In an unprecedented move, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) uploaded its budget for the 2022-23 fiscal with an outlay of ₹10,484.28 crore on its website late Thursday night. It was uploaded on the BBMP website barely an hour before March 31, the last day of the current 2021-22 financial year.
As per the budget document, the 2022-23 budget has a surplus of ₹334.63 crore. While the estimated revenue has been pegged at ₹10,478.7 crore, the estimated expenditure is ₹10,480.45 crore. Around 35% of the estimated receipts (₹3,680 crore) is tax revenue, 22% (₹2,302.23 crore) is non-tax revenue, 4% (₹436.01 crore) Union Government grants, 34% (₹3,576.59 crore) State Government grants, and 5% (₹489.3 crore) is miscellaneous.
As per the estimates, around 46% of the expenditure or ₹4,838.26 crore is for public works, while 30% (₹3,148.12 crore) has been allocated to maintenance and 12%, which amount to ₹1,234.72 crore, is for personnel expenses.
The budget was to be presented on Wednesday. However, due to disagreements on the allocation of funds by a group of Ministers, it was put off at the last minute. Over the past two days, several rounds of discussions have taken place between the city’s BJP MLAs and Ministers.
Earlier on Thursday, too, top civic officials - Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh, who is the administrator in the absence of an elected council, Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta and Special Commissioner (Finance) Thulasi Madineni – met with Bengaluru’s BJP MLAs to discuss allocations.
One of the MLAs, who spoke to The Hindu on condition of anonymity, said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds finance and Bengaluru development portfolios, had suggested some additions. The focus, the MLA said, was on parks, roads and other civic infrastructure works.
The move by the BBMP top brass to upload the budget online has taken many by surprise. Repeated calls to Ms. Madineni, Mr. Gupta and Mr. Singh went in vain.
