With just a year left for Karnataka polls, all eyes on this year’s State budget

Even as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai celebrated six months in office on Friday, simultaneously celebrating his 62^nd birthday and presenting a report card of his government’s ‘achievements,’ all eyes are on the upcoming State budget. The government has said it would be presented in the first week of March.

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Given that the State is scheduled to go to elections early 2023, all parties and analysts believe that the upcoming budget would be the final opportunity for the BJP government to woo all sections with sops. This, despite weak revenue inflow to the State’s coffers due to the ongoing pandemic. The term of the current Assembly ends in April 2023 and the poll process is likely to kick-in 45-60 days before that.

Sandeep Shastri, pro-vice chancellor of Jain University, said while the government may announce more sops, it needs to execute the promises already made in the previous budget. He said, “Past experience has shown that voters are not influenced by them, but by what they see on the ground.”

‘Shift focus to rural areas’

D Rajasekhar, Director, Institute for Social and Economic Change, said the budget needs to redress the problems of rural areas as against the excessive focus on urban pockets. He also said too much attention was being placed on the IT sector, with major concentration in Bengaluru. “With this year’s budget, I think the government would take up growth processes in rural areas mainly by focussing on agriculture; they might focus on farmer producer organisations to strengthen small farmers.”

Meanwhile senior Congress leader, BL Shankar, said not much can be expected. “The ruling party would try to make it a populist one, despite weak financial conditions. There are many bills pending in various departments. We don’t have expectations other than a populist budget.”

“Initially BS Yediyurappa destroyed the economy. And as for Bommai – the only thing that is left is to take money out of the treasury and spend. If at all you think about growth other than IT exports and the medical industry, the total economy has come to doldrums. This government is busy focussing on communal issues rather than protecting the common man’s interest, here in Karnataka”, Tanveer Ahmed, spokesperson, Janata Dal (Secular), said.

‘Make up for pandemic loss’

Ahmed said the expectations are simple, that those who lost their jobs should be monetised, benefits for farmers enhanced, tax rebate to the industries which are lagging behind in payments, cuts in interest rates and revival of all the schools and educational institutions which were badly hit during Covid-19.

Congress’ Shankar said the government should focus on core areas such as employment generation, irrigation, agriculture instead of focussing on distribution of freebies and immediate benefits. According to Shastri, the revised estimates for the year 2021-22, and the actuals for the year 2021 would be important factors that the citizens would look for in the upcoming budget.

However, MG Mahesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson, said they are waiting for the full economic survey and only when it comes out, would it be the right time to comment on the budget. He added that the government would make all attempts to meet the expectations of people.

(Additional reporting by BL Interns Isha Rautela and Haripriya Sureban)

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