CM Siddaramaiah hopes budget will ease Congress' worries

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has certainly prepared the 2017-18 budget with the upcoming state assembly elections in mind. Social welfare projects and increased spending will probably be in the cards, as the Congress will hope to translate doles into votes. 

For CM Siddaramaiah, this is the fifth budget he is presenting as a Chief Minister and the 12th budget he is presenting in total. The tentative date of the budget is scheduled as March 17, 2017. The total extent of the budget is estimated to be around ₹2 lakh crore. The budget of the current year, i.e. 2016-17 is ₹ 1,63,419 crore.
 

Sources say that in the coming budget, the government is going to increase the quantity of ration under the Annabhagya scheme from 5 to 8 kilos per unit. Also, c

Currently milk is being distributed to government school children, under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme, for three days in a week. Now the government may extend this to five days a week. 

Besides, the state government is also reportedly planning to increase the incentive payments to milk producers, because CM Siddaramaiah had given similar assurances in public on many occasions.

Overall, the CM seems to have decided to present a budget with popular schemes, that do not become a burden to the tax-paying common man, hoping to please all side befoe the upcoming elections in 2018.
 

Sources say that CM Siddaramaiah is going to have a press meet in Delhi the day after the budget presentation, in order to give nationwide publicity to his government.

 Besides, it is a tradition in the Karnataka Congress to give a copy of the budget to Sonia Gandhi, AICC President, Rahul Gandhi, Vice President of AICC and state in-charge Digvijay Singh. 

Siddaramaiah may also try to appease rebel leaders in the state Congress by announcing welfare schemes specifically for several departments. While it is unknown if they will be pleased by such offers, at least the CM may become successful in hiding the party's internal differences from the voters for a little while longer.  

• Karnataka
• budget