Karnataka Budget: Promises seem fine on paper, but what about implementation?

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Budget 2025-26 promises significant urban development and infrastructural improvements in Bengaluru, alongside major announcements related to the film industry.

However, citizens say that meticulous planning and coordination are essential at the ground level for the successful implementation of these promises.

In his 16th presentation of the Karnataka Budget, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has allocated Rs 8,000 crore under a new scheme called the Chief Minister’s Infrastructure Development Program (CMIDP) to ensure balanced development across the state, focusing on minor irrigation, roads, and urban infrastructure in all legislative assembly constituencies.

He has also increased the yearly grant from Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 7,000 crore in the current year to improve Bengaluru's infrastructure.

Reacting to this, Kochu Shankar, a resident of Horamavu, said that this is not the first time the government has promoted infrastructural development, adding, “The implementation at the ground level simply does not happen.”

"We can’t trust the government based on budget allocation that the urban infrastructure will actually improve. We have seen over the years how metro construction has impacted our roads. As some of the funds depend on borrowings, it will only be a tax burden in the years to come,” he said.

With the Chief Minister announcing industry status for the cinema sector, M Narasimhalu, President of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, said that Sandalwood would benefit from financial support.

Sadhu Kokila, President of the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, noted that a price cap of Rs 200 for movie tickets at multiplexes would not only attract more viewers for Kannada cinema, but would also encourage families from the labour class to experience multiplex viewing.

Both Narasimhalu and Kokila lauded the creation of an OTT platform to promote Kannada films.

However, the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) Union has expressed disappointment over the budget’s promise of increasing the honorarium by Rs 1,000.

In a press statement, All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) State Secretary, D Nagalakshmi, has demanded the government to confirm whether all 42,000 ASHAs would receive the promised honorarium of Rs 10,000.

Moreover, environmentalists have expressed dismay over the budget’s neglect of the restoration of lakes and water bodies.

Anjaneya Reddy of Shashwatha Neeravari Horata Samiti has described the budget as a setback for drought-hit districts.