Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Karnataka Cabinet Sanctions Fodder Aid, Clears 4,500 Electric Buses
The Karnataka government approved money to help farmers and animals during a serious drought.
It will spend ₹25 crore on buying and growing fodder and sharing fodder seeds.
The government also approved 4,500 electric buses for Bengaluru and other parts of the state.
The Centre will provide the buses, while Karnataka will be responsible for their maintenance.
Officials said 101 areas are officially drought-hit, and more areas may be added.
The Cabinet also approved plans to improve hospitals, ambulances, farming exports and roads.
It agreed to improve an engineering college to a standard similar to an IIT.
More projects will support irrigation, student hostels and regional air travel.
The Karnataka Cabinet sanctioned ₹25 crore for fodder purchase, cultivation and seed-kit distribution in drought-hit areas.
It approved 4,500 electric buses under the Centre’s PM E-DRIVE programme for Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka.
Officials said 101 taluks are already drought-hit, while another 50-60 could qualify after a second assessment.
The Cabinet cleared programmes for agricultural exports, digitising 182 hospitals, trauma care and upgrading UVCE Bengaluru on IIT-like lines.
Other approvals covered irrigation, roads, hostels, regional air connectivity and a ₹2,000-crore guarantee for a rural development bank.
- Who
- The Karnataka Cabinet, with Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara briefing reporters.
- What
- It approved ₹25 crore for fodder assistance, 4,500 electric buses and several agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure, education and connectivity measures.
- When
- Thursday, September 3; the year is not specified in the reports.
- Where
- Karnataka, including Bengaluru, drought-hit taluks and other named districts and towns.
- Why
- To address drought conditions and support transport, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, education and regional connectivity.
- Fodder assistance
- ₹25 crore for fodder purchase and cultivation and distribution of fodder seed kits through the Animal Husbandry Department.
- Electric buses
- 4,500 buses approved under the Centre’s PM E-DRIVE programme; each is expected to cost ₹12 crore to ₹15 crore.
- Drought-hit taluks
- 101 taluks have been declared drought-hit, with another 50-60 potentially qualifying in a second round.
- Drought funding
- ₹1,229 crore has been sanctioned under the State Disaster Response Fund, but had not yet been released.
- Agricultural exports
- ₹59 crore over three years for exporter assistance, market facilities and quality assurance.
- Hospital digitisation
- ₹46 crore to digitally integrate 182 government hospitals, including 47 taluk hospitals and 135 community health centres.
- Trauma care
- About ₹46 crore for 100 Basic Life Support ambulances, three CT scanners and 13 portable brain-injury detection devices.
- UVCE development
- ₹249 crore to develop Visvesvaraya University College of Engineering, Bengaluru, on the lines of an IIT.
