‘Central govt is branding schemes with ‘PM’ prefix’

Mangaluru: Health and family welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has accused the BJP govt at the Centre of branding several welfare schemes by prefixing them with ‘PM’, though the state govt has been contributing major shares.
Rao told reporters here on Saturday that while the Centre’s share to build a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-rural) is just Rs 72,000, the state govt has been releasing Rs 2.4 lakh for each unit.In PMAY (urban), the Centre’s sanction to build a house is just Rs 1.5 lakh while the state is releasing Rs 5 to 6 lakh per unit. The state govt also has been contributing major shares in the implementation of Ayushman Bharath, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and several other central-sponsored projects. The Centre has given only Rs 187 crore under Ayushman Bharat while the state has sanctioned Rs 748 crore for the scheme, the minister said.
On the budget, Rao said that the state govt has strictly adhered to the financial discipline and parameters. “The implementation of the guarantee schemes has not affected any development projects as the budget has made separate fund allocation for the same. While the benefits of the guarantee schemes reach the beneficiaries directly, it increases the purchasing capacity of people helping the economic activities in the state get a boost. After the implementation of the guarantee schemes, the GST collection has increased by 18% compared to 2022-23. Through guarantee schemes, Rs 52,009 crore will reach beneficiaries without corruption,” he said.
The minister said, the govt has approved the recruitment of 8,383 drivers and conductors. While the state govt has already purchased 1,235 new buses, the process of purchasing 3,619 buses is in progress, he said. On BJP’s objections to the Rs 3,000 budget allocation for the welfare of minorities, Rao said that the opposition is silent on the govt reserving funds for the development of Anjanadri Hill, construction of guest houses at Tirupati, Mantralaya and other pilgrim centres.
They opposed an amendment to the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997, that sought to provide social security measures to over 40,000 archakas of Muzrai temples in the state. The previous BJP govt violated financial discipline while sanctioning unplanned works worth Rs 1.6 lakh crore through CM’s discretionary quota. We need five to six years to complete those projects by allotting funds, he said. The govt is working towards developing a new Mangaluru- Bengaluru economic corridor, he said, adding that discussions are being held on how to improve connectivity.