Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 27: Asserting that his government has delivered on its commitments, chief minister Siddaramaiah said the Congress-led government has already fulfilled 243 of the 592 promises made ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, with the remaining assurances to be implemented during the rest of the government’s tenure.

Addressing a convention in Hubballi after distributing 42,345 houses to beneficiaries and handing over title deeds to 20,275 slum dwellers across Karnataka, the chief minister said, “When we were in power earlier (2013–18), we had made 165 promises. We fulfilled 158 of those 165 promises, and additionally, we implemented 30 new programmes.”

Strongly rebutting the BJP’s allegation that the state has gone bankrupt, Siddaramaiah said that despite spending substantial funds on the five guarantees and various development projects, the government remains financially stable. He accused the BJP of spreading canards across the state, circulating fake news, and misleading the people.

“We have spent Rs 1,16,000 crore on guarantees. If the government had no money, would it have been possible to spend such a huge amount?” he asked. “For irrigation, education, health, PWD, and rural development, we have been spending thousands of crores. That is why our budget size stands at Rs 4,09,000 crore,” Siddaramaiah added.

The chief minister further said the government is spending Rs 10,800 crore on old-age, widow, and other pensions, pointing out that the union government contributes only Rs 500 crore towards this. “For farmers’ pump sets, we spend about Rs 20,000 crore annually. We have provided housing to 42,345 families by increasing the state government’s contribution to Rs 4–5 lac per house and releasing Rs 5,500 crore,” he said.

Recalling his earlier tenure, Siddaramaiah said his government had constructed 14.58 lac houses, creating history and ushering in a housing revolution. “After becoming chief minister for the second time in 2024, the government distributed 36,789 houses in the first phase, and in the second phase, we are distributing over 42,000 houses. We have acted exactly as we promised,” he said.

The chief minister also announced that work on flood prevention at Banne Halli, with an estimated project cost of Rs 256 crore, will be launched in February at Navalgund.

Challenging union minister Pralhad Joshi, Siddaramaiah urged him to secure wildlife clearance for the Mahadayi project from the centre, stating that the state government is prepared to implement the project immediately once clearance is granted.