Making an appeal to the people not to pay heed to the “misinformation campaign” that the State was facing fund scarcity for development works because of the five guarantee schemes, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that the financial position of Karnataka was stable.
Addressing a large gathering of farmers at the inauguration of the four-day Krishi Mela at University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Dharwad on Saturday, the Chief Minister sought to dispel the general belief about fund scarcity for development works.
“The anti-poor people and vested interests are making false allegations against the State government on the issue of implementation of five guarantee schemes and have launched a misinformation campaign. There is no fiscal problem and all development programmes will continue,” he said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said that for the current fiscal, funds to the tune of ₹32,000 crore were required for implementation of guarantee schemes and for the next year it would be ₹56,000 crore. “The government is strong enough to mobilise required funds for all the schemes. There is no need to fear. Next year’s Budget is estimated to be around ₹380 lakh crore, including the five guarantee schemes,” he said.
The Chief Minister also announced that the State government was committed to implement the Mahadayi project. “If the Union government responds immediately and resolves the contentious issues, the implementation will be easy. If the Union government consults Goa government and clears the hurdles pertaining to forest and environmental clearance, then the government will immediately initiate the work. There is no dearth of funds,” he said.
