Bengaluru: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her budget speech yesterday that “Rs. 5,300 crore will be provided for providing relief to the drought-affected central areas of Karnataka and for the Upper Patra Project between Tunga and Patra in the state.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Tommy and former Chief Minister Yeddyurappa have welcomed this.
The allocation of funds has created a controversy in the political circles as the elections in Karnataka are due in April or May. A question has arisen as to why only Karnataka has been given so much importance when other states have not been allocated large amounts of funds.
Has the central government issued this notification targeting the votes of the people of Karnataka? If you really care about the drought affected people of Karnataka then why did you not provide funds last year. Even though Kodagu, Mysore and Shimoga districts were severely affected by the floods last year, why was there no funding? Aam Aadmi Party has questioned.
