With no debate, Assembly gifts govt Rs 87,000 crore

Bills approved while the Opposition parties continued boycott

The Assembly also approved five other bills, including the Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2011, that seeks to extend the time given for submitting applications for regularisation of revenue sites (sites formed on agriculture land without land use conversion) across all cities and towns in the State.

The Appropriation Bill seeks to authorise the government to draw Rs 87,737.43 crore from the consolidated fund of Karnataka to meet the expenditure as shown in the Budget 2011-12. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who holds the Finance portfolio, piloted the bill which the House approved by a voice vote.

The bill will now go to the Legislative Council for its approval. Barring half-a-day’s desultory debates on grants relating to some departments, the House hardly met its objective of the 10-day extended budget session — to discuss and debate about the budgetary programmes.

The Opposition Congress and the JD(S) are staying away from the House demanding the resignation of Speaker K G Bopaiah and the Chief Minister, who, they claim, have been indicted by the Supreme Court in the MLAs’ disqualification case.

They have decided not to take part in the session as long as Bopaiah continues as Speaker.

Independent MLAs repeatedly urged the Speaker to persuade the Opposition members to return to the House and take part in the proceedings.

The Speaker replied that he had made efforts to get the Opposition members back to the House, but in vain.

Other bills

The House also passed the Karnataka Innovative Universities Bill 2011, the Karnataka Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill 2011, The Karnataka State Minorities Commission (Amendment) Bill 2011, and the Karnataka Repealing (Regional Laws) Bill 2011, which too will now go to the Council for its approval.

The bills passed

The State Assembly approved the following six bills on Monday:

*  Karnataka Appropriation Bill 2011
* Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2011
* Karnataka Innovative Universities Bill 2011
* Karnataka Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill 2011
* Karnataka State Minorities Commission (Amendment) Bill 2011
* the Karnataka Repealing (Regional Laws) Bill 2011