KARWAR: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s maiden budget has made high allocation for conservation and conflict mitigation, including a programme to revive sandalwood conservation and protection.
A sum of Rs 100 crore has been allocated for the mitigation of man-elephant conflict in Hassan and Kodagu region, where farmers are facing frequent elephant raids in Madihalli in Alur taluk, Magodu and other villages in Arkalgud taluk in Hassan district, Virajpet, Madikeri and other places. Bommai also allocated Rs 850 crore to boost coastal tourism and make beaches free of plastic.
A sum of Rs 5 crore for management of conservation reserves will ease the department’s burden, they said. The government has also decided to encourage the cultivation, protection and conservation of sandalwood to regain the glory of ‘Gandada Gudi’.