BANGALORE: Presenting its 'pro-farmer' budget in the Assembly on Thursday, the BJP government in Karnataka fulfilled its promise of providing free power supply to farmers and enhancing retirement age of government employees but remained silent on distributing rice at Rs two per kg to the poor.
Fifteen lakh irrigation pump sets up to 10 Horse Power will get free power with effect from August one, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced while presenting his third consecutive budget and the first by the saffron party government, which had a overall deficit of Rs 39.47 crore for the year 2008-09.
"I am proud to say that this is a pro-farmer budget. I have tried to formulate certain programmes through this budget for mitigating their problems," Yeddyurappa said adding that small and marginal farmers will get Rs 1,000 for purchasing seeds, fertilisers and agriculture inputs, for which Rs 500 crore has been provided.
The government has made a Rs 2,050-crore budgetary provision to pay subsidy toward extending free power to farmers and all irrigation pump sets would be metered to check pilferage in the name of "farmers", said Yeddyurappa, who was sworn-in on May 30 in the name of farmers after leading BJP to victory in the Assembly elections.
Payment of monthly honorarium to 90,000 members of gram panchayats, enhancement of honorarium to Rs 1,000 from Rs 300 to the physically challenged, spending Rs 1800 crore for upgrading infrastructure in Bangalore, target to generate 10 lakh employment and unveiling new textile policy formed the other highlights of the budget proposals.
