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

Suresh
 - 
Thursday, 5 Jul 2018

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

Ibrahim
 - 
Thursday, 5 Jul 2018

HDK offering more burden to people by hiking fuel tax

Shahir
 - 
Thursday, 5 Jul 2018

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

Kumar
 - 
Thursday, 5 Jul 2018

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

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News Network
March 3,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 3: Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu has called a meeting of top officials of his department on Tuesday following information that the man, who tested postive for novel coronavirus in Telangana had travelled from the city.

The minister in a tweet said people residing in the person's local address have been identified and are being monitored.

He also said state government has taken all precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.

The condition of the 24-year-old man, who tested positive for the coronavirus was stable and he was being treated in an isolated ward at the state-run Gandhi hospital in Hyderabad, the Telangana government had said on Monday.

The man, a software engineer who works here, had been to Dubai last month on an official visit, where he is suspected to have contracted the virus.

The man reached Bengaluru on February 19/20 and later travelled to Hyderabad in a bus.

Earlier, Sriramulu had said, the government has strengthened all surveillance and control measures against the spread of the virus in Karnataka.

Till date, 468 travellers from COVID 2019 affected countries have been identified and 284 are under home isolation while one admitted in selected isolation hospital, he had said.

The Karnataka Minister had also said that till date samples of symptomatic are sent for testing, out of which 240 samples were eligible for testing and 238 were reported as negative.

He added that 104 'arogya sahayavani' (health helpline) has reserved 2 seater for receiving calls and providing guidance over Coronavirus and 6,770 calls have been received and information provided.

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News Network
March 3,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 3: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the party's protest will continue until the Speaker will allow them to discuss BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yathnal's recent comments on freedom fighter HS Doreswamy.

"Our protest in the well of state assembly will continue until Speaker allows us to discuss about Basanagouda Patil Yatnal," Siddaramaiah said.

Congress MLAs staged a protest in the Karnataka Assembly and entered the well demanding BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yathnal's apology for his 'Pakistani agent' remark.

Earlier, Congress leaders on February 26 staged a protest on the same issue in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Vidhana Soudha.

Yathnal, on February 25, called Doreswamy a fake freedom fighter and a Pakistani agent while addressing the media. His comments triggered a controversy drawing sharp remarks from Congress and other parties.

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coastaldigest.com news network
August 2,2020

Mangaluru/Udupi, Aug 2: The twin coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi witnessed sporadic movement of vehicles and relatively less commercial activities today in spite of the withdrawal of ‘Sunday lockdown’ by the state government. 

After the central government announced guidelines under Unlock 3.0, the Karnataka government has removed the complete lockdown concept on Sundays and done away with the night curfews too. So from today (August 2), there will be no lockdown on Sundays.

KSRTC operated its buses as usually. However, compared to other days, today the number of private and city buses on the roads in Dakshina Kannada was limited. 

In Udupi, city buses remained off the roads as the number of passengers was less. However, KSRTC and NARM buses were seen transporting passengers.

In containment zones ban on movement of people will continue till August 31 in Udupi. The Santhekatte market used to function on Saturdays, as there was Sunday lockdown on earlier Sundays. Now the market will be open on Sundays only.

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