BENGALURU: The government will
launch cloud seeding operations
in the second week of July, Krishna Byregowda, rural development and panchayat raj minister, told reporters on Friday. The cabinet had approved the plan last month and had set aside Rs 91 crore for the two-year project.
“Preparations for
cloud seeding operations
are on and the company which bagged the contract is in the process of importing radar,” Byregowda said. “In all likelihood,
cloud seeding
will begin from the second week of July.”
Byregowda revealed the operation will based out of Mysuru and Hubballi airports. “We had earlier decided on making Bengaluru the base, but since there is far more air traffic in the city, securing permission was an issue. So we decided to shift operations to Mysuru,” Byregowda said.
The government also decided to release Rs 546 crore for its crop insurance scheme for the kharif and rabi seasons. “We have divided the state into 10 clusters for convenience and have appointed insurance agencies for each of these clusters,” Byregowda said.