From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jan 21: For the third consecutive year, Karnataka will be having a separate agri-budget along with the general budget when the chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who is also holding the finance portfolio, will be presenting the State’s annual budget on February 8 for the year 2013-14.
The former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who has recently quit the ruling BJP and his assembly membership to form his own regional party KJP, had started the practice of presenting a separate agricultural budget in 2011 and it was continued by Yeddyurappa’s successor D V Sadananda Gowda last year. Now, the present chief minister too has decided to continue with the practice.
Shettar would be presenting his maiden budget for the year 2013-14 on February 8, much before the Union Budget and perhaps ahead of all other states in the country.
The chief minister said he would give focus to core areas such as irrigation, power generation, industrial development, health services, education, and infrastructure development.
Speaking to reporters after holding a pre-budget meeting with various trade bodies, including Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI), Mysore Industries Association, he said: “I will take inputs from all stakeholders of the state economy and will try to accommodate their aspirations in my budget.”
Noting that agriculture, industries, power, infrastructure development, education, health sector are among the core sectors which would receive more thrust in the budget, the Chief Minister said he will present a separate budget paper on agriculture as was done by his predecessors.
During the three-hour interactions with various trade bodies, Shettar said he had received several suggestions on generation of jobs, enhancement of industrial landscape and infrastructure empowerment especially in the field of power, transport and communication.
“I will try my best to accommodatethe demands of industrialists the budget,” he said and added that the budget would be development-oriented aimed at uplifting the poor and down trodden in the society.”
FKCCI Demands Withdrawal of 0.5 % Hike in VAT Rates
The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) submitted a pre-budget memorandum to the State Government and demanded withdrawal of 0.5 per cent hike in VAT rates made effective from August 1, 2012.
The rates must be restored back to earlier levels immediately or at least from April 1, 2013, the FKCCI said.
It demanded reduction of entry tax on diesel from five per cent to three per cent and exemption of textile traders from entry tax.
The FKCCI President K Shiva Shanmugam, Senior Vice-President R Shivakumar, Vice-President S Sampathraman and immediate past president J R Bangera, in their memorandum, urged the government to write off irrecoverable small arrears of commercial taxes which are not under litigation.
Concessional rate of tax to be made available to small scale units where supplies are made to the Government Departments like Railways. An extensive proper and systematic survey to be conducted by the Commercial Tax Department to rope in potential unregistered dealers, they said.
It also demanded creation of industrial corridors between Doddballapur and Chikballapur, Chikkballapur and Devanahalli, Hubli and Dharwad, Mysore and Hassan, Mysore and Bangalore and Hoskote and Kolar.
It urged creation of a new Bangalore on the lines of the Navi Mumbai in the outskirts of the City with all modern amenities to attract Industries.