Gadag
Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of committing injustice to the state by skipping a recent NITI Aayog meeting. The state government was accused of non-cooperation with the Union government by not contributing its share for key projects.
Bommai alleged that the Congress party is spreading misinformation and continuously blaming the Centre. Karnataka received Rs 7,329 crore for railway projects this time, compared to around Rs 7,000 crore in previous years. During the UPA regime, only Rs 600 crore was given annually. Despite receiving ten times more now, the state government was accused of not providing its share of matching funds or acquiring land.
The Sagar Mala project was said to bring in Rs 700 crore, with Rs 6,280 crore allocated in the budget for capital investment. The Union government provides zero-interest loans to states, repayable after 50 years, almost like a grant. Additionally, Rs 6,396 crore was provided for disaster management. Funds from central projects like PM Awas Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana were also mentioned.
The state government was criticized for not ensuring that the funds reach the people and not having the funds to provide matching grants. Bommai condemned this as propaganda. He stated that the people of the state realized this and voted them out in the recent Lok Sabha elections. A surplus budget was claimed during their tenure, but the current government presented a deficit budget of Rs 1,631 crore.
