Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the Congress government will present the State Budget in the first week of July.
Addressing presspersons here on Monday, Mr. Siddaramaiah, who holds the Finance portfolio, said, “The implementation of the new programmes that will be announced in the budget will commence immediately.” His predecessor, Jagadish Shettar, presented a budget in February. To a question on the size of the budget and whether he was aiming to present a Rs. 1 lakh-crore budget, Mr. Siddaramaiah, who has presented seven budgets in the past, said he could comment on the size of the budget without checking the resources available. “I need to check the fiscal deficit, how the sectors like agriculture, industry, service and others are performing,” he said.
Asked about the challenge faced by his government in resolving the Cauvery issue, the Chief Minister said the matter was before the Supreme Court and the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. “We will continue to fight for justice,” he said. On the appointment of presidents and vice-presidents of urban local bodies (ULBs), which went to the polls in March, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the appointments could not be made because of the Assembly elections.
The process would be expedited and the Minister concerned would be asked to look into the matter.
