Siddaramaiah writes to FM Nirmala Sitharaman, urges immediate release of Special Grants to Karnataka
Bengaluru: Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, has penned a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, highlighting concerns and making an urgent plea for the release of Special Grants and State Specific Grants for Karnataka. The letter emphasized the critical financial situation faced by the state and urged the Finance Minister to consider the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission.
In the detailed letter, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed concern over the reduction in Karnataka's share in tax devolution recommended by the 15th Finance Commission. The share has been reduced to 3.647% of the divisible pool for the period between 2020-21 and 2025-26, down from the 4.71% recommended by the previous 14th Finance Commission. This drastic 23% decrease in allocation is attributed to the reduction in devolution share.
Another issue raised by Siddaramaiah is the adverse impact of the Income-Distance criteria adopted by the Commission. He pointed out that the new methodology for computing the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) under the 2011-12 series has disproportionately increased Karnataka's GSDP by over 30%, significantly higher than the average increase of less than 9% observed in other states. This change has led to a decrease in the State's standing, impacting its share in the Income-Distance parameter from 4.2% as per the 14th Finance Commission to a mere 1.1%. Consequently, the State's devolution share has also decreased from 4.71% to 3.64%.
Additionally, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah highlighted the absence of proportional contribution of the growth in GSDP attributed to IT-related services to State taxes. He underscored the importance of acknowledging this discrepancy and addressing the implications on financial allocations.
The letter further stated that the reduction in tax devolution share has led to a substantial decrease in total tax devolution to Karnataka over the past four years, amounting to Rs. 37,011 crore between FY 2020-21 and FY 2023-24.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also drew attention to the unfulfilled recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission regarding Special Grants and State Specific Grants. Despite the Commission's recommendation of Rs. 5,495 crore for Special Grants in 2020-21 and Rs. 6,000 crores for specific projects, these grants have not yet been released to the state. This delay has further strained Karnataka's already fragile fiscal position, the letter added.
Siddaramaiah urgently urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to reconsider the Commission's recommendations and release the Special Grants and State Specific Grants to Karnataka. He underscored the critical need for these funds to address the State's financial constraints and maintain fiscal stability.
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Poet Yahya Bootwala slams makers of Akshay Kumar's 'Kesari 2' for 'stealing' his work as dialogue
Mumbai: Popular poet Yahya Bootwala has accused the makers of Akshay Kumar’s ‘Kesari 2’ of plagiarising lines from one of his poems without permission or credit.
In a post shared on Instagram, Bootwala pointed out striking similarities between a dialogue delivered by actor Ananya Panday in the film and his poem titled ‘Jallianwala Bagh’ which was published five years ago on the YouTube channel UnErase Poetry. He also shared video clips comparing the two.
‘As writers, the worst thing you can do to a fellow writer is to pick up their material, blatantly use it without giving credits, and this is what I feel dialogue writer @sumit.saxena.35912 has done,” Bootwala wrote in a strongly-worded statement.
Calling it a “clear copy paste,” he accused the makers of openly using his lines without any attempt to modify the material.
While he acknowledged that people’s thoughts and thinking patterns can be similar, Bootwala stressed that writing almost the same lines on a particular topic is not a coincidence.
“Next time you can directly get in touch with me, main likh dunga original dialogues aapke liye,” remarked Bootwala.
The poet requested his fans and followers to amplify his voice, urging them to tag prominent names associated with the film, including Karan Johar, director Karan Singh Tyagi, and actors Akshay Kumar and Ananya Panday. “If you’ve ever connected with my work, help this reach them,” he wrote.
