K’taka CM Siddaramaiah slams union budget, calls it injustice to state
Mysuru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday slammed the Union Budget 2025, stating that it has caused injustice to the state.
Expressing his displeasure against the union budget, the CM stated that the BJP at the centre has a Manusmriti mentality and that its unfairly treating those states who are against the Manusmriti.
Speaking to the media at his residence here at TK Layout here, he criticised the union government for presenting a disappointing budget for 2025-26. He said that the budget is conducive to economic growth, lacks vision and has done great injustice to Karnataka.
Reflecting on the previous year's budget, he said even this year too the union budget has given a tight slap to Karnataka.
“We had sent Revenue Minister Kirshna Byregowda to attend the pre-budget discussion and had presented several demands for the state, but not even a single one has been fulfilled,” he said.
Furthermore he added, “in a budget of ₹55.46 lakh crore, the Centre has borrowed ₹15.68 lakh crore, with an interest payment of ₹12.7 lakh crore. The country’s total debt now stands at ₹202-205 lakh crore. The physical deficit is 4.4 percent, the revenue deficit is 1.5 percent. Overall, the central budget is disappointing and a budget that is against Karnataka.”
Highlighting Karnataka’s status as the second-highest tax-paying state, he criticized the preferential treatment given to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. “Bihar has been granted more funds for political reasons, while Andhra Pradesh has received additional allocations as part of a political adjustment,” he alleged.
The Chief Minister expressed disappointment over the lack of funds for crucial irrigation projects, including Mekedatu, Bhadra Upper Bank, Mahadayi, and Krishna Upper Bank. He pointed out that in the 2023-24 budget, the Centre had promised ₹5,300 crore for the Bhadra Upper Bank project, but not a single rupee has been released. This time, the project has been completely excluded.
Further, he criticized the budget for not including an AIIMS hospital in Raichur, despite Karnataka’s repeated requests. “Funds for urban development, drinking water projects, rural infrastructure, and highways have also been denied,” he added.
Bengaluru’s infrastructure projects, including the Rajakaluve (stormwater drain) development and business corridor expansion, were overlooked. Additionally, the state’s request for increasing the honorarium of Anganwadi and ASHA workers was ignored.
Siddaramaiah criticized the reduction in funds for housing schemes. “The Centre provides ₹1.5 lakh for housing in urban areas, and we requested an increase to ₹5 lakh, but it was not considered. In rural areas, where the current allocation is ₹75,000, we had sought an increase to ₹3 lakh—this too was rejected,” he said.
He also pointed out a cut in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) budget, which dropped from ₹89,154 crore last year to ₹86,000 crore this year. Similarly, the Krishi Sinchayee Yojana saw only a marginal increase from ₹8,250 crore to ₹8,260 crore.
Targeting the Modi government’s economic policies, Siddaramaiah ridiculed flagship schemes like Make in India and Startup India, noting that despite grand announcements, only ₹100 crore has been allocated to Make in India. “This is a budget of hollow words,” he remarked.
He also pointed out budget reductions for agriculture, livestock health, and disease control. “Instead of investing in the welfare of farmers, workers, youth, and women, the government is prioritizing corporate interests. Telecom infrastructure funding, which stood at ₹2,000 crore last year, has been suddenly increased to ₹28,000 crore this year, clearly with elections in mind,” he alleged.
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Three arrested in stone-pelting incident in Chikkamagaluru
Chikkamagaluru: Police have arrested three persons in connection with a recent stone-pelting incident at a house in the city’s Vijayapura locality and the violence that followed.
The arrested persons have been identified as Bharat (23) of Gauri kaluve, Dilip (27) of Ramanahalli, and Harish, the owner of the motorcycle allegedly used in the incident.
According to police, the accused had been moving around near the complainant’s house on motorcycles for three days prior to the incident. The investigation has also revealed that there had been an earlier argument between the accused and the complainant.
Police said further inquiry is under way to determine the exact motive behind the stone-pelting and whether others were involved.
