Bengaluru, March 4 Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Wednesday that he does not need announcements in the State Budget to carry out developmental works.
He made this statement while highlighting the developmental works in his native district of Bengaluru South.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the 2026-27 Budget on March 6. This would be Siddaramaiah's 17th budget.
"There is no need to expect anything from the Budget. Whether there is a Budget or not, we are doing our work," Shivakumar said in response to a question on what can be expected from the Budget.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "Others need the Budget. We don't. It's not that we can only take up work if it is announced in the Budget."
Citing the example of the flagship Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) in the Bengaluru South district, Shivakumar said, "We conduct a survey across the country. The Bengaluru South district has 25 government schools, each costing Rs 15 crore. We have ensured this. Has anyone else done this? Was this mentioned in the Budget? We created this; it is our concept. Now there is a state-level policy for 2,000 such schools."
Further, he pointed out that during the JD(S)-Congress coalition government under H D Kumaraswamy's Chief Ministership in 2018-19, he had ensured the announcement of a medical college for the then Ramanagara (now Bengaluru South) district, he said, "But the next BJP government under B S Yediyurappa cancelled it and moved the medical college to the Chikballapura district. Now, we have given medical colleges to both Ramanagara and Kanakapura (taluks in the Bengaluru South district)."
He also highlighted that private medical colleges are coming up in the Channapatna taluk and one between the Ramanagara and Kanakapura taluks.