BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday took a dig at the Centre, alleging that it has not released its pending share of Rs 4,195 crore for centrally-sponsored schemes during the financial year 2024-25.
He urged MPs from Karnataka to get the grants from the Centre, and said he had already met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and submitted a request to release the pending grants.
“In 2024-25, the grant for centrally sponsored projects was Rs 46,859 crore, of which the state’s grant was Rs 24,960 crore, and Centre’s grant was Rs 22,758 crore. Of this, the Centre released Rs 18,561 crore, and Rs 4,195 crore is pending,” he told reporters after chairing the state-level Disha Committee to review the progress of 67 centrally-sponsored projects.
The Centre’s and state’s share in centrally-sponsored projects ranges from 50:50, 60:40 and 70:30 ratio, he said.
The CM instructed officials to achieve 100 per cent progress. While 83 per cent of the grants have been spent, officials attributed a number of problems, including delay in the release of grants from the Centre. He told officials to spend 100 per cent of the grants for the year 2025-26, and request the Centre to release grants on time.
When officials drew attention to the fact that the state had not yet received MNREGA grants from the Centre, Siddaramaiah said Disha meetings should be held regularly at the district level, and urged MPs to take interest. He ordered legal action be taken and a criminal case filed against officials who had committed irregularities in implementing the MNREGA scheme.
Officials informed that a two-year share of Rs 10,000 crore is pending from the Centre for the National Rural Drinking Water Scheme, causing many delays. A sum of Rs 7,656 crore was pending under Jal Jeevan Mission project for 2023-24, and Rs 3,233 crore for 2024-25, they added.
Shivajinagar MLA and Disha Committee member Rizwan Arshad mocked the state’s BJP MPs, asking whether the Central government has no money to provide for drinking water.
No funds for Upper Bhadra Project
Siddaramaiah attacked the Centre for failing to release a grant of Rs 5,360 crore announced in the Central budget for the Upper Bhadra Project for 2023-24. “Not a single rupee has been released so far. Though the state’s delegation met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman twice, it was of no use,” he alleged.
The Centre has also cut its share for social security schemes, especially pensions. “The state’s grant for widow pension, old age pension, and disabled pension schemes is Rs 5665.95 crore, while the Centre’s grant is Rs 559.61 crore, but the latter released only Rs 113.92 crore,” the CM claimed. “If funds are not released on time, how can development be carried out?”