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In what is likely to be the last full budget of the current term, for the BJP government in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, tried to do a careful balancing act, by presenting a ‘please all’, no new taxes budget.
A large chunk of the ₹2,65,720 crore budget was allotted to infrastructure, farmers and pending irrigation projects. While the State is scheduled for polls in March-April of next year, any budget likely to be presented next year will not be a full budget and thus merely a vote of account.
In order to stymie the main opposition party Congress’s recent padayatra, demanding implementation Mekedatu project – which will generate power and provide additional drinking water to Bengaluru – Bommai announced a ₹1,000 crore allocation in the budget for the project.
A number of other irrigation projects too received generous fund allocation in the budget. The Yettinahole project was allotted ₹3,000 crore, the third phase of Upper Krishna project got ₹5,000 crore, Kalsa Banduri project got ₹1,000 crore and ₹3,000 crore for Upper Bhadra irrigation project.
‘Budget of hope’
Claiming that this was a ‘budget of hope’ following two years of Covid related damage to the economy, Bommai said that in order to facilitate the ‘road to recovery’ no new taxes were being imposed. The fiscal deficit of the State was at 3.26 percent well below the mandated 3.5 percent of GSDP, he added.
Bengaluru, which is all set to face civic polls by end of next month, saw a number of schemes being showered on it. From clearing the third phase of the metro project projected to cost ₹11,250 crore to new ring roads, four new super speciality hospitals in different corners of the city, enhanced internal connectivity, sky walks and smart city project at a newly developed layout in the city, a number of schemes were announced for Bengalurueans in the budget. The BJP is trying hard to retain the richest city corporation in the State.
The budget also tried to address social equity by announcing various schemes for SC/ST and OBC’s. Expectedly while the ruling party praised the budget as ‘pragamatic’ and ‘visionary’, the opposition criticised it as ‘hollow’ and merely ‘election-oriented.’
Former CM and senior BJP leader Yediyruappa said the budget was development focussed, which would aid growth and job creation as well as ensure social justice. Leader of opposition in the assembly Siddaramiah parties criticised the budget saying that backward classes and minorities have been neglected in the budget.
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