Karnataka State budget: Good news for ‘salaried class’

by news
•
March 25, 2015

Bengaluru: CM Siddaramaiah is presenting the state budget in the Karnataka Assembly on Friday. The Budget Session, which begins today, will be held till the end of this month. He plays safe during his 10th budget allocating Rs. 1,42,534 lakh crores to the State welfare.

The ratio of revenue receipts and committed expenditure during the 2013-14 fiscal touched the peak of 94%. The expenditure on subsidy has also increased substantially from Rs. 7,390 crore in 2011-12 to Rs. 17,153 crore in 2014-15.

Hence, the biggest challenge in this budget will be resource mobilization for infrastructure development and sops to farmers and industries.

Here are the highlights of  Namma Budget Session 2015:

  • Rs. 15000 or less salary to be exempted by professional tax
  • Senior citizen age limit is brought down from 65 years to 60 years
  • 50 solid waste removal machines to be placed around State
  • Various roads around the state to be widened
  • Rs. 4770 crores to be allocated to BBMP, BWSSB, BMRCL for development works
  • Alternative road to be constructed towards Kempegowda International Airport
  • Liquor to be costlier as excise duty to rise
  • Rs. 8 crore allocated to install CCTV cameras in Bengaluru city
  • Diesel and Petrol to get costlier
  • Mobile Charge, Solar panels and invertors to get cheaper
  • Footwear to get cheaper
  • Farmers will be allowed to produce toddy with excise department
  • Skywalks to come up in 25 places under PPP model
  • Salary of Anaganwadi workers increased by Rs. 500
  • Acid Attack victims to get financial aid by the government
  • 117 lakes to transfered to BDA for revival
  • Rs.10 crores allocated to Vishwakarma community
  • Rs. 110 crores for basic Amenities at government school
  • Green village scheme to be implemented in each taluk
  • Jyothi Sanjeevani scheme for government employees
  • Rs. 50 crores to be allocated to Mysuru University for celebration of 100 years
  • Bidar District to be developed as Milk Shed area
  • Mangaluru University to get Rani Abbaka study chair
  • One crore for Konkani study chair
  • Rs. 10 crores for Karavali Development board
  • Ayush Hospital to be set up in Mangaluru City
  • Rs. 1000 crores to be earmarked short-term loan for farmers
  • Devdasi’s to get  hiked incentives, 2000 to 2500
  • Rs. 100 crores for  Hubballi – Dharwad Pallike
  • Transgender Policy to be implimented from the year 2015-16
  • Krishi Bhagya scheme to be implimented in 25 districts
  • KRS Brindavan garden to be developed as world-class tourist place
  • Hand-made table and chair mats to be tax free
  • Rs. 100 crores to be allocated for development works at Vijayapura and Mysuru
  • APL card holders to get rice at Rs. 15 per kg
  • Three more Anti-Naxal units will be set up in the border areas
  • Anna Bhagya Scheme extended to APL card holders

The state’s pampered capital has received a budgetary allocation of Rs. 4,770 crore. This allocation was announced in the 2015-16 Budget by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday.

The allocation of Rs. 4,770 crore has been made for the city’s overall development that will be taken up through various projects by Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL).

This year’s allocation is far lesser than the Rs. 9,476.83 crore earmarked for various development projects in the 2014-15 Budget. The previous budgetary allocation was for projects to be taken up by the civic agencies, with funding under various State government schemes, loans from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and grants under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

BBMP

This year too, the government has allocated Rs. 1,000 crore under the Chief Minister’s Nagarothana Scheme for the BBMP. The Budget envisages various projects worth Rs. 1,500 crore to be executed by the BBMP. Prominent among these projects is the widening of Bellary Road, Jayamahal Road, Sarjapura Road (from Outer Ring Road to Dommasandra), Bannerghatta Road (J.D. Mara Junction to NICE Road), Tannery Road, Dinnur Road, and Subratho Mukharji Road in Rajarajeshwarinagar zone. Apart from these, the BBMP is expected to take up comprehensive development of important junctions and construct grade separators, construct railway over bridges and under bridges in association with the South Western Railways.

For better solid waste management in the city, the Budget has envisaged six processing units that are being implemented through Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) at Rs. 270 crore. Once these units are commissioned, around 2,800 tonnes of waste can be processed every day.

BDA

As per the Budget, the Bangalore Development Authority is likely to construct and allot 5,000 flats during 2015-16. Last year, the BDA had allotted 859 flats and the construction of 5,700 flats is expected to be completed by end of this month.

BDA will also invite applications for around 5,000 sites at the Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Layout by March 2015, the formation of which is under progress. The BDA will also be taking up rejuvenation of 19 lakes in a phased manner during 2015-16. Already, the authority had completed the development of 12 lakes in the first phase and rejuvenation of 14 lakes is under progress. As many as 33 lakes have already been fenced.

The Budget also proposed the construction of 25 skywalks under Public-Private Partnership. This will come up in different places for the benefit of pedestrians to cross roads and also to prevent road accidents. The extension of underpass and flyover at the Hebbal Junction on Outer Ring Road will be taken up at Rs. 80 crore, and another flyover at Doddanekundi Junction at Rs. 44 crore.

BWSSB

BWSSB is expected to map the city’s water supply connections using GIS (Geographical Information System). The Budget proposes to take up the scheme of merging the RR numbers of water connections with the property identity numbers of the BBMP.

The Budget also proposes laying of water pipeline up to T.K. Halli reservoir from Netkal Balancing Reservoir to bring 500 million litres of water to Bengaluru under the first phase. The work of replacing 500 km of sewer trunk will also be taken up, along with construction of seven new sewage treatment plants with a capacity of 150 MLD at Hebbal, K.R. Puram, Koramangala and Challaghatta valleys, Doddabele and Bangalore University areas. Apart from these, the BWSSB will procure 50 solid waste removal machines at Rs. 10 crore.

BMRCL

With Phase 1 of Namma Metro achieving 90 per cent physical progress, BMRCL is expected to speed up land acquisition process, take up utility shifting and float tenders for civil works for Phase 2. The tender process is expected to be completed by December 2015.

Meanwhile, the commissioning of Peenya and Nagasandra lines is likely to be completed in the next two months. While the Magadi Road and Nayandahalli line will be operative by mid 2015, all works under Phase 1 are expected to be completed by end of 2015.