BJP's popular schemes to continue, says CM

Bangalore, Jul 31: Bowing to pressure from MLAs cutting across party lines, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced that popular schemes like “Suvarna Grama,” “Nagarothana,” “Namma Grama-Namma Raste,” “Bhagyalakshmi,” cycle for schoolchildren and “Bhoochetana,” would continue. All these were started by the previous BJP government.

Besides, the chief minister increased the local area development fund for legislators to Rs 2 crore from Rs 1 crore at present. There was a demand for increasing the allocation at the Congress Legislators' Party meeting held recently.

In his reply to the 2013-14 revised Budget discussion in the Assembly, the chief minister said he has allocated Rs 391 crore for “Bhagyalakshmi (insurance cover for girls),” Rs 1,520 crore for “Nagarothana (major cities and towns development)” and Rs 1,110 crore for “Suvarna Grama (model villages).”

Not only the BJP, but a number of MLAs from the ruling Congress and the principal opposition party, the JD-S, had also demanded continuation of these schemes. The revised Budget presented by Siddaramaiah was silent on the projects.

Much of the marathon reply by the chief minister was, however, dedicated to politics, which repeatedly led to heated arguments. The chief minister did not make any major announcement in his Budget reply. Instead, he merely touched upon his Budget announcements. BJP members, led by former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, staged a walkout stating that Siddaramaiah's reply was not satisfactory and he failed to clarify their doubts on the Budget.

Siddaramaiah also announced setting up of two more medical colleges in Gadag and Gulbarga. This is in addition to the four new medical colleges announced in the Budget speech. A study chair will be set up after Brahmashree Narayana Guru at Mangalore University at a cost of Rs 2 crore, he added.

The chief minister also turned down the demand for reducing sales tax on petrol. “Sales tax on diesel has been cut by one per cent with an intention to help farmers. It is not possible to reduce tax on petrol,” he stated.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Mangaluru’s public transport revolution: 100 new govt electric buses to end private ‘trip-cutting’

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

• Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

• State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

• Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

Comments