Karnataka budget 2016: What gets cheaper and whats more expensive

The budget for 2016-17 is possibly the last budget in which Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who holds the finance portfolio, can push for allocations freely.

However, given the current scenario of farmer upheaval in the state, Siddaramaiah appears to have made a slew of allocations for farmers and agriculture in his 11^th budget. Another community that appears to have attracted the CM’s attention is the student community, with several schemes announced as incentives to poor students.

What’s expensive:

Beer to be costly! More tax. Increase in liquor license fee.

Taxes on soft drinks, entertainment, DTH service.

Petrol, diesel

Motor vehicles

DTH and cable connections

What’s cheaper

VAT on adult diapers reduced

Taxes on medical equipment, LED bulbs, cotton, chutney powders, set top box, reduced

For Bengaluru

Traffic in the city might improve with several projects to improve roads:

• Rs 2400 crores for land acquisition for the six-lane Mysuru-Bangaluru highway.
• Three elevated corridors in Bengaluru to be developed by BDA. 51.65 km of signal-free corridors to come up in Bangalore.
• Multilevel car parking proposed in many areas
• 260 crores to be given, to improve 112 roads in Bangalore
• BMTC has been given a one-time grant to raise its fleet by 1,000 buses, in addition to BMTC's own proposed addition of 650 buses to the public transport system.

BBMP to get Rs 4222.73 crore, while Rs 1000 crore has been sanctioned under the Nagarothana scheme; Rs 2,158 crore set aside under special investment plan

Bellandur and Varthur lakes to be rejuvenated with Lake development cess from KSPCB, BDA and BMRDA and under CSR; just Rs 100 crores set aside for lakes

BWSSB gets Rs 518 crores plan in JAICA partnership to provide water for outskirts of Bangalore

BBMP to get Rs 5,000 crores in next two years under CM's special fund.

Rs 800 crore sanctioned for storm water drains, Rs 500 crore for solid waste management

25-bed dialysis unit in KC General hospital, Malleshwaram

Farmers

Farmers to continue to get loans of up to Rs 3 lakh at zero interest, and up to Rs 10 lakh at 3 % interest.

The Indira Suraksha Yojana has been announced to provide medical services to the families of farmers who have committed suicide.

Rs 674 crore have been set aside for the Raitha Suraksha Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

The agriculture department has been sanctioned Rs 4,344 crore

Rs 300 crore has been set aside for farmers under the RKVY Krishi Bhagya and Prime Minister’s irrigation scheme for drip irrigation

Awareness of farming innovations would be spread by the farmers themselves, in accordance with the MS Swaminathan report’s recommendations.

Students

New medical colleges will be established in Karwar, Chamarajanagar and Madikeri

Training allowances of law degree students would be raised from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.

All students to be enrolled compulsorily on Aadhaar platform.

100 hostels to be set up for pre-university students

The monthly food expenditure on each tribal student in government hostels would raised upto Rs 200

ST students who have obtained ranks between 1 and 5 in post-graduation would receive cash awards of Rs 50,000.

The government will develop a new education policy