Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet approved the five guarantees as assured by the Congress party in the run up to the assembly elections even though the modalities are yet to be worked out.
The assurances, Siddaramaiah said, would be fulfilled irrespective of the financial burden on the state coffers.
The chief minister added that the cost of implementing the programmes would amount to around Rs 50,000 crore per annum.
“The Cabinet has given its approval to all the guarantees made by the Congress party. We are working out the modalities and a government order would be passed on it soon,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru.
ಸಚಿವ ಸಂಪುಟ ಸಭೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೈಗೊಂಡ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ನಿರ್ಣಯಗಳ ಘೋಷಣೆಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಆಯೋಜಿಸಿರುವ ಪತ್ರಿಕಾಗೋಷ್ಠಿಯ ನೇರಪ್ರಸಾರ.https://t.co/yCDtpD6Q5N
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 20, 2023
The CM was flanked by his deputy D.K. Shivakumar and eight other leaders who were inducted into the Cabinet even though portfolios are yet to be allotted.
Though there is no clarity on eligibility or date of implementation, Siddaramaiah said that all of these details will be worked out by the next Cabinet meeting.
In the run up to the May 10 polls, the Congress had announced five guarantees which include Rs 2,000 a month to each woman who heads a household, Rs 3,000 financial assistance to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders. It also promised 200 units of free electricity, 10 kg of foodgrain for every member of BPL households and free public bus travel for women.
Later in the day, the Congress government issued an order giving in principle approval to these schemes.
Siddaramaiah blamed the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the debt crisis in the country and the state.
“When Dr Manmohan Singh was in power, the total debt of India from independence till 2014 was Rs 53 lakh crore. And since then our debt has increased to Rs 155 lakh crore. In the last nine years, debts have gone up by Rs 102 lakh crore,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said that the situation in Karnataka was no different, as the state debt went up from Rs 2.4 lakh crore in 2018 to Rs 5.6 lakh as of March 2023. “This shows how badly they managed the state and the Centre.”
The CM added that Karnataka has lost out due to the 15th Finance Commission, calling it “injustice”. The state was entitled to get Rs 1 lakh crore as part of central shares but the 15th Finance Commission had reduced it by almost half, he explained.
He said that raising tax targets which are still with the state, can raise capital to fund the programmes.
“We will increase the size of the budget from Rs 3.1 lakh crore to Rs 3.25 lakh crore when we present the budget in July. This will give us additional Rs 15,000 crore. If we plug leakages in tax collection and cut down on wasteful expenditure, I don’t think it is impossible for us to raise Rs 50,000 crore for our schemes,” he said, adding that all the guarantees will be implemented with no financial burden to the state.
The CM also said that he has sought details to revive the Indira Canteen initiative that was discontinued under the Basavaraj Bommai-led government. The Indira Canteen was a subsidised food venture meant to serve food at very reasonable rates to cater to the urban poor.
Later, former chief minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said that the new Congress government has failed the expectations of the people.
“The citizens had high hopes on the outcome of the first Cabinet meeting of the Congress government. … But Chief Minister Siddaramaiah disappointed everyone. Only the announcements were made, but no dates were announced for the implementation of the guarantee schemes,” he said, adding that his successor has no prior planning on how to arrange resources for the fulfillment of the guarantee schemes.
“The borrowing of every state went up due to the Covid pandemic. Siddaramaiah still talks as the Opposition leader,” he said.
Karnataka stands second in the country in GST collection, Bommai said. “The CM has given only half information and concealed the other half. I am ready to give a full information in the Assembly.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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