Karnataka cabinet greenlights GAIL’s bio-CNG plant in Bengaluru, extends Ayushman Bharat to 70+citizens

The Karnataka Cabinet clears land allotment for a major bio-CNG project, frames strict bio-diesel norms, approves new hospitals, and boosts grassroots governance with tech upgrades.

The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a major push towards sustainable energy, healthcare, and governance reform with a series of key decisions on Thursday. Among the most significant was the clearance of 18 acres of land at Haralakunte village, Begur Hobli, Bengaluru South Taluk for GAIL (India) Limited to establish a 300 metric tonne per day (TPD) bio-CNG plant, with capacity expandable to 500 TPD. The Revenue Department and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited will jointly survey and hand over the land, while the Urban Development Department’s Additional Chief Secretary has been tasked with resolving any operational hurdles.

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In a move to protect consumers, the Cabinet approved guidelines to curb the sale of spurious chemicals passed off as bio-diesel. It also finalized the draft notification of “The Bio-Diesel (B-100) Blending with High Speed Diesel for Transportation Purposes (Licensing) Order, 2022,” clarifying that bio-diesel from used cooking oil is limited to personal and hotel use, not for open market sale.

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Healthcare also received a boost with the extension of Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka scheme benefits to all citizens aged 70 years and above, including ESIS beneficiaries, aligning with the Government of India’s Vayo Vandana Yojana. Additionally, two state-of-the-art 100-bed hospitals will be constructed,  one in Yelahanka Taluk’s Bellahalli and another in Hebbal Assembly Constituency, with a combined cost of ₹100 crore.

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To strengthen service delivery at the grassroots level, 3,500 Chromebooks will be distributed to revenue inspectors and village administrative officers under the Digi Revenue Project. The government also introduced new event protocol guidelines mandating inclusion of local MLAs and MPs in district and taluk-level programmes, capping the number of dignitaries on the dais at 13.

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