FM Sitharaman has done injustice to K'taka: CM

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Terming the Union Budget 2024-25 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as "disappointing", Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the State has been totally neglected.

"As Nirmala Sitharaman is the Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, we had expected her to do justice for the state and hoped that she would protect the interest of the state, but she has disappointed and done injustice to the people of Karnataka," he said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said no impetus has been given to Karnataka in this budget including in sectors like industries and railways, despite five central ministers being from the state.

Noting that in the prebudget discussion that was attended by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on his behalf, the state had made certain requests and none of them have been met, the Chief Minister said a Rs 5,495 crore special grant was recommended to the state by the 15th Finance Commission.

It was promised that Rs 6,000 crore will be given for peripheral ring road and development of water bodies, but it has not been given, he further said.

"We had also sought for an increase in disaster relief and that too has not been given. For the Upper Bhadra project the FM had herself in the last budget had said Rs 5,300 crore will be given, it has not been given, we will ask for it."

The state's demands on urban and rural housing schemes, and matching grants for backward areas development have not been met, and so does the demand for establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Raichur, which is a backward area, he added.

Dubbing it as a "savethe-government" budget, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said Nirmala Sitharaman has disappointed the people of Karnataka.