Apart from Andhra, no other states in south India have received anything in Budget: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, July 23 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday criticised the Union Budget 2024-25, saying that apart from Andhra Pradesh, no other states in south India have received anything.  

Addressing reporters here, he said that special grants were given to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar to secure the Prime Minister's position, but Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, who has been elected from Karnataka, has betrayed the state's expectations and done injustice.

"The demands we made from the state and the promises she gave were not fulfilled. We had allocated Rs 5,000 crore for Kalyana Karnataka. We had requested matching funds for this, but they were not provided either," Siddaramaiah stated.

"In this budget, they have greatly wronged the farmers. Farmers have been demanding a law for MSP for the last five years, but there is no mention of this in the budget," he added.

He noted that for education, the BJP government had allocated Rs 1.21 lakh crore in the February budget, which has now been slightly increased to Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

The IT and communication sector had been allocated Rs 1.37 lakh crore in February, which has now been reduced to Rs 1.16 lakh crore, he stated.

The Chief Minister said that the allocations for education, health, and defence sectors have been significantly reduced compared to February, and the Finance Minister has not provided the previously announced funds for the Peripheral Ring Road and the Upper Bhadra Project.

The funds reserved for the development of SC/ST and minority communities have also been significantly cut, which is a betrayal to these communities, he added.

"There are no assurances in the PM Narendra Modi government and this budget. Even the promises made in the previous budget have not been implemented until today. Therefore, the mention of the industrial corridor this time will remain just an announcement. (Finance Minister) Nirmala Sitharaman invited us to the pre-budget meeting. Looking at it now, it seems like there was no purpose in calling us," Siddaramaiah said.

He said that there are five Union Ministers from the state, and all five have failed to benefit the state.