BENGALURU: Karnataka’s ruling establishment has often accused the Union government of “stepmotherly treatment” in the release of Central funds to the state, a grievance even former CM Siddaramaiah had taken up with Union government on more than one occasion.
On Thursday, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rizwan Arshad met Union Minister for Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi in the capital, his first visit in his current role, and the meeting concluded with the Centre releasing Rs 406 crore in funds pending with the state government. “I am deeply grateful for the amount released by the Union authorities,” Arshad told TNIE. “There is about Rs 2,200 crore due to the State government from Central authorities under different heads, and we hope they will release it too in the coming days.”
The release of Rs 406 crore accounts for roughly a fifth of what Karnataka claims it is owed, meaning Rs 1,800 crore remains outstanding. Whether Arshad’s early success signals a genuine thaw in Centre-state relations on the funds question, or is simply a one-off gesture, is likely to become clearer.
The meeting also served as a briefing on Karnataka’s PDS reforms, as the state outlined steps taken to tighten transparency in the system, including CCTV surveillance at storage godowns, GPS tracking of transport vehicles.