THE Congress government in Karnataka is settling down as quickly as it can. It has made decent progress with the five big welfare guarantees it made during the assembly elections.
The inclusive and representational victory that the party achieved had brought pressure on it to roll out the guarantees, not in phases, not in parts, but in their entirety. What that entirety is, became a matter of interpretation after the polls.
Instead of emotionally rushing to fulfil the welfare promises, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah paused like a seasoned administrator, took a hard look at the coffers, and cautiously moved ahead by introducing certain conditionalities. Given his past experience in handling the finance portfolio, one can be sure that he fully understands what he has committed his government to do. After having become chief minister for a second time and having declared that what just got over was his last election, there is no basis to suspect that he functions with an after-me-the-deluge attitude regarding the state's finances. He may be looking for a legacy.
The total cost to the exchequer from the five welfare schemes is rather hazy. It is variously pegged between ₹50,000 crores and ₹1 lakh crores per annum. To offer some perspective, the total size of the Karnataka budget is around ₹3 lakh crores. Even as speculation has run wild, the government has not clarified the total figure because it does not have a final figure. It will be known only after payments hit the accounts of beneficiaries and after all concessions and losses are fully accounted for.
Bu hikaye The New Indian Express dergisinin June 07, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The New Indian Express dergisinin June 07, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
High-voltage meeting in prospect at Chinnaswamy
AS the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers arrived at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday evening, they were greeted by typical gloomy weather synonymous with the Garden City.
Hardwork behind Reddy's success in IPL
ALL-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been a revelation for the Sunrisers Hyderabad this season.
VIJAY SETHUPATHI'S NEXT TITLED ACE
ACTOR Vijay Sethupathi's upcoming film with director Aarumuga Kumar has been titled Ace.
Chaotic assembly of random ideas and weak humour
INGN Naan Thaan Kingu begins with a prologue detailing terrorist serial bombings.
Generic plot and lively animation serve up a moderately fun watch
THE Garfield Movie is a harmless, enjoyable ride.
Parveen's Olympic dreams over after ITA ban
PARVEEN Hooda, who had secured a boxing quota in the 57kg category during the Asian Games, has been handed a 22-month suspension by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for whereabouts failure, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) confirmed on Friday.
AFI fires warning to coaches
THE Athletics Federation of India (AFI) could be one of the first National Sports Federations to announce that they would ban coaches of athletes who test positive for doping.
Tennis: Rethin clinches TK Ramanathan Award
RETHIN Pranav bagged the prestigious TK Ramanathan Award at the Annual Day function of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association here at the SDAT Nungambakkam stadium here on Friday.
JSW Steel profit falls 62%, total income declines 2% in Q4FY24
JSW Steel has reported a 62% I drop in consolidated net profit in the quarter ended March 2024.
Vodafone to prioritise 4G network growth over 5G; to spend ₹55,000 crore
EVEN as other telecom service providers have been rolling out 5G, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi), the country's third-largest telecom operator, is still prioritising expanding its 4G networks.
