new Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented his maiden budget on Friday and key points include Rs 1,000 crore for the Mekedatu project, no increase in taxes and removal of government control over temples.
“There has been a long-standing demand to end government control over temples. Considering these demands of the devotees, the temples under the purview of the Endowment Department will be given autonomy. Necessary legal action will be taken to delegate discretion. For the development works of the temples,” news agency PTI quoted Bommai as saying.
Bommai also said that a subsidy of Rs 5,000 per person would be provided to 30,000 pilgrims undertaking ‘Kashi Yatra’ from the southern state.
Maintaining economic discipline, Bommai said that in this budget he has tried to balance the development of all sections of the society and all regions of Karnataka.
He said that to encourage public and private institutions to adopt cows in gaushalas, the government has enacted an anti-cow slaughter law, which proposes to start ‘Punyakoti Dattu Yojana’ and also pay Rs 11,000 every year. goes.
It has also been proposed to increase the number of Gaushalas from 31 to 100 and for this Rs 50 crore will be made available in the budget.
The total consolidated fund has increased from Rs 2,46,207 crore in the budget estimate for 2021-22 to Rs 2,65,720 crore this year, i.e. an increase of Rs 19,513 crore and a growth rate of 7.9%.
The government has also budgeted a total borrowing of Rs 72,000 crore for 2022-23.
“Economy is on the path of recovery in 2021-21. In these circumstances, I am not ready to impose additional burden of additional taxes on common man. Tax collection targets will be achieved by ensuring all tax departments to perform better. ,” said the Chief Minister.
The budget proposes news schemes like diesel subsidy, milk producers cooperative society, scheme for deep sea fishing boats and export promotion by KAPPEC.
Bommai said that the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Bengaluru Drinking Water Project would be implemented by obtaining approval from the concerned authority of the central government, Bommai said, adding that a grant of Rs 1,000 crore would be provided in the current year for the implementation of the project.
He said that as per the decision of the Mahadayi Tribunal, action is being taken to obtain approval from the authorities for the use of water allotted to the Kalasa and Banduri Nala diversion projects. “A grant of Rs 1,000 crore has been given to implement these projects in the current year,” Bommai said.
Apart from this, a grant of Rs 5,000 crore will be given in the current year for the implementation of Upper Krishna Project Stage-3 in North Karnataka and the works related to it will be taken up, giving priority to land acquisition, rehabilitation and reconstruction works.
The farmers will be benefited by the implementation of Yashaswini Yojana (medical facilities to rural farmers), value addition and market support of agricultural produce, incentives to sericulture farmers and several irrigation projects.
Due to difficulties caused by the second and third wave of the COVID pandemic, the sales tax on petrol and diesel was reduced in November 2021, leading to a reduction in the rates of petrol and diesel by Rs 7 per liter and no increase in rates. Will. Bommai said.
According to this year’s budget, the government will identify ‘aspirational taluks’ on the basis of development index in areas such as education, health, nutrition and poverty alleviation, and efforts will be made for all-round development of these taluks and Rs 3,000 crore. being prescribed for this purpose.
The Chief Minister said that special attention has been paid to the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and minorities and also women, adding that the allocation of education, health and nutrition has been substantially increased by emphasizing on human resources. Development.
“Our government has laid emphasis on creating large scale employment opportunities especially for women. The important priority of this budget is to assist women self help groups for working capital, value addition, banking, quality assurance and market and Self-employment is also to be encouraged.” PTI quoted Bommai as saying.
Bommai said that road, rail and infrastructure development has also been focused by attracting investment, creating employment opportunities and driving economic growth.
In order to encourage the use of agricultural machinery and reduce fuel expenditure, for the first time in Karnataka, diesel subsidy of Rs 250 per acre, subject to a maximum of five acres, will be provided through DBT under a new scheme ‘Raita Shakti’. 500 crore has been made in this budget.
An amount of Rs 500 crore has also been allocated for infrastructure development in government schools in the state, and priority will be given to selected aspirational taluks under this grant.
The budget also proposes to set up 438 ‘Namma Clinics’ in major cities of the state and they will also be set up in all wards of Bengaluru.
These clinics will provide services for diagnosis of non-communicable diseases and referral to specialists for higher treatment.
To enable setting up of enterprises, entrepreneurship training will be provided to 300 women graduates from SC/ST communities at IIM Bangalore.
It is also proposed to develop a multi-purpose ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Park’ on an area of 350 acres of government land in the Jakarbande area of Yelahanka, Bengaluru on the model of Lalbagh-Cubbon Parks.
In addition, the Bengaluru Suburban Railway project is proposed to be completed by the year 2026 at an estimated expenditure of Rs 15,267 crore. In this project, four corridors will be built with a total length of 148 km.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for taking up the Phase-III of the Bengaluru Metro project covering a distance of 45 km at an estimated cost of Rs 11,250 crore will also be submitted to the Center for approval.
A greenfield airport will also be built at Raichur at a cost of Rs 186 crore with financial assistance from District Mineral Fund and Kalyan Karnataka Development Board. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed with the Airports Authority of India.
Bommai said a feasibility report for setting up airports in Davangere and Koppal districts would be prepared, adding that the runway of the Mysuru airport would be extended with the assistance of the central government.