Karnataka expects more revenue with economic recovery: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Sep 22: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday told the Legislative Assembly that with recovery in the economy after COVID-19 pandemic, the State is expected to receive more revenue in 2022-23 than expected.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the Finance portfolio, was speaking while piloting the supplementary estimates in the Legislative Assembly.
"Post-COVID economic recovery is on, last year we performed better than expected, in the last six months, too, as the trend continued, there has been additional revenue collection and other sources," Bommai said.
He said the State had received GST compensation of Rs 8,633 crore in the last six months.
"With the Central government's revenue collection being good, the State's share from the Centre is also likely to increase, adding to that State's performance is also good. Looking at the last six month's trend, we are likely to exceed the target," he added.
Further speaking on the GST compensation, Bommai said Rs 14,015 crore is pending, out of which Rs 8,633 has already come.
The State has also claimed additional Rs 6,000 crore and it is expected soon after the audit of the accounts by the Centre.
"Out of the GST we have to get, about Rs 6,000 crore we had to get audited by the AG ( Accountant General) and send it, it is now with the CAG. I have spoken to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman, she has said that once CAG approval is given, the money will be released immediately," he said.
The supplementary estimates of Rs 14,762.2 crore, was passed by the Assembly today.
The Chief Minister said, as promised earlier, he has set aside a sum of Rs 857 crore for the Backward Class Department.
He also assured that strict rules would be implemented and technology like satellite and drone would be used in the identification of extraction of minor minerals.
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Sharad Pawar praised RSS after seeing how it burst fake narrative balloon of LS polls: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."
