Mangaluru: Going by the State Budget 2015-16 presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, there was little to cheer for the people of the coastal districts.
The budget announced the setting up of Ayush Hospital in the city, Rani Abbakka Study Chair and Konkani Study Chair in Mangaluru University. Rs. 10-crore was announced for the Karavali Tourism Development Board. However, the region can hardly hope for any mega infrastructure boost in the forthcoming financial year.
Konkani Study Chair
Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy president Roy Castelino thanked the Chief Minister for granting Rs 2 crore towards the setting up of Konkani Study Chair.
He told newskarnataka.com that the study chair would offer correspondence courses in Konkani, take up inter-disciplinary studies, document Konkani arts, arrange seminars and conferences, and prepare Konkani study materials. “Our ancient history lacks proper documentation. The Chair would help in a systematic study of Konkani and treasure its history for the next generation”, he told this correspondent.
BJP reacts
Sathish Prabhu, BJP spokesperson of DK unit said that the budget had nothing important for the district, despite the coast having voted for the congress. “The budget has completely neglected the industrial sector and there are no specific projects in the tourism sector, which was being bombarded by the ministers in the district”, he said.
Prabhu said that he hoped for an indoor cricket stadium in the district and funds for the proposed projects such as tourism development, bus stand complex and construction of proper rain drain facility in places where the concrete roads are erected in the city. The government has allotted no funds, despite having three ministers and seven MLA’s being elected from the region, he added.
However, the BJP spokesperson complimented the state government for introducing the Pashu Bhagya scheme, which provides subsidy for farmers to set up cattle, sheep, goat, pig and poultry units.
CPI(M) leader Vasanth Achari said that the budget was entirely focused on the upcoming panchayat election. “There was no big help for the district from the budget apart from two study chairs in the university and a hospital. Our fight to increase wage of anganawadi workers too did not yield much benefits”, he said.
Achari, however, appreciated the chief minister for favoring the other backward communities and the upliftment of SC/ST’s, keeping social justice in mind.
