As budget nears, many ministries still have untilised funds

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is preparing for the 2025-26 budget presentation when the Assembly session starts early next month. In the meanwhile, some major ministers have not utilised last year’s allocations. Influential ministers’ departments have themselves under-utilised the allocated funds with just about a month left for the close of the financial year.

While the ministers have been speaking on various issues, some of the major departments themselves have not exceeded 50 per cent of their budget allocation. Heavyweights like Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, Rural Development and IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge, Waqf and Minority Affairs minister Zameer Ahmed, and Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy have unspent funds in their departments.

The government has provided data on unspent funds. Most departments had not even spent 50 per cent of their budget allocations. The data is based on the allocations and expenditures up to January this year.

State govt data on budget allocations and expenditures for various departments, showing varying progress rates:

Water Resources Department was allocated Rs 16,832 crore, out of which Rs 8,156 crore have been spent, achieving a progress of 48.46 per cent.

Rural Development Department was allocated Rs 25,082 crore, out of which Rs 11,368 crore have been spent, achieving a progress of 45.32 per cent

Women and Child Development Department was allocated Rs 34,406 crore, out of which Rs 21,550 crore have been spent, with progress rate at 62.63 per cent.

Agriculture Department was allocated Rs 5,148 crore, out of which Rs 2,655 crore have been spent, achieving a progress of 51.57 per cent.

Urban Development Department was Rs 19,714 crore, out of which Rs 10,487 crore were spent, with 68.53 per cent progress.

Home Department was allocated Rs 12,831 crore, out of which Rs 8,239 crore have been spent, achieving a progress of 64.21 per cent.

Health Department received an allocation of Rs 11,261 crore, with an expenditure of Rs 6,558 crore, showing progress of 58.24 per cent.

Food and Civil Supplies Department was allocated Rs 9,978 crore, out of which Rs 4,810 crore have been spent, achieving progress of 48.21 per cent.

Backward Classes Welfare Department was allocated Rs 3,489 crore, out of which Rs 1,850 crore have been spent, achieving progress of 53 per cent.

Tribal Welfare Department received an allocation of Rs 1,719 crore, with an expenditure of Rs 674 crore, showing progress of 39 per cent.

Social Welfare Department was allocated Rs 5,125 crore, out of which Rs 3,050 crore have been spent, achieving progress of 60 per cent.

Housing Department was allocated Rs 4,452 crore, out of which Rs 2,349 crore have been spent, achieving progress of 53 per cent.