CM Siddaramaiah presents Karnataka Budget 2024: Top highlights

CM Siddaramaiah presented the budget outlay of ₹3.71 lakh crore, roughly ₹44,000 crore higher than the previous budget.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's 15th budget presentation claimed to be an inclusive budget as the Congress-led government is prepping up the general elections in the next few months. As expected, the agricultural and irrigation sector has the hot lion’s share of the state budget as the state is facing a severe drought.

CM Siddaramaiah presents Karnataka Budget 2024: Top highlights

Top highlights of Karnataka Budget 2024.

CM Siddaramaiah presented the budget outlay of ₹3.71 lakh crore, roughly ₹44,000 crore higher than the previous budget.

On the Congress government's Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which is part of the party's five main poll promises, CM Siddaramaiah said, “1.33 crore women are being benefited. Till the end of January, 1.17 crore women have registered under the scheme and so far ₹11,726 crore has been directly transferred to the accounts of the beneficiaries. ₹28,608 crore in the year 2024-25 will be provided. This leads to family maintenance as well as income generation.”

₹300 crore will be allotted for developing and improving Anganwadi centres across the state. The Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka has decided to allot large chunks of this year's budget to the welfare of women and children, at ₹86,423 crore and ₹54,617 crore, respectively.

CM Siddaramaiah also pushed for the welfare of the SC/ST community by allotting ₹27,674 crore for the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan in 2024-25 and ₹11,447 crores for the Scheduled Tribe sub-project, making up a total of ₹39,121 crore. “For construction of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Backward Classes and Minority Residential Schools and Hostels, a total of Rs. 2,710 crore has been provided. A total of 29 residential school complexes belonging to various departments will be constructed at an estimated cost of ₹638 crore,” CM Siddaramaiah further announced.

Anekal, Nelamangala, Hoskote, Shringeri, Khanapura, Shirahatti and Yelandur are set to get 100-bedded taluk hospitals at a cost of ₹280 crore.

₹200 crore will be provided for the development of the Christian community.

An allocation of Rs. 100 crore will be made for the development of Wakf properties. There will be a particular focus on the protection and conservation of protected monuments, which the ASI maintains.

It is proposed to implement schemes to the tune of ₹5,000 crore under the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board to emphasise infrastructure development during the year 2024-25.