BANGALORE: The State Budget to be presented to the Legislative Assembly on Friday is expected to make a specific allocation of over Rs. 1,000 crore for the development of all backward taluks in the State in accordance with the recommendations of the Nanjundappa Committee report on "Redressal of Regional Imbalances".

Sources in the State Secretariat told The Hindu here on Tuesday that the budgetary allocation was expected to start the implementation of the report which had been pending before the Government for five years. The budgetary allocation would be for specific sectors such as health, education, irrigation and it is likely to be proportionate to the backwardness of each taluk concerned.

It was mentioned that the Government would make a commitment on total implementation of the report over eight years (2007 to 2014) and a fund allocation schedule would be announced. In other words, successive governments had to necessarily abide by the schedule.

Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who holds the Finance portfolio, in his reply at the special session of the Legislature held at Belgaum in September last, said that the coalition Government would implement the report through a budgetary allocation.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and the Deputy Chief Minister about a fortnight ago made a strong plea to the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, for financial participation in the development of backward taluks.

After the budgetary allocation, a high level team from the State comprising the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister was expected to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and seek a matching grant for the development of backward taluks.

The 2002 Nanjundappa Committee had recommended Rs. 31,000 crore spread over eight years for the development of all backward taluks.

Of Rs. 31,000 crore, the budgetary allocation had to be Rs. 15,000 crore over eight years and the remaining Rs 16,000 crore would be from special funds for the programme.

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