Karnataka cabinet decides to conduct budget session of legislature in Feb 2024

The cabinet also had a discussion on bringing back the funds deposited outside the state.

Published on: Dec 22, 2023, 09:24:00 IST

PTIPosted by Yamini C S

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The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to hold the budget session of the state legislature in February next year. Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the cabinet decided to conduct the next legislature and budget session in February. The date will be decided by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who will announce it anytime soon.

The cabinet also had a discussion on bringing back the funds deposited outside the state. It authorised the CM to form a cabinet sub-committee to identify the funds deposited elsewhere and bring them back to the state treasury. In this context, the minister said two officials were suspended after it was found that they deposited ₹56 crore in a bank in Mangaluru. Also, in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department 600 crore was kept outside the state.

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“When we can identify ₹600 crore in RDPR alone, there must be many more,” Patil said. The cabinet authorised the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to recover the property tax dues from central and state government properties under the one time settlement scheme. It was pending for very long time. “From 448 properties alone, the BBMP is estimated to get ₹234 crore. We have lots of other properties. If estimated, it will go up to thousands of crores. With this one time settlement scheme we will mobilise lot of resources,” the Minister explained.

The cabinet gave its nod to procure 300 electric buses including 75 air conditioned and 225 non AC buses for the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). Similarly, approval was given to the North West Road Transport Corporation to purchase 450 non-ac electrical buses on the Gross Cost Contract (GSS) basis.

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In addition, the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) will purchase 20 non-AC electricity buses under the State Transport Fund instead of 20 mini electric buses. Reservation system will be followed in the outsourced government jobs as well, the Minister said.

“There was no reservation system in the outsource system but for the first time the government has decided that the reservation policy including the Hyderabad Karnataka reservation system will be followed. This has been decided to bring in social justice,” Patil explained. The cabinet decided to authorise Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding setting up 100 Grama Nayayalaya (village courts) in Karnataka.

The panel will look into the law policy, criminal justice, civil justice system and the facilities to be provided in these Grama Nyayalayas. Approval was given to earmark ₹120 crore to provide nutritious food to the families of 11 backward tribes including Koraga, Jenu Kuraba, Soliga and Siddi throughout the year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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