Karnataka Budget 2023: CM announces several new welfare schemes and projects for education, medicine, and climate sectors

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai today presented the Karnataka state budget and the last budget of the BJP government in its present term at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru today. The budget speech was over 2 and a half hours long. The CM  presented a surplus budget of Rs 3.09 lakh crore with gross borrowing of Rs. 77 thousand crores. CM Bommai offered prayers at the Srikantheshwara temple and the Sri Anjaneya Swamy temple in Bengaluru before the presentation of his second budget. He said, “ This is a "revenue-surplus" budget as the revenue receipts were more than revenue expenditure by Rs. 402 crores.” A ruckus was created while the CM presented the budget. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah with other congress leaders entered the assembly and alleged that the present BJP government has made false fake promises to people in the 2018 manifesto and in the previous budget.

Just three months ahead of the state assembly polls, the CM to woo farmers has announced that from the coming financial year, there would be an increase in the limit of interest-free short-term loans given to farmers from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. The CM announced several new welfare schemes and projects in the education, medicine, and climate sectors and for the welfare of the poor, weaker sections, women, and youth. CM Bommai said that the government will construct a cloud-based state data center with an expenditure of Rs. 590 crores. A 24/7 Cyber Security Operation Centre (CSOC) will be formed to ensure the data safety of government websites, and online services.

To control floods in Bengaluru, a project at a cost of Rs. 3,000 crores will be implemented with the assistance of the World Bank. The Karnataka government has approved the construction of several highways in the state including the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, Bengaluru-Ramanagar-Mandya-Mysore Highway, and Hubli-Andhra Border Highway. 250 female toilets would be constructed in densely populated markets, and commercial complexes in Bengaluru, CM Bommai announced Rs. 425 crores for the renovation of the Hindu temples and mutts and for the same purpose, another 1000 crore will be sanctioned in the next two years. With the financial assistance of Rs. 17 crores, to assist fishermen's boats in distress, automated boats are to be installed with ISRO-developed geo-positioning technology. 

Rs.46,278 crores has been provided for women's empowerment and welfare, while Rs. 47,256 crore has been granted for child welfare, CM Bommai informed. The tax exemption limit has increased monthly from Rs. 15k to Rs. 25k. CM Bommai said that the per capita income in the state has increased up to Rs. 3.32 lakh from Rs. 2.04 lakh. In this series, CM has announced Karasamadhana Scheme for GST and Excise tax arrears and penalties by waiving it off if paid before June 30th. CM said that this year the BJP government will distribute Rs. 25,000 crore loans to over 30 lakh farmers. Under the Vidya Shakti Scheme, CM Bommai has announced free-of-cost education in government and pre-university, degree colleges. Rs. 50 lakh incentive has been announced for universities that achieved a merit in the 10 good governance indicators set by the higher education department. Rs. 300 crores have been reserved for the road reconstruction of 110 villages. A university will be constructed in Chikkamagaluru with the utmost use of technology and polytechnics at Bankapura, Shiggavi taluka will be upgraded to engineering colleges. Similarly, Rs. 100 crores have been sanctioned for the making of new schools where no Karnataka Public Schools in 23 talukas and also for the advancement of 46 schools that are functioning. The CM also announced a hospital like AIIMS in Raichur, with a super speciality hospital in Kumta, Uttara Kannada district to be established this year. For the construction of a Satellite Town Ring Road of 288 km. length Karnataka government will pay 30% of land acquisition cost. The estimated project cost is Rs. 13,139 crores. With the assistance of the Government of India and at a cost of Rs. 69 thousand crores, the construction of airports, railway lines, suburban railway stations, ports, multi-modal logistic parks, and other infrastructure development projects have been taken up in the state. With a capacity of 440 MLD and with a total cost of Rs. 12,000 crores, 4 new treatment plants will be installed.

With a cost of Rs. 3,720 crore state highway road distance of 948 km. and a district with other road distance of 1364 km are proposed to be developed by March-April 2023. To control traffic chaos in Bengaluru city, the Karnataka government will spend Rs. 150 crores on the development of 75 important junctions in the city. Also, the city will get 20 new police stations including 6 women police stations, five traffic police stations, and nine law and order police stations.