Continuing his spree of dole-outs to various religious mutts and other organisations, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar announced financial assistance to the tune of over Rs 30 crore, in the Karnataka Legislative Council which was adjourned after passing the crucial Vote on Account on Friday.
Replying to a debate which took place in the Upper House on the annual Budget for 2013-14, the CM made promises to mutts and social organisations to release funds to support their activities.
When Shettar started reading out the names of beneficiaries who would get state funds, members cutting across party affiliations, lined up before him with a fervent appeal to oblige them with their list of beneficiaries.
Obliging them, the CM also announced that Rs 2 crore would be released to set up Dr V S Acharya Study Centre, Rs 1 crore to Beli Mutt and Savalagi, Babalad, Gudavi Channabasaveshwar Temple and `5 crore to KIMS Hubli and other institutions. He also announced the decision of the Karnataka Housing Board to allot a residential plot to environmentalist Saalu Marada Thimmakka, at KHB’s Surya Nagar residential complex.
Criticising the CM for obliging everybody who came with a piece of paper, the Opposition leader said that “the members are lowering the sanctity of the Budget itself”. Reiterating that the financial conditions of the state is stable and robust, Shettar said: “We have maintained the fiscal deficit well within the permissible limit.” He said the government had taken care to meet the expenses and pay back co-operative banks for the loan waiver scheme.
“A sum of Rs 350 crore has been reimbursed to various co-operative institutions towards the loan waiver scheme and provisions made to release another Rs 1,850 crore,” he said. He appealed to the Opposition Congress members to exert pressure on the UPA government and prevail upon the Prime Minister to announce loan waiver for farmers who had borrowed from PSU banks.
Later the House passed the Karnataka Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill 2013 for Rs 40,413.71 crore to meet the expenditure of the government for four months from April 1.
The House was adjourned sine die after passing of the Appropriation Bill as well as the supplementary Budget for Rs 5,800 crore for the year ending March 2013.