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North Karnataka neglected: Kharge

M. Mallikarjun Kharge

BANGALORE: The former Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress) on Saturday accused the Government of discriminating against north Karnataka in the allocation of funds in the Budget and sanctioning of schools, colleges and infrastructure projects.

Speaking on the demand for grants by various departments in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Kharge said Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who holds the Finance portfolio, had announced several schemes with no guarantee of funds being provided. He wanted to know how the Government planned to mobilise an additional Rs. 6,000 crore to implement over 200 schemes announced in the Budget.

Almost all the departments had neglected the backward taluks of north Karnataka while seeking funds for various projects. Of the Rs. 561 crore sanctioned for Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd., only Rs. 170 crore had been set aside for the north Karnataka region. Under the Chief Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana, Rs. 80 crore had been sanctioned to north Karnataka and Rs. 222 crore to the rest of the State, he said.

Only Rs. 2 crore had been sanctioned for new projects in north Karnataka, while the southern districts got Rs. 40 crore. Of the Rs. 40 crore, Rs. 30 crore was for Hassan district and Rs. 8 crore for Ramanagaram constituency, which was represented by the Chief Minister. There were no need-based allocations, he said and demanded that the Government table a White Paper in the House on the allocation of funds to various districts.

He urged the Government to set aside resources for the implementation of recommendations made by the Nanjundappa committee to remove regional imbalances.

Infrastructure projects in north Karnataka had been sidelined. Land had already been acquired for an airport in Gulbarga. But adequate funds had not been released to begin work on the project.

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