10 Karnataka Budget Schemes That Are Giving the State a Reason to Cheer

Leading the way with a Universal Health Coverage, an IT tech park dedicated to women and with over 228 Biotech companies, Karnataka is on a path to enrich the lives of its citizens.

By Tanvi Patel

February 26, 2018

This article is sponsored by the Government of Karnataka.

Karnataka is one of the leading states in women empowerment, healthcare, IT and innovation. Leading the way with a Universal Health Coverage, an IT tech park dedicated to women and with over 228 Biotech companies, Karnataka is on a path to enrich the lives of its citizens.

Crossing such milestones comes with the extensive research about the needs of particular sections of societies and schemes which will benefit them in the long run. So here is a list of 10 positive schemes Karnataka is planning.

1. Free bus pass to all students:

The road to education got just a little bit easier in Karnataka now that the government has announced a free bus pass to all school and college students. According to the Karnataka government, around 19.6 lakh students will benefit from this.

Students who hold paid passes for KSRTC or BMTC can renew them for free in March.

2. Universal Health Coverage:

Representative image. Source.

“The universal health coverage scheme under the name ‘Arogya Karnataka Yojane’ will be started this month [February 2018] to provide primary, secondary and tertiary treatment to all people in the state,” CM Siddaramaiah said in the Budget Assembly.

The plan calls for the establishment of 9000 health and wellness centres to be set up for every 5000 people over the next seven years, for providing quality primary healthcare services.

Certainly ambitious, this plan will definitely help a good number of the state’s residents.

3. Free education for girls:

The education of girls was given a significant boost when the CM and state Finance Minister announced that girls in Karnataka would receive free education from school to their post-graduation courses. Rs 22,350 crores have been sanctioned in the 2018-19 budget for primary and secondary education alone.

A further Rs 95 crore would be spent on providing free education for all girl students studying in government pre-university (11th and 12th), degree and post-graduation courses.

4. Pushing for smoke-free kitchens:

Representative image. Source.

The Karnataka government will soon launch its Mukhyamantri Anila Bhagya Yojane.

Under this scheme, the government will provide a gas connection, two burner gas stoves and two refill cylinders free of cost to the BPL (Below Poverty Line) families in the state.

A budget of Rs 1350 crore is allocated for this scheme which will benefit a total of 30 lakh people.

5. Identity for unorganised workers:

Unorganised workers such as dhobis (washermen), barbers, blacksmiths etc. are set to be benefitted under the Karmika Sahaya Hasta scheme. The Govt stated that the scheme was initiated in the memory of Dr BR Ambedkar and his struggle to uplift the backward communities.

Under this scheme, unorganised workers will be issued smart cards – which are expected to bring them job security and empower them.

6. Expansion of Namma Metro:

Namma Metro. Source: The Better India.

The Namma Metro is set to be expanded further and connect more parts of Bengaluru. The metro will ease the commute of thousands of people at minimal rates, thus reducing road traffic too.

Reports indicate that the Phase 3 of the Namma Metro will be launched for a total of 105.55 km. This will make the total stretch of the Bengaluru metro network a total of 266 km.

7. Helping Dry Land Farmers:

A total of 70 lakh farmers will benefit under the Raita Belaku scheme, across 64 lakh hectares. The scheme hopes to make dry land farmers economically independent by trying to guarantee an annual income of Rs 5000-10000 per hectare to dry land farmers.

According to the Karnataka state government, this scheme is the biggest national programme in terms of area covered and the number of farmers impacted.

8. Industrial growth in the state:

Representative Image. Source.

Karnataka government is trying to boost industrial growth, not only in urban Bengaluru but also in Bengaluru rural district and other parts of the city.

New industrial townships are planned in Koppal, Ballari, Yadgir, Dharwad, Tumkur, Mysuru, Chamrajnagar and Ramnagara.

These townships will be established to encourage micro, small, and medium enterprises in Tier 2 & Tier 3 towns.

9. Women empowerment:

Women working as supervisors in Anganwadis will be assisted by the Karnataka government with the sponsorship of commute facilities. These women will receive loans of up to Rs 50,000 to purchase a scooter. No interest will be charged on these loans. They will also receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1000 to fuel these vehicles.

10. Suburban Rail for Bengaluru:

A day after the Karnataka government approved an expenditure of Rs 1745 crore to implement the first phase of the suburban rail network, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mentioned the same in his Budget Speech.

“A suburban network of approximately 160 kilometres at an estimated cost of Rs 17,000 crore is being planned to cater o the growth of the Bengaluru metropolis,” he said.

Featured image sources: The Better India/ Pixabay.

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