BENGALURU: Enthused by the success of Indira Canteens in Bengaluru, CM Siddaramaiah will start them in all taluk and district headquarters. It will be a New Year gift from the state government as 246 new Indira Canteens will serve subsidised food from January 1. The state cabinet approved the proposal on Wednesday.
The Municipal Administration Department will be instructed to identify locations to set up these canteens. Buildings of all the canteens will be completed by December 17 and these will come up near government hospitals, bus terminals and railway stations, Minister T B Jayachandra said. The state government is set to spend Rs 185 crore on the canteens. The daily expenses for running these canteens has been estimated at Rs 29 lakh.
New ambulances
The Cabinet also approved the purchase of 276 basic life support and 95 advance life support system-equipped ambulances to replace the old ones under the 108 Arogya Kavacha Service. The ambulances are estimated to cost Rs 61.78 crore.
The Cabinet also approved starting a diploma of national board course in district hospitals of Bagalkot, Ballari, Chitradurga, Kolar, Dharwad, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, KC General Hospital and Jayanagar General Hospital in Bengaluru. In-service government hospital doctors are eligible to get admission to the course. A total of 1,065 seats will be available in the first year of the two-year course, he said.