The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday approved one day of menstrual leave per month for women working across sectors, including garments and IT.
“The cabinet today approved at least one day leave for working women in various sectors, right from garments to Information Technology,” State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil told reporters after the meeting.
Alongside this, the cabinet cleared multiple proposals spanning labour welfare, infrastructure, urban development, education, social welfare, and tourism.
Labour Welfare and Infrastructure Boost
The government approved the Karnataka Labour Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which increases financial aid under six existing schemes, including educational benefits for organised workers and their families.
In infrastructure, the cabinet sanctioned the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 39 major bridges, with an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore for the first phase. It also approved the purchase of an Aerial Ladder Platform Vehicle capable of reaching 52–54 metres for the Fire and Emergency Services Department, estimated at Rs 16 crore, to enhance disaster response in high-rise areas.
Urban Development, Education, and Tourism Initiatives
The cabinet greenlit the formation of Aurad City Municipal Council in Bidar district by upgrading the existing Aurad (B) Town Panchayat, which had a population of 19,849 in 2011. Several Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board projects were also approved, including a 20 MLD Used Water Treatment Plant and 5 MLD Intermediate Sewage Pumping Stations at Nagasandra, costing Rs 26.02 crore for a five-year period.
In education, the cabinet approved a new medical college at Kanakapura with an annual intake of 150 students, including a 300-bed teaching hospital, hostels, and staff quarters, with a total estimated cost of Rs 550 crore. Technical education also received a boost with Rs 70 crore allocated for upgrading CPC Polytechnic in Mysuru and Rs 50 crore for Chintamani Polytechnic.
Under the SASCI – Development of Iconic Tourist Destination scheme, the first phase of an eco-tourism and cultural project at Devikarani Estate, Tataguni, Bengaluru district, was approved at Rs 55.33 crore.
Other approvals included leasing civic amenity plots in Annigeri, Afzalpur, Navalgund, and Magadi to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Bhavan, and developing 3.285 acres at Derebail in Mangaluru as a Commercial Office Tech Park under the DBFOT PPP model. Additionally, nine acres of Gairan land in Hukkeri taluk, Belagavi district, were granted to B Shivananda Rural Vidyapeetha at 10 per cent of market value.