Date:19/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/19/stories/2008071953240400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

State Budget is mum on mobilising resources, says Kharge

Special Correspondent

Congress leader fears government may mortgage Soudhas for funds

Task forces on relief works in drought-hit areas sought
Proposal to open more liquor shops criticised

M. Mallikarjun Kharge

Bangalore: Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly M. Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday expressed the fear that the Bharatiya Janata Party Government may mortgage the seat of the State Secretariat — Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha — if it fails to mobilise resources for the development activities mentioned in the budget.

Initiating the debate on the budget proposals for 2008-09 presented by Chief Minister B.S Yeddyurappa, the Congress leader reasoned his fear saying that there was no mention of any efforts to mobilise resources for the innumerable programmes. Instead, Mr. Yeddyurappa was hoping to get Rs. 5,000 crore loan from the Centre, the Reserve Bank of India, the Life Insurance Corporation of India and the National Cooperative Development Corporation, Mr. Kharge said.

The State Government, he said, was planning to get Rs. 3,000 crore from the proceeds of the Government real estate in and around Bangalore for implementing the programmes and development of infrastructure. He questioned whether such a proposition was practical and dubbed the thinking as fraud played on the people. The proposed borrowing was in the order of 15 per cent as compared with the present six per cent. A day may come, when the Government would mortgage the Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha, he added.

He said that swamijis praised Mr. Yeddyurappa when he banned arrack which earned him dividends in terms of votes, but he was asking the people to drink beer/liquor by permitting 1,000 liquor shops and 500 bars/restaurants, when they ask for drinking water. He criticised the proposal to sell liquor in public sector undertakings, which smacked of falling standards. It is sad that wine centres would come up like arrack shops, he added.

On the drought, Mr. Kharge suggested that task forces should be constituted at the Cabinet level, the district and taluk levels to handle relief works. The Secretaries in-charge of the districts should work on war-footing to provide water, fodder, jobs and food to the affected people and cattle in 124 taluks, including those in north Karnataka region.

Coming down heavily on meagre allocation for irrigation, education, rural development, power and infrastructure as compared with previous years, Mr. Kharge wanted to know whether such a budget was pro-farmer and pro-poor, whose quality of life would not improve. The only exception, he said was allocation of Rs. 300 crore for Bangalore.

He said that it was a please-all budget and not a programme and development-oriented exercise to help the farmers, labourers, downtrodden, women and poor among the middle class people. Mr. Kharge urged Mr. Yeddyurappa to restore the MLAs’ fund and warned any effort to convey a message that development works would be taken up only, if the MLAs were in the BJP camp, which was dangerous to the democracy.