Another point is that the total project costs Rs 17,200 crore and they are releasing only Rs 1,000 crore. We really do not know what part of the work will be carried out. Bengaluru: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) will have to gear up to start with the construction of Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, as it was announced in the state budget that the project will take off this year without any delay. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy announced in the budget on Friday that the government has proposed to construct the PRR at an estimated cost of Rs 17,200 crore, including its maintenance and the project is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the city. For 2019-20, the budget allocated Rs 1,000 crore. A senior BDA officer said, “We received the news that the government will release Rs 1,000 crore immediately for the PRR project. We will ensure that once the fund is released, we will start with the work immediately. We have also instructed the officials to complete the remaining formalities of submitting the survey report and getting approvals before March.” Mr Anshuman Sen, a road traffic expert, said, “It is just an assumption that the PRR will decongest the city. But will never until there is a cap on registration of vehicles. Another point is that the total project costs Rs 17,200 crore and they are releasing only Rs 1,000 crore. We really do not know what part of the work will be carried out.” Rs 40 cr for pipeline to KIADB Rs 40 crore has been granted for the work of laying a pipeline for utilising 40 MLD of water being carried to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board under KC Valley project. The government has also proposed reconstruction of large storm water drains within three years. In areas where overutilisation of water has led to a dip in the groundwater levels, check dams, barrages, bandars and recharge shafts will be constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore through the Directorate of Ground Water. The government has proposed to take up the tank filling projects at a cost of Rs 1,680 crore.<doc-sep>(Representative image) BENGALURU: Drinkers will have to pay more for a bottle of beer as the chief minister has proposed a hike in additional excise duty (AED). In his budget, Kumaraswamy, who had hiked AED on Indian made liquor (IML) across price slabs last year, proposed to hike AED on beer from 150% to 175%. As a consequence, consumers, who are now paying Rs 125 for a bottle of beer, will have to pay Rs 136.5 once the hike kicks in. At present, a bottle of beer with a base price of Rs 46 attracts excise duty of Rs 10 and AED of 150% (Rs 69) for a selling price of Rs 125. If AED is hiked to 175% (Rs 80.5), the selling price will be Rs 136.5. Kumaraswamy also proposed a stiff hike in AED on draught beer — from 115% to 150%. Beer brewed at micro-breweries will also be expensive as the CM plans to increase excise duty from Rs 5 to Rs 10 per bulk litre. AED too will go up from Rs 12.5 to Rs 25. The CM has proposed a hike in excise duty and AED on low alcoholic beverages like breezers from Rs 5 to Rs 10 and from 122% to 150% respectively. The CM has fixed the revenue target from liquor sales at Rs 20,950 crore for 2019-20. The target for the year ending March 2019 is Rs 19,750 crore, which Kumaraswamy said the government will achieve. The decision to hike excise and AED came as a dampener to the industry as representatives said they were seeking a hike in basic price of liquor. “It is more than three years since basic price of liquors was hiked and since then our production cost has increased,” said Shivalingaiah, secretary general , Karnataka Brewers & Distillers Association. “The duty hike benefits the government exchequer, while the industry is left high and dry.”<doc-sep>BENGALURU: A re-estimation of the farm loan waiver bill that dramatically reduced the anticipated burden by almost Rs 20,000 crore allowed chief minister HD Kumaraswamy to present a budget that significantly expanded funding for rural and urban development projects.Given the crucial upcoming general elections, he sprinkled goodies on almost every section of the population and did not burden anyone other than beer drinkers, who will now have to pay an extra Rs 15 on a 650ml bottle. He did all of that by maintaining the state’s good record of fiscal prudence – the deficit at 2.7% of GDP was well within the accepted norm of 3%.Agriculture and associated activities saw a sharp 36% increase in capital expenditure and a 21% increase in revenue expenditure, the latter perhaps reflecting the loan waiver. The overall allocation to the sector was about Rs 46,850 crore, about a quarter of the state budget, according to the economic advisor to the chief minister, S Subramanya. This should provide relief to a sector ravaged both by drought and low prices. Kumaraswamy announced significant grants to growers of minor millets and paddy, minimum support prices for 12 crops, and a loan facility at 3% interest on the mortgage of ornaments by small and tiny farmers.<doc-sep>Bengaluru: In a dramatic move hours before presenting the state budget, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy Friday released an audio clip of an alleged conversation of state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa to lure a JDS MLA to destabilise the coalition government in the state. Yeddyurappa described the clip as "fake" and a "concocted story". In sudden twists and turns, the Congress also decided to crack the whip and initiate action against four rebel MLAs under the Anti-Defection law after the legislature party meeting here just before the session commenced its sitting. Briefing reporters, CLP leader Siddaramaiah said he would meet the assembly speaker Ramesh Kumar and urge him to take action against Ramesh Jarkiholi, Umesh Jadhav, Mahesh Kumathali and B Nagendra. He said barring the four and JN Ganesh, all other lawmakers attended the CLP meet. Two MLAs Roshan Baig and B C Patil, who also did not participate, had taken prior permission, he said. Ganesh is declared absconding after an alleged brawl with a colleague lawmaker at a resort recently. Siddaramaiah said the four MLAs had sent letters to him, saying they could not attend the entire budget session of the assembly. Adding a new element to the political turmoil, Kumaraswamy dropped the audio bomb at a press conference, to back his claim about BJP's alleged toppling game. He