The State Budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has provided significant amounts of grants and new projects to northern Karnataka districts. The most important announcement of the Budget is to celebrate the centenary year of the Congress session in 1924, the only session chaired by Mahatma Gandhi.
“To commemorate the occasion, a special programme will be organised in Belagavi at a cost of ₹2 crore. Besides, special signboards will be installed at places visited by Gandhiji in Karnataka,” the CM said.
Congress well
The State government has preserved the Congress well, that was dug by volunteers in 1924 for the session. Water from the well is supplied to nearby areas in Tilakwadi. Veera Soudha, a monument to the session has been built at the venue of the session near the second railway gate on Congress Road.
Vijayapura district is renowned for horticulture crops. A College of Horticulture Sciences will be established at Alamela in Vijayapura district. This will further encourage growth of horticulture in this region.
Lift irrigation projects
The Budget has approved new projects and aims at completing old lift irrigation projects in Yadalli and Ternalli in Kalaburagi, Swarna and Siddapura in Udupi, Melligeri-Halagali, Sasalatti Shivalingeshwar-Shiruru and Hanavala in Bagalkot district, Athani-Kottalagi Ammajeshwari, Sri Channavrishabhendra, Mahalakshmi, Sattigeri, Markandeya of Belagavi district, rejunevation of old lift irrigation projects of Bailhongal and tank fillings schemes of Gunjalli of Raichur district, Alanda of Kalaburagi district, Aurad of Bidar district, Arabhavi, Hirebhagewadi, Santi Bastawada, Kagawada of Belagavi district, Yellapura-Kiravatti of Uttara Kannada district, and Jalavadagi of Gadag district will be implemented at an estimated cost of ₹7,280 crore in the current year. Irrigation potential of 97,698 hectares will be created from these projects.
Under Krisha Bhagya Jala Nigam, lift irrigation schemes of Keruru of Bagalkote district, Horti-Revanasiddeshwara, Chimmalagi, Mulavada of Vijayapura district, Bhima-Flank of Yadgir district will be implemented at a cost of ₹3,779 crore. A total irrigation potential of 1,09,350 hectares will be created under these projects.
Public Health Laboratories
A scheme will be rolled out to digitalize documents of all the vehicles registered in the Transport Department. On a pilot basis, records in Bengaluru Central, Belagavi, Mangaluru, and Bhalki will be digitalized during 2024-25.
Integrated and Public Health Laboratories (IPHL) will be set up in each of the district hospitals in the next 4 years in order to provide qualitative and affordable laboratory services.
IPHLs will be set up in Chikkamagaluru, Vijayanagar, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Mandya, Hassan and Kodagu districts in the current year and in Chitradurga, Bagalakote, Chamarajanagar, Bidar, Koppal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Uttara Kannada and Gadag during 2025-26. Apart from this, taluk-level Block Public Health Laboratories (BPHL) will be established in Hunagunda, Sira and Hagaribommanahalli during this year. A total grant of ₹11 crore will be provided towards this purpose.
North Karnataka cities like Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Ballari are included in the scheme in which integrated townships will be developed.
Public Works officials will build an 4.5 km elevated corridor in Belagavi city at the cost of ₹450 crore to reduce vehicular congestion and traffic jams in the city. It will be built with Central assistance.
Science Centres and planetariums will come up in Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Madikeri, Sirsi, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkote, Gadag and Dharwad. A bio-CNG Plant will be established in markets of Dasanapur of Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubli, Ballari, Kolar, Chickballapur and Belagavi under a public-private partnership model.
To promote processing, value addition and export of agricultural and horticultural produce, food parks will be established near airports under public-private Partnership. In the current year, food parks will be established at Sogane in Shivamogga district, Ittangihala in Vijayapura district and Pujenahalli village in Bengaluru rural district.
The Vijayapura airport, costing ₹350 crore is at the stage of completion and it will soon be operationalised. The government has released ₹94 crore for this project after assuming power, the CM said.
Sports associations
The Rifle Shooting Association, Hockey Karnataka, Amateur Boxing Association, Archery Association, Athletic Association, Kayaking and Canoeing Academy, Cycling Academy, Vijayapura and Fencing Association will be provided with a total grant of ₹12 crore to promote various sports in the State and to encourage sportspersons.
In the current year, ₹80 crore has been allocated for the construction of 42 taluk office complexes and ₹50 crore is provided for 14 district office complexes. New district office complexes will be constructed in Vijayapura and Bidar districts, new taluk office complexes will be constructed in places where there is need, the Budget said.
