Karnataka Budget 2018: Siddaramaiah's last budget ahead of assembly polls

The City Police commissioner T. Sunil Kumar has issued several orders under the IPC Section 144 to protect law and order within two kilometer around Vidhan Soudha from 6 am to 12 am.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah will present the last Budget of his government on Friday ahead of upcoming assembly election. Siddramaiah will present record 13th budget in all and the 6th of the present Congress government.

The City Police commissioner T. Sunil Kumar has issued orders under the IPC Section 144 to protect law and order around Vidhan Soudha from 6 am to 12 am.

Since the elections are likely to be held during the last week of April or May first week, the government will hardly have a few weeks to implement budget announcements. This has not gone well with former CM BS Yeddyurappa who was his predecessor. He told Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, that considering the Assembly elections are due in Karnataka in April-May this year, he cannot present a full Budget.

Siddaramaiah is said to have prepared a Rs 2.20 lakh crore budget for 2018-19 to spread the 'feel good factor' among every segment of the society to help him pass the poll test to be held this summer. The Cabinet has decided to hold the budget session from February 16 to 28 and which is also expected to woo the electorate. Last year, the Chief Minister had presented the budget on March 15.

In fact, during an election year or when it is anticipated that the main Demands and Appropriation Bill will take longer time than two months, the Vote on Account may be for a period exceeding two months. While technically, it is not mandatory for the government to present a vote-on-account, but it would be inappropriate to impose policies that may or may not be acceptable to the incoming government taking over in the same year.

OneIndia News