Cabinet okays Rs 15 crore for cow shelter in each Karnataka district

BENGALURU: As part of implementing its cattle protection Bill, the Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday sanctioned Rs 15 crore to set up cow shelters in each district.“We have approved Rs 15 crore in the first phase to begin works on setting up cattle shelters in each district. More funds will be released depending on the progress of the works,” said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The decision comes at a time when the government is already facing a fund crunch and is resorting to additional borrowings to offset revenue losses.The Cabinet also approved a plan to set up a statue of Basavanna on the premises of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. Bommai said that the expenditure will be borne by the Kannada and Culture Department. 

“All these projects that come to the Cabinet for discussions go through the scrutiny of the Finance Department first. Only after the Finance Department has taken the costs and duration into consideration, it is sent to the Cabinet. Hence, there won’t be any fund shortage for these projects,” Bommai elaborated, when asked about the precarious financial situation of the state. He added that many projects do not require funds immediately and hence, the timeline also helps calculating costs.