The cover page of the budget book had the image of the preamble of the Constitution, and the Kannada flag bearing yellow and red colour.
Cover of the budget. Siddaramaiah presenting the budget.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah chose to convey the Congress government’s strong belief in the Indian Constitution on Friday, 16 February, by making the preamble the cover page of the budget book.
He also announced his government’s commitment to the promotion of Kannada in his budget speech delivered in the state Assembly.
The cover page of the budget book had the image of the preamble of the Constitution, and the Kannada flag bearing yellow and red colour. The back cover had the photo of Vidhana Soudha, Karnataka’s seat of power, with the tricolour flying atop.
Presenting his 15th budget on the occasion of 75 years of India becoming a republic, the Chief Minister said, “We are marching ahead towards setting a new example of the Karnataka model of development founded on the principles of justice, equality and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution written by Babasaheb Dr R Ambedkar.”
“Social justice is not just our belief but a broader perspective towards life. The ‘Kayaka’ (duty) and ‘Dasoha’ (commensality) principles of ‘Basavadi Sharanas’ (the founder and followers of the Lingayat sect) inspire us towards building an equal society,” Siddaramaiah said.
He said the Sharana (Lingayat) philosophy of setting aside a part of one’s earnings for ‘Dasoha’ underpins our hope of achieving an equitable distribution of wealth in society.
The chief minister presented the state’s budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 with a total outlay of ₹3,71,383 crore.
Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, presented the Congress-led state government’s first full-fledged budget for the fiscal year 2024-25. With this, he has presented a record 15 budgets for the state in the span of his political career.
Along with increasing the budget size, the total revenue receipts have also surged to ₹2,63,178 crore, showcasing an increase of 10.44 percent from the previous fiscal year. Similarly, the state own tax and non-tax revenues also witnessed an uptick.
Despite heightened expenditures, the state maintains fiscal discipline, keeping the fiscal deficit within mandated limits under the Karnataka Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2022.
(With PTI inputs)
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