Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, March 7: In a series of key announcements, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented the state budget for 2025-26, detailing significant measures, including capping movie ticket prices and raising compensation for wild animal attack victims.
During his budget speech, CM Siddaramaiah revealed that the price of movie tickets across all multiplexes in Karnataka will be capped at Rs 200. "The cost of the ticket for each show in all theatres across the state, including multiplexes, will be capped at Rs 200," he announced.
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In another significant development, the ex-gratia relief for the loss of life due to wild animal attacks has been increased from Rs 15 lac to Rs 20 lac. This decision comes as part of efforts to mitigate the growing number of attacks by wild animals, particularly elephants and leopards.
"Eight elephant task forces and two leopard task forces have been formed to control the wild elephant and leopard menace in the state. This programme will continue with Rs 17 crore allocated for the current year," said Siddaramaiah.
The chief minister further highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the human-elephant conflict in the state. Since 2015, 392 km of railway barricades have been constructed, and 150 km of additional barricades will be undertaken in the next two years, with Rs 60 crore earmarked for these efforts in 2025-26.
As part of a comprehensive strategy to address the man-elephant conflict, Siddaramaiah announced a grant of Rs 20 crore to establish a 'Wild-elephant Soft Release Centre' in the Bhadra Tiger Reserve, which will span an area of 20 square kilometres.
The budget also allocated Rs 200 crore for landslide prevention measures in the coastal and hilly districts, including Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Hassan, Kodagu, and Chikkamagaluru.
In terms of road infrastructure, the state plans to undertake projects covering 1,850 km of state highways and 2,570 km of district roads at a total cost of Rs 4,848 crore, with a focus on enhancing connectivity across Karnataka.
CM Siddaramaiah also lauded the progress in the state’s industrial sector, citing the establishment of Foxconn’s mobile phone manufacturing plant in the Devanahalli Industrial Area. "Foxconn has made a capital investment of Rs 21,911 crore in the state, and they will receive an incentive of Rs 6,970 crore from the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) policy," he said.
A new IT policy will also be rolled out in 2025, aimed at enhancing Karnataka’s position as a global technology hub. The policy will emphasise cloud computing, emerging technologies, and the expansion of IT in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Tourism was another major focus in the budget, with a New Tourism Policy for 2024-29 aiming to develop tourism as a priority sector. The policy aims for an investment of Rs 8,000 crore and the creation of 1.5 lac jobs. As part of this initiative, CM Siddaramaiah announced the development of Sri Renuka Yallamma Temple and the Devika Rani Roerich Estate under the Special Capital Assistance Scheme, with a total expenditure of Rs 199 crore.
In sports, the Chief Minister announced the 'Target-Olympic Medal' scheme, under which 60 talented sportspersons will be identified and provided with an incentive of Rs 10 lac per annum for three years to prepare for the 2028 Olympics.
Additionally, the state plans to promote sustainable organic farming by designating Joida taluka in Uttara Kannada district as the first "organic taluka" of the state. Organic certification facilities will be provided to farmers to enable them to secure better markets for their produce.
The budget also focused on agriculture, with agricultural loans worth Rs 18,960 crore disbursed to 21.78 lac farmers in 2024-25. Despite a 58% reduction in refinancing limits by NABARD, Siddaramaiah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to achieving its target for agricultural credit.