We have no money: Karnataka Home Minister urges local leaders to petition Centre
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara openly acknowledged that the state government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, doesn't have sufficient funds to support large-scale development projects.'We don't have money, even Siddaramaiah doesn't have funds now. We've already given everything to the people in the form of rice, dal, and oil, yes even oil,' the Home Minister said at a public event in Bagalkot district.advertisementAccording to Parameshwara, the Congress-led government already spent heavily on welfare schemes, referring to the Congress government's 'guarantees', thus leaving little room in the budget for new capital-intensive projects.
He also urged local leaders to propose a Rs 1,000 crore plan and send it to the Central government, to fund Badami's development and heritage protection.'You should take up a big project, something worth Rs 1,000 crore. Don't be afraid of the amount. Plan a project that can develop the entire Badami region. You should send the proposal to the Central Government,' he said. 'If you send a Rs 1,000 crore proposal to the Centre, the work of protecting this place will begin. It will also help in beautifying the town.'In February, India Today accessed information that beneficiaries of Gruha Lakshmi scheme – one of the five Congress's guarantees – haven't received their promised monthly Rs 2,000 since November-December 2024. Even Anna Bhagya's additional cash-for-rice funds have been withheld for five months.advertisementA Karnataka Development Programme report by the state's Department of Planning, Programme Coordination and Statistics showed considerable shortfalls in implementation of both schemes, with the total deficit running into thousands of crores.Earlier in December, it was reported that the Karnataka government was considering mortgaging state assets to finance road construction and development projects. Bengaluru's civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) reportedly intended to pledge its assets to generate Rs 19,000 crore for the Bengaluru Twin Tunnel Project, and submitted Expression of Interest to banks and financial institutions for the same.- Ends
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