State Health Minister and Mangaluru constituency MLA U.T Khader on Monday said that Ullala Municipal Council will be the first town in Karnataka to be officially declared as kerosene-free city.
Addressing reporters here in the city, the minister said that the Town Municipal Council received applications from more than 1,300 BPL card holders, who did not have gas connections. During the process of examination, as many as 570 households genuinely had no gas connections. According to the state government scheme, all these families were given free gas connections including one free gas cylinder. It will be handed over to them on March 11, he said.
It’s the first town in the state to officially complete the process of implementing the scheme, he told reporters.
On the rapid spread of H1N1 virus, the minister said that it is in the declining mode. “The government has directed KMC, Manipal and Nimhans Hospital, Bengaluru to provide free treatment to the patients suffering from H1N1â€, he said and added that a committee comprising of 5-members has been formed to study the cases and report to the ministry at the earliest.
The MLA also said that the state government has sanctioned Rs 19.86 crore for the construction of roads in the rural areas of his constituency.
State budget
On the upcoming state budget, he said that the health ministry has sought Rs 2,000 crore from the state government for the continuation of various schemes, which were launched till date. “We will focus on improvising the existing institutions such as Primary Health Centre (PHC) to hospitals, provision of sophisticated Intense Care Unit (ICU) and focus on the existing schemeâ€, he said and added that the surplus fund will be used to launch other schemes.
On the long-pending demand to start a government medical college in Manglauru, the minister said that the health department has written a letter to the KMC hospital, Mangaluru to admit students only till 2016-17. “Meanwhile, we will prepare ourselves to start a medical college. We need at least Rs 300-400 crore for the project. It will be made avaialbe in the 2015 state budgetâ€, he mentioned.
