BENGALURU: Prioritising Gruha Jyothi scheme in the Budget, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that it will be implemented at a cost of Rs 13,910 crore to the state exchequer. The overall allocation made to the energy sector for the year 2023-24 is Rs 22,773 crore. This is much higher than the BJP government’s Rs 13,803 crore allocated in February 2023. The gross allocation for the sector is 7 per cent.
Experts and officials point out that since the burden is very high, the government is unable to take up any new scheme. “There is nothing for the energy sector, especially when Karnataka has been taking the lead in renewable energy. The state had hosted energy summits, but to take it ahead, there is no mention or vision of the government in the Budget,” said a state government official.
The CM highlighted that all electricity supply corporations under the energy department are under a loan burden of Rs 91,911 crore, and that the loan amount had increased from Rs 51,086 crore as on March 2018. To address the issue, a vision document 2035 will be prepared for electricity generation, transmission and supply.
Energy expert M G Prabhakar said the industrial sector had proposed to the CM to reduce electricity tax, which was not addressed. The Budget shows that the government is walking a tightrope as it has to manage the guarantee scheme and also ensure that IP and irrigation subsidies are met.