Bengaluru, Aug 7 (PTI) Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval to 17 bills, including a bill aimed at liberating oppressed devadasi women from all forms of exploitation and their children from social taboos through empowerment.
All these bills are likely to be tabled in the legislature and passed during the upcoming session from August 11.
"The Karnataka Devadasi (Prevention, Prohibition, Relief And Rehabilitation) Bill, 2025 was approved by the cabinet and it aims to conscientise society about the practice of dedicating women as devasasis, liberate oppressed devadasi women from all forms of exploitation, their children from social taboos through empowerment," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.
Briefing reporters about the cabinet decisions, he said, it intends to do away with the need for the father's name in application forms and official documents for children of devadasis.
"If devadasi has a son, he can write his name and his surname or his mother's name, instead of father's name," he added.
The cabinet has also cleared the Karnataka Compliance Decriminalisation Amendment of Provisions Bill aimed at decriminalising and rationalising offences to further enhance trust based governance for ease of living and doing business; the Karnataka Ports (Landing and Shipping Fees) (Amendment) Bill to revise the fees once in three year, and if fees are not revised once in three year, then, to give the power to Government to issue a notification to revise (increase or decrease) fees at such percentage, keeping the inflation and other conditions.
"Greater Bengaluru (Amendment) Bill, which has something to do with the State Election Commission to prepare voter list, was also approved," Patil said.
A bill that aims to amend certain sections of the Land Revenue Act and Land Reforms Act was also cleared by the cabinet.
The cabinet also approved the Registration (A) Bill to ensure due diligence in public interest is undertaken by the Sub-Registrar at the time of registration of property, to integrate property software to prevent illegal registration of properties in urban areas and to simplify property registration.
The other bills cleared are: Karnataka Town and Country Planning and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Bill, Karnataka Ground Water (Regulation for Protection of Sources of Drinking Water) Amendment) Bill, The Gadag-Betageri Business, Culture and Exhibition Authority (Amendment) Bill, The Karnataka Co-operative (A) Bill.
The Karnataka Souhardha (A) Bill, The Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance (Amendment) Bill, The Karnataka Conduct Of Government Litigation (Amendment) Bill, The Karnataka Municipalities And Certain Other Law (Amendment) Bill, The Karnataka Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) (A) Bill, and The Municipal Corporation (A) Bill, 2025 are the other bills cleard.
However, the cabinet deferred a decision on the Karnataka Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill.
"We are yet to have one consultation meeting, that's why we have deferred it to the next meeting," the minister said.
The draft of the Rohith Vemula Bill, reportedly proposes compensation of up to Rs 1 lakh for students who face caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions, and a jail term of one year and a fine of Rs 10,000 for guilty.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in April, urging the Karnataka government to enact "Rohith Vemula Act" to ensure that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system.
Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, allegedly died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination in Hyderabad, in 2016.
The Cabinet has also agreed to remove the rule that non-Muslim minority educational institutions must have 50 per cent of students from the respective minority category, through an amendment to the Karnataka Educational Institutions (recognition of Minority Education Institution Terms and Conditions) (Technical Education) Rules, Patil said.
Administrative approval was given to purchase a total of 1,103 electric four-wheeled vehicles of the same model through Shri Devaraj Urs Development Corporation at an estimated cost of Rs 33.09 crores and distribute them through 11 corporations to enable unemployed people belonging to backward classes to start food kiosks.
Administrative approval was given for the revised estimate of Rs 87.60 crores for the construction of 15 women's college buildings for the education of minority girls in 15 districts of the state.