The Karnataka Congress government has allocated around Rs 330 crore in the budget for waqf property, construction of Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru, and development of the Christian community. The state government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah allocated Rs 100 crore for Waqf properties and Rs 200 crore for Christian communities. However, the move did not go well with the BJP and the saffron party termed it an appeasement budget.
“The Congress-led Karnataka state government has allocated Rs 330 crores in its budget for the development of waqf property, the construction of Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru, and the development of the Christian community. Meanwhile, despite receiving around Rs 450 crores annually from donations by Hindu devotees to temples under its control, Congress opposes any legislation aimed at freeing Hindu temples from state control,” said Amit Rakksshit, BJP leader.
Speaking about the Waqf properties, CM Siddaramaiah said that there will be a special emphasis on the protection and conservation of protected monuments, maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Congress government has allocated Rs 10 crore for the construction of Mangaluru Haj Bhavan, and it has been announced that 100 Maulana Azad schools will be established in the state. Siddaramaiah also disclosed that Rs 50 crore will be designated for the development of major pilgrimage destinations for Jains.
The Chief Minister further stated that the sacred texts of the Buddhist community, the Tripitakas, will be translated into Kannada, with necessary grants allocated for the translation. A budget of Rs 393 crore will be allocated for programs formulated and implemented during 2024-25 through Minorities Development Corporations, as per Siddaramaiah’s announcement.
Despite presenting a revenue deficit budget, the Chief Minister emphasized the government’s commitment to welfare programs, with a significant increase in budgetary allocation to Rs 1,20,373 crore. Moreover, he underscored the importance of fiscal discipline by ensuring that the fiscal deficit remains within 3 per cent of GDSP.