BENGALURU: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will present the Karnataka Budget 2021-22 at 12 noon on Monday, the eighth in his political career and the third during his present term as CM since July 2019.
After a year marred by the Covid-19 pandemic, incessant floods and economic slowdown, Yediyurappa has assured that the budget will be growth-oriented with a focus on women empowerment.
The CM termed his budget a ‘Vikasa Patra’ (development document), on the eve its presentation. The CM’s official Twitter handle said he will present the budget at 12 noon with the hashtag ‘Karnataka development document’.
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The CM will hold a meeting of ministers at 11 am in Vidhana Soudha to seek the cabinet’s approval for the budget document. At 12 noon, he will present the budget in the Legislative Assembly. The Budget 2021-22 is expected to be a tightrope walk for Yediyurappa. Following the presentation, Yediyurappa will hold interactions to explain the outlay and the expected outcomes in detail.
Both Houses of the legislature will discuss the budget during the month-long session before passing it for implementation from April 1. Yediyurappa had presented a surplus budget for the 2020-21 fiscal despite a Rs 11,887-crore reduction in Central funds to the state for the 2019-20 fiscal.
Focus on women
The budget is expected to focus more on development works and women’s welfare. The State Government had resorted to heavy borrowings and raised loans to augment resources for development works since November, as more funds were used in fighting the Covid war over the last 10 months.