Siddu’s 14th budget today: Delicate balancing act on anvil

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: The Budget presented by the previous BJP government headed by Basavaraj Bommai has become null and void after the party failed to return to power.

Siddaramaiah will present the budget for the remaining nine months of the current fiscal. To mop up the required resources, the CM has two options - hike excise duty or increase property registration tax.

The government will have to earmark a considerable amount for the development of Bengaluru City because the Congress had criticized the previous BJP government for neglecting the state capital due to which infrastructure crumbled.

With the Lok Sabha and BBMP elections coming, the CM is likely to dole it out big for the IT City so that the rain disaster witnessed last year does not repeat.

The government also cannot reduce funding for the upliftment of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe, Minorities, and Backward Classes with whose support the Congress secured 135 seats in the recent Assembly polls.

Besides, the previous BJP government had initiated development works which have to be continued by releasing funds in the Budget.

They include the construction of new classrooms in government schools and the building of hostels for SC/STs and Backward Classes Industrialists are looking forward to some relaxation in power bills and other infrastructure schemes in industrial areas in tier-II and Tier-III cities.

The government cannot afford to neglect their demands. Siddu’s 14th budget today: Delicate balancing act on anvil As announced earlier, the government is likely to increase the limit for interest-free agriculture loans for farmers from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

All eyes are on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as he sets out to present his record 14th budget on Friday. The budget assumes significance as the CM has to make provisions for the five guarantees, which the Congress party had announced before the Assembly elections.

The implementation of the five poll guarantees is expected to cost the state exchequer an estimated Rs 60,000 crore annually. The CM has already said that s o m e s t r i c t a u s t e r i t y m e a s u r e s will be announced.

He has hinted that the size of the budget this year could be about Rs 3.35 lakh crore. The Budget presented by the p revious B J P gover nment headed by Basavaraj Bommai has become null and void after the party failed to return to power.

Siddaramaiah will present the budget for the remaining nine months of the current fiscal. To mop up the required resources, the CM has two options - hike excise duty or increase property registration tax.

The government will have to earmark a considerable amount for the development of Bengaluru City because the Congress had criticized the previous BJP government for neglecting the state capital.

With the Lok Sabha elections coming, the CM is likely to dole it out big for the IT City so that the rain disaster witnessed last year does not repeat.

The government also cannot reduce funding for the upliftment of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Minorities, and Backward Classes with whose support the Congress secured 135 seats in the Assembly polls.