Mangaluru, July 05: Minister UT Khader said that besides continuing all the programmes announced in the previous budget presented by former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced few more programmes in the budget presented today.

The Chief Minister has taken a strong decision to waive off the farm loans by maintaining the financial discipline of the state. Waiving off the farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh was a historic decision. Apart from this, the budget has Chief Minister’s Matrusri scheme to give Rs 1000 pension for pregnant women, increase of old age pension under Sandhya Suraksha scheme from Rs 600 to Rs 1000, house construction for the physically challenged as soon as they apply for the houses, earmarking Rs 30 crore fund for giving financial assistance to the poor for major organ transplantations like kidney, liver, heart and others were his major decisions, he said.

The Chief Minister has earmarked Rs 150 crore for repairing the buildings of schools and colleges. Construction of multi-storey complexes in City Corporation limits and other pro-people programmes would help the people. In the previous budget, priority was given for the basic infrastructure in the coastal region. Boat houses in tourist places, floating hotel, well-equipped prison at a cost of Rs 85 crore, barrage construction across Netravati river between Harekala and Adyaru at a cost of Rs 174 crore for irrigation and drinking water purpose were announced in the previous budget. All these programmes would continue in this government also. All the other programmes give to the SC/ST, backward and minority classes would continue. He has appealed for more funds for the development of the coastal region and the CM has responded positively, he said.



Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi (PTI): Vice President of India C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday left for Sri Lanka on a two-day official visit.

This marks the first bilateral visit by an Indian vice president to Sri Lanka, his office said.

During the visit, Radhakrishnan will call on the President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Disanayaka.

He will also meet the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Harini Amarasuriya, along with other dignitaries on April 19, an official statement said.

Radhakrishnan will interact with leaders of the Indian-origin Tamil community and Tamil leaders from the Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka.

Later in the day, the vice president will address the Indian diaspora at a community event in Colombo, where he will virtually hand over houses to beneficiaries from Tamil communities, built with assistance from the Indian government as part of the third phase of the Indian Housing Project.

With this, the total number of houses for Tamil communities will reach 50,000, and 10,000 more houses are being built in the fourth phase of the project, the statement mentioned.

On April 20, the vice president will travel to Nuwara Eliya, visit the Indian Housing Projects, and interact with the local Tamil community.

This visit, which follows recent high-level engagements between the two countries, is expected to further strengthen the millennia-old civilisational and people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka, the statement said.