'It is poll-oriented budget'

Funds to solve Shiradi Ghat woes, Oceanarium cheer coastal people

The populist budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah keeping in mind the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls has evoked mixed response from people from all walks of life. 

Congratulating the Chief Minister for presenting a budget through an indepth analysis of the needs of the farmers in the State, Justice K S Hegde Institute of Management (Nitte) Professor and ex-member of Karnataka State Planning Commission Dr G V Joshi said that the budget has a good vision to farming community.

However, being an election oriented budget, it has announced several schemes with less budgetary allocations. With this, the impact of the scheme will be negligible. Citing an example of allocation of  Rs 135 crore for maintenance of rural roads, he said that the amount is meagre when compared to the pathetic condition of the rural roads in the state. The budget should have made provision for the evaluation and assessment of welfare schemes to the weaker sections of the society. 

Nagarika Hitharakshana Samithi President Hanumantha Kamath said that the budget is disappointing. The budgetary allocation for the tunnel at Shiradi ghat and education sector is a welcome move.

KCCI President Mohammed Amin said that the state budget has concentrated on farmers rather than industries. 

The commitment of the State government to complete the work on permanent solution to the Shiradi Ghat stretch within 18 months and oceanarium at Pilikula is a welcome move. The proposal to set up training and manufacturing centres at Karkala taluk in Udupi district through Karnataka State Coir Development Corporationis also a welcome move. By increasing the tax, food will be expensive in the state. 

Entrepreneur Latha Kini said “like last budget, this budget has also made several promises. As there was no saying on how the welfare schemes announced in the last budget have been implemented, there is no much hopes from the announcement. The decision on Shiradi Ghat road needs to be lauded. At the same time, setting up of four more ESI hospitals is also a good move.” 

DYFI District President Muneer Katipalla said that the budget has disappointed youth and students. It has not announced any schemes for the unorganised labourers. It has also failed to announce government medical college to Dakshina Kannada to overcome the monopoly of the private medical colleges. The CM has not given priority to generate employment with security. 

Terming the budget as an election gimmick, district BJP unit President Prathap Simha Nayak said that the State government has failed to reach out the target in revenue and resource mobilisation in the last nine months. 

Though it has announced to continue few of the welfare schemes introduced by the previous BJP government, the promises in the budget are only to please people. 

Udupi

Udupi district Chamber of Commerce President K V Prabhu said that the budget is not satisfactory. It is highly disappointing especially for the small-scale industries. The budget holds nothing for the small-scale industries and the power problem which is the obstacle for the growth of the small scale industries is not addressed, he added.Krishnamurthy Kodla working as the senior employee in one of the advertising firm said “this is a “Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavanthu” poll-oriented budget, as it should be both for the Chief Minister and for the Congress. The silver line is that, the already burdened common man has been spared from more taxes. 

He added that the Government should have plugged the loopholes of keeping in fixed deposit at higher rate of interest, before increasing the quantum of subsidised loan to Rs 10 lakhs to the farming community at an interest rate of three per cent. This will benefit only the cash rich farmers who have more political power at the co-operative society level.