metric tonne on supply to the government.
There will also be 100 per cent stamp duty exemption and reimbursement from loan and land documents, concessional registration charges, 100 per cent reimbursement of land conversion fees, he added.
The cabinet also decided on premature release of 139 prisoners sentenced to life from central prisons in the state on the grounds of good behaviour.
"It will go to the Governor for approval," Bommai said.
Other decisions taken by the cabinet include administrative approval for establishing Goshalas in all the districts of the state at a total cost of Rs 15 crore in the first phase to supplement the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020.
"The cabinet has decided to release additional funds, depending on the progress of the work," Bommai said.
The cabinet has also approved Rs 48 crore for the implementation of crop survey project during 2022 kharif season, with the help of a mobile app, in which farmers will themselves share the information. If the farmers cannot do it on their own, they can seek the help of private or government staff deployed for this purpose,the minister said.
Other decisions include considering the Karnataka State Job Oriented Courses (JOC) as equivalent to PUC ( pre- university course), to bring the Karnataka Prison Development Board Bill 2021 before the legislature, approval for construction of buildings for KGTTI (Karnataka Germany Technical Training Institutes) at Belagavi (Rs 16.43 crore) and Mangaluru (Rs 15.23 crore).
The cabinet gave its approval for installing a statue of 12th century social reformer Basavanna on the premises of Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the State legislature and Secretariat in Bengaluru, by the Kannada and Culture Department.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
