Yediyurappa chairs COVID-19 meet with State officials, discusses measures

In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa chaired a meeting on Thursday with government officials to take stock of the situation in the state.

The agricultural sector has taken a massive blow due to the lockdown imposed by the pandemic and the prices of crops have come down. The government has decided to buy vegetables and fruits, and keep them in cold storage as they are perishable. They can then either be exported to other countries or supplied to domestic markets in other states, the state government decided.

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Water would be supplied immediately to areas with scarcity. Yediyurappa had earlier spoken to  Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda about the situation of fertilisers in the international market. The union minister had said that since the demand for fertilisers in the international market has also reduced, they will be supplied to domestic farmers at less than actual prices.

As some of the associations/guilds have violated the lease conditions by not starting the actual work which they have got the land for in Bengaluru, they have been instructed to return the land to the government where the lease conditions have been violated.

With regard to irrigation, the government observed that an adequate amount of water is stored in dams. The same will be used for drinking and cultivation purposes.

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Educational syllabus and other activities would be covered with the help of public service broadcaster Doordarshan till the time situation becomes normal and schools are reopened.

To mitigate the losses incurred by the Karnataka state transport buses (KSRTC), it has been decided to use the buses to transport goods to generate revenue.

The government also decided that salary for the doctors, who are working on a contract basis against COVID-19, will be increased significantly.