Siddaramaiah sustains the focus

March 14, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 07:18 am IST - BENGALURU:

Like in his first two budgets as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah’s political constituency — the below poverty line families, Dalits, and other backward classes — have been the key focus in the 2015–16 State Budget.

While it was termed as the “caste-oriented budget” by the principal opposition, BJP, and experts called it “lacklustre without any innovation”, the government and the Chief Minister, who holds the Finance portfolio, defended the budget, saying “it is balanced and growth-oriented.”

Major sops announced in the budget, which was Mr. Siddaramaiah’s 10th, are free distribution of 5 kg foodgrains for each member of the below poverty line family (total 1.04 crore BPL cards), Rs. 1,040 crore increase in allocation for social welfare and backward classes development, announcement of Pashu Bhagya for providing 33 per cent subsidy for SC/ST farmers and provision to harvest “Neera” from coconut trees, and allotment of 20 per cent of lands for MSMEs in industrial areas developed by KIADB.

To raise revenue, Mr. Siddaramaiah has raised sales tax on petrol and diesel by 1 per cent, excise duty of 6 per cent on liquor, Value Added Tax from the present 17 per cent to 20 per cent on cigarettes, cigars, gutka, and other manufactured tobacco.

The estimated size of budget is Rs. 1,42,534 crore, which is 3.28 per cent bigger than the budget estimate of Rs. 1,38,808 crore in 2014–15. The size of the State Plan estimated at Rs. 72,597 crore, which is 10.60 per cent more than the budget estimate for 2014–15.

Mr. Siddaramiah’s, who heads the biggest Congress-ruled State in the country, in his opening remarks sharply criticised the Centre for dropping Centrally sponsored schemes, such as JNNURM. The State has to bear additional Rs. 4,689 crore following cut in Centrally sponsored schemes.

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