BENGALURU: Expressing concern over 10% of the rich holding 80% of the nation’s wealth, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Friday said the state government’s ambitious five guarantee schemes were envisioned to bridge such disparity.
In his Independence Day speech after hoisting the national flag on 79th Independence Day celebrations at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground here, he said the state has allocated Rs 96,000 crore for Anna Bhagya, Shakti, Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyothi and Yuva Nidhi schemes. “United Nations General Assembly President Philemon Yang too has praised the schemes,” he said. “To bridge the wealth gap, guarantees and other welfare programmes were introduced. The schemes have led to an increase in per capita income, and studies have indicated that women’s workforce participation has increased by 23%,” he added.
The state is spending Rs 1.12 lakh crore on welfare measures, including guarantees.
“Karnataka is 1st in per capita income, and in the past decade, it has achieved a growth of 101%. It is already India’s IT capital, and it is now stepping forward to become the world’s Capital of Innovation. The state attracts the second highest foreign direct investment in the country,” he pointed out.
In all, 44,166 acres in 18 industrial areas have been declared special investment regions, and investors have expressed interest in bringing investments of Rs 10 lakh crore, he said.
Rs 65,000 crore has been allocated to the education sector, while steps are being taken to bring a comprehensive State Education Policy, he said.
He said, “The Platform-based Gig Workers Bill which covers 5 lakh gig workers will be implemented. An insurance cover of Rs 4 lakh will be given to these workers.”
He said, “The state has made significant achievements in the services sector, which contributes 66.7% to our Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).”
To develop Bengaluru, various projects, including tunnel road, double decker roads, Cauvery water scheme, Metro, buffer roads and traffic management, worth over Rs 1,35,000 crore have been initiated, he added.
He said the Yettinahole project will be completed by 2027. Rs 5,000 crore has been allocated to develop the Kalyana-Karnataka region with a special focus on health infrastructure, he listed.
Karnataka is now Naxalism free and soon it will be drug free too, he asserted. A special action force has been constituted to prevent communal violence in coastal Karnataka, he said.
As many as 450 children from Seshadripuram PU College in Herohalli performed a skit on the five guarantees. A stamp on the state police to commemorate its 50th anniversary was released on the occasion.
CM TAKES A DIG AT CENTRE
CM Siddaramaiah expressed his concerns over the Centre over distribution of funds and misuse of constitutional bodies. “Karnataka is facing discrimination in the distribution of resources from the Centre. There is a growing concern that constitutional bodies, like the Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and others are not working to uphold the true values of democracy and cooperative federalism as enshrined in the Constitution. Every responsible citizen must raise their voice in this regard,” he urged.