BENGALURU: The state government is set to fulfil a long pending demand of the industrial sector, which has been asking for a time-bound completion of the administrative process to convert agricultural land into industrial land. The state cabinet on Wednesday cleared the proposal to amend the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, fixing a 30-day limit for the land conversion process for an industrial purpose.
“It is a big step in simplifying the procedure, cutting delays, bringing transparency and eliminating corruption in the land conversion process,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told reporters after the meeting.
“The present procedure for land conversion is complex and has a lot of scope for corruption and delays. This has been a hurdle for direct purchase of land from farmers by industrialists. The cabinet has decided to amend Section 95(2) of the Act to simplify the procedure,” he said.
The amendment will make it mandatory for the Revenue Department to set-up a single window system. This system will accept applications for land conversion, get clearances from various departments and dispose the application within 30 days. The single window has to give an explanation in case of any delay or the application will be deemed as cleared, Byre Gowda said. Now, the process is taking up to one year, he added.
Incentive for film shooting at tourist spots
The state government is set to offer cash incentives to showcase tourist spots of Karnataka in movies. The cabinet has approved the proposal to offer incentives ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2.50 crore for films that showcase tourist spots in an attractive way. The incentive will depend on the duration of the spots showcased in the film and the total budget of the movie.