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Hans India
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
CM announces Rs 50 cr for MLAs to carry out development work
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to MLAs announcing that Rs 50 crore will be allocated to their assembly constituencies for the development work. There has been discontent among the legislators, including those from the ruling Congress, about lack of fund allocation for development work in their constituencies. "Under the Chief Minister's Infrastructure Development Programme announced in the State Budget for the year 2025-26, a special grant of Rs 50.00 crores will be allocated to your assembly constituency," Siddaramaiah said in a letter dated July 15 to MLAs. It said, "The amount of grant for the works has been fixed as follows. Public Works Department, road and bridge works, rural road and bridge, and urban area works: Rs 37.50 crore. Other departmental works that may be selected by the members of the Legislative Assembly at their discretion: Rs 12.50 crore." MLAs have been asked to provide details of the works in a specified format along with their demand letter to the Chief Minister, it said, adding that a district-wise meeting of MLAs has been arranged on July 30 and 31 in Room No.-313, Committee Room, 3rd Floor, Vidhana Soudha, and the legislators have been asked to attend the meeting along with details of the works. Though the letter nowhere specifies the allocation of funds is only for Congress MLAs, the BJP and JD(S), however, have alleged discrimination. Official sources too have said that the funds will be released to all MLAs. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, urging the CM to provide equal funding for all MLAs to ensure balanced development, alleged discrimination stating that the BJP and JD(S) MLAs will be given Rs 25 crore, as per the information he has got.
The Hindu
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
CM releases ₹50 crore development grant to each MLA; to hold meeting with legislators on July 30 and 31
After a series of one-on-one meetings with Congress MLAs and Ministers by AICC general secretary in-charge of the State Randeep Singh Surjewala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has approved the release of ₹50 crore as development grants for each MLA. In a bid to gain the confidence of the legislators, particularly those of the Congress, the Chief Minister decided to hold meetings with MLAs district wise on July 30 and 31 at the State Secretariat. Utilisation plan As per the note signed by Mr. Siddaramaiah, out of the ₹50 crore, the MLAs have been instructed to utilise ₹37.5 crore for roads and bridge works under the Public Works Department, both in rural areas, and other works in urban areas. The remaining ₹12.5 crore can be utilised for other department works identified by MLAs in their respective constituencies. The funds would be released from the Chief Minister's Infrastructure Development Programme (CMIDP), and ₹8,000 crore has been allocated in the State Budget for 2025-26. The release of the grants is expected to ease discontent within the Congress, where some MLAs had publicly criticised the delay. The taking up of development works at the local level is also expected to benefit the party in the civic and local body elections in the State. Internal discussions The decision to release funds came after weeks of internal discussions and mounting pressure from party MLAs who had complained of fund shortage for taking up development works in their constituencies. During the meeting with Mr. Surjewala, the party MLAs expressed disappointment over the lack of financial support. Later, Mr. Surjewala held a meeting with Mr. Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and reportedly took up the issue of release of funds for legislators. It may be noted that Congress MLA for Kagwad Raju Kage had threatened to resign over the delay in implementing development works in his constituency and blamed the government for denying funds for the past two years.
India Today
02-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar baton change buzzing, how Congress is handling its restive Karnataka MLAs
As the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government approaches the halfway mark of its tenure in Karnataka, the ruling party is seeking a report card on the performance of its legislators while also conducting a review of the organisational exercise comes amidst a bout of dissent from Congress MLAs, many of whom have been clamouring for more funds for their constituencies, giving Opposition parties ample ammunition to target the government over state the familiar refrain of a leadership change at the government's helm has about a mid-term handover of the baton from chief minister Siddaramaiah to his deputy D.K. Shivakumar has been a constant undercurrent of the Congress tenure in Karnataka since it came to power in May 2023. The current spell of speculation began with a cryptic comment by cooperation minister K.N. Rajanna that big changes were due in September. Coming from a Siddaramaiah loyalist, speculation was rife that Rajanna was hinting at a cabinet reshuffle or a new Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) is serving an extended tenure as PCC president, and Siddaramaiah loyalists like Rajanna have been pressing for a Rajanna didn't elaborate on what the changes would be, other voices soon joined the chorus. Ramanagara MLA H.A. Iqbal Hussain, a Shivakumar loyalist, said the latter deserved a chance to become chief minister, having led the party to power as state the Congress top brass sought to dismiss talk about a change of guard, on another front, it had to contend with other MLAs airing their complaints aloud. Particularly damaging for the government were the allegations by B.R. Patil, a senior Congress legislator from Aland, about corruption in a housing scheme for the poor. MLA Raju Kage threatened to resign, complaining about delayed work orders for projects sanctioned in his fund allocations for infrastructure work in their constituencies has been an ongoing grouse of Congress MLAs, given the government's significant expenditure on the five key welfare schemes, or election guarantees, that were implemented immediately after the Congress came to power. To address such complaints, Siddaramaiah had announced the Rs 8,000 crore Chief Minister's Infrastructure Development Programme, focused on road construction and other infrastructure, in Budget 2025 presented in March.'There are more than sufficient funds available for development. This is a bogey being raised by the BJP as they want the government guarantees to be shut down,' said Randeep Singh Surjewala, AICC (All India Congress Committee) general secretary in charge of Karnataka, on July is holding meetings with Congress legislators as part of the performance review. He is slated to meet all MLAs over the next eight days. The Congress has 136 MLAs in the state, including Siddaramaiah and is a continuous process. We are trying to understand from our MLAs what work they have done in the past two years in their constituencies. It is important to review their performance,' he said, adding that the performance of ministers will also be looked into. 'We are also asking them (MLAs) about any difficulties or aspirations they will convey it to the government.'The review will also cover the efficacy of the election guarantees in each constituency as well as the performance of district-level Congress functionaries and frontal organisations. 'So, this is a review of the main body organisation too. It will give an idea of how we should make our policies more responsive to the people,' Surjewala to him, no opinions are being sought on a leadership change. 'The answer is clearly a no,' he said. In a bid to quell the open speculation, notices are being issued to legislators such as Hussain for making public statements about a possible change of outlined the purpose of Surjewala's visit. 'Randeep Surjewala is here to receive pleas from MLAs and give guidance on the [running of the] party organisation. He is trying to bring in discipline in the party amidst public statements by some MLAs,' said the deputy chief minister. 'Neither a cabinet expansion nor a leadership change was discussed. We are not in a hurry for that; our sole focus is 2028 [state elections].'advertisementSubscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
