Siddaramaiah unveils Rs 4.4k-crore bonanza

BANGALORE: Ressurecting the Congress rule in Karnataka after seven years, Siddaramaiah on Monday took over as chief minister, unveiling a Rs 4,409.81-crore bonanza for the poor, SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities.


The 64-year-old backward class leader was sworn in by Governor HR Bhardwaj amid fanfare with thousands of his supporters in attendance at the ceremony held in the jampacked Kanteerava Stadium, instead of the portals of state legislature building (Vidhana Soudha), state secretariat, or Raj Bhavan. Sporting white silk dhoti and shirt, Siddaramaiah, a self-declared atheist, was sworn in alone and he took the oath in the name of 'Truth'.

Thereafter, Siddaramaiah went into the action mode to implement the Congress poll manifesto, chairing his maiden Cabinet meeting with only him in attendance as the list of ministers is yet to be finalised. He announced that 30 kg of rice at Rs 1 a month would be provided from June, benefitting 98.17 lakh people in the below poverty line category, that would cost the state exchequer Rs 460 crore extra annually.

The chief minister also decided to raise subsidy for milk producers from Rs 2 to Rs 4 per litre, costing Rs 496 crore per annum.