Yeddyurappa seeks Rs 5,000 crore grant for Bangalore

Bangalore, June 18 (UNI) The Karnataka government has sought an adhoc grant of Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre to help it launch a major upgradation of infrastructural facilities in this IT capital.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today said he had made a request in this regard to Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, during his meeting here on Monday.

The BJP Government, which assumed power last month, unveiled a plan yesterday to take up major infrastructural development in the city at a cost of nearly Rs 10,000 crore.

The Chief Minister sought the intervention of the Planning Commission in matters relating to Karnataka.

Mr Yeddyurappa, who met Planning Commission member Kirit Parikh this morning, told reporters here that he had urged the Centre to consider reimbursing the farm loan waiver of Rs 1,750 crore implemented by the State Government last year during the JD(S)-BJP regime.

The State Government had waived off loans to the tune of Rs 25,000 availed by small and marginal farmers and artisans from cooperative banks.

Mr Yeddyurappa said the State Government would identify additional resources for increasing the plan size of Rs 21,751 crore as announced by Mr Chidambaram, when he presented the vote on account in the Lok Sabha in March, when the State was under President's rule.

Urging the Centre to increase Karnataka's share of electricity from the Central grid to meet the power shortage, the Chief Minister said the State was allocated only 15 per cent from the Central grid, compared to 37 per cent to Tamil Nadu and 31 per cent to Andhra Pradesh. The Centre, through NTPC, should establish generating stations in Karnataka to overcome the power shortage, he added.

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