Karnataka facing fiscal stress as Central funds cut, says Siddaramaiah

April 24, 2017

New Delhi, Apr 24: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday accused the Centre of reducing funds for Central schemes to Karnataka, forcing the state government to make good the shortfall from its own budget.

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Speaking at the 3rd meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council here, the chief minister also flagged concerns over lack of provision in the Union budget for compensation to state governments for loss of revenue after the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax regime. Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of discriminating against Karnataka in allocation under the State Disaster Response Fund for 2015-20 which has been the lowest in the country despite high incidence of drought and greater frequency of flash floods.

“...our allocation for the above period is only Rs 1,375 crore, which is much less compared to allocation to the states like Rs 1,809 crore to Jharkhand, Rs 3,376 crore to Tamil Nadu, Rs 7,376 crore to Maharashtra, Rs 5,484 crore to Rajasthan, Rs 4,363 crore to Madhya Pradesh and Rs 3,504 crore to Gujarat,” he said.

The chief minister noted that Karnataka has been reeling under drought conditions for the last six years. “Even in the current year, 139 taluks during the kharif season and 160 taluks during the rabi season have been declared drought-affected,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the state government has been able to address the drought situation in an effective manner through innovative responses. Distribution of input subsidy directly into bank accounts of 12.03 lakh farmers, creating additional irrigation capacity, linking of farmers’ markets were some initiatives cited by the chief minister.

Siddaramaiah said the overall grants for major Centrally Sponsored Scheme decreased from Rs 10,826 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 8,502 crore in 2016-17. He said the sudden closure of the Central schemes such as Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission and Rajiv Awas Yojana have created severe fiscal stress on the state budget.

“Not only the Central share has been reduced, the actual grants received from the Centre under certain schemes have been even less than the reduced share over the last two years … I have had to therefore release an additional amount of Rs 1,185.62 crore from state budget to compensate for this shortfall,” Siddaramaiah said.

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News Network
May 28,2024

Bengaluru: Mines and Geology Minister S S Mallikarjun on Monday did not rule out a Cabinet reshuffle after the election results. 

"You should ask the chief minister. But one can't say... it (reshuffle) might happen," Mallikarjun told reporters when asked about speculation that some ministers may be dropped. 

Mallikarjun said this a week after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said there was no plan to reshuffle his Cabinet. 

There is speculation over a Cabinet rejig and that the Congress high command would hold ministers accountable if the party does badly in the Lok Sabha polls. 

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News Network
May 23,2024

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The VTU Mangaluru division inter-collegiate football tournament was inaugurated on May 22, 2023, at P.A. College of Engineering, Nadupadavu. The inaugural ceremony was graced by Mr. Abdullah, a renowned footballer and businessman, who served as the chief guest and initiated the tournament with a ceremonial kick-off.

Dr Ramis M.K., the Principal of P.A. College of Engineering, highlighted the significance of student participation in sports, especially football, underscoring elements such as player coordination, strategic planning, team spirit, skill development, and techniques.

The ceremony was also attended by several notable figures, including Mr. Sharfuddin P. K.  Assistant General Manager of Campus, PAET; Dr. Sayyad Ameen Ahammad,  Dean of Student Affairs (PAET) and Dr. Sharmila Kumari, Vice Principal of P.A. College of Engineering; Mr. Niyaz Khan from the HR department of PAET; and Dr. Iqbal, Director of Physical Education, who delivered the welcome address. The event was anchored by Prof. Salim, Department of Electronics & Communication. 

Seventeen teams from the VTU Mangalore Division is participating in this esteemed tournament, demonstrating sportsmanship and competitive spirit among the colleges.

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News Network
May 29,2024

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Bengaluru: Suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, who is facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, on Wednesday moved a Special Court here seeking anticipatory bail in a rape case registered against him.

According to official sources, Prajwal has booked a return flight ticket to Bengaluru from Munich on May 30, and is expected to land in the city in the small hours of May 31.

His advocate filed an anticipatory bail application in the Special Court for cases involving MPs/MLAs.

Prajwal, grandson of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, is accused in an alleged rape and sexual harassment case involving a 47-year-old woman.

He reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan LS seat went to polls, and is still at large.

A Special Court for Elected Representatives has issued an arrest warrant on May 18 against Prajwal Revanna, following an application moved by the SIT.

However, later the SIT arrested his father and JD(S) MLA H D Revanna, who is allegedly involved in kidnapping the woman.

All eyes are on Kempegowda International Airport where Prajwal is expected to arrive on May 31, and the SIT is likely to arrest him the moment he lands.

Meanwhile, Prajwal's mother Bhavani Revanna has filed an anticipatory bail in the special court for elected representatives fearing arrest in the kidnap case linked to her husband.

The SIT filed objections to granting the anticipatory bail to her and also sought to cancel the interim anticipatory bail issued to H D Revanna in the same case.

Bhavani Revanna's anticipatory bail order is reserved for May 31.

SIT seizes pillows, bed

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sexual abuse case against MP Prajwal Revanna on Wednesday has seized the pillows, bed and bed sheets from the MP's government house in Hassan.

As the date of MP Prajwal Revanna's return to Bengaluru nears, the SIT has intensified its probe.

The SIT and Forensic Science Lab team, which began inspection at the MP's house in Hassan, on Tuesday afternoon continued the search till 4 am on Wednesday. The belongings were seized by the SIT sleuths after a 10-hour long inspection at the government house of the MP on R C Road in Hassan.

Meanwhile, Naveen Gowda and Chetan Gowda, the duo arrested in connection with the circulation of pen drive containing sleaze videos, were brought to Hassan for spot mahazar.

They were subjected to medical examinations at the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences and were questioned by the Cyber crime police ASP M K Thammaiah and Inspector Jagadish. They were also taken to their houses in Belur and Shravanabelagola for mahazar.

The accused were produced before the second additional district and sessions court in Hassan. They court has remanded them to SIT custody for three days, till June 1.

They will be produced before the court again at 4.30 pm on June 1 when the custody ends.

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