alleged such an attempt was being carried out with the "permission" of prime minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. "Without the knowledge of the prime minister, is it possible to do all this," Kumaraswamy said, as he lashed out at Modi and asked him to come clean on the issue. Modi and Amit Shah are doing all this". The chief minister said he would send the audio clips to the prime minister who, he said, claims about being "the only saviour of this country. "Come out with your real face," Kumaraswamy said pointing out at Modi. Kumaraswamy alleged there were two audio clips which had recorded the telephonic conversation between Yeddyurappa and Sharan Gouda, son of JDS lawmaker Naganagouda, whom the BJP leader was trying to woo with money and other offers. Sharan Gouda, who was present with the chief minister, spoke about how Yeddyurappa allegedly tried to reach out to him over phone and asked him to meet him at Devadurga in his attempt to lure his father. Only part of one unclear audio clip was played at the press conference. In the clip, a male voice is heard offering money and ministerial berth, besides assuring Sharan Gouda about "taking care" of the speaker and the judges in case of the Anti-Defection Law being invoked. Hitting back, Yeddyurappa dismissed the audio clips as "fake" and "a concocted story" and said he had not met anyone to woo Nagana Gouda as alleged. Yeddyurappa said he went to Devadurga to visit a temple and flew back to the city. Kumaraswamy had "concocted" the story to hide his failures and inability to keep the JD(S) and Congress flock together, Yeddyurappa told reporters here. "It is a fake audio. I have not met anyone. Kumaraswamy is trying to hide his failures. This is a drama," Yeddyurappa said. He said the Kumaraswamy government had lost the trust of the people and had "no moral right" to continue in office. The Chief Minister said during the purported conversation Yeddyurappa had also spoken about a "Rs 50 crore offer to book" the Assembly speaker. He said Modi was mouthing platitudes about the political system but on the other hand, his party colleagues were "demolishing" it. "Your friends (BJP in Karnataka) have exposed the real picture of your face. If you have any morality...I demand that the prime minister should take appropriate action," Kumaraswamy said. Yeddyurappa dismissed a claim by the chief minister that hehad spoken in the audio about a "Rs 50 crore" offer to the assembly speaker. "I will retire from politics if it (the allegation) is proved. If I had spoken like this (about the speaker), if it is proved, I will resign as an MLA and quit politics. Karnataka has been reeling under political turmoil for the past few weeks that also saw the resort politics play out with both BJP and Congress sequestering their MLAs to shield them poaching bid. Both Congress and JDS have been accusing the BJP of making "desparate" attempts to dethrone the Kumaraswamy government with allurements and even intimidation, and challenged the saffron party to move a no confidence motion. The BJP, on other hand, has dismissed the charge, saying the party was being blamed for the inability of the two coalition partners to keep their flock together.<doc-sep>
Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy announced a slew of measures for farmers and mutts in the 2019-20 state budget. However, this was at the expense of beer drinkers, who would have to shell out more. In the second budget of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government, the total size of which was Rs 2.34 lakh crore, the chief minister continued with the rollout of his farm loan waiver scheme, allocating Rs 12,650 crore for it. He said, with this, the scheme would be completed in the current year. He had earlier estimated the scheme to cost the exchequer Rs 45,000 crore. However, in the current budget, that estimate has been brought down to about Rs 23,000 crore. Kumaraswamy clarified that the overestimation was caused because the government did not have complete information of the extent of farmer loans. Apart from this, the chief minister also announced a new scheme called ‘Raitha Siri’, scheme under which Rs 10,000 per hectare would be paid to farmers to encourage them to grow millets, which is targeted to be cultivated on 10,000 hectares. Another scheme aims to promote paddy cultivation in the coastal and hill regions in the western part of the state. Rs 7,500 per hectare would be provided to “motivate farmers to cultivate paddy under the scheme called ‘Karavali package’”. Kumaraswamy allocated Rs 1,583.13 crore to animal husbandry, Rs 2,685 crore for welfare of milk producers, and Rs 15,903 crore for irrigation schemes. “Thus a total Rs 46,853 crore is provided for comprehensive welfare of the farmers,” he said. This has been done in a year when the agriculture sector is expected to contract by 4.8%, which is the reason the state GSDP is set to grow at 9.6% in 2018-19 against 10.4% in the previous year. Significantly, in a departure from his predecessor Siddaramaiah, Kumaraswamy has allocated funds for a slew of religious institutions, especially mutts. The chief minister has set aside Rs 110 crore for schemes related to 38 mutts in the state. He has also provided Rs 400 crore for minority communities. However, the chief minister has hiked the excise duty on draught beer and beer produced at micro breweries. The additional excise duty on beer has been increased from 150% to 175%, on draught beer from 115% to 150%. Excise on beer manufactured in micro-breweries has been increased to Rs 10 per bottle from Rs 5 earlier, and additional excise has been increased from Rs 12.5 per bottle to Rs 25. However, the budget presentation was not without incident as the opposition BJP walked out of the house in protest against the chief minister’s decision to provide copies of the speech only after his address was completed, which was a departure from the historical practice of the state. Political analyst Narendar Pani, who is faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, said the budget showed a clear influence of former prime minister and JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda. “The thrust is clearly on farmers and on irrigation, with not much attention to industries,” he said. “It is a significant departure from the budgets of Siddaramaiah, especially with respect to the grants to mutts, and is more in line with the budgets presented by Yeddyurappa,” he said.