-By Pavan Srinath
The megacity of Bengaluru is the engine which drives Karnataka’s economy, and today, houses a fifth of the state’s population. It is where millions come to fulfil their aspirations, and, as the chief minister mentioned in his budget speech, the city is responsible for about half of the economic growth of the state.
As the Karnataka government faces a difficult year ahead, with a budget that’s the same size as last year’s, tough cuts are to be expected all round.
BS Yediyurappa deserves praise for coming out with a child budget for the state. Without this, it is rather difficult for citizens or even the government itself to know that about 15% of the budget is spent on the needs of children. We can improve things once we start measuring them, and with an institutionalised child budget, the public can track the quantity and the quality of government efforts.
But how does Bengaluru, the golden goose for both government revenue and alleged political corruption, fare in the budget? Do we have a good picture of Bengaluru? BBMP presents unrealistic and unreliable budgets every year and is responsible for only a part of what makes Bengaluru a functioning city. The government often hides how much is truly being spent on the city’s infrastructure, water, electricity, education, health, transport, housing and law and order.
A careful reading of the budget and a handful of approximations lead to an estimate that the Karnataka government has budgeted about Rs 18,500 crore for Bangalore on all of the above categories, in total. That’s about Rs 15,000 per Bengalurean. In comparison, the Karnataka government, as a whole, plans to spend about Rs 33,700 per person. My estimate might be off by a couple of thousand rupees per person, but it is evident that Bengaluru’s problems require much more money along with serious policy inputs.
Worryingly, what is being budgeted for Bengaluru’s development is rarely spent in its entirety. Last year’s revised estimate of urban development expenditure on the city was only 56% of the budgeted estimate, and in water and sanitation, it was only 76%. Much of the reduction in spending was on infrastructure that the city desperately needs, but infrastructure projects are budgeted and announced well before citizens are consulted.
One small step to fix the politics and governance of the city: the state government should publish a Bengaluru metropolitan budget. For now, we have to hope that the Rs 8,772 crore mentioned for ‘Bengaluru development sector’ in the budget speech will be utilised properly for the city.
(Pavan Srinath is a policy researcher, and hosts Thale-Harate Kannada Podcast & The Pragati Podcast)
The megacity of Bengaluru is the engine which drives Karnataka’s economy, and today, houses a fifth of the state’s population. It is where millions come to fulfil their aspirations, and, as the chief minister mentioned in his budget speech, the city is responsible for about half of the economic growth of the state.
As the Karnataka government faces a difficult year ahead, with a budget that’s the same size as last year’s, tough cuts are to be expected all round.
BS Yediyurappa deserves praise for coming out with a child budget for the state. Without this, it is rather difficult for citizens or even the government itself to know that about 15% of the budget is spent on the needs of children. We can improve things once we start measuring them, and with an institutionalised child budget, the public can track the quantity and the quality of government efforts.
But how does Bengaluru, the golden goose for both government revenue and alleged political corruption, fare in the budget? Do we have a good picture of Bengaluru? BBMP presents unrealistic and unreliable budgets every year and is responsible for only a part of what makes Bengaluru a functioning city. The government often hides how much is truly being spent on the city’s infrastructure, water, electricity, education, health, transport, housing and law and order.
A careful reading of the budget and a handful of approximations lead to an estimate that the Karnataka government has budgeted about Rs 18,500 crore for Bangalore on all of the above categories, in total. That’s about Rs 15,000 per Bengalurean. In comparison, the Karnataka government, as a whole, plans to spend about Rs 33,700 per person. My estimate might be off by a couple of thousand rupees per person, but it is evident that Bengaluru’s problems require much more money along with serious policy inputs.
Worryingly, what is being budgeted for Bengaluru’s development is rarely spent in its entirety. Last year’s revised estimate of urban development expenditure on the city was only 56% of the budgeted estimate, and in water and sanitation, it was only 76%. Much of the reduction in spending was on infrastructure that the city desperately needs, but infrastructure projects are budgeted and announced well before citizens are consulted.
One small step to fix the politics and governance of the city: the state government should publish a Bengaluru metropolitan budget. For now, we have to hope that the Rs 8,772 crore mentioned for ‘Bengaluru development sector’ in the budget speech will be utilised properly for the city.
(Pavan Srinath is a policy researcher, and hosts Thale-Harate Kannada Podcast & The Pragati Podcast)
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