A rose garden, tree park and an art gallery will come up on the 468-acre farm near here that belonged to the late Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich.

Briefing reporters after a Cabinet meeting, the State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Mr Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, said 25 acres have been allotted for putting up a rose garden by the State horticulture department. A modern art gallery, including a theatre, will also be built there and will be managed by the Kannada and Culture Department.

Mr Kageri said the State government has assured the Russian Consulate that it would take steps to protect the grave and preserve the valuable paintings of Roerich and his wife, the late actress Devika Rani.

On the remaining land, a Tree Park on the lines of Lal Bagh would be raised by the forest department.

Horticultural farms

The Minister said the government has scrapped a plan to develop horticultural farms located in different parts of the State under the PPP (public-private partnership) model. Instead, it will now develop them jointly with the private sector.

There are 410 farms in the State with a total area of 15,732 acres. To initiate joint ventures, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be floated by the Karnataka State Horticulture Development Agency.

Cattle protection

A separate Go Samrakshana Ayoga (Cattle Protection Commission) has been set up to protect native species of cows, he said.

The Cabinet also approved a plan by Bruhat Bangalore Metropolitan Corporation plans to raise Rs 1,000 crore from financial institutions for setting up basic infrastructure in newer colonies. The State government has agreed to stand guarantee for the loan, Mr Kageri said

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