The Hindu : Front Page : `Preparing to be next Chief Minister'

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Sunday, Feb 04, 2007
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`Preparing to be next Chief Minister'

S. Rajendran

State will be debt free in a decade if a long-term plan is prepared: Yediyurappa

B.S. Yediyurappa

BANGALORE: Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa is confident that Karnataka will be debt free in about a decade if a long-term plan is prepared and governments are committed to its implementation. The financial position of the State is buoyant and attempts have to be made to repay outstanding debts, he says.

As the Finance Minister of the State, Mr. Yediyurappa has made Karnataka one of the most financially sound States in the country in a short span of time.

The revenue earnings of the State have crossed all estimates, and targets have been reset thrice for several government departments. Compared to the budgeted revenue mobilisation, the State has netted an additional Rs. 3,900 crore during the current financial year.

He said, "I am planning to prepare a long-term debt clearance plan. Karnataka has scored over other States by refraining from obtaining any fresh debt during the year. The cost of debt servicing has come down since the State opted for a debt swap."

Mr. Yediyurappa, who was instrumental in forming the JD(S)-BJP coalition Government, told The Hindu on the occasion of the Government completing one year in office that the past year had been a great experience for him which should help him when he took charge as the Chief Minister in October.

According to the understanding between the coalition partners, Mr. Kumaraswamy has another eight months to go, and the Central BJP leadership "has confirmed that I will take over as the Chief Minister. This has been mentioned several times and there need not be any doubt on this score." He said that the new budget likely to be presented in March would have many novel schemes aimed at poverty alleviation.

"The Government has implemented several schemes, unlike the Garibi Hatao programme of the Congress, which remained on paper. We will prove that we are different and we will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, and urban and rural areas," he said.

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