The State Budget presented by the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday has several provisions for the development of northern Karnataka districts.
Among the most important announcements are the plans to establish a constituent medical college of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Bagalkot, expansion of the Upper Krishna Basin irrigation projects and opening up of the airport in Vijayapura and a promise of starting work on the Kalasa Banduri Nala project.
Water projects
Irrigation projects form a major part of the Budgetary announcements. “In anticipation of clearances from the Union government regarding the usage of 3.9 TMC water under the Kalasa-Banduri Canal Diversion Project, contracts have been awarded with certain conditions. Works will be commenced as soon as the necessary approval is received from the Union government,” the CM said.
“The State government will make efforts to carry out land acquisition of the submerged areas as a result of increasing the height of the gates of Almatti dam to RL 524.256 m under the Upper Krishna Phase-III Scheme in one go and disburse compensation through consent award. Steps will also be taken to implement the remaining works which will provide irrigation facilities to further 2.01 lakh acres of agricultural land,” he said.
“The State government will take up the completion of pending works in various projects within the Krishna, Kaveri and other river valleys. They will be completed in the current year,” he said.
“A suitable proposal will be submitted to seek financial assistance from the Centre under the PMKSY-AIBP Scheme which will focus on the modernization and ongoing irrigation projects in Krishna valley. A technical verification of the structural stability of the gates of major dams in the State will be undertaken. If needed, the gates will be repaired and replaced accordingly. In order to dispose cases filed in the courts regarding land acquisition under the Upper Krishna Project in a speedy manner and to provide appropriate relief, it is proposed to set up a ‘Special Fast-track Court for Land Acquisition Cases’ in Bagalkot district,’‘ the CM announced.
The Vijayapura airport being constructed at a cost of ₹348 crore will be operationalised in the year 2025-26.
Integrated soil and water management, proper waste management, efficient water utilization and integrated nutrient management will be implemented in collaboration with sugar factories in 3,000 hectares of farm land in Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi and Mandya.
For farmers
The State government will provide an additional ₹450 over and above the ₹7,550 per quintal under the Minimum Support Price scheme for procurement of tur dal with a total expenditure of ₹138 crore. This will benefit farmers of major tur dal growing districts of Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Raichur, Koppal, Kolar, Chitradurga and Chickballapur.
With a view to monitor vehicular traffic and to detect and control cases of violation of traffic rules, AI-enabled electronic cameras will beinstalled at 60 places in Davanagere, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Chitradurga, Haveri, Hospet, Bellari, Vijayapura and Dakshina Kannada districts at the cost of ₹50 crore.
Healthcare sector
It has been proposed to establish fully-equipped trauma care centers at Kulageri Cross in Badami taluk, Bagalkot district and at Chitradurga. The government residential schools for special children at Mysuru and Belagavi will be upgraded at a cost of ₹5 crore. They will be maintained in cooperation with NGOs.
New laboratories aligned with Industry 4.0 technology-based syllabus will be established at KGTTI Centres in Bengaluru, Kalaburagi, Mangaluru and Belagavi at a cost of ₹10 crore.
In order to further strengthen Karnataka’s leadership in the Global Capability Centres, Global Innovation Districts will be developed by KEONICS in Mysuru, Belagavi, Dharwad and Bengaluru.
KEONICS will establish three new Global Technology Centres as plug-and-play facilities in Mangaluru, Hubballi and Belagavi. An amount of ₹2 crore will be provided for constructing a memorial for Seva Dal founder, freedom fighter and Padma Bhushan N.S. Hardikar at Arogyadhama in Ghataprabha in Belagavi district.
Two new Sports Science Centres will be set up at Mysuru and Belagavi at a cost of ₹7 crore. A new Deputy Commissioner’s office building will be constructed in Belagavi city at a total cost of ₹55 crore.
Various development works will be taken up in Sangolli of Bailahongala taluk and Nandagada of Khanapura taluk up by Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna Authority in a phased manner at a cost of ₹28 crore.
To aid the education of Backward Classes students in engineering and medical colleges, two post-matric hostels will be started in each district of the State with a total of 62 hostels. ₹15 crore has been provided in FY 2025-26. Of these, 10 engineering hostels will be constructed by the Backward Classes Welfare Department in collaboration with Vishveshwaraiah Technological University in 50:50 funding ratio.
Shooting Ranges will be constructed in district stadiums of 4 division headquarters of the State in the next three years at a total cost of ₹3 crore to promote shooting sports.
Sugar and textiles
Sugar, Sugarcane Development, Textiles and Agricultural Marketing Minister Shivanand Patil welcomed the Budget calling it a pro-farmer document. Many initiatives have been announced in the Budget for the protection of the interests of sugarcane growers, development of sugar industries, and progress of weavers. An outlay of ₹20 crore has been provided for the development of roads within the area of sugar factories. To find a solution to the problem of sugarcane harvesting due to shortage of labor, ₹70 crore has been provided as a subsidy to more than 140 sugarcane harvest hubs. This measure will provide a solution to the problem of sugarcane harvesting.
The decision to implement integrated soil and water management, proper waste management, water use and balanced nutrient management in a total area of about 3,000 hectares in collaboration with sugar factories in Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi and Mandya districts is a good one. Similarly, the government’s move to encourage organic farming tool start-ups to sell the organic tools produced by them to farmers at reasonable prices through farmer contact centers will strengthen organic farmers, he hoped.
The Weavers’ Package 2.0 has been announced by combining several ongoing projects to improve the living standards of weavers and promote the weaving industry. The new textile policy will attract investment and create about two lakh jobs in textiles and ready made garments sector, he said.
Published – March 07, 2025 08:57 pm IST