As anticipated Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday presented an election Budget, a please all, ahead of 2014 general elections. Siddaramaiah, a Congress CM who believes in politics of appeasement and vote-bank politics has chiseled his Budget 2014-15 to the tune of party ideology as Karnataka is a crucial State in the south for the party.
Presenting his Budget 2014-15 in the Assembly, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tried to play usual rhetoric in his Budget but gave some sops to farmers and minorities. This is his record ninth Budget and second as Chief Minister who holds the Finance portfolio.
Karnataka’s Budget estimates for 2014-15 indicated that the total receipts will be Rs 1,36,249 crores — comprising revenue receipts of Rs 1,11,039 crores and capital receipts of Rs 25,210 crores which includes borrowings of Rs 25,042 crores. The revenue surplus is estimated at Rs 281 crore.
Siddaramaiah as expected concentrated more towards rural poor and farming sector. Siddaramaiah raised the ceiling of the interest free agricultural loans to Rs 3 lakhs from the earlier Rs 2 lakhs and farm loans between Rs 3 lakhs and Rs 10 lakhs will be provided at an interest rate of 3 per cent.
The CM who has been the champion of backward classes has introduced several schemes and incentives for the nomadic tribes, the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes apart from the backward classes.
Gourava Bhagya for women, Krishi Bhagya for farmers, revision of Bhagya lakshmi scheme, interest-free loan of up to Rs 3 lakh for farmers, health cards and provision of ‘102’ ambulance service for children on the lines of ‘108’ ambulances are among the various features of Rs 1.38 lakh crore Budget for the year 2014-15 as against Rs 1.21 lakh crore Budget presented last year.
Siddharamaiah said that enough budgetary provisions had been made for overall development of the State besides taking care of the interests of the backward class and other minority communities with impetus on development of farmers and agricultural sector.