Crop insurance for pomegranate, other horticulture crops too: Bommai

Chitradurga: It has been decided to approve the proposal for extending crop insurance to pomegranate and other horticulture crops, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

The Chief Minister in his address after launching a slew of development works, including filling of irrigation lakes in Hiriyur from the Vedavati river lift irrigation project, said the drinking water scheme for 171 villages of Chitradurga and 131 villages of Hiriyur have been approved. The tender process for filling Dharmapura and 7 other irrigation lakes has been taken up at a cost of Rs 40 crore and another Rs 50 crore supplementary works too have been approved. The tendering process for these works would be completed within a month.

A government medical college has been approved to improve health facilities for people in this region. Work on Tumkur-Chitradurga-Davangere railway line would be started soon. Industrial townships would be established in Belagavi, Davanagere, Chitradurga and Dharwad, Bommai said.

Prime Minister Modi's ambitious project to supply tap water to every household is in full swing in the State. About 25 lakh homes were connected last year and another 25 lakh homes would get the tap water this year.

The Upper Bhadra and Ettinahole projects would change the life of farmers in this region. Upper Bhadra has been declared as a national project by the Union government, Bommai said.

Elaborating on the development and welfare programmes launched by his government, Bommai said, about 7,000 new classrooms are being built in government schools, 100 Primary Health Centres are being upgraded, Rs 500 crore has been set aside for health care of senior citizens which includes free eye surgeries, distribution of cochlear hearing aids.