From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Apr 19: Lambasting the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa for mishandling the State’s finances, former minister and JD(S) floor leader in the Karnataka assembly H D Revanna on Tuesday alleged that the state was being pushed into bankruptcy.

''The financial position of the State is so bad that the Government has been unable to clear over Rs 1,770 crore of bills in the last financial year," he said claiming that a huge sums of over Rs 8,000 crore allocated to various departments had not been spent.

Addressing media representatives, Revanna claimded that bills worth Rs. 432 crore related to development works of the medium and large irrigation, Rs. 127 crore of the minor irrigation, Rs. 1130 crore of the public works department, and Rs. 81 crore of the Rural Development and Panchayat Department had not been paid till March 31, 2011.

''What more proof is required for the financial mishandling?," he asked.

The JD(S) leader attacked Yeddyurappa for making false statements to the public to save his chair and there was a setback to the State’s revenue and huge shortfall in the last fiscal year.

Revanna claimed that barely 76 per cent of the planned expenditure had been spent in 2010-11. Out of Rs. 33,814 crore of total budget outlay, Rs. 25,741 crore had been spent till February 2011.

The planned expenditure of the agriculture department was just 40 per cent till February 28, 2011. Departments such as Commerce and Industries (24 per cent), Energy (45 per cent), health and family welfare (58 per cent), labour (39 per cent) minor irrigation (51 per cent) have failed to utilise the allocated funds for 2010-11, he alleged.

But Agriculture Minister Umesh Katti, a staunch loyalist of Yeddyurappa, refuted charge made by his erstwhile JD(S) leader Revanna and contended that agriculture department had spent 80 per cent of the allocated funds in 2010-11 and not 40 per cent.

Revanna also blamed the BJP Government for the worsening power crisis in the State and demanded Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje to come out with an explanation for the crisis. Power cuts and frequent unscheduled load-sheddings had become the order of the day.

The government had not taken any steps to execute projects and had been blaming the Centre for inadequate supply of coal to state thermal power plants, the JD(S) leader said.