Bengaluru, Sep 2 (PTI) Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday sought NITI Aayog’s intervention to ensure Karnataka gets its due share of funds, including grants announced in the Union Budget.
NITI Aayog has advised setting up a “second Bengaluru” to reduce pressure on the city, and a detailed plan will be prepared in line with its suggestions, he said.
Shivakumar made the remarks at a meeting with NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri at his official residence.
“Everyone should work together keeping the national interest in mind. Only if states develop can the country develop. In a federal system, states and the Central Government must work with mutual cooperation. After a long time, we got an opportunity to hold a separate meeting with NITI Aayog,” Shivakumar said.
He requested NITI Aayog to extend all possible support to the state, his office said in a statement.
Noting that the nation has high expectations from Karnataka and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also acknowledged this in his statements, Shivakumar said NITI Aayog had advised setting up a second Bengaluru.
“A proper plan will be prepared in line with NITI Aayog’s expectations. The steps taken by other states in this regard will also be considered. A comprehensive plan will be developed on how Karnataka can contribute to the country’s development. All suggestions given by NITI Aayog will be taken into account,” he said.
“Recently, while speaking with the Union Home Minister, I said that southern states have properly implemented population control measures, but northern states have not done so to the same extent. Southern states should not be penalised by fixing fund allocations based on population,” he added.
Pointing out that Karnataka is among the leading states in the country in terms of GSDP, per capita income, human development, technology and innovation, foreign direct investment, exports, startups and IT services, Shivakumar said Karnataka had the best quality human resources in the country.
Every year, Karnataka produces 1.6 lakh engineers and about 13,000 doctors, he said.
Bengaluru has 26 lakh IT professionals, he said, adding that the city’s population was continuously increasing, with people from across the country settling there.
“All these factors are increasing pressure on Bengaluru. Several ambitious projects have been planned and are at various stages of implementation to improve Bengaluru’s infrastructure,” he said.
The agricultural sector in the state was also growing, Shivakumar said, adding that Karnataka has the largest dryland area in the country after Rajasthan.
“In this background, Karnataka should be given special consideration by NITI Aayog,” he said.
“We have properly implemented the five guarantee schemes for the welfare of the people. For this, we are spending more than Rs 50,000 crore every year. We are spending around Rs 20,000 crore every year on electricity subsidies for our farmers. We have planned projects for the development of government schools. Our goal is to provide quality education at the rural level,” he said.
Shivakumar said the state government had also started a new department called “Prajaseva” to ensure the effective delivery of government services to citizens.
“We started the Prajaseva department so that government schemes reach all people and services can be accessed easily,” he said.
He said a separate Foreign Investment Department would be established to support foreign investors.
“We have prepared a plan to develop tourism in the state. In this regard, a coastal tourism policy has been framed and will be approved at the next Cabinet meeting,” he added.
The government has implemented the Bhoomi Guarantee scheme by digitising all land records, Shivakumar said, adding that Karnataka has played an important role in the country’s development.
He said NITI Aayog should provide all possible support for these initiatives and the implementation of the state’s development projects.
Officials said Karnataka’s Gross State Domestic Product stood at Rs 32.81 lakh crore in 2025-26, with a growth rate of 8.1 per cent. The services sector accounted for 70 per cent of GSDP, followed by industry at 19 per cent and agriculture at 11 per cent.
According to the CMO, Ashok Kumar Lahiri said he was proud of Karnataka’s development and stressed the need to build a second Bengaluru to reduce pressure on the city.
“To reduce pressure on Bengaluru, there is a need to seriously consider building a second Bengaluru in Karnataka,” he said.
Karnataka has all the potential to grow rapidly, he further said.
“Only if states grow can the country grow and develop. Since Karnataka has a large dryland area, a plan should be made to increase agricultural production in dryland areas,” he said.
Minister Priyank Kharge, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh, Chief Minister’s Economic Adviser L K Atheeq, Political Secretary A S Ponnanna, Development Commissioner Uma Mahadevan, Chief Minister’s Additional Chief Secretary Tushar Girinath and other officials were present, the release added. PTI KSU SSK
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