Karnataka Govt may go in for supplementary budget next month

Bengaluru: The BJP government in Karnataka may opt for presenting a supplementary budget next month, rather than a new full-fledged one, top government sources indicated on Wednesday.

Officials also said, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is unlikely to make any major new announcement for now as another budget has to be presented by around February, and also due to “lack of fiscal space” because of natural calamities in the state.

“By October end the government will have to get the budget passed… it depends on CM whether he wants to present a new budget or will have just the supplementary budget and get the old budget passed,” a top government official said.

The Chief Minister and the cabinet will have to take a call, the officer said adding because after that only four to five months will be left and in February the government will have to present another budget.

“Now presenting a new budget in October and presenting another budget in February… it’s not worth it (presenting the full-fledged budget in October),” the official added.

Soon after proving his government’s majority on the floor of the Assembly on July 29, Yediyurappa, who also holds the Finance portfolio, had sought a vote on account to spend for the next three months – from August 1 till October 31.

H D Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister and Finance Minister of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government had presented the full budget in February.

Another official too, pointing at the likelihood of supplementary budget said, there is much clarity now that the Chief Minister will go by whatever has been submitted, and there may be couple of additional things like- some flood- related and farmer-related announcement.

Stating that announcement of new things is largely unlikely now and the government may wait for the next full fledged budget (in February), he said, “government will have to take a call on it, for new schemes to be announced there should be lot of fiscal space for that. The floods this year has taken lot of fiscal space.”

The supplementary budget may be presented during winter session of the state Legislature likely next month.

The officials also made it clear that the state has not stalled any urgent relief work in flood-affected areas, citing no relief from the centre as the reason.

They said, government of India will give money as per norms, and pointed out that the other flood-affected states have also not got money yet.