Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is scheduled to present his maiden Budget for the year 2022-23 on March 4. With Assembly elections just a year away, the Budget is an important device for communicating the priorities of the government. As the Chief Minister holds the key portfolios of finance and Bengaluru development, it will be interesting to see what the Budget promises for the city. Can it provide the necessary impetus for improving the state of the city?
While looking ahead at the upcoming budget, it is important to examine what the government had proposed for the city earlier. In the previous budget, the then Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had allocated ₹7,795 crore for the development of Bengaluru. This included ₹850 crore for the suburban rail project, ₹169 crore to develop Koramangala Valley as a tourist attraction, and setting up of ‘Janarogya’ centres in 57 wards of BBMP. Many of the projects had already been announced by the Chief Minister in December under the ‘Bengaluru Mission 2022-Bengalurige Navachaitanya’.
The Mission aimed to provide Bengaluru with “world-class infrastructure” to make it a “global city”. It sought to enable faster commute through the promotion of public transport; create a greener city through the development of clean waterways, lakes, and mini forests; address the garbage menace through new waste management systems and provide easy access to public services online. While many of these policy pronouncements are positive, the key question to consider is to what extent they have translated on the ground. This is where the government’s lofty assertions fall short.
