Bengaluru: Lord Ram has been promised a substantial allocation in the Karnataka Budget for 2023-24 presented on Friday by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds the financial portfolio.
A ‘majestic’ Ram temple would be built in Ramanagara district, where Bollywood epic Sholay was shot, on the lines of the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, Bommai said while presenting the last budget of the current Assembly.
Ram temple to be build on 19 acres
The chief minister did not specify the place where the temple would be built but said it would be constructed on 19 acres belonging to the Department of Muzrai.
Not just Lord Ram, but Hanuman also got a share. A detailed project will be undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore for providing basic facilities for tourists in Anjanadri hill in Koppal district, believed to be the birthplace of Hanuman, he said.
The chief minister also announced a drive for the comprehensive development and renovation of various temples and mutts at an expenditure of ₹1,000 crore in the next two years, in the budget presentation made just a few months ahead of the Assembly elections.
Bommai also wooed farmers by increasing the limit of interest-free short-term loans given to them from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
The chief minister took a cue from the elections in north India and announced several initiatives for women's health and empowerment. Among the proposals is the construction of 250 ‘She Toilets’ at a cost of ₹50 crore in heavily populated markets and commercial complexes in Bengaluru.
Mega road and suburban rail projects
Bommai also announced several mega road and suburban rail projects for Bengaluru to ease traffic snarls and prevent floods, promises that he has been making for the past several years.
Opposition MLAs called the budget an attempt to fool the people of the state and adorned a flower behind their ears in an act meant to symbolise this.
The budget is “short-sighted” and the chief minister should keep a copy of it in his showcase, KPCC chief DK Shivakumar said.
Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah termed the budget as paper not worth reading.
