HDK’s maiden budget announces farm loan waiver, increase in tax on fuel

coastaldigest.com web desk

July 5, 2018

Bengaluru, Jul 5: Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is now presenting the Congress-JDS coalition government’s maiden budget. Here are the live updates:

16% of budget set aside for loan waiver

Kumaraswamy starts his budget speech at Vidhana Soudha. He announces formation of a farmers' consultation committee comprising of progressive farmers. He allocates ₹50 crore for a zero budget natural farming on the lines of Andhra Pradesh.

The focus, he says, will be on making on farming productive and ensure good prices.

Total budget size is ₹2.13 lakh crore, of which ₹34,000 crore will be set aside for the loan waiver in the budget, says the CM.

Fuel prices to go up

Kumaraswamy has included a host of tax hikes in the budget, which he has argued as necessary steps to “augment resource mobilisation” towards fulfilling the promise of loan waiver to farmers.

The budget has increased rate of tax on petrol from the present 30% to 32%, hiking petrol prices in the State by ₹1.14 per litre and rate of tax on diesel from the present 19% to 21% hiking its price by ₹1.12 per litre.

The Chief Minister said even with this hike the prices of petrol and diesel would be lower in Karnataka when compared to the neighbouring States.

School reforms

The Chief Minister also announces a package for repair of schools. He announces starting English medium government schools.

About 48,000 schools will have biometrics, within 3 years, to monitor teachers and students. And 1,000 Government schools to have English medium sections, Mr. Kumaraswamy says.

Arounf 8,530 schools that have low enrollment will be merged with schools within a kilometre. Sports will be introduced as a subject in higher education classes.

A university for sports to be set up in Tumakuru and a Homeland Security University will come up in Shivamogga. Rs. three crore has been set aside for a tourism university at Hampi on PPP model.

Overall, education department gets over ₹26,800 crore, 11% increase from February budget.

'Mathrushri scheme' for pregnant women

The CM announced a new scheme, named 'Mathrushri', to transfer money directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women from BPL families. ₹350 crore will be set aside for the same and it will be implemented from November 1.

Meanwhile, Anna Bhagya, the flashing scheme of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, gets a cut. The provision for 7 kg free rice has been reduced to 5 kg.

He also announced ₹25 crore for various religious institutions in the State, spread across castes.

More details are awaited

Comments

Loan waiving is big thing. Will see whether they can make practical or just in papers

HDK offering more burden to people by hiking fuel tax

English medium govt seems to be good plan but along with tha should promote Kannada and Kannanda should be compulsory

Instead of tax on oil will be double attack on people. Modi govt increasing by weekily.

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Withdraw amendments to Land Reforms Act or face protest: Gowda to BSY

coastaldigest.com news network

July 28,2020

Bengaluru, July 28: Former prime minister and JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda today threatened to launch a state-wide agitation in against the amendments made to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act.

Gowda’s opposition to the new law comes even as Congress leader Siddaramaiah is also doggedly pursuing it.

Demanding that the state government immediately rollback the ordinance empowering these amendments, the octogenarian leader said he personally would take to streets if the government failed to budge.

The B S Yediyurappa government has liberalised the land reforms law by removing restrictions on non-agriculturists from purchasing and owning farm lands.

The government has also amended the APMC Act and has tweaked labour laws, which are all “against the interest of the state and must be rolled back,” Gowda said.

Speaking to reporters here, Gowda stated that he had already written thrice to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in this regard. "The ordinances have to be taken back. The amendments to Karnataka Land Reforms Act, by repealing sections 79-A, B and C, is an anti-farmer move. The APMC Act amendment, too, is against the interest of the state. The government has failed to speak about the impact of these amendments," said Gowda, who is now a Rajya Sabha member.

Elaborating on the amendment to the Land Reform Act, the JD(S) patriarch opined that by throwing open agricultural land ownership to anybody at all, the government was only helping real estate developers while pushing farmers into a “vulnerable” situation.

Amidst all this, there are now reports of funds misappropriation in Covid-19 relief measures and in procurement of medical equipment, he said, adding that it seemed like only the corrupt became stronger over time.

Further, Gowda lambasted both national parties for creating political unrest, referring to the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan and the recent developments in Madhya Pradesh. However, he added that he would not wish to dwell on it much, while emphasising that his focus was primarily on strengthening his own party at this point in time.

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‘Reduce school fees by 75% as infrastructure, resources unutilized due to online classes’

Anusha Bhat | coastaldigest.com

July 24,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 24: Parents in Dakshina Kannada are urging the educational institutions to reduce fees at least by 75% as most of the infrastructure and resources are not being utilized due to online classes.

“School campuses are now closed. Why we have to pay such a heavy fee when our children are not availing the facilities offered on campus?” asks a Sapna (name changed), a parent, whose two daughters study at a prestigious private school in Mangaluru.

Even though some schools considered as small players have reduced fees, most of the “prestigious” institutions in the Mangaluru have so far refused to give any discount.

“Apart from paying school fees, now we have to invest in gadgets, internet connections and accessories required for online classes. School administration can use their infrastructure and facilities for other purposes as students are not utilizing them. Hence, they must give us maximum discount during this pandemic,” said another parent.

On the other hand, many parents are facing a dire financial situation due to covid-19 lockdown – while some have suffered losses in their business some have lost their jobs.

Many parents have even approached the education department to ensure that they get a discount in fees from educational institutions, said Dakshina Kannada DDPI Malleswamy.

“We cannot do anything since a government circular has asked educational institutions not to hike fees, which they have not done, and reduce fees if possible, which will never happen. The department is acting against only those schools that forcefully collect fees,” the DDPI said.

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Flight chartered by ‘Expertise’ repatriates stranded Saudi Kannadigas to Mangaluru along with employees

coastaldigest.com news network

June 11,2020

Mangaluru, June 11: The Saudi Arabia based Expertise Contracting Company, which is repatriating its employees to India and other countries, today allocated around 90 seats of one of its chartered flights to Kannadigas stranded in Saudi Arabia.

The Gulf Air flight took off with around 175 passengers on board from Dammam International Airport around noon local time. It is expected to land at Mangaluru International Airport at around 7 p.m. Indian time.

In fact the company had chartered the flights only to repatriate its employees. However, due to the lack of special flights under Vande Bharati Mission, the company decided to help the other stranded Kannadigas in Saudi Arabia, who had approached Saudi Kannadigas Humanity Forum for help.

A company official said that around 2,000 employees from various countries in the Indian subcontinent are being repatriated, of which 1,665 are Indians. Already hundreds of them have reached India, and hundreds are still waiting for repatriation.

“We are grateful to Expertise for allowing to travel in the flight which the company had chartered to repatriate its own employees,” said one of the passengers before boarding the flight at the airport.

Director of Expertise, KS Shaikh said the 20-year-old Expertise group, one of the largest conglomerates in the GCC operating in petrochemical and heavy equipment sectors, has more than 10,000 employees and their family members in the Gulf, mainly in Jubail, one of the largest industrial cities.

Of these, the company has chosen over 2,000 employees for the covid-related repatriations considering various emergencies. He said 12 chartered flights have been engaged to carry out the repatriation exercise to the Indian subcontinent.