BENGALURU: The Basavaraj Bommai cabinet, at its first meeting on Thursday, approved the Mental Health Care Act, for providing healthcare and services to those with special challenges. Experts had suggested many practical changes to guidelines under the Mental Health Care Act, especially with noticeable psychological effects of Covid-19.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy, who briefed the media, said another far-reaching move had been taken up by the cabinet -- to provide sanitary napkins to adolescent girls in all aided and government institutions. The initiative to improve menstrual health will be taken up under the Suchi programme, and will cost close to Rs 50 crore, according to an official estimate.
With the pandemic exposing weaknesses in the state-run healthcare system, the government announced two important measures to fortify the system at the grassroots -- setting up of 2,900 sub-health centres, which are expected to be upgraded to more comprehensive health and wellness centres, at an estimated cost of about Rs 480 crore, and 750 Primary Health Care centres to be upgraded at a cost of about Rs 150 crore. These centres serve the poorest of the poor across the state.
The cabinet also gave its approval to seven Amrith programmes announced by CM Bommai on Independence Day, to mark the platinum jubilee of Indian Independence. Amrith Nirmala Nagara programme will be launched in 75 urban centres to keep them clean, for which the government will provide Rs 75 crore.
A total of 750 farmer producer organisations will be set up to promote production and marketing of agriculture, fisheries and weaver products. The grant will be given for three years, at a total expenditure of Rs 225 crore. In addition, Rs 75 crore will be spent on basic infrastructure such as digital library, smart teaching class, lab and toilets at 750 select schools, at a cost of Rs 10 lakh per school, the minister said.
It was also decided to provide Rs 1 lakh as seed money to each of the selected 7,500 self-help groups whose transactions are transparent and performance has been satisfactory, to set up micro enterprises, adding up to Rs 75 crore. About 750 gram panchayat works will be taken up to improve basic infrastructure like streetlights, drinking water, waste disposal, solar power, digital libraries etc, for which each gram panchayat will be given Rs 25 lakh.