Cabinet ok for ‘Compete with China’ scheme

The State Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval for ‘Compete with China’ scheme under which various skill-based industrial clusters will be set up in nine districts.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Law Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said the scheme envisages promoting sunrise industries like those manufacturing electronic components, solar panels and integrated circuits among others to compete with China-made goods.

An initial fund of Rs 500 crore has been earmarked for the scheme and the clusters in various sectors will come up in Kalaburagi, Chitradurga, Hassan, Koppal, Mysuru, Ballari, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru and Bidar. Skill-based training programmes will be organised at the clusters, he said.

For instance, bathroom floor tiles cluster will be set up in Hassan to compete with China-made bathroom floor tiles. To compete with Chinese toys, a manufacturing cluster will be established in Koppal. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had announced the scheme in the budget for 2018-19.

The Cabinet also decided to set up “Semiconductor Fabless Accelerator” for research and development in electronic hardware in Bengaluru. It will be developed as a centre of excellence and will come up at a cost of Rs 56 crore. The centre will be the first
of its kind in the country, Byre Gowda said. The government has entered into a tie-up with India Electronics and Semiconductor Association for the purpose.

The Cabinet gave its approval for Vasavadatta Cements to purchase 650 acres directly from farmers in Sedam taluk to set up a cement plant.

Approval was also given to Varada Solar Limited to purchase 44 acres in Yelaburga, 282 acres in Aurad and 275 acres in Vijayapura again directly from farmers to set up solar power plants, Byre Gowda said. In another decision, the Cabinet decided to upgrade Government Tool Room and Training Centres (GTTC) at Challakere,
Haveri, Madikeri, Gauribidanur and Humnabad at a cost of Rs 49.35 crore.

He said crop assessment will be taken up across the state using a mobile-based app at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Youth will be actively involved in the process.

A Rs 457-crore project to provide drinking water supply to Ramanagara and Channapatna towns was approved by the Cabinet, Byre Gowda said.

The cabinet also gave its approval for a MEMU train conversion facility at Banaswadi in Bengaluru a cost of Rs 23.24 crore.

MEMU stands for Mainline Electric Multiple Unit and the trains will be operated by Indian Railways as part of Bengaluru suburban train service, Law Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said after the Cabinet meeting.