CM seeks special package, tax incentives for State

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday made a fervent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide a special package to Karnataka similar to the one provided to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Speaking at the inauguration of the India Food Park at Vasanthanarasapura in Sira taluk of the district, Siddaramaiah said that tax incentives provided to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to promote industrialisation should be extended to Karnataka as well.

“If the special package is not extended to us, it could lead to unhealthy competition between the states”, he told prime minister in Kannada.

It was obvious that the chief minister was referring to Hero MotoCorp shifting its proposed  unit from Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh following special incentives offered to it in the neighbouring state. 

Siddaramaiah also sought Central assistance to tackle drought in 66 taluks and the recent floods in the districts of North Karnataka. He sought clearance from the Centre for the 560-km Chennai-Bangalore-Chitradurga industrial corridor and for setting up a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone in Tumkur.

In his reply, Modi said that Siddaramaiah spoke in Kannada, a language which he did not understand. “But I could follow the chief minister’s concerns. The Union and the State governments need to understand each other to aid the nation’ s progress”, Modi said in Hindi.