Ahead of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presenting his 16th State Budget on March 7, the Karnataka Congress has shared that the upcoming Budget will not contain any surprises.
Commenting on the Budget, whose assembly session will begin on March 3, Congress spokesperson BL Shankar said, “The guarantees and other developmental programs will continue. We will maintain the status quo. The necessary resource mobilisation has already been completed, and all programs aimed at improving the lives of common people have been implemented. There will be no surprises this time.”
Meanwhile, the State government, struggling to balance the Budget against the backdrop of the guarantees made in its election manifesto, has resorted to widespread price increases across multiple sectors.
In an open letter to Siddaramaiah, BJP State President BY Vijayendra called for fiscal prudence, reported The Hindu. He observed the benefits of guarantee schemes did not reach beneficiaries and noted that over the past two years, the Chief Minister had increased the State’s liabilities by nearly ₹2 lakh crore, increasing the anxiety about growing debt. Vijayendra said borrowed money has to be spent on capital expenditure and not revenue expenditure.
The BJP also condemned the rise in bus and metro fares and the price hike of milk, fuel, and other essential commodities.
In January, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar stated he had instructed officials to submit a report on the water tariff hike, with a decision pending. He justified the increase by citing the absence of a hike since 2014, leading to BWSSB incurring an annual loss of ₹1,000 crore.
On the other hand, following criticism over recent fare hikes, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) stated the initially proposed fare hikes which went up to 100 per cent will be reduced by 30 per cent, effectively capping the maximum increase at 70 per cent.
The Karnataka cabinet also approved a 15 per cent fare hike in four State-run bus corporations, effective January, due to rising operational costs. The hike was expected to generate an additional revenue of ₹74.85 crore per month for the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC).
Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh also acknowledged the pressure from farmers to raise the price of milk, demanding a ₹10 increase per litre, with a final decision yet to be made.
BJP Spokesperson MG Mahesh commented, “In the name of the guarantees, the State government is hiking prices and indirectly collecting money from the people. They took about ₹25,000 crore and ₹11,000 from the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) and the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) last year and have misutilised funds. We expect them not to touch the SC/ST fund basket in the upcoming Budget. The Siddaramiah government has also taken the maximum loan, with no way of clearing this If the taxes are going for salaries and other expenditures, how will there be development? The Budget size this time is expected to be around ₹4 lakh crore. Normally, there would have been a surplus of ₹1 lakh crore, but that seems unlikely this time. Siddarmiah, who has presented 16 Budgets so far, has to create a growth-oriented and people-friendly Budget this time at least.”
