‘Unprogressive and disappointing’: Home Minister on Union Budget

BENGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday expressed disappointment over the Union Budget 2025, criticizing it for not addressing key issues vital to the state and called it “unprogressive and disappointing.”

Parameshwara highlighted that despite several requests for support in areas such as housing for the poor, irrigation projects, and educational infrastructure, the budget has fallen short in providing necessary financial backing.

“It’s the most disappointing Budget for Karnataka. We were hoping that Karnataka would get a better share than last time. We asked for support for housing for the poor, particularly in rural areas. We asked for irrigation projects, additional grants and also projects – Upper Bhadra, Mekedatu, all these projects which were in the pipeline; we asked for support. But that has not been considered,” he said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Dr. G Parameshwara says, “Microfinance Bill – I was also a part of the drafting committee and we have looked into it more seriously. There were provisions which are kind of a link between the existing laws and the present law. This has to be… pic.twitter.com/U1x0ltVRck

— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2025

He also mentioned that they asked for IITs, and IIMs because Karnataka is the frontrunner in education in India but that was not supported in the Budget.

“We asked for money for the development of Bengaluru, but nothing has been mentioned…But if you consider the country as a whole, they have failed to identify the sectors which take India forward…Agriculture sector has been neglected, Industry sector has been neglected…They have not applied their mind…I don’t think this is a progressive Budget, it’s a very disappointing Budget,” Parameshwara added.

Congress on Saturday slammed the Union Budget 2025-26, stating that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is walking on a worn-out path and she and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not followed the advice of the Chief Economic Advisor on the need to deregulate and that the government’s “stranglehold” on the activities of the people is getting tighter.

Addressing a press conference, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the economy will trudge along on the old path and deliver no more than the usual 6 or 6.5 per cent growth in 2025-26.

“This is a far cry from the 8 per cent growth rate that the CEA estimated to become a developed country. In our view, this is a government with no new ideas and no will to reach beyond its grasp,” he said.

Recalling economic reforms carried out in 1991 and 2004, he said the Finance Minister is not keen to de-regulate.Chief Economic Advisor V Anant Nageswaran on Friday held a press conference on the Economic Survey which was presented in Parliament.

Chidambaram said, “It is evident that neither the FM nor the PM cares for the advice of the Chief Economic Adviser.” (ANI)