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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has shot off a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressing concerns and seeking clarification on Rs 798 crore from the Integrated Goods & Services Tax (IGST) being deducted from Karnataka. 

“The information at our disposal indicates that an amount of Rs 798.03 crore has been adjusted out of the IGST settlement as ‘adjustment of advance apportionment to make up shortfall in IGST balance as on 26.12.2022’,” Siddaramaiah stated. 

Siddaramaiah asked Sitharaman to explain the “rationale” behind “huge negative balances of Rs 34,000 crore to accumulate”. He said the accumulation of negative IGST balances would impact treasury management of state finances. 

“In order to facilitate better understanding and transparency, the state of Karnataka seeks information on the total amount of negative IGST balance and the methodology employed for distributing this among the states for recovery,” Siddaramaiah stated. 

Siddaramaiah also asked the union government to make deductions in instalments. “Given the pressing need for resources and the potential challenges associated with lump-sum deductions...we propose a phased approach, preferably in ten instalments, to mitigate the immediate impact on state finances,” he stated. 

“We believe that a transparent and collaborative approach in addressing these concerns will contribute to the effective functioning of the financial ecosystem,” Siddaramaiah stated.

Meanwhile Karnataka GST collection at Rs 11,970 crore finished in second place all India behind Maharashtra. 

Karnataka’s collection was more than Rs 1,000 crore higher than Gujarat, which managed Rs 10,853 crore. 

Tamil Nadu stood at fourth place with Rs 10,255 crore, while Haryana stood a distant fifth with Rs 9,732 crore. UP stood at sixth place with Rs 8,973 crore.

Bengaluru, Nov 23: The data of the ‘Socio-Economic and Education Survey’, popularly known as caste census, is “safe” and “intact”, according to K Jayaprakash Hegde, chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.

His clarification comes following the emergence of documents suggesting that the original report of the caste census is missing from the office of the Commission.

Kicking up a storm, the BJP questioned the credibility of the caste census that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wants to take forward. 

In October 2021, when the BJP was in power, Hegde had written to the government stating that neither the main report nor a photocopy was available in sealed boxes that were opened.

He also brought to the notice of the government that the signature of the member-secretary was missing from the available documents. 

In August 2022, a letter was written to Transport Secretary Dr N V Prasad who was the member-secretary of the Commission when the caste census report was finalised. The letter sought Prasad’s response to his missing signature. In this letter, too, the Commission states that the original report and its photocopy were not available in its office. 

“It is baffling to note that after spending crores of tax payers’ money to prepare this caste census report, we do not have the original copy,” BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said in a tweet and asked if the government had filed a police complaint or acted against officials responsible for this. 

Former BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar asked the Congress government to clarify before the start of the winter session of the legislature on December 4. “If a government document has gone missing, did someone steal it? Will the government get a fresh report done?” he said. 

But according to Hegde, the caste census data is not missing. “The data is 100% correct and intact. The data has the signature of the then chairperson, members and member-secretary. The data has been uploaded safely in our software developed by the BEL,” he said. 

Hegde explained that the caste census has two parts -- the data and a resultant report. “In the report comprising recommendations that had to be given to the government, some worksheets are missing,” he said. 

The BJP also taunted the Congress for being divided. “In this government, the CM and DyCM have different stands. Who should people believe?” Kumar said while Yatnal accused the Congress of “orchestrating this spectacle” for the Lok Sabha polls.

Hyderabad, Dec 4: Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy in all likelihood will be the next Chief Minister of Telangana with the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting underway right now at a private hotel in Hyderabad.

Sources said the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is in favour of Mr. Reddy realising that he also enjoys the support of maximum number of MLAs who have indicated that their support will be for him.

The meeting going on right now under the supervision of AICC observer and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka D.K. Shivakumar will take the final call and then the team will immediately head to Raj Bhavan to submit the letter to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

Earlier, Mr. Dk Shivakumar met with Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka and Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy at another hotel. The meeting assumes importance as Mr. Uttam Reddy and Mr. Vikramarka too are in the race. Mr. Rajgopal Reddy is the brother of Mr. Komatireddy Venkata Reddy. 

The party will face a tough task in accommodating Mr. Uttam Reddy, Mr. Rajgopal Reddy and Mr. Venkata Reddy in the Cabinet as they all hail from Nalgonda district and belong to the Reddy community. The caste arithmetic doesn’t suit to accommodate all of them.