Karnataka budget: CM BS Yediyurappa to give irrigation priority

BENGALURU: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who also doubles as finance minister, will keep the focus firmly on farmers and is expected to give top priority to irrigation, agriculture and welfare schemes when he presents his seventh budget across four terms on Thursday.
The irrigation sector is expected to land the lion’s share with an allocation of at least Rs 25,000 crore, followed by the agriculture sector. Yediyurappa is also expected to spell out populist schemes for the poor.
Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had allocated Rs 17,212 crore in the previous budget for water resources and Yediyurappa is likely to go well beyond that figure. “Priority will be given to irrigation and farmers,” Yediyurappa had said recently, while admitting financial constraints.
Water resources department officials say about Rs 1.5 lakh crore is needed to complete nearly 300 pending irrigation projects, but the government cannot allocate the entire sum in one go.
Seeking to fast-track bigticket irrigation projects, the government is planning to allocate Rs 1 lakh crore over the next three-and-half-years by earmarking about Rs 25,000 crore each year. The bulk is likely to go to the Upper Krishna (UKP) and Upper Bhadra projects. The government will also seek assistance from the Centre for the UKP project.
Besides, thanks to winning legal battles against Goa, it’s binding on the state to earmark funds for the Kalasa-Banduri project to divert Mahadayi river water. Water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi had recently met Yediyurappa and had sought an allocation of Rs 200 crore for the Rs 1,900-crore project.
The government is also under pressure to allocate adequate funds for the Rs 9,000 crore Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project across Cauvery.
Yediyurappa could also offer a slew of sops for farmers reeling under floods and drought. He is also obliged to announce schemes in tune with PM Narendra Modi ’s ambitious plan to double farmers’ income by 2022.
Yediyurappa could also announce welfare schemes including one on the lines of his popular Bhagyalakshmi insurance scheme, which he had introduced for girls children born into BPL families